Archive of Our Own

" Is that walk-in freezer's door still sticking on the inside?" Chef Dongo asked as he looked to his sous Chef Kenji who was currently inspecting said freezer door.

" Yes Chef Dizzy, the latch is still catching whenever the door closes, it's basically turned this freezer into a death trap for anyone who goes inside and gets the door shut on them." Kenji reported with a worried frown.

Chef Dongo or Dizzy as everyone so fondly nicknamed him let out a much put upon sigh and shook his head.

" Well, it's too late to call the metal workers to see if they can do anything to fix the damn thing. I guess the best thing we do for now if put a sign up telling everyone to steer clear of this thing for the time being." He grumbled.

It was the end of another busy day, and even though dinner had been a huge hit with everyone at Cross Guild, especially the potato fritters that Mihawk Sama himself had sent his complements to the chefs for, the seasoned chef and his crew were tired to their bones and the last thing they needed was necessary equipment like their main walk in freezer suddenly turning dangerous on them because the door started closing a little too well.

Two of Chef Dizzy's other staff members, one a sous chef like Kenji, the other one of the fry cooks had both gone into that freezer at different times during the busy dinner service to grab something out of this walk in freezer only to find themselves trapped inside when the door closed on them in their wake. Thankfully both times the kitchen had been teaming with people who were able to hear the cries and muffled banging coming from inside the freezer and had gotten the stubborn door open before either could get dangerously cold or hurt in some other manner since the floor was known to get slippery sometimes as well. For the rest of the day they had place a small, thick peace of wood in the doors way to keep it from shutting completely, but still leaving the inside of the freezer cold enough to keep the food inside from thawing and spoiling.

" You got it Chef." Kenji said with a nod before he set about grabbing up a large piece of paper and a red marker to make a sign.

Chef Dizzy nodded and went back to helping with wrapping things up in the kitchen for the night along side the rest of his staff.

Kenji made a huge sign with big bold red letters that red " OUT OF ORDER KEEP OUT!" and taped it to the front of the walk in freezer's door before he too dove head first into kitchen wrap up for the night.

About half an hour later, the kitchen staff were done with clean up and prep-work for the next day and all headed out of the kitchen with 'goodbyes' and see 'you laters'. Chef Dizzy was the last to leave, taking a final look around the kitchen, his eyes settling on the sign Kenji had taped to the freezer door. Satisfied and still annoyed at the freezer being so finicky, Chef Dizzy switched off the kitchen lights, plunging everything into darkness before he turned and headed off home for the evening.

Just a couple of minutes after Chef Dizzy's departure, the sign on the freezer door slid free from the tape fastening it to the cool surface. The large piece of paper fluttered back and forth through the air before coming to land on the floor to the right of the door, face down and unfortunately obscuring it very important warning.

Around 1 o'clock in the morning...

Pale blue eyes shot open as with a sharp gasp, Buggy sat up ramrod straight in his bed, having been yanked out of a dead sleep by an awful nightmare.

Buggy sucked in huge lung-fulls of air, disoriented and shaking as his sleep-addled brain rapidly took in his surroundings and tried to make sense of what was real and what had been dream. As he blinked his eyes and looked around, Buggy deflated. This was not that awful day, that awful day when he had witnessed Captain Roger's execution at the hands of the Marines, this was not that awful day Shanks had broken his heart and he had ran off alone at the tender age of fifteen, the only family he had ever known disbanded and in shambles. He was here on Karai Bari Island, safe in his bed inside his two story tent at the back of the main big top, he was a Yonko of the Seas and Chairman of Cross Guild. He had his crew, his followers, and even Dracule Mihawk and Sir Crocodile as his "lieutenants".

Buggy calmed down considerably, but then felt his heart give an all powerful lurch at the thought of all he had here, and how much he wished his Captain and King Gol D. Roger were here to actually see everything he had accomplished.

Would the Pirate King be proud of his red nosed cabin boy? Prouder of him than that Red Haired Shanks?

As Buggy felt a wave of yearning wash over him, his thoughts turned to his two 'executives'.

Another wave of yearning washed over him at the thought of the two dangerous warlords who had gone from hatefully tolerating him as the convenient figurehead who's purpose was to keep the heat off of them, to actually being nakama just as Alvida, Cabaji, Mohji, Richie, Galdino, and even Daz were. Through much trial and tribulation, Buggy had earned Mihawk and Crocodile's respect, showcasing that he was more than just a luck fool who failed his way into becoming a Yonko of the Seas. Sure, he still screwed up plenty and sometimes wanted to turn tail and run off to parts unknown rather than deal with say, a full frontal assault by the Navy, but when push came to shove he was fighting tooth and nail alongside everyone else all the same. A couple of victorious business dealings also helped Buggy move up in the eyes of Sir Crocodile and Mihawk. He could actually hold pleasant conversations with them now without fear of being decapitated by Mihawk if he said the wrong thing or reduced to pieces and strung up in chains by Crocodile if he annoyed him too much.

Yeah, they were nakama even if none of them actually said it.

Nakama was all Buggy could hope for with Mihawk and Crocodile, when his heart wanted to belong to these two men in every way that a person could belong to someone else.

He hadn't meant to fall in love, not with anyone, but especially not with two of the most dangerous and powerful men in the whole world. Barely friends, they had somehow become the ones he wanted with all his being. Feeling his eyes filling with bitter salt while his heart cracked open not for the first time, Buggy took a deep, steadying breath and reached up to push his long blue hair out of his face. With a profound sigh, Buggy tossed away the covers and climbed out of bed.

He put his cozy red house slippers on and then grabbed up his fluffy black sleeping robe with crescent moons all over it to wear over his silky dark teal pajamas. Without thinking, Buggy also grabbed up his mini den den mushi from his bedside table and put it in his pocket, a subconscious habit he had picked up after the many trials and tribulations he faced when he had found himself in harrowing situations with no means of calling his crew for help. Now he always carried a mini den den with him just to be safe, even when he was just lounging in his bedroom.

He shuffled out of his bedroom area, wrapping his long hair up into a messy bun at the top of his head as he went.

A night like this, after a nightmare like the one he just woke up was not for trying to get back to sleep, but called for something sweet and unhealthy to indulge in.

A bit or perhaps a bucket of his favorite ice cream should do the trick.

Buggy trudged down the stairs from his loft like bedroom and then headed out of his quarters and down the corridor.

Everything was quiet and the lights were dimmed, a peacefulness that Buggy walked through with just a dull ache in his heart now. He reached the main corridor and took a right, feeling his heart lurch again as he had to walk past two other corridors, each leading to the personal quarters of the ones he yearned for so desperately but would never have. With a shaky sigh, Buggy shook his head and quickened his stride, wanting to drown his melancholy in sugary goodness now more than ever.

He cut across the dimmed big top and ducked into the hallway that led straight into the dining tent. He made his way past the many empty long tables and finally reached the kitchen. He turned on the lights and headed for the refrigerators. When he opened the first ones freezer section he was disappointed to discover no ice cream of any kind. He then went to the next one, which did have gallons of ice cream in it but it was just plain old vanilla. The third and final freezer section was a total but as well, bearing strawberry frozen yogurt, which just wasn't what Buggy was after.

He was after the holy grail, that special ice cream flavor of vanilla mixed with layers of chocolate fudge, peanut butter, chocolate chips, marshmallows, peanut butter cup pieces, and truffles to round out the robust confection. A literal hurricane disaster of everything mixed into ice cream form. He knew Chef Dizzy always had some on hand, it was the Chairman's favorite after all. Taking a moment to look around, Buggy caught sight of the heavy steel door to the main walk in freezer.

" Chef Dizzy's probably got the big buckets in there." Buggy thought to himself before he made his way over, not noticing the large white rectangle of paper laying on the floor as he reached for the handle of the latch to the steel door and pulled.

The heavy door slowly slid open with a soft groan, a wave of chilly air hitting Buggy from behind it as the automatic light immediately turned on inside the industrial freezer. Buggy bit back a shiver at the frigidness one he had the door open and braced himself before he stepped over the threshold into the gigantic ice box.

Buggy wrapped his robe and his arms tightly around himself against the sharp chill that overtook him, his breath misting as it came forth past his nose and lips. He slowly stepped further into the freezer, his eyes raking over the shelves quickly as he searched for the treat that was proving to be rather illusive. It was as he kept searching that the heavy metal door slowly started to swing shut, gravity inevitably making it return to it's previous state.

Buggy let out a disappointed huff when he couldn't see the desired item anywhere. Buggy turned to leave the freezer and let out a gasp when he saw the door closing on him. He rushed forward, and then he was going sideways, his slipper covered feet inevitably slipping on a patch of icy floor.

" Ah!" Buggy yelled as his balance fled and his body hurtled in the wrong direction.

Then his side was exploding in pure agony as his ribs impacted with the edge of the metal shelves that lined the side of the walk in freezer.

" Gah!" Buggy screamed as he felt something inside him crack as metal clanged dully under him.

He bounced off the metal and gravity did the rest, pulling him to the floor with bone shattering force. The breath was summarily knocked out of Buggy's lungs, his whole body alight with untold agony. He looked up in a daze and caught sight of a white bucket teetering on the edge of the very top shelf.

" NO NO NO NO NO DON'T FALL DON'T FALL PLEASE DON'T FALL ON ME!" Buggy thought frantically as he tried to get up, tried to move out of the way, but it was of no use as his body refused to cooperate with him. Every attempt to drag himself away or even roll failed to do anything but send fresh waves of jagged agony through his whole body.

Then the bucket at the very top of the shelf finally surrendered to the inescapable pull of gravity and toppled off the edge.

" Oh shit!" Buggy whispered as time seemed to slow down.

He watched helplessly as the white bucket came careening down right at him. He caught sight of the label which read "Chairman's Fav" ice cream and felt a wave of morbid, ironic humor wash over him for a second before the terror took hold again. Buggy shut his eyes and tried one final time to move, to throw his arm over his head to protect himself but it was all in vain as the whole side of his head exploded in fresh agony, Buggy's vision whiting out, his brain short-circuiting, and then everything just stopped as consciousness fled him completely.

Just as his body plunged him into darkness, the freezer fell dark as the internal light shut off, the heavy metal door falling shut with a soft clang and the latch sealing shut.

Buggy D. Clown was senseless and essentially entombed.

An unknown amount of time later...

Awareness returned to Buggy like a cold hard slap to the face as his pale blue eyes shot open and he gasped in a frigid lungful of air.

Buggy shuddered at the bitter cold he inhaled, and the biting cold that surrounded him like a suffocating blanket he had tangled himself into. As he blinked his eyes to try and focus, fresh horror washed over him, for all around him was nothing but blackness, the freezer light having turned off and the door sealing itself firmly, leaving nothing but eternal darkness for the one unintentionally trapped in its wintry belly.

Buggy let out a low, guttural groan, an acrid metallic taste in his mouth that he was all too familiar with.

Blood, sharp and salty, horrendous in its implication. Buggy spat and coughed, whatever spilling out of his mouth immediately growing frigidly cold. He couldn't see, he couldn't see an inch in front of him, it was all just inky, unrelenting darkness. As he slowly and groggily took stock of himself as best he could, he knew that he was laying on his side, there was something frozen in his hair, the side of his head was throbbing mercilessly, and his sleeping robe was chilled around him.

" H-Haaaa..." Buggy groaned, his entire body stiff and unresponsive. It felt like he was being stabbed by thousands of ice needles all over, and each breath made the side of his rib cage explode in fresh agony.

Buggy let out a shaky breath and felt his eyelids grow heavy. He was so tired, it was so dark, maybe if he just closed his eyes for a second it would get better? Buggy's eyes started to flutter shut, but then with a jolt his brain flared with memory.

In bright technicolor, it all came flooding back to him.

He had woken from a horribly back nightmare and come down here to the kitchens to indulge in some ice cream therapy. He had come in here looking for his favorite flavor. He had noticed the heavy metal door closing on him and rushed to stop it only to end up slipping on the icy floor, smashing his side against the sharp edge of the metal shelf, and then to add insult to injury a bucket of his favorite flavor of said ice cream had come crashing down onto his head from the very top shelf, knocking him out cold for God only knew how long before he finally woke up here, freezing on the floor.

With a shudder, Buggy thanked whatever deities were around that he had woken up at all. He could tell that he had a head wound, a coldness to the side of his head that told him that there was liquid lazily seeping into his hair and freezing into it.

" H-Help." Buggy whispered with his eyes filling with tears that stung and immediately grew cold.

" H-Help me." Buggy whispered into the blackness.

There was obviously no answer to his pleas, just the sound of his own rattling breathing.

" Hmmmmmm." Buggy groaned before he swallowed thickly.

He couldn't just lay there and let the ice take him, he had to move, had to at least roll over onto his back to try and alleviate the pressure on his injured side. He was pretty certain he had either cracked or full on broken a couple of ribs from careening into the frost covered steel shelf.

Shivering horribly and with his tears spilling, Buggy used every ounce of will he could muster to get his leaden and half frozen body to actually fucking move. With a loud yell as his frosted muscles protested the movement, Buggy got his arm under himself and pushed with all of his might. Buggy's scream echoes through the thick walls of the freezer as he rolled himself onto his back and panted harshly, a fresh chill washing over him as his body instinctively sweated at the effort and his heart pounded against his sternum with the adrenaline the pain and movement caused him.

As he caught his breath, Buggy barely bit back a groan of frustration because the freezer was so dark he couldn't see a damn thing. He tried to think but the cold was making it so hard for him, so confusing. He knew that he was in trouble but there was a part of him, a really big part that just wanted to sleep still, just close his eyes and the pain and cold would go away.

No! No he couldn't do that, he needed to focus. He was in this life of death situation all because he had wanted some ice cream and the walk in freezer was an asshole with a door that was far too each to close itself. Gritting his teeth, Buggy tried to focus as hard as he could, he had to focus damn it! Taking in a deep breath and grimacing at his injured ribs protesting the action, Buggy lay on his back and thought hard.

He could try to chop chop himself into the most microscopic pieces he was capable of to try and shimmy his way under the freezer door to safety, but the door was essentially vacuum sealed and with the way he was insured and out of it, he wouldn't be able to hold the concentration he would need to in order to maintain himself in such pieces, go the right way, and then pull himself back together.

He knew that it was no use trying to scream his head off and hope that my some miracle, another late night diner would come to the kitchens at his hour.

With despair clawing at him, Buggy barely bit back the sobs of defeat threatening to overwhelm him. As he lay on his back and sucked in icy breath after icy breath with his whole body in agony, Buggy just happened to clumsily brush his hand over his leg, right where the pocket of his sleeping robe was resting. Buggy frowned when even with how numb his fingers had gotten, he could feel a foreign object in his pocket. Frowning in confusion and somehow feeling even colder, Buggy slowly reached into his pocket, missing a couple of times before finally getting his fingers into the opening.

His fingertips found something round and then Buggy felt a jolt go through him as it dawned on him what this mystery item was.

His mini den den, the one he had grabbed up without thinking and put in his pocket out of habit!

With a shaky breath and his heart pounding, Buggy wrapped his fingers around the little shelled creature, hoping with all his might that the little thing was even still alive at this point. He wrapped the little den den in his hand, the poor thing just as chilled as he was. With his mind waning once more, Buggy brought the snail up to his lips and spoke.

" C-Call Mi-Mihawk... Call Croco... dile... P-Please." He stuttered out.

At first there was nothing, just the darkness and his own weakening breath. The seconds ticked by like agonizing hours and Buggy felt his heart sink all the way to his feet. This was is only hope, his one last chance to save himself from an icy cold demise. Buggy shut his eyes as fresh tears of despair spilled free as he sobbed softly.

Then the most beautiful sound filled his ear.

Pere pere pere... Pere pere pere... Pere pere pere...

His little den den was sending out the call, his little den den was alive and functional. Buggy opened his eyes and grinned shakily for a moment before he groaned as more waves of white hot pain washed over him, leaving him feeling like every nerve ending in his body was left raw and exposed.

" P-Pick up, p-please pick up." Buggy whispered through gritted teeth as he tasted fresh blood on his chilled tongue.

After another eternity, a voice finally answered on the other end of the line.

" You had better have a damn good fucking reason for calling me at this hour you red nosed imbecile. " Came the sleep roughened growl of Dracule Mihawk through the little speaker in Buggy's mini den den's shell.

Normally such words would have been a lance straight to Buggy's heart, especially the mention of his signature nose, this time though, the insults were like a warm burst of sunshine to the dying Yonko, especially with one of the men he loved so deeply being the one to say it to him.

Buggy parted his lips, ready to scream his head off and beg for Mihawk's help when a wave of dizziness crashed over him and nearly dragged him into unconsciousness right then and there. He barely kept his eyes from falling shut, his entire body growing heavy like he had fallen into cement. Barely fighting back the urge to gag as more metallic and salty liquid started to fill the back of his throat, Buggy tried to speak through numb lips when Mihawk's sharp voice sounded again.

" If you are drunk-dialing me right now I will string you up and make you regret ever drawing a single breath you impudent little worm!" The Swordsman seethed with dark promise.

" H-Hawky... please..." Buggy finally got out with his voice weakening to a wheeze.

" ...Buggy? Buggy what's going on? Why do you sound like that?" Mihawk demanded sharply from the other end of the line.

" Dr-Dracule... help... me... 'm hurt re-really bad..." Buggy wheezed as the pull of impending unconsciousness grew steadily stronger.

" Hurt? What do you mean you're hurt? What the hell is going on with you Clown? Clown?... Hey are you still there? Buggy?" Mihawk asked, immediately sitting up in his bed, instantly alert to Buggy's garbled words.

" Dra-Dracule... h-h-help mmmeeeee... freezeeeeeeeer... ohhhhh." Buggy trailed off with a long sigh as his body could no longer fight to stay conscious, his eyes fluttering shut as he weakly coughed wetly. With the last of his strength Buggy turned his head to the side and let out this one last, big cough that felt like a geyser erupting from his throat and spilling hot, metallic liquid from inside himself to spill through his parted lips onto the icy floor beneath him.

The last thing he heard was Mihawk's voice calling out to him from far away, demanding that he answer him back. He wanted to, he really wanted to answer Mihawk and say more but he just... couldn't anymore as he felt his hand that was holding the den den drop limply onto his chest and then he knew nothing more. The only thing that moved was the shallow rise and fall of Buggy's chest.

Back in his quarters, Mihawk frowned at his den den, which had morphed into a semblance of Buggy with a red nose and fluffy blue hair. Part of him wanted to just dismiss the call as the ramblings of his drunken chairman, but this part of him was drowned out by the warning bells that were going off in his head. For all Mihawk knew the drunken buffoon had gone and stubbed his toe on his fridge and thought it important enough to disturb his all important sleep, but the yellow eyed swordsman threw away the covers and climbed out of bed anyway. Dressed in a loose white poet's shirt and plain black sleeping pants, Mihawk grabbed up his signature black and red sleeved coat and donned it before he retrieved Yoru from her resting place on the special rack he kept by his bed. He may as well be prepared with his weapon of choice. Grumbling quietly to himself, Mihawk slid his feet into some black slippers and then made his way out of his darkened quarters.

He trudged up the darkened corridor until he reached the main hallway, where the shuffle of feet caught his ear. He turned and immediately stood up straighter as the towering figure of Sir Crocodile emerged from his own corridor. Dressed in silver satin pajamas with his own signature black coat with the white fur trim draped over his broad shoulders. He didn't have one of his usual cigars in his mouth but his golden hook was glinting and he had the promise of pain in his pale violet eyes.

" So the idiot bothered you too did he?" Crocodile drawled as he came to stand before Mihawk.

" Indeed, he called on the den den." Mihawk replied, watching as Crocodile rolled his eyes.

" I didn't even bother picking up." The sand wielder huffed.

" Well I did and our intrepid Chairman said that he was hurt and needed help. He's already broken my sleep cycle, so I may as well go check on him. Maybe even give him an actual injury to cry about if I find out he's just been drunk dialing." Mihawk said with a shrug before he and Crocodile started making their way down the main hallway towards the mouth of the corridor that led to Buggy's tent.

When they got to the door, Crocodile rapped his hook against the sky blue painted wood and they waited for their intrepid and most likely inebriated blue haired Chairman. Instead they were met with silence and no one opening the door. Both massively annoyed, Mihawk reached for the door and pushed it open. They strode inside quickly, looking about for the resident to the two story tent.

" Oi Buggy! Get your ass out here!" Crocodile shouted sternly as he and Mihawk looked around the dimmed and spacious tent.

Again they were met with nothing but silence, and if they were to be completely honest with themselves, it was getting kind of eerie and the annoyance was slowly being replaced with begrudging concern.

" Hey you actually answered the den den call right? What'd that idiot say exactly?" Crocodile asked with a frown.

" He was mumbling, I could barely make out what he said. He said that he was hurt badly and he kept asking me for help." Mihawk answered with a shrug, frowning himself as he recalled Buggy's exact words.

" He also said freezer. So I just assumed that he had stubbed his toe on his fridge here or something else along those lines." Mihawk added.

" Just where the fuck is he if not here?" Crocodile asked aloud.

Then he was turning his attention back to Mihawk as he heard the swordsman inhale sharply all of a sudden.

" Hawk-Eye?" Crocodile asked as he watched something seem to click into place for the swordsman, his yellow eyed growing wide in alarm as he looked up at the sand wielder.

" The kitchens, we need to get the kitchens right now!" Mihawk said before he took off in a full sprint out of Buggy's tent without any further elaboration.

Sputtering, Crocodile put his long limbs to good use as he took off in a full run after the incredibly fast swordsman. Mihawk ran fast, Crocodile maybe three paces behind him, shooting through the corridors, the. main big top, and then finally into the dining hall. He raced past the empty long tables and into the kitchen area where much to his sinking stomach, the lights were on at this untold hour.

" Oi Mihawk, wait up! What the fuck are we doing here of all places?" Crocodile said as he trotted up behind the swordsman.

Mihawk didn't grace him with a reply, Crocodile watching as instead the swordsman looked about the kitchen with a singular sharp focus, his yellow eyes first going to the trio of normal refrigerators a few feet in front of him and quickly dismissing them before he turned his gaze to the side, and they fell on the heavy steel door to the walk in freezer by the far wall.

" Buggy!" Mihawk called before he promptly barreled right for the heavy steel freezer door.

Crocodile watched the swordsman race towards the door and suddenly it all clicked into place for him too.

" Oh fuck." Crocodile said lowly before he too barreled after Mihawk.

" Buggy! Buggy are you in there?! Can you hear me?!" Mihawk shouted, his voice echoing through the empty kitchen and attached dining hall. All he received in reply was cold silence.

" Fucking hell! You think Buggy's in there?" Crocodile exclaimed in full alarm.

" I don't know damn it! He said freezer before he stopped talking all together and this is the main walk in!" Mihawk shouted before he reached for the latch.

He tugged on it, only for the metal to remain shut and unyielding. Frowning, Mihawk tugged on the latch a little harder.

" Damn thing is stuck!" Mihawk said with hot annoyance.

" Hey what's that?" Crocodile said as he pointed to the piece of paper laying on the floor beside the walk in freezer.

Mihawk looked over as Crocodile stepped past him and reached down to pick it up, turning it over to reveal the big bold red letters and the warning they spelled out clearly.

" Shit." Crocodile said as he turned to Mihawk, the both of them immediately catching on that the freezer was out of order, a warning had been put up, but somehow it had fallen off leaving no one the wiser to the danger.

Mihawk turned his attention back to the door and pulled at the latch harder. Crocodile watched with his jaw falling open as something in Mihawk seemed to snap, his yellow eyes almost turning red as with a snarl, Mihawk promptly grabbed hold of either side of the heavy steel doors, the metal actually groaning as the swordsman dug his fingers in deep. With a guttural roar, Mihawk promptly ripped the heavy steel door clean off its thick hinges and held it up like it weighed nothing at all.

" Holy fuck!" Crocodile whispered in pure awe at the sight of Mihawk ripping through solid steel with his bare hands like it was tissue paper.

It should never be forgotten that while Mihawk carried around the greatest black blades known to mankind, the man himself was just as deadly with just his bare hands alone.

Waves of energy radiated from the swordsman, a clear indication that on top of his inordinate strength, he had also summoned a bit of his haki energy forward for good measure. With a snarl, Mihawk tossed the door away, the ruined steel landing on the concrete floor with a resounding clang through the entire dining hall, the stone cracking slightly under it. Mihawk paid it no further mind as he instead turned his sole focus to the freezer's arctic innards, the light having come on serenely. Crocodile scrambled to his feet and stepped up beside Mihawk as the two of them came to the threshold of the freezer, where a cold mist had risen up, obscuring their view of the inside. Together they swept into the walk in freezer, Crocodile having to duck his head because of how much taller he was. The frigid freezer mist dissipated around them and when it did, both men, so fearless and revered, felt their hearts slam to a halt inside their chests, and it had nothing to do with them standing inside a freezer going at full blast.

" Oh my God." Mihawk whispered in abject horror, his eyes wide and the color draining out of his face entirely.

" Aw fuck." Crocodile whispered beside him, growing just as pale, his jaw hanging open.

There laying on the ice covered floor, pale and completely unmoving was a familiar blue haired figure. Buggy lay with his long blue hair fanned out and frozen about his head, almost like a halo. The side of Buggy's head was matted with dark, frozen red, a few frozen tendrils trailing down his pale forehead. There was a small, frozen puddle of more red by his mouth, his lips pale blue and stained at one corner while there were ice crystals forming on his long dark lashes over his closed eyes.

He was a picture of beatific horror, an image that would be forever burned into the minds of Dracule Mihawk and Sir Crocodile as they both snapped out of their shared stupor and rushed forward.

" O-Oi Buggy!" Crocodile yelled as he and Mihawk came to kneel on the frigid floor on either side of him.

" Hey Buggy! Buggy can ya hear me? Buggy?!" Crocodile yelled as he frantically looked over the gravely injured Yonko, Mihawk doing the same without making a sound.

It was Mihawk who reached out to Buggy first, pressing the tips of his fore and middle finger to the blue haired man's pale neck. Mihawk barely kept the grimace from showing on his face as he felt for himself how utterly devoid of warmth Buggy was, not knowing for just how long the man had actually laid here slowly freezing to death inside this food filled death trap. He frowned deeply as he felt nothing under his finger, just bitterly cold skin.

" H-Hey he's not... dead is he?" Crocodile asked quietly before he looked down at Buggy's slack, ghostly white and blood stained face. Mihawk looked up at Crocodile sharply with a warning look in his eyes that the sand wielder ignored as he focused

" Clown?" He called before he finally reached out and gripped Buggy's shoulder.

" Clown c'mon!" Crocodile called again, this time more sternly as he squeezed Buggy's shoulder and gave it a tentative shake, feeling bolts of cold go up his own arm in the process at this first touch.

Buggy remained utterly silent and still, only moving because of Crocodile lightly shaking him.

Mihawk still said nothing as he leaned over Buggy and carefully tucked his hands under the unconscious man's neck and started to prod either side with his fingers. He might not have been a doctor, but he had enough knowledge to assess someone.

Crocodile watched on with baited breath as Mihawk gently kneaded his fingers and felt around Buggy's neck, the both of them wincing openly when Mihawk rolled Buggy's head to lay straight and there was the sound of ice breaking, chips of dark red eyes falling to the floor and the puddles crackling under Buggy as he was moved.

" It doesn't feel like anything's broken." Mihawk said quietly before he wasted no time tucking one arm under Buggy's head and the other under Buggy's knees, taking the blue haired man into his arms and slowly rising to his feet.

Crocodile scrambled to his feet as well and ran out of the freezer first to clear the way for Mihawk. When he turned around, the image of Buggy laying utterly limp with his frozen hair sticking up all over while his bloodied head rested against Mihawk's shoulder as the swordsman carried him bridal style would haunt him the rest of his days. Mihawk quickly but carefully made his way out of the freezer. Without thinking, Crocodile shed his own coat from his shoulders and laid it out on the kitchen floor when he saw Mihawk wordlessly sink to his knees. Mihawk lay Buggy down on Crocodile's coat and then promptly reached for Buggy's chest, taking handfulls of his pajama shirt and unceremoniously ripping the fabric apart.

Buttons went flying in every which direction, the soft clicking sounds as they landed and rolled over the floor seemingly amplified by the emptiness of the kitchen as Mihawk pulled the fabric away and exposed Buggy's chest.

" Damn his ribs are busted." Crocodile hissed as he pointed to Buggy's side where there was a clear deformity and angry red splotches of skin.

Mihawk frowned balefully at the newly discovered injury before he promptly leaned down and lowered his head over Buggy to firmly press his ear to the center of the injured Yonko's chest. Crocodile fell silent himself, scarcely breathing as he waited for Mihawk to say something, anything. For what seemed like forever, there was nothing, and then Crocodile watched as Mihawk's eyes widened slightly as he took in a sharp breath.

" It's slow and much too weak, but his heart's still beating. He's alive!" The swordsman said sharply before he sat up and quickly unsheathed Yoru and shed his own long black coat. He draped it over Buggy before tucking it in around him and the wrapping Crocodile's coat over his own, effectively bundling the injured and unconscious man up as best he could before taking Buggy into his arms. He took a moment to hang Yoru to the back of his shirt where he had special hooks built in that could carry his great blade.

" I'll run ahead to the medical tent and wake up every doctor we've got, you just bring him Hawk-Eye!" Crocodile said before he took off running as fast as his legs could carry him without waiting for a response.

Mihawk looked down at Buggy's face, something inside him grinding painfully when he saw the blood that was thawing over Buggy's pale lips, and the fresh blood trail that started to ooze down his temple. Being in the freezer had slowed the bleeding from his wounds but now that they had brought Buggy out into the balmy summer air, the blood that had been kept at bay was starting to rush forward. Mihawk had to move fast, for he was certain that on top of the clearly broken ribs and head wound Buggy had sustained, there was a good chance he had internal damage as well. Holding Buggy close, Mihawk rushed out of the kitchen, leaving a mangled steel door and a wide open freezer with frozen blood stains in his wake.

What happened after was complete and utter chaos. Crocodile had rushed ahead, crashing into the medical tent where only a couple of night nurses were awake and on duty. He care not for the comfort of any of the other patients in the tent as he had roared for help, roared for the nurses to get Dr. Jungo and her best people up and back into the tent even if they had to bodily drag them there to do it because this goddamn island's Chairman was in dire straits. One nurse had rushed off as fast as her legs could carry her to retrieve the good doctor while the other one, a tall and wiry young man had stayed to wait alongside a near feverishly pacing Crocodile.

When Mihawk had rushed in with a freely bleeding Buggy in his arms, the nurse who had remained had looked absolutely horrified before he had remembered his profession. He and Crocodile wheeled the nearest available gurney over and Mihawk had set Buggy down onto it. Mihawk pulled his now bloodied coat away, while Crocodile did the same with his own coat once the nurse had carefully rolled a limp Buggy over onto his uninjured side. In the chaos, Crocodile caught sight of Buggy's mini den den still clutched in his pale, blueish fingers and quickly grabbed up the little animal, glad beyond measure when he saw that the little snail had gone dormant and not died from the cold of the freezer. Crocodile held Buggy's mini den den in his large, bejeweled hand and felt a crushing nauseousness in his gut.

Why hadn't he picked up when this tiny little thing and it's injured and dying owner, his 'chairman' had called him? Why had he chosen to ignore it and been an ass?

Crocodile could not dwell on his own failings for long as he had tucked the snail into the breast pocket of his on pajama shirt, keeping the little one close to his heart just as Dr. Jungo and her senior staff came rushing into the tent, the good doctor still in her night gown and robe while her staff that came running with her were all similarly dressed and sleep rumpled. The moment their eyes fell on Buggy lay limp and half frozen on a gurney with more and more blood leaking out of him though, the last tendrils of sleep were burned to dust and like a general leading the charge, Dr. Jungo rushed forward with her team behind her as they converged on Buggy.

Dr. Jungo demanded to know everything regarding what happened and Mihawk and Crocodile answered as best they could, but they did not know the full extent of Buggy's ordeal. Mihawk recalled that Buggy had called him for help merely half an hour ago but neither he nor Crocodile could tell Dr. Jungo the exact amount of time Buggy had been trapped in the freezer. Mihawk and Crocodile could only watch as Buggy was whisked away by Dr. Jungo and her swarm of doctors and nurses, disappearing behind a cordoned off area so that they could assess him with the proper equipment and treat him.

Mihawk and Crocodile stood side by side, watching the shadows behind the curtains and hearing the maelstrom of voices.

" He's going to live Crocodile. He has to." Mihawk said firmly as he looked up at the sand wielder with hard yellow eyes and oceans of pain hidden behind them.

" He has to." Crocodile repeated with a nod.

Mihawk and Crocodile shared a lingering look before they broke their shared gaze. Crocodile was just about to drape his coat back over his shoulder, wishing he had one of his cigars right now so he could go outside and smoke it when he stopped mid-swing. Mihawk looked up in time to see Crocodile staring at his coat, more specifically the dark red that now stained his usually pristine white fur trim. Mihawk looked down at his own coat in his hand and saw the same dark red glistening against the matte black fabric.

" Your coat's ruined." Mihawk said quietly.

" So is yours." Crocodile replied before he shook his head.

" We got plenty other coats, we can replace them. We can't replace him." He added just as quietly.

Mihawk pursed his lips, a wave of powerful emotions rising up inside him at Crocodile's unexpectedly tender words regarding Buggy D. Clown of all people. Mihawk blinked and stubbornly forced back all the horrendous things he was feeling all at once as he spoke.

" We should call the rest of the crew, tell them about the state of things. He's their captain, they should be here." He said quietly.

In case things go wrong. Is implied in his words, but the swordsman absolutely refused to say such out loud.

"I'll call 'em, you just stay here and keep an eye out Mihawk." Crocodile said quietly before he reached out and gripped the swordsman's shoulder, giving it an almost painful squeeze before he reached down and took Mihawk's ruined coat from him and walked away towards one of the hospital den dens that was standing by.

Mihawk watched him go, the sand wielder stopping to toss both of their ruined coats into a nearby medical waist bin before resuming his walk towards the den dens, cutting an enervated and solemn figure as he went.

The swordsman then turned his striking yellow eyes back to the cordoned off area where Buggy was, the shadows of the doctors and nurses milling about behind the curtains. Mihawk reached up and grasped his cross dagger hanging around his neck, squeezing it tightly for a moment before letting it go and clenching his fist at his side. He wasn't much for prayer, but he hoped someone was out their listening right now.

Not fifteen minutes later Alvida, Cabaji, Mohji, Richie, Galdino, all but fell into the hospital tent, while Daz rounded out their group by calmly walking in, all of them clad in their sleep wear signalling they had run straight out of bed. They all converged on Mihawk and Crocodile who had rejoined him, they were trying their best not to talk over each other but it was clear just how badly shaken they all were.

" Please Crocodile Sama, Mihawk Sama, tell us what the hell happened to Captain Buggy? You said he was hurt bad but not how bad and how this even happened!" Mohji all but begged while Richie mewled anxiously beside him, the others all nodding and sending pleading looks to the two former warlords.

Mihawk and Crocodile shared a look before they both started to explain the horrific ordeal they had just been through.

They both explained how they had each received a call on the den den from Buggy, but that Crocodile had not given it much heed while Mihawk had actually answered and assumed that the chairman had been drunk from the way he was slurring his words and speaking so slowly. Mihawk had gotten up to go and check on Buggy just to be sure he was alright and maybe give him some choice words about his disastrous timing. Mihawk recounted meeting Crocodile in the hallway and the two of them going to Buggy's tent onto to find the place completely deserted.

" If he wasn't in his quarters, where did he go?" Alvida asked.

It was here that Mihawk and Crocodile shared a quick glance before the swordsman spoke.

" During the call, Buggy kept asking for help and right before he stopped speaking all together he said 'freezer'. I had thought that maybe he had hurt himself by bumping into the refrigerator he keeps in his personal kitchen but when Crocodile and I arrived to find his quarters empty, it dawned on me that the only other place with freezers would be the kitchens." Mihawk explained, watching as several eyes grew wide with dawning comprehension before he continued.

" Crocodile and I rushed to the kitchens where the lights were on but there was still no sign of Buggy, and then I saw the main walk in freezer." He finished.

" A-Are you saying Captain Buggy was... in there?" Cabaji choked out, he and the others all looking horrified at the very thought.

Mihawk and Crocodile both nodded grimly and then went on to recount the horrific events that led to where they were now. Mihawk wanted to downplay his actions but Crocodile was having none of that as he told their crew of how Mihawk had literally ripped the heavy steel door clean off its hinges with his bare hands after that damn thing refused to open because of it's faulty latch and tossed it aside like it was just a wad of paper. Mihawk had to avert his eyes for a moment when he saw the looks of awe and gratitude that were leveled his way before he shook his head and recounted how they had found Buggy, laying on the floor, nearly frozen over completely, barely breathing, and with his own blood frozen ins his hair from a wicked head wound and under him from where he had regurgitated it.

" I couldn't find a pulse at first, but once we got him out of that damn freezer I listened to his chest and found that he still had a heartbeat. He's also got multiple broken ribs on one side which is probably why he coughed up blood." Mihawk said gravely.

" What the fuck was he even doing in there to begin with?" Alvida asked with tears streaming from her deep green eyes.

" That's the billion berri question Alvida. Neither me or Hawk-eye got any rhyme or reason for him going into that fucking death trap. There was a sign on the floor by the freezer that warned everyone to keep out. I bet Chef Dizzy put it up before they shut the kitchens down for the night but it must have fallen off at some point so the clown didn't see it. I am pretty sure that latch catching and making the door impossible to open was why." Crocodile explained gravely.

The crew were about to inundate their executives with a thousand and one more questions when a harried looking Dr. Jungo suddenly emerged from behind the curtained off area. She had tossed away her sleeping robe and had a scrub top over her night gown. The moment they caught sight of her, Mihawk and Crocodile rushed forward with the others right there behind them.

" Doctor, how is he? How is our Chairman?" Mihawk asked as they all looked eagerly to the good doctor.

Dr. Jungo took a deep breath before she spoke.

" He's stable, but critical." Dr. Jungo began before she went into further detail.

" We were able to set his ribs and stitch up the wound to his head without incident or having to shave any of his hair after we warmed him up a little. He has a total of four broken ribs and one of them managed to scratch his lung but thankfully didn't puncture it completely, hence the internal bleeding that caused him to cough up blood and sound wheezy on the line when he called you. We've bandaged up his hands against the mild frostbite that set in his fingers just as a precaution. He also twisted one of his ankles pretty badly so we wrapped that as well. I am happy to report that despite the severe blow to his head that caused a deep laceration, Chairman Buggy somehow managed to avoid a serious concussion or skull fracture." She reported as she looked to Mihawk and Crocodile, while everyone else sagged in relief.

" But he's not in the clear yet is he doc?" Crocodile asked with knowing graveness.

Dr. Jungo nodded morosely.

" We've moved him into the private recovery wing sir but the issue we are having is with raising his core temperature. We have him on an IV of warm saline and have several heated blankets on him but his temperature is still dangerously low. It should be rising at a far quicker pace but thus far he had dangerously plateaued. If we don't get his temperature up he runs the risk of permanent internal damage, loss of function in his limbs and movement, he could slip into a coma or... worse." Dr. Jungo explained sadly.

There was a beat of tense silence, everyone processing Dr. Jungo's words and their horrendous implications. Then Mihawk finally spoke.

" May we see him doctor?" He asked quietly.

" Yes Mihawk Sama, but I am limiting it to two people at a time and only for a few minutes." She said with a steely resolve.

" You got it doctor." Crocodile said with a nod before he and Mihawk both turned to the rest of their crew.

" All of you decide amongst yourselves who goes with who and in what order, Crocodile and I will go last." Mihawk said.

They were met with wide-eyed silence before Alvida quickly shook herself, a determined look coming to her bare face as she spoke.

" Understood sir, thank you." She said with gratitude in her dark green eyes before she turned and started coordinating things as Mihawk ordered.

It was decided that Cabaji and Alvida would go first, then Mohji and Richie, and finally Daz and Galdino. Crocodile was a bit surprised that Daz was actually going to see Buggy, but he decided not to make a huge deal out of it. It wouldn't surprise him if his right hand man actually did care about the clown, even just a microscopic smidge.

As Cabaji and Alvida followed Dr. Jungo into the recovery wing, Mohji quietly stepped up to Mihawk. The lion tamer had to use all of his will not to cower when the swordsman turned his intense yellow eyes on him.

" Yes Mohji?" Mihawk acknowledged.

" Uh... p-pardon me Mihawk sir but I just... y-you've got blood on your shirt." Mohji said quietly as he pointed to Mihawk's shoulder.

Mihawk and Crocodile both looked to the spot Mohji indicated and sure enough, there were dried smears of red over the linen poet's shirt the swordsman was wearing, no doubt transferred from when Mihawk had carried Buggy in his arms. Mihawk clenched his jaw at the sight, a fresh wave of emotions he dared not name rising up inside him.

" I-I can get you a fresh shirt if you want sir." Mohji said softly, breaking Mihawk from his thoughts as he looked up sharply at the lion tamer.

Mohji's sincerity was clear, and Mihawk found himself deflating while Crocodile sent an almost warm look the lion tamer's way.

" Thank you Mohji, but I am fine." Mihawk said before he actually reached out and gripped the lion tamer's shoulder, giving it a surprisingly gentle squeeze before letting go, leaving the younger man to gape at him for a few seconds before he quickly shook himself and nodded.

Fur under Crocodile's hand had him looking down to see Richie press his lavender maned head under his palm, looking up at him with sad red eyes. Crocodile dug his fingers into the lion's luscious mane and scratched at his scalp, earning a deep, rumbling purr for the bug cat.

" Hey Boss?" Daz asked as he and Galdino stepped closer.

" Yeah Daz?" Crocodile asked and Mihawk reached out and started to pet Richie too.

" It's gonna be sun up soon, you want me to get Chef Dizzy before he starts in the kitchen today so we can tell him what happened and get his side of things since it's his freezer that did this?" The dice dice wielder asked neutrally.

" Yeah Daz, sounds like a plan." Crocodile said with a nod.

A few minutes later Alvida and Cabaji walked back out of the recovery wing, both sporting red rimmed eyes and looking like they had just seen something truly hellish. They didn't leave, just took seats in nearby chairs and looked quietly devastated. Mohji and Richie went next and when they came out the two of them didn't even bother to hide their tears, Richie shuffling off to a nearby corner where he promptly rolled himself up into a tight ball and refused to move, tiny sobs visibly wracking him. Galdino and Daz went to see Buggy next, Daz coming out quicker than Galdino who had tears in his eyes too because Buggy was his friend, without whom he wouldn't have been able to survive Impel Down. Daz was as outwardly cold and neutral as ever but Crocodile could see the barest slump to his shoulders, quietly making it clear that the assassin was not at all okay with this whole, terrible situation.

Finally it was time for Mihawk and Crocodile to head into the recovery wing and see the state of Buggy D. Clown for themselves. They walked past their quietly devastated crew and found Dr. Jungo waiting for them at the threshold. The three of them didn't say a word as the two executives of Cross Guild stepped into the quiet recovery wing with Dr. Jungo leading them to the bed where Buggy lay.

When Mihawk and Crocodile finally caught sight of the blue haired Yonko, it took everything in the sand wielder not to punch a hole through the nearest wall, while the swordsman just stood with his fists clenched at his sides.

Buggy lay on his back, only his head sticking out from under the heavy gray blankets that were covering him. He had thick white gauze wrapped around his head, a little spot of red poking through while there were a couple of electrodes fastened to his temples to monitor his brain activity. His hair was lightly fanned out about his head and he had a specially designed clear oxygen mask fitted around his bulbous nose and mouth, a tiny bit of condensation forming inside with each exhale. He was still far too pale, and there were deep purple bruises forming under his eyes and peaking out from under the bandages around his head. The IV line connected to Buggy's arm disappeared under the thick heated blankets. The hospital bed itself seemed to be swallowing him up, he looked so tiny where he lay despite being a man of six feet and three inches.

The steady beeps and hums of all the machines that were monitoring Buggy's vitals were the only sounds in the room.

While Mihawk and Crocodile stood silently as they processed seeing for themselves the state that Buggy was in, Dr. Jungo made her way over to the machines to look over the readings again. Mihawk and Crocodile immediately focused on her, watching as the doctor frowned unhappily at what she was seeing.

" What is it doctor? What's wrong?" Crocodile asked as he and Mihawk stepped closer to her.

Dr. Jungo shook her head and sighed before she turned concerned eyes to Buggy.

" I don't understand it, he should be several degrees warmer internally by now but it's like the warm saline and the heated blankets are doing absolutely nothing for Buggy Sama. If his temperature doesn't rise any further from where it is now, we will have to take emergency measures." Dr. Jungo explained as she looked to her patient's two executive officers.

" What sort of measures?" Mihawk asked.

While Dr. Jungo started talking to him about maybe having to put Buggy in a sauna or wait for the sun to come up fully to try something with the sunlight and the inherent risks involved with those methods, Crocodile wordlessly stepped away and walked over to Buggy's bedside. He looked down at the unconscious Yonko and felt a fresh wave of guilt wash over him as he remembered very keenly how he had ignored the man's desperate call for help. As his pale violet eyes watched the slowly but thankfully steady rise and fall of Buggy's chest from under the heavy blankets he lay under, Crocodile pushed aside his guilt, determination taking it's place. He'd be damned if he let the clown die without doing something to try and prevent it.

Mihawk turned away from Dr. Jungo sharply when he caught sight of Crocodile pulling his hook off of his left hand, revealing his scarred up stump without shame before he set the deadly weapon aside on one of the two night stands that flanked Buggy's bed. Mihawk's eyes widened a fraction when Crocodile summarily dissolved his upper body from neck to waist into a swirl of golden sand, his pajama shirt falling away from him. He remateralized whole and shirtless before he simply pulled back the heavy blankets and climbed into Buggy's hospital bed, being mindful of the IV tube that was still attached to Buggy's arm.

" C-Crocodile Sama?" Dr. Jungo asked as she rushed forward, only to stop in her tracks when Mihawk walked past her, setting Yoru down against the other bedside table while smootly shedding his own shirt, letting it fall to the floor to reveal his own pale and muscular torso before he too climbed into bed on Buggy's other side.

Somehow, the bed did not so much as creek at the additional weight of two fully grown men, nor did Crocodile's freakishly long legs stick out from under the covers as he and Mihawk wordlessly settled in on either side of Buggy, carefully pressing up against him. Crocodile had simply shortened his legs since he was made up of sand and altered his weight to barely anything at all. Mihawk and Crocodile both tried not to wince at how cold Buggy still was as they wrapped themselves around him with care, mindful of his various injuries and the machinery he was hooked up to. From where she stood, Dr. Jungo relaxed a fraction as she realized what Crocodile and Mihawk were doing.

Skin to skin contact, sharing their body heat as an additional means to warm Buggy Sama up.

Dr. Jungo watched on to see if there were any signs of distress from Buggy, still a little stunned by the willingness of Mihawk and Crocodile to even do this for the chairman. Mihawk splayed his hand over the center of Buggy's still much too cool sternum, being careful about the bandages that were binding his ribs. Crocodile wordlessly pressed his stump over Mihawk's hand, the heavy blankets covering them obscuring the gesture from Dr. Jungo. Striking yellow eyes met those of pale violet, a million unanswered things passing between Mihawk and Crocodile, the swordsman tellingly letting Crocodile's stump stay where it was before a soft beeping from the machines monitoring Buggy caught their attention. They both looked over to see Dr. Jungo make her way towards the machine to see what was going on. She turned back to them sharply with a look of hope on her face.

" Sirs! The two of you giving him skin to skin contact is working, his temperature has started to rise and there's been a spike in his brain activity. Even with how senseless he is, I do believe he has some subconscious awareness of the two of you. This is good, this is a step in the right direction!" Dr. Jungo with a smile.

" Guess we're gonna have to stay put." Crocodile said as he turned his violet eyes to Mihawk, going for nonchalant while he was secretly glad beyond words that his kind of rash idea of getting right into bed with Buggy D. Clown was actually working.

" Hmm." Mihawk hummed as his only reply, though there was a bit of warmth in his yellow eyes all for Crocodile as he settled in next to Buggy.

Dr. Jungo checked over Buggy one final time before she took her leave, instructing Mihawk and Crocodile to come and get her immediately should Buggy wake up or if anything, anything at all seemed wrong. Mihawk and Crocodile both assured her that they would follow her orders, and asked her to send their crew back to their quarters so they could try to get some more rest before they had to start the day.

Mihawk and Crocodile said nothing further as they lay wrapped around Buggy, feeling him breath beneath their hands, images of him laying in that damned freezer still haunting their minds. They would deal with everything else later, for now there was only the quiet and keeping Buggy warm as the skies over Karai Bari started to pale with the oncoming dawn.

A couple of hours later, Crocodile reluctantly had to temporarily give up his unconventional post, leaving Buggy in the arms of a lightly dozing Mihawk as he put his shirt and hook on and headed towards the entrance to the recovery wing where Daz was waiting with a deeply confused and moderately pissed off Chef Dizzy. The chef had been stunned at seeing Sir Crocodile in his pajamas but he made no comment on it as the grim expression on the towering man's scarred face.

He had come into work just a few minutes ago expecting a normal morning onto to find the door to his walk in freezer ripped clean off and the food inside said freezer thankfully unspoiled but halfway melted along with blood stains on the floor, and Daz Bonez waiting for him.

Confusion soon turned into horror as Crocodile explained the situation to the seasoned chef. Chef Dizzy immediately told Crocodile and Daz of how the freezer door had been trapping people towards the end of the day, so he had told Kenji to put up a warning sign because by the time they could actually address the issue it was too late to get any of the metal workers. He swore up and down that the sign had been there on the freezer door when they had all left for the evening.

Crocodile was quick to cut off Chef Dizzy's impending hysteria by sharply telling the man to get a hold of himself, that even though they still didn't know why Buggy even went inside the freezer, this whole thing just reeked of unfortunate accident. He sternly ordered Chef Dizzy to remember that he was the Head Chef of Cross Guild and he had a full breakfast service he still had to take care of. Crocodile assured the chef that he would get the metal workers to get a brand spanking new door on the main freezer as soon as possible, and then sent the man off to work with his and Mihawk's breakfast order, which was basically a platter of everything since he had no idea what the swordsman would even want today and he was pretty fucking famished himself at this point. Crocodile quickly dismissed Chef Dizzy and gave Daz instructions to hold down things for the day alongside the rest of their immediate command crew.

The sand wielder had then rushed back to Mihawk and Buggy, slightly disappointed to see that the blue haired Yonko was still out cold. Mihawk was awake and propped up on his elbow, watching over the sleeping Yonko. He looked up as Crocodile, shirtless once more rejoined him in bed with Buggy. Dr. Jungo was bound to be in to check on Buggy soon. By their own assessment he seemed far warmer than a few hours ago, but the coolness to his skin had not faded completely.

" Hope he wakes up soon, you know how I am about missing work." Crocodile grumbled without any real annoyance as he tucked some of Buggy's hair behind his ear.

Mihawk saw right through his facade. He knew full well Crocodile wanted Buggy to wake up because he wanted the clown to be alright, not because there were any pressing business matters that any of them really needed to tend to at the moment. Mihawk said nothing, just nodded and tucked the blankets around Buggy a little tighter to keep him warm.

Dr. Jungo arrived to check over Buggy a little while later, insisting that Mihawk and Crocodile stay right where they were. Much to Dr. Jungo's relief and elation, Mihawk and Crocodile's actions had done wonders to improve Buggy's core temperature, so much so that she deemed that they wouldn't have to string up a fresh bag of warm saline.

Just more soaking up the freely given warmth from his two highly dangerous executives, doctor's orders. Dr. Jungo had left Mihawk and Crocodile with a little bit of pink staining their cheeks but they quickly focused on their task of keeping Buggy warm. One of the nurses wheeled in the breakfast Crocodile had orders, a platter laden with all manner of breakfast items. Mihawk and Crocodile at fast but still enjoyed everything, absolutely demolishing everything between them before quickly returning back to Buggy. While Crocodile wrapped himself around Buggy, Mihawk gently rubbed at his bandaged hands and pale feet, knowing that the extremities often got cold quicker. A little while later it was Mihawk wrapping himself around Buggy while Crocodile used his sand sand abilities to gently clean the blood that still lingered in Buggy's long blue hair, the golden grains soaking up the dark red. They had lunch in a similar fashion, Mohji stopping by to give them fresh clothes which they were grateful for before the set about eating quickly while being constantly vigilant over Buggy yet still he did not wake up. They really wanted him too, it was just too unnatural to have him be so still and quiet. His bruises darkening further into dark purple just compounded how awful he looked. At least some color had come back to him with getting warmer.

All through out the day members of the command crew would stop by, all of them forewarned about Mihawk and Crocodile's unconventional treatment method for Buggy's ongoing hypothermia issues. No one dared comment, although both Mihawk and Crocodile caught Alvida subtly ogling them both when she stopped by. They chose to let it slide.

Just a little before dinner time...

Mihawk and Crocodile were just reading over some of the documents Daz had brought them, the both of them sitting with their backs propped up against the metal headboard, Buggy laying between them.

Mihawk stopped reading just as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up on end, and then it all happened in one fell swoop.

Pale blue eyes shot wide open and frantic, a profound breath sucked in, a body wrenching itself upright, forgetting the broken bones it was housing with in, the same breath coming out in a violent scream.

" HELP ME! HELP ME DRACULE! HELP ME CROCO! HELP ME PLEASE 'M STUCK IN HERE! GAAAAAH!" Buggy screamed, still trapped in that freezer as far as he knew, his broken ribs immediately protesting his sudden movement.

Papers went flying as Mihawk and Crocodile both lunged for Buggy.

" Oi Clown!" Crocodile called as he gripped Buggy's shoulder, the blue haired Yonko turning to look at him and immediately regretting it as his ribs loudly protested and he yelled in agony.

" Lay down! Lay down Buggy before you mess up your ribs!" Mihawk ordered and he wrapped his arms around Buggy and carefully but firmly pushed him down onto his back on the bed as Buggy groaned and writhed in fresh agony, the color completely draining from him as he panted harshly. Mihawk looked up at Crocodile.

" Get Dr. Jungo Crocodile! Get her here fast!" He urged and he splayed one hand over Buggy's heaving chest and cupped the back of his head with the other, trying to stop Buggy from moving so much and hurting himself further while the blue haired man groaned and sobbed as waves of fresh agony washed over him, his numerous injuries making themselves known mercilessly clear.

Crocodile didn't need to be told twice as he took off running out of the recovery wing as fast as his long legs could take him.

He came back with not only Dr. Jungo but just about half of the entire medical tent staff. Things descended into chaos once more as Mihawk had to force himself away from Buggy and make room for Dr. Jungo and her team as they converged on Buggy.

" HAWKY! CROCO! HELP ME!" Buggy screamed as he sobbed desperately, still confused and trying to actually fight those meaning to help him.

" Sirs!" Dr. Jungo called, looking to them while she quickly prepared a syringe.

Mihawk and Crocodile immediately caught her drift and looked to each other, sharing a quick nod before they rushed forward to Buggy's side, members of the medical staff quickly making room for them.

As soon as Mihawk and Crocodile came into his line of sight, Buggy stilled, his chest still heaving and each breath sending waves of pain coursing through him, but his eyes seemed to clear a little of the haze of terror that gripped him.

" Dr-Dracule, Crocodile?" He asked through the oxygen mask still thankfully attached to his face.

" Yeah Clown, we're here." Crocodile said as he loomed over Mihawk and Buggy.

" You're in the hospital tent, we got you out of the freezer. You were injured pretty severely and were unconscious for nearly the whole day, but you woke up, you're safe now." Mihawk said, hoping to reassure the distressed Yonko.

" Y-You guys came?" Buggy breathed as comprehension slowly started to wash over him.

Mihawk and Crocodile both nodded, watching as a haunted look came across Buggy's face while Dr. Jungo slowly made her way back towards Buggy with the syringe filled with powerful pain medication that wouldn't knock Buggy out, but leave him in a more comfortable state.

" It was so dark, I couldn't see anything. It was all just black and so cold... so cold." Buggy croaked as he remembered what it was like laying in that pitch black darkness, slowly freezing to death.

" We know Buggy, it must have been terrifying, but you held on long enough for us. We reached you." Mihawk said, his yellow eyes glancing at Dr. Jungo as she brought the needle towards Buggy's IV port he still had taped to his hand while Crocodile had to look away, his horrendous guilt for not answering that fateful call slamming into him again like a wrecking ball.

With the speed that came from years of practice, Dr. Jungo swiftly injected the contents of the syringe into Buggy's veins. Almost immediately Buggy's breath started to ease and his eyes grew glassy and unfocused as the medicine took hold and had him floating.

" I-I... Oh I... Umm... Nightmare... went in... Chairman's Fav... hit mmmeeee... issss myyyy dennn dennn oookaaaaayyyyy?..." Buggy asked before he finally went limp but didn't fall completely unconscious.

There was a moment where everyone gasped as Buggy's head fully came off of his neck and floated a couple of inches away before Crocodile acted fast and placed his large hand over the top of Buggy's disembodied head, gently pushing it back down to reattach it to his neck with a soft click.

" Chop chop powers are still in working order." Crocodile said casually.

" Indeed." Mihawk said just as nonchalantly, though inwardly both he and Crocodile were thrilled that Buggy's unique ability had not been damaged by the frost exposure. After that he and Crocodile wisely got out of the way to let Dr. Jungo and her staff take care of their chairman.

Crocodile's hand went to his shirt pocket, where he had transferred Buggy's mini den den when he changed clothes, the animal responsible for saving the chairman's life peacefully slumbering amid the new wave of chaos.

After they assessed him, Dr. Jungo was happy to report that while Buggy had aggravated his injuries, he hadn't reopened his head wound or made his ribs worse. The pain medication would wear off in about an hour, so Mihawk and Crocodile could talk to him and get clear answers out of him then. The pair stayed close by while Buggy dozed fitfully, ordering sandwiches from the kitchen and devouring them quickly while the settled in to wait for Buggy to get out from under the influence of the medicine. Even as he slept, he was mumbling incoherently. Dr. Jungo had not restrained him as such, but they had tucked the blankets in extra tight around Buggy to keep him squared away in bed. Thankfully there were no more instances of the chairman literally breaking apart and floating away and just as Dr. Jungo had predicted, about an hour later his eyes were fluttering open far more gently as he returned to awareness.

" Buggy?" Called a familiar soft baritone voice.

" Y-Yes?" Buggy replied as he looked up and found his gaze meeting that for Dracule Mihawk, and beside him was Sir Crocodile.

" M-Mihawk? Crocodile?" Buggy asked, his eyes wide and clear as he tried to sit up onto to find himself thoroughly tucked in under the covers.

A large, bejeweled hand gently settling over the center of his chest had Buggy looking back up with wide eyes as Crocodile spoke.

" Lay back Clown, try not to move just yet." Crocodile said gruffly, not taking his hand off of Buggy's chest.

The weight of it spread warmth and reassurance through Buggy and had him calming considerably.

" I shall go and fetch Dr. Jungo." Mihawk said, feeling a thousand times lighter seeing the clarity returned to Buggy's eyes.

" No Dracule don't go! Please!" Buggy cried, panic immediately spiking through him.

Mihawk felt something inside him do a little flip flop at Buggy calling him by that name, but he quickly set it aside as he spoke.

" I am just getting the doctor to look you over, I won't even leave the recovery wing and Crocodile's right here." Mihawk assured.

They watched as Buggy's pale blue eyes turned to Crocodile, who nodded his own silent assurance and actually patted Buggy's chest.

" O-Okay, okay. S-Sorry." Buggy stuttered out as his pale cheeks colored in quiet embarrassment.

" Don't apologize, you're allowed to feel unsteady right now. Just try to calm yourself." Mihawk said, waiting for Buggy to nod before he finally forced himself away to get Dr. Jungo.

As Buggy breathed and winced when his ribs protested, Crocodile shook his head, feeling all kinds of jittery from not being able to smoke his cigars for so long.

" Holy shit Clown." Crocodile said with this clear, exasperated fondness as he actually patted Buggy's chest and kept his hand firmly where it was.

Buggy looked up at Crocodile, everything that happened to him flooding back to him as he let out a shaky breath and felt his eyes burn.

" Y-Yeah, holy shit." Buggy said shakily with a nod before he breathed as deep as he could, settling back and greedily soaking up Crocodile's reassuring presence just as Mihawk returned with Dr. Jungo.

A little while later...

Buggy fidgeted and wrung his hands where he sat propped up on several pillows against the headboard. Standing on either side of him, looming over him like the specters of judgment were Mihawk and Crocodile, the both of them with blank looks on their faces. A few feet away even Dr. Jungo was staring at him in silent disbelief. It was Crocodile who finally broke the stifling silence.

" Are you saying that you nearly died because of a late night craving for fucking ice cream Clown?" He asked slowly.

Buggy felt his face heat up further, no doubt matching his signature nose as he forced himself to look up at his lieutenants. It was unbelievable enough that these two men who had constantly threatened to end him on many painful ways actually saved him from a frozen death, not just by getting him out of that damn freezer but by also sharing their own body heat with him for an entire day. Now he had just revealed why they were in this whole situation in the first place, all because of a late night sugar fix gone awry.

On the nightstand beside his bed, Buggy mini den den happily munched away on some cherries provided by Crocodile himself, completely famished after its tearful reunion with its eternally grateful owner. Buggy had looked at Crocodile with such open adoration when the sand wielder had presented his den den back to him, that Crocodile had had to duck his head to hide the heat that had filled his face. Now though, Mihawk, Crocodile, and Dr. Jungo were all collectively sending Buggy incredulous stares as he spoke.

" Ice cream always cheers me up after a really bad nightmare, I just didn't think 'Chairman's Fav' had it in for me like that." He said with a throaty, tearful chuckle and a helpless shrug.

" Unbelievable." Mihawk sighed as he reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Crocodile shook his head. An accident, a freak accident that was nobody's fault, just the coming together of the perfect ingredients to almost leave Cross Guild without its Chairman.

Whatever else Crocodile and Mihawk wanted to say fell by the wayside as Buggy's crew came rushing in, elated and eager to see their captain. Daz wordlessly materialized beside Crocodile, the three of them watching as Cabaji and Mohji both carefully hugged Buggy, all three of them crying big fat happy tears while Alvida watched on with a fond look on her face. Galdino was teary eyed himself while Richie nuzzled at Buggy's blanket covered feet.

" Daz, go to the kitchens, I need you to check something out for me." Crocodile ordered. He elaborated when Daz wordlessly tilted his head. With a nod, the assassin walked away as silently as he had come.

A little while later Buggy's crew bid him a reluctant farewell and headed off to dinner to spread the good news about Chairman Buggy awakening and on the road to recovery.

Mihawk and Crocodile stayed though, much to Buggy's curiosity and quiet relief. Buggy asked them about the happenings of Cross Guild while he was out, to which Mihawk and Crocodile were happy to report that things were running smoothly, though the kitchens had to cook up everything they could with the food in the main walk in to keep it from spoiling. Speaking of the kitchens, Daz returned carrying a bucket with the label reading " Chairman's Fav" with a but of the bottom edge stained red. At it's fully frozen, said bucket would indeed be like a cinder block, and this one fell right on the chairman's head.

" That fell from the top shelf and hit me after I slipped." Buggy said as he pointed to the offending bucket.

" Killer ice cream, that's a first even for me." Mihawk quipped, earning a chuckle out of Crocodile and even a sheepish grin from Buggy.

Chef Dizzy himself arrived, wheeling in a veritable feast for the ruling triumvirate of Cross Guild. He brought a guilt-ridden Kenji with him. The two chefs apologized until they were blue in the face for the freezer door not being fixed quickly and for not seeing the warning sign fall off. Buggy was more than understanding, actually blaming himself for walking into the freezer when no one else was around in nothing but slippers. Crocodile finally put his foot down, declared it all an unfortunate accident and then sternly ordered Chef Dizzy and Kenji to join them in partaking of the dinner they had brought them. Dr. Jungo joined them and watched Buggy more like a hawk that Hawk-Eye himself, okaying what he could or couldn't eat.

By the time the meal was over and Chef Dizzy and Kenji had taken their leave, Buggy was clearly struggling to stay awake with his eyes steadily drooping and his energy waning.

" Could you guys...S-Stay awhile?" Buggy asked quietly, trying not to sound too desperate as he averted his gaze from his lieutenants in embarrassment.

Without saying a word, Mihawk and Crocodile both sat down over the edges of the bed on either side of Buggy where he lay.

" Sleep Clown." Crocodile said bluntly while Mihawk actually tucked the heavy covers around him further.

" Yes Croco." Buggy whispered before his eyes slid shut and his whole body sighed, his anxiety easing with Crocodile and Mihawk there keeping watch over him.

Mihawk and Crocodile stayed with Buggy long after he drifted off. When the rest of Karai Bari headed off to bed, the two executives of Cross Guild finally took their leave, thinking Buggy would finally be fine without them. They left the hospital tent with Dr. Jungo assuring them that Buggy would be watched over by her and her staff. They walked over the darkened grounds towards the main big top, now deserted save for a few cleaners here and there who nodded in respect to them as they passed across the empty arena and down the corridor that led to the leadership's personal quarters.

As they turned down the main corridor and came to the mouth of the sub corridor that led to Crocodile's residence, the pair paused and faced each other.

" I'll see you in the morning then Hawk-Eye." Crocodile said, even though there was so much more he wanted to say to the swordsman.

" Yes, see you in the morning Crocodile." Mihawk said after a beat, his yellow eyes holding a silent maelstrom in their depths as well.

With a mute nod, Crocodile forced himself to turn away and walk down the corridor to his quarters. The sound of feet shuffling away told him Mihawk had done the same. Crocodile finally let his head drop completely, utterly drained from anything and everything that had happened recently. With a soft groat he pushed the door to his quarters open and stepped over the threshold. Everything was already dark since he hadn't been in his place since the night before so Crocodile just shuffled through to his bedroom area.

As soon as he reached his bedroom he hurried over to his nightstand and pulled open the drawer to get at the extra strong cigars he kept there. He pulled on thick cigar out of the box and cut it quickly before reaching into his pant pocket for his lighter. With a flick of his wrist Crocodile ignited the flame and brought it to the end of the cigar. Once he had the cigar seared, Crocodile inhaled deeply, pulling in the rich taste of the tobacco and then exhaling out a thick plume of smoke. Crocodile immediately settled after a couple of deep puffs. He had just taken another drag when he was suddenly pulled almost clean off his feet and spun around.

" What the f-MMPH!"

Whatever stream of curses Crocodile wanted to unleash on his assailant were all swallowed up when said assailant smashed their lips over his own in a soul searing kiss. Crocodile's eyes grew wide as he felt prickly whiskers against his skin and could sight of a familiar great sword cross guard jutting out from behind the man's back.

Mihawk.

When they broke apart with a sharp gasp, Crocodile gaped at the yellow eyed swordsman, who's eyes were nearly black with hunger. Before Crocodile could say anything, Mihawk parted his lips and blew a plume of thick white smoke right into his face. In an instant confusion and shock was replaced by a burning hot fire pooling low in Crocodile's gut, his own pupils going wide as a bolt of lightening seemed to strike him. There was this final moment of absolute stillness, and then like two boulder falling from opposite sides of an avalanche, Crocodile and Mihawk smashed into each other hard, their mouths colliding hard enough for their teeth to click together. They clashed, they kissed, their hands and Crocodile's hook fought for purchase on each other. They stumbled together blindly, Mihawk deftly shedding Yoru from his back, the great sword dropping to Crocodile's carpeted floor with a soft clang, while Crocodile quickly used his sand to snuff out his cigar and let it fall harmlessly to join Yoru before the sides of their knees hit the edge of Crocodile's giant custom made bed. They collapsed together onto the sand wielder's bed, Mihawk immediately rolling then over so that he lay on top of the taller man. They broke apart with a gasp and the swordsman immediately sought out Crocodile's neck and through, setting upon the sand wielders skin with his teeth and his tongue.

Crocodile groaned loudly and wrapped his arms tight around the swordsman, snaking his hand under the hem of the loose poet shirt Mihawk was wearing. Mihawk growled in approval as he felt Crocodile's large, warm hand over the powerfully coiling and rippling muscles of his back. They came together in another deep and desperate kiss.

The rest of the world, and every harrowing thing that had happened faded away, there was the sharp sound of fabric tearing under hands and a metal hook, of shoes being toed off, of more fabric falling to the ground, and finally flesh touching flesh. There was only Mihawk and Crocodile and the near violent culmination of the spark this whole ordeal with Buggy had set off in them both.

Their groans and growls echoed through Crocodile's dark bedroom for what seemed like hours, slowly building in strength, rising and rising until finally with a pair of roars that could have made the whole Earth tremble, they fell off the precipice into white hot bliss.

They collapsed together in a tangled, shuddering heap. They faced each other with clear eyes as they caught their breaths. When some ability to move returned to them, Mihawk reached up and cupped the side of Crocodile's neck as he spoke.

" You're mine." He whispered with a fire burning bright in his yellow eyes still.

" You're mine." Crocodile croaked back as he reached up and cupped the back of Mihawk's head.

There was a beat of charged silence before Crocodile spoke again.

" But we're not complete." He said, Mihawk giving a small nod as he replied.

" We will be, once he's healed up and we make him ours." The swordsman said firmly.

Crocodile rumbled in agreement before he leaned in and pressed his forehead to Mihawk's, their breaths ghosting over each others faces as they lay in each other's arms, sated but by no means satisfied.

Just half an hour later found Crocodile and Mihawk, showered and dressed in their normal refinement, quietly entering the hospital tent again. Dr. Jungo frowned in confusion at their unexpected return for all of about a second before she just gave then a warm smile and waved them through to the recovery wing. When they made there way back to Buggy's bedside, both Mihawk and Crocodile felt their stomachs sink as they saw Buggy, still fast asleep, but curled up and shivering even under the heavy blankets. Without hesitating, Mihawk shed Yoru and his replacement black and red coat and climbed behind Buggy, Crocodile doing the same with his hook and cloak before climbing in on Buggy's other side. The blue haired man immediately settled and stopped shivering, snuggling in between his two saviors with a peaceful look finally coming over his still badly bruised face.

Mihawk and Crocodile shared a look before they too settled in. They silently agreed that would get up before Buggy woke and settle into the chairs by his bed so as not to startle the Clown and risk his ribs.

It was step towards the completion they sought with Buggy D. Clown.

More such steps followed, from the two former warlords rarely leaving Buggy's side unless urgent business could not be ignored, to Crocodile giving the rest of the crew constant updates on their captain's condition, to Mihawk even helping the nurses change Buggy's bandages.

When Dr. Jungo reluctantly released Buggy from the hospital wing two days later, it was only after Mihawk and Crocodile both assured her that they would be keeping a watchful eye on him. It was Crocodile who carried him in his arms to his quarters with Mihawk vigilantly by their side, around dinner time and away from so many prying eyes. Buggy was quietly stunned through out as Mihawk and Crocodile had dinner with him in his small kitchen area and then it was Mihawk who carried him up to the second level where his bedroom was. They were even staying at night down in the lower level just to give him the assurance that they were going to be there if he needed them.

Buggy had never seen Mihawk and Crocodile be so protective, over him no less. When he wanted to take a bath for the first time since his accident, it was Mihawk who watched out for him and even washed his hair for him while he was in the tub, constantly mindful of the still healing wound to the side of his head. When Buggy had slowly limped out of the bathroom, holding onto Mihawk's arm, it was Crocodile who then used his sand sand abilities to gently dry him from head to toe. Mihawk expertly redid all of his many bandages for him, from his head and ribs all the way down to his tender ankle while Crocodile helped him get his pajamas on with his sand powers.

They were constantly there for him, these two extremely powerful and dangerous men who had once utterly despised him, yet now cared enough about him to assure him that his dark bruises didn't look all that bad and would fade away soon and even brought him light paperwork to keep his mind off of what he had been through. His shivering stopped for the most part, no doubt because of the assurance of Mihawk and Crocodile's presence.

It was a couple of days after his release from the hospital tent that Buggy would be counting his lucky stars again that Crocodile and Mihawk were staying so close.

It was the dead of night over Karai Bari with everyone having turned in for the night. The seas lapped at the island shores sedately and the night skies twinkled with countless stars. That same peace could not be found in chairman Buggy's private tent though, as a pair of pale blue eyes fluttered open and blinked blearily as their own let out a low, pained groan.

Buggy returned to awareness with a deep shudder that wracked through his whole body.

His injured ribs were throbbing and so was the side of his head, his whole body ached, and his head felt heavy and muddled. He felt so hot all over, almost like he was engulfed in flames. With another low groan, Buggy forced his leaden limbs to move as he slowly pushed the covers off of himself, gasping softly as his ribs immediately twinged in angry protest at the movement. Gritting his teeth hard, Buggy slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, shuddering again once he was upright.

It dawned on his foggy mind that he was sick. He had a fever... well wasn't that just fan-fucking-tastic?

Buggy forced himself to sit up straight in an effort to alleviate some of the pressure of his healing ribs. He swallowed thickly, feeling incredibly thirsty. He was about to get up when he suddenly thought better of it, remembering the injured ankle that was hobbling him too. With a huff, Buggy sat and contemplated what to do and also just wallowed in his newest misery for a second before his tired blue eyes glance at the railing that overlooked the lower level of his residence. Buggy's heart thumped against his chest as he remembered that he wasn't alone here, that his two 'lieutenants' were downstairs sleeping on the couches he kept in his living room area.

Buggy threw the covers off of himself the rest of the way and looked to his injured ankle. Thinking as fast as he could with his fever addled mind, Buggy promptly chop chopped both his legs from his knees with a soft click. He immediately floated up off his bed, and then promptly listed sideways with a moan as a fresh wave of dizziness washed over him at the movement. Shutting his eyes and taking a deep breath, Buggy righted himself and did his best to focus as he started to slowly float towards the railing a few feet away. By the time he wrapped his hands on the cool, polished wood Buggy was clenching his jaw as his stomach rolled violently. Buggy looked over the railing and spotted both Mihawk and Crocodile in his living room down below, the both of them laid out on his long and flashy bright red sofas.

Trembling slightly, Buggy did his best to float steady and straight over the railing and then down onto the lower level. He listed to the other side again for a moment before he righted himself and floated over to his sleeping sentries.

Buggy swallowed and licked at his parched lips before he forced himself to speak.

" H-Hey Crocodile? M-Mihawk?" He called shakily.

In an instant striking yellow and pale violet eyes were snapping open as Mihawk and Crocodile both sat up, the swordsman grabbing up Yoru, and Crocodile brandishing his hook, instantly ready to fight and then freezing when they saw a legless Buggy floating before them, obscured by the darkness of the room.

" Buggy?" Mihawk called.

" Clown?" Crocodile added as the two of them rose to their feet and stepped forward towards the floating Yonko.

" I uh... S-Sorry to wake you so late I just... I don't feel so great you guys." Buggy sighed before he slumped forward.

He fell into the ready arms of both Mihawk and Crocodile as they rushed forward to keep him from face planting straight onto the floor.

" Ah shit, he's burning up!" Crocodile hissed as he felt the heat radiating from Buggy even through his clothes.

" I am not at all surprised, with all the stress his body's been put under, this was bound to happen." Mihawk said with a sigh before his eyes hardened.

" Crocodile, get him back upstairs. I'll call Dr. Jungo." He said as he gently eased a limp Buggy into Crocodile's arms.

Crocodile nodded mutely and wrapped his arms around Buggy, the Yonko's head coming to rest against his broad shoulder as he shuffled off towards the spiral staircase that led up to Buggy's bedroom. Mihawk watched them go for a moment before he strode off towards Buggy's desk where his big den den was resting. Mihawk made the call to the good doctor before he all but flew to and up the stairs to rejoin Crocodile and Buggy. They got Buggy back in bed and frowned when they turned the lights on and saw how flushed his face was. Crocodile ducked into the bathroom to get a cold compress ready while Mihawk brushed Buggy's hair away from his face and neck.

Dr. Jungo arrived a few minutes later with her bag in tow and set about treating their chairman once more. She was happy to report that the fever, though awful looking, was not as bad as it could have been. She gave Buggy a couple of pills and a liquid syrup and instructed Mihawk and Crocodile to monitor him closely and keep giving him the medicine and cold compresses. The doctor took her leave and Mihawk and Crocodile began yet another vigil on their blue haired Yonko.

Hours passed, Buggy writhed and groaned from both the fever and his numerous injuries, muttering and mumbling incoherently. It was with the oncoming dawn as Mihawk was applying a fresh cold compress to Buggy's forehead that the delirious Yonko started to speak a little more clearly.

" N-Noooo... No I can't go... C-Can't go... Not without... tellin' them..." Buggy murmured lowly.

" Telling who what Buggy?" Mihawk asked, he and Crocodile both curious.

" H-Hawky... Croco... they m-mean everythin'... to meeee... even when 'm...nothin' to themmmm." Buggy managed to say before he drifted back off to sleep.

He slept, totally oblivious to the bomb he had dropped on Mihawk and Crocodile. The shock didn't last for long though as Mihawk and Crocodile both felt a wave of relief wash over them. They looked up at each other and shared a little smile.

Well now wasn't that an unexpected but welcome little boon? They already had Buggy D. Clown's heart, he just didn't know that they desired him in turn.

Once their clown was recovered, Mihawk and Crocodile were going to have loads of fun with him. They just had to be patient and also cement themselves firmly into Buggy's life.

Recover Buggy did, first from the fever thanks to Dr. Jungo's medicine, the cooking of both Chef Dizzy and Mihawk himself, and his own determination. Once his fever broke and he regained some of his strength, Buggy insisted getting back to work. When a week after his fever, Mihawk and Crocodile caught Buggy trying to dress himself one morning, they both tried to get him back into bed, only for Buggy to look them both in the eye with a steely determination that did not expect and tell them they could either help him or fuck the hell off.

Mihawk and Crocodile had stepped forward and helped Buggy put on his flashy best, maybe even falling for him a little more after seeing that there was actually a spine beneath all the bluster and blabber. Even the simple act of dressing left Buggy tired, but he pushed through the pain. When he saw how much Buggy's hand was shaking as he was holding his make up brush, Mihawk wordlessly took over and painted Buggy's face for him, expertly covering the bruises under his eyes and recreating his signature skull and cross bones look. Crocodile put Buggy's captain's hat on his head for him, and once his entire ensemble was complete, they all looked to Buggy's mirror in an almost hallowed silence. It was time to get back to it.

Crocodile made Buggy chop chop his feet so that he floated and didn't put unnecessary stress on his still healing ankle. Buggy acquiesced to the sand wielder's demand and when they exited his tent together, he was floating off the ground, holding his disembodied feet. He reattached them just as the three of them reached the balcony that overlooked the main big top arena, which was packed for the morning address.

The denizens of Cross Guild went absolutely wild when instead of Alvida or Cabaji as it had been for weeks, it was their Buggy Sencho who emerged at the balcony, with the barest limp, to greet them with all the flashiness he was known for. Mihawk Sama and Crocodile Sama flanking him faithfully on either side only made their collective roars all the more louder. Buggy was back, Cross guild was secure, and Mihawk and Crocodile's shared desire grew stronger.

Time moved forever forward, and Buggy's injuries slowly healed. Whatever scar Buggy had from the blow to his head was hidden by his hair, his ankle no longer twinged as he walked, and his ribs mended together cleanly. Soon Buggy was back to his duties in full, and also back in the tent practicing his acrobatics and strengthening himself further. Even then, Mihawk and Crocodile were never too far away, especially the swordsman who was literally one with the shadows even in broad daylight, popping up beside Buggy at any given moment. It had scared the hell out of the clown the first few times but soon, whenever Mihawk appeared unexpectedly, he got a brilliant smile out of the chairman he had secretly come to adore.

Crocodile was not as subtle, always stopping by to check in on Buggy whether he was practicing his acrobatics or hard at work in his workshop making his infamous muggy and Buggy balls and coming up with new and zany weapon prototypes. Crocodile secretly enjoyed hearing Buggy explain what he was working on with his near bouncing enthusiasm. It showcased the clown's passion and that along with a spine, the man did possess a descent enough brain. Smart was always sexy to the sand wielder, this time around it was coming to him wrapped in a flashy multicolored red-nosed package.

Mihawk and Crocodile did not neglect each other throughout this, strengthening their own relationship even while they quietly pined for Buggy, though they would never admit it out loud that they were pining for the blue haired buffoon. They really missed having him in their arms, and clung to each other tighter to fend off the cloying ache. Buggy didn't get to have that, they best he could do was cocoon himself in his covers and dream of golden yellow eyes and thick cigar smoke.

The two former warlords were even on hand when Buggy decided to confront his own trauma head on and went to go visit the kitchens before dinner one evening. Chef Dizzy and his crew were welcoming and apologetic still, showcasing the new and improved door to the main walk in freezer that down had an internal fail safe measure built inside to ensure that no one ever got trapped inside as Buggy had ever again. Buggy had been stunned when he caught sight of the old door, still mangled and bent left on display in full view of the staff. Chef Dizzy explained that it was meant to be a chilling reminder to everyone of what could happen if equipment was not properly maintained for fixed in a timely manner. As Buggy had stepped closer and raked his eyes over the door to his would be tomb, he could see the places on either side where Mihawk had dug his fingers in when he had ripped this door clean off its hinges to save him from certain death. Buggy turned slightly over bright eyes to the swordsman, sending him a tremulous smiling and bowing in an effort to stop himself from just tackling the yellow eyes man in a bone crushing hug. He didn't wanna risk getting another taste of Yoru, Marineford had been more than enough. If only he knew that Mihawk would not have been very opposed to the gesture.

Buggy left the kitchens with Crocodile and Mihawk shortly after with his chest a little less tight regarding said kitchens, however he still didn't have any ice cream for dessert that night, or any other night still. It was fine, he stuck to cake and pastries, even tried different kinds of mochi while he was at it. He was fine, really.

The three of them went about their lives, Buggy completely unaware that he was the prey two rather hungry sharks were circling, waiting the perfect moment to strike.

That moment arrived about two months after Buggy's ordeal in the freezer.

It was a sunny afternoon over Karai Bari just after lunch, everyone going about their day like normal. In one of the meeting tents, Crocodile, Buggy, and Mihawk were spread about the room set to their individual tasks.

Crocodile was seated at the meeting table reading over some of the latest contracts to come Cross Guild's way. Mihawk was sprawled on one of the leather sofas, reading through a book on Naval battle strategies. Rounding out the trio, Buggy was standing at the map table in the middle of the tent, pouring over some old maps and comparing distances to determine accuracy and authenticity.

Crocodile glanced up from the document he was reading, ready to complain loudly to his chairman and co-executive about the sheer stupidity of this trader basically trying to sell them snake oil when whatever he had to say died in his throat as his pale violet eyes fell on Buggy in the center of the room. The clown was in profile to Crocodile, bent over the maps with a gleam in his eye and a little smile on his crimson painted lips as he hummed a soft tune to himself and worked. Crocodile glanced over at Mihawk and saw that the swordsman was subtly watching the clown too. Seeming to sense eyes on him, Mihawk looked away from Buggy and met Crocodile's violet gaze. The air shifted between them, a wordless agreement that this was their moment to seize their clown.

Mihawk slowly nodded his head, the corner of his mouth curling up the tiniest bit. Crocodile sent a full grin his lover's way before turning his eyes back to an oblivious Buggy. In the next breath, Crocodile was melting out of his chair, disintegrating into a silently swirling mass of golden sand and then snaked his way under the table, along the floor and then silently materialized behind Buggy.

Mihawk shut his book loudly, startling Buggy and when he backed up it was right into a warm and solid chest. Buggy let out a sharp yelp, only for it to end in a shaky gasp as long, muscular arms, the left one with a wicked golden hook at the end of it, wrapped around him from behind and held him firmly in place. Before Buggy could say anything, Crocodile spoke.

" I'm never forgiving myself for not answering your call that night." He rumbled, his voice vibrating into Buggy's back and his meaning was like a spear right to the blue haired Yonko's heart.

" C-Croco?" Buggy whispered once the ability to speak returned to him.

" You would have died in that fucking freezer had Hawk-Eye not answered and gone to check on you." Crocodile said as he looked at Mihawk, who had this quiet sadness in his eyes.

" B-But you both came to check on me, you both saved me. It was an accident, it wasn't your fault." Buggy croaked out as he reached up with shaky hands and covered Crocodile's bejeweled right hand that was splayed right over his heart.

" You forgive me, just like that Clown?" Crocodile asked with a genuine but sad smile.

" Y-Yeah." Buggy answered immediately.

He then gasped softly again as Crocodile turned him around so that they were face to face, a million things between them. Wide pale blue eyes stared up at fond and hooded pale violet as Crocodile spoke.

" I didn't like the thought of a life without you in it Clown, fucking hated it." He said bluntly as he reached up and cupped Buggy's cheek with unheard of gentleness.

" Wha?" Buggy replied eloquently as he gawked up at the sand wielder.

Then movement beside them caught Buggy's attention and had him turning to see Mihawk join them. Those golden yellow eyes bore straight into Buggy's very soul as the swordsman spoke.

" You may not remember much from when you had that fever, but you said plenty." Mihawk said before he leaned in and loomed over the wide eyed Yonko.

" You didn't want to leave this earth, not without telling me and Crocodile that we mean everything to you, even though you thought you meant nothing to us." Mihawk said gravely.

Buggy felt a jolt go through him as his memory was jogged and he vaguely remembered saying these words to the bleary darkness around him, to some unknown entity he was begging not to take him.

" D-Dracule I-mmph!" Buggy began to say only for his words to be swallowed up by a pair of whiskered lips to seal themselves over his own in a deep kiss.

Buggy was frozen where he stood, eyes wide as his stunned mind tried to process that Dracule Mihawk was kissing him. When Mihawk pulled away with a red tint to his lips, Buggy's mind was stunned further as Crocodile turned his head and then went ahead and pressed his own deep kiss to Buggy's lips. When the sand wielder drew back with red tinted lips of his own, he grinned at the absolutely gobsmacked look on their Yonko's face.

" Crocodile and I came together because of you." Mihawk said as he looked at Buggy with unheard of warmth in his yellow eyes.

" Yeah Clown, when we left you in the hospital wing that first time, Hawk-Eye here jumped my bones." Crocodile quiped with a smirk as Buggy squaked softly and Mihawk rolled his eyes at the sand wielder's use of phrase.

" Then almost right after, we came back to you in the recovery wing. We had each other sure, but it wasn't enough." Crocodile said more seriously.

" Just as by your own words, we mean everything to you, you have come to mean everything to us." Mihawk added quietly.

Buggy looked between Mihawk and Crocodile, their words like a sledgehammer to the sad acceptance that actually having the love of men like them would forever just be a dream.

Before Buggy could properly respond, Crocodile unwound his arms from around him and took a step back. Buggy barely bit back a shiver, immediately cold without the sand wielder's embrace. The two executives faced their chairman as Mihawk spoke.

" We want you to be with us Buggy, but it is your choice. If you need time, take all the time you need. We've waited these two months, we can wait further. Just know that you are who we want." Mihawk said quietly before he and Crocodile stepped aside and cleared the way for Buggy.

Buggy nodded mutely and stepped forward in a daze, he looked between Mihawk and Crocodile apologetically before he hurried right out of the tent all together.

Mihawk and Crocodile watched him go, understanding that they had blindsided the clown and left him completely overwhelmed.

The swordsman and the sand wielder both sighed and leaned back against the map table, their sides pressed up against each other, drawing silent support. They just had to wait and hope. Mihawk looked up at Crocodile, Crodile looked down at Mihawk, and they both smirked at each other for having red on their lips. They had each other for now so they could have some solace in that at least.

The pair were broken from the slightly melancholic musings when the sound of rapidly approaching feet caugh their ears. Expecting it to be Galdino or maybe Mohji with an urgent matter, Mihawk and Crocodile both looked to the tent door only for their eyes to grow wide as Buggy D. Clown, with his face wet with tears and his makeup all smeared up, came barreling back in. He ran right for them with a brilliant smile. He smashed into Mihawk first, nearly knocking the swordman and the map table over as he smashed his lips to yellow eyed man's in a deep, desperate kiss. Before Mihawk could properly respond, Buggy was drawing back and chop chopping himself from the waist up. The still grinning clown then shot up and wrapped his arms around the much taller Crocodile, planting a deep kiss to his lips as well.

When they drew back, Buggy grinned brightly as he held Crocodile's face in his gloved hands.

" I thought it through." Buggy croaked out with a silvery chuckle before he let go of Crocodile and lowered himself back down to the rest of his body, reconnecting with a soft click.

The blue haired Yonko stood tall and bright before his two executives, looking a complete mess and yet absolutely gorgeous. Mihawk and Crocodile were now the ones stunned into silence as they stared at Buggy. Buggy stepped closer, until there was barely any space bewteen them as he spoke.

" No more waiting, now let's go to Croco's since he's got the biggest bed." Buggy said with his grin turning into this absolutely feral and filthy smirk.

The powder keg went off as both Mihawk and Crocodile processed Buggy's words, and their clear meaning. With hunger blowing their pupils wide, Mihawk and Crocodile were happy to oblige their clown. They each took several more kisses from Buggy before they all walked out of the tent and stealthily made their way past everyone milling about, sneaking back into the big top and then into the corridor to Crocodile's quarters.

Buggy laughed loud and unashamed as Mihawk summarily threw him over his shoulder in one smooth motion, so controled that he didn't even smash into Yoru's hilt as they made their way to Crocodile's big brass door. The sand wielder pushed said door open and ushered his guests inside like a gentleman, Mihawk's huff of laughter mingling with Buggy's giggle as the swordsman stepped over the threshold with their Yonko prize, Crocodile eagerly following them in and locking the door after himself.

They were not seen for the rest of the day and any orders came by den den only.

Dinner was sent straight to Crocodile's quarters, a platter compiled of everything from fresh sushi, onigri, and takoyaki, to steak, buttered biscuits, and three large cheeseburger. Accompanying the meal were bottles of Alabasta beer, vintage red wine, and electric blue Punk Hazard rum and a large fruit tart for dessert to finish things off.

Still no ice cream though.

It was just past midnight when a pair of pale blue eyes fluttered open. Buggy came back to awareness with a soft sigh. A smile spread across Buggy's face, he was so warm and felt so safe, and it had everything to do with the two warm and powerful bodies he was sandwiched between, all three of them gloriously nude and nearing each others' marks on their skin. Buggy looked from the sleeping face of Mihawk in front of him to the sleeping face of Crococile behind him. Both men had tangled themselves around him. He was pleasant sore and sated in a way he had never felt in his entire life. But now as he lay between his new lovers, an old familiar craving filled him.

Smiling this time instead of trampling down on this yearning, Buggy shuffled onto his back and pushed himself up into a sitting position between Mihawk and Crocodile. His movement naturally jostled his sleeping lovers enough to wake them up.

" Hmmm what the hell Clown?" Crocodile grumbled as he raised his head with his dark purple hair sleep ruffled, while Mihawk growled on Buggy's other side as his yellow eyes opened and nearly glowed in the darkness.

" You'd better have a damn good reason for waking me up this time Buggy D. Clown." Mihawk said as he pushed himself up onto his elbow and gave his blue haired lover an annoyed look.

" Put some pants on you two, I got a craving I've ignored for long enough." Buggy said with a bright grin.

Mihawk and Crocodile both looked to each other, frowning in shared confusion.

A little while later...

" You're serious?" Mihawk asked flatly as he and Crocodile, the swordsman unashamedly shirtless with only his lavender pants on and the sand wielder in nothing but one of his plush sleeping robes, stood across the steel kitchen island from a grinning Buggy, who had on the pants and captain's jacket he had worn the day before but no shirt. On his feet he had pulled on his signature curl toed boots and in one of his coat pockets was his faithful mini den den. Buggy stayed true to the habit, especially when it had saved his life after what he had gone through in this very same kitchen.

On the kitchen island resting between them was a white bucket with the label reading "Chairman's Fav" in big blocky black letters.

A few minutes ago Mihawk and Crocodile had watched as after leading them into the deserted kitchens and turning the lights on, Buggy had made his way over to the main walk in freezer without fear. They had been a little surprised when Buggy expertly opened the new latch on the door and pulled the heavy steel door open. Buggy had paused for a moment as a wave of chilly air from within the freezer burst out and washed over him. There was a moment of tension and then Buggy had taken a deep breath, squared his shoulders and stepped over the threshold into the icy depths that had nearly ended him just months earlier. Mihawk and Crocodile had both stepped forward and held the door open just to be safe as Buggy had reimerged quickly, his boots giving him far better traction that his slippers ever could, shivering lightly and carrying out the infamous white bucket that had nearly bashed his brains in.

Now here they were with Mihawk and Crocodile facing off against Buggy, the offending " would be killer ice cream" innocently sitting between them. It wasn't the actual bucket, which Daz had disposed off both because it had Buggy's blood on it and because of no one wanting to eat it afterwards, but a fresh batch Chef Dizzy had made himself.

" Yes indeedy I am. If I can have Dracule Mihawk and Sir Crocodile love me, I can face my favorite ice cream flavor that almost did me in without fear." Buggy said before he raised his arms and chop chopped his hands to go and get three bowls, three spoons, and an ice cream scooper from the nearby drawers and cabinets. His hands set everything down neatly in front of his lovers on the kitchen island.

" Have a seat." Buggy ordered sternly as he gestured to the empty high chairs.

Mihawk and Crocodile both gave Buggy a warning look but obeyed, shuffling over to the chairs and sitting down, leaving an empty one between them, the implication clear. Buggy felt his cheeks flush with pleasure, still a little giddy at the surprising turn their relationship had taken. Buggy pried the lid off of the white bucket, revealing the candy loaded treat to his lovers.

" Diabetes in a bucket." Crocodile muttered, but held up his bowl none the less for Buggy to drop a couple of perfect scoops into.

He did the same for Mihawk and then finally himself. He left the lid off in case he wanted to really binge on the treat and eagerly made his way around the kitchen island to finally take his seat in between his new lovers. Buggy picked up his spoon and went so far as to clink it with Mihawk and Crocodile's before he dug into the frozen delight. Mihawk and Crocodile both gave him flat looks for his cheesy actions, but their eyes were widening when Buggy let out the most indecent sounding moan at his first taste of 'Chairman's Fav' after so long. Feeling heat pool in his gut and curiosity in his mind, Mihawk took a spoonful and brought it to his mouth. Crocodile felt his jaw fall open when Mihawk actually moaned too. Hot, bothered, and now curious as hell himself, the sand wielder finally took a heaping spoonful and tasted the infamous ice cream. The moment the taste registered to Crocodile's tastebuds his pale violet eyes were growing wide in wonder.

Pure... unadultered... HEAVEN!

" Holy shit this is amazing!" Crocodile exclaimed as he started to gobble up the ice cream in his bowl.

" Careful there darling, you'll get brain freeze." Mihawk quipped even as he too rapidly demolished his ice cream.

Buggy said nothing as he was already reaching for the scooper to refill his empty bowl. He refilled both Mihawk and Crocodile's bowls without them even asking and got ice cream tinted kisses for his actions. Buggy's giggles mingled with Crocodile's distinctive laugh, while Mihawk barked a laugh here and there to join them as they talked about utter nonsense and just enjoyed being together, later at night, not a care in the world or having to put on a show for their followers to keep up the mystique. They were just Buggy, Mihawk, and Crocodile, newly together, enjoying some ice cream.

A good half our later with nearly all of the bucket of ice cream having been devoured and the dishes all cleared away and cleaned, Buggy sat back on his chair, patting his stomach and grinning. Beside him Mihawk and Crocodile both leaned back in their chairs too, looks of quiet bliss on their faces. Still smiling, Buggy broke the confortable silence between them.

" So what'd you guys think, ice cream to die for or what?" He asked with a self-satisfied grin.

Mihawk and Crocodile both slowly turned their heads and leveled exasperated looks at their red nosed Yonko. Then the corner of Mihawk's lips twitched minutely and he shook his head.

" That was beyond dreadful Buggy." He said before he started snickering softly.

" Yeah Clown, you're the worst." Crocodile quipped before dissolving into his signature chuckle.

" Eh, ya love me anyway." Buggy said proudly with a shrug before he set about pulling his loves to him for more kisses and got kissed back just as fervently.

The playful kisses quickly turned heated as the three lovers decided to take their leave of the kitchen. Barely keeping their hands off each other, the three of them left shutting the lights off after them and plunging everything back into the darkness. Then a couple of seconds later a yellow eyed figure lightly trotted back into the darkened kitchen and grabbed up a spoon and the bucket of remaining 'Chairman's Fav' before hurrying back out again.

There was plenty of heavenly ice cream left to do some not so vanilla things with his lovers.

The End