Chapter Text
You should have known it would be like this when you saw his outfit.
From his large tiger print coat, to his zebra pants and dark red silk shirt, with his hat on top of course. Buggy's bright palette stands out against the hues of green and brown that are hidden within the glass enclosures that you walk past.
You grip onto the stuffed animal he had just bought for you in a giftshop, among many other things, all paid for after he juggled a few bottles of nail polish for your viewing pleasure. Noting the plushie in your clutches, the pirate beams,
“You know, lion cubs are born with spots, but they disappear when they grow up!”
“Wow Buggy, that's fascinating!” You say for probably the third time in the hour.
“Mhm! I have a Lion on my ship! His name is Richie and he can dance, not as well as me of course! But he tries.”
“Yes Buggy I know, I live there too.”
“Right! Well, did you know that…”
It was one fact after the other, to the point that you think Buggy studied for this date.
It wouldn't have been a surprise since he had gone pretty far out of his way to find the zoo the two of you are currently strolling through. The place itself is lovely, animals clearly well taken care of and content with being watched by droves of strangers, they play with the toys in their enclosures or simply stare back happily.
A swift breeze flies by as you think to yourself, the air tusseling the tassels on Buggy’s hat and catching the loose fabric of his pants.
Around you people laugh and chat, well those who aren’t looking at the animals, or Buggy. Although, their stares are less than frightened as the wanted Captain's focus seems to be almost entirely on you as he rambles.
“Y’know, zebras stripes are like human finger prints? No two are the same! If you want I could snatch one up for you and we can see if we find another like it.”
“Haven’t you got me enough things, Captain?” You ask, looking at the array of shopping bags that decorated the pirate's arms.
He refused to let you carry a single one, and he had some sort of sixth sense for finding souvenir shops. Anything you looked at for more than a second was being wrapped up and paid for before you could even turn to ask his opinion. The silly clown ended up buying many gifts for himself without knowing it.
“Impossible!” He laughs, voice bright, but tense.
“If that’s the case then let's snatch up some lunch instead of an unsuspecting animal.” You hum, walking towards one of the food attractions.
Buggy follows after you quickly, nearly tripping over himself to go ahead of you and pull out one of the bright yellow chairs that matched the tables for two that surround the small sunbleached red building.
“Here ya go! I can order for us if you’d like!” The jester beams.
“You don’t have to-”
“Nonsense! I insist! I can even balance the trays on my head! Lemme show you-”
“Actually,” You start, placing a hand on Buggy’s weighed down arm. “I’d like to join you in line.”
“But what about your gifts! Someone might steal them!”
You take his gloved hand into your own and tilt your head.
“Who would dare steal from Captain Buggy the Clown?”
The clown sputters, trying and failing to hide how flustered your simple touch and praise has made him. With bright pink cheeks he smiles big and lets the bags fall from his chopped arms.
“You’re right! No one in their right mind would try to take from my treasure trove!!” He shouts, chest puffed with pride as he glares at the few fellow zoo-goers who made the mistake of looking over at the two of you.
With a hushed laugh, you go up to order.
Once settled back at your table, Buggy had left a hand to hold all the handles of the shopping bags together as a way to demonstrate his strength, despite his confidence that no one would take anything.
You have to admit, it is impressive, but you didn’t come here to be impressed. You want to spend time getting to know your flashy Captain, but he keeps treating every minute of your date like a one-man-show that brings him closer to the brink of exhaustion with each trick. Even now he’s trying to convince you that he should buy more hotdogs so he can make you a palace out of them.
“With a moat an’ everything! How many do you think that would take? Fifty? No One hundred! Can we ask them for a hundred hotdog-”
“Captain.” You sigh, squinting the sunlight out of your eyes as you face him.
The clown bristles, feeling the shift in your tone and curling in on himself slightly as if his extravagant outfit can take over the rest of the date for him.
“Yes??”
“What was your favorite exhibit from today?”
“Oh! The penguins were pretty nice!”
You nod, eager to shift the conversation onto his interests. “I like when they go on their tummies and slide!”
“I can do that too y’know!”
“.... Slide down a hill on your stomach?”
“Mhm! Is there one nearby? I can show you!”
The jester snips his head off and starts looking around for a suitable place to toboggan.
“No no that’s not-”
“Aha! Watch this!” Buggy calls, already running off to demonstrate his abilities.
☆
“That tree came out of nowhere I swear! Once you’re done patching me up I’ll go back and swerve it!”
It's a good thing that you're the ship's medic.
“That’s not necessary, Buggy.”
“Then I’ll add that trick to the next big show and you can watch me-”
“Buggy…” You huff, throwing away the packaging from the bandages you just applied to the cut on his forehead.
The ship sways familiarly under your feet and you take a seat across from the clown in your spinny stool, looking up at him as he sits on the medical cot. His coat hangs off the foot of the green bed, and his hat is placed right on top of it. His shirt is pulled open a bit, the silk parting to reveal his pecs and blue chest hair.
You pry your eyes off of the sculpt of your Captain and look into his sea colored eyes, noting the nervous tint to them.
“Yea?” He asks, your name following his hesitant reply as if he’s scared that saying it too loud will cause you to leave him in the infirmary alone.
“I really, really like you.”
….
He stares at you like you’ve asked to crawl into his pants and live there forever.
Jaw slacked, eyes wide, brows furrowed in confusion. Still as a statue. As if moving would snap the lovely illusion you’ve made for him. The light from the window makes his hair glow, casting a dim gold hue into his shocked irises. For the first time since you met him he sits completely motionless.
“Bug-”
“You- I- Of course you do! Hahaha!!”
Just like that he snaps back into his usual self, chest puffed out with pride as he regains his animated posture. You smile and nod eagerly. Taking this as a sign, the pirate speaks again.
“Whaat exactly made you say that?” He asks shakily, as he leans back on his wrists, hands chopped off to tap his fingers against one another in front of you.
“I’ve always admired you, Captain, I was really happy when you agreed to go out with me, you know.”
“And now? I ah- didn’t mess everything up by getting my head bashed in by that tree right?”
While asking this, Buggy moves to hide in his coat again, but realizes he isn’t wearing it right now, leaving him to look painfully vulnerable in your gaze.
“Of course not.” You stand up, slowly taking the Captain’s face in your hands.
“I just wanted to spend the day with you Buggy, you didn’t have to do all those tricks and stuff for me. I like you especially when you’re just relaxing. Don’t get me wrong! Your talents and everything are part of your charm! It’s just.. If we end up together I don’t want you to feel like you gotta do a flip every time I walk into a room.”
Again, the stillness threatens to overtake the pirate, but instead he leans into your touch. Placing a hand on your cheek.
“Reallllyyy?”
“Mhm!”
“What if I want to do a flip every time you walk into a room?”
You scoff, pinching his cheek softly.
“Don’t forget, I am a Buggy pirate. So I will always be willing to join you when you feel like performing. I can announce your acts or something.”
“That you are! I’m sure you’ve got plenty of hidden talents I haven’t seen yet.”
“Mhm… If you want,” You start, stepping closer and pressing a kiss to the Captain’s flushed face. “I can give you a private show right here, as a thank you for all the little productions you put on for me today.”
Buggy giggles nervously, hands pulling you in by the waist, as if looking for reassurance that this is real, that you’re actually gripping onto the fabric of his shirt and looking at him so pretty.
“What type of show?” He whispers, leaning in slightly.
“The type where you sit back and take everything I give you.” You hum before going in for a kiss.