Any trepidation you had felt following your interaction with Alvida was somewhat forgotten once the Miss Love Duck actually set sail.

Whilst helping the older crew member, Ken; a gruff but not unkind man, check the hold stowage; which basically consisted of ensuring that all barrels containing provisions were properly tied down, you were soon hit with an overwhelming onset of nausea.

"Never been to sea before, ay" he remarked with a knowing yet sympathetic smile, "don't worry, it'll pass. Better go up on deck and get some air"

Thanking him profusely, you hastened back up the wooden stairs as fast as your wobbly legs would carry you. The salty sea air hit you, almost taking your breath away as you stumbled towards the side of the ship and clung on until your knuckles turned white. You closed your eyes and did your best to ignore the way your guts twisted and turned violently. The incessant heaving sway of the ship as it was rocked along by the waves only caused the nauseousness to increase. You breathed slowly and kept swallowing but no, your throat kept clenching. No matter what, you couldn't stop the sickly feeling rising through your chest. Then you tasted it at the back of your mouth.

Ugh

You were scarcely aware of all the activity going on around you as other crew members went about their business. All you could focus on was the sensation; as though your stomach was being vigorously squeezed like a set of bagpipes.

Maybe once you were sick you would feel better, you hoped at least, as with a heaving lurch of your stomach you couldn't stop the stream of rancid liquid that spewed from your mouth.

Shit, it was so gross. You hated being sick at the best of times, but here and now, in front of everyone, made it all the worse. You longed for privacy but that was not going to happen. And you felt dreadful. All you wanted to do was hide in a corner somewhere and curl up in a ball, but you couldn't do that now.

Then the sound of laughter filled your ears, as the crew began to find great amusement in your suffering. Their heckles and jeering caused your cheeks to flame with humiliation. Just as you believed things couldn't possibly get any worse, they did. They got much worse, as you suddenly felt a large gloved hand come to rest at the small of your back.

"Oh dear, feeling a little sea sick huh? Well..... I guess I should've been expecting that"

Hell no.

The last thing on earth that you wanted was for him to see you like this; straining and retching and vomiting. Luckily for you, you hadn't eaten anything today, so all you were bringing up was fluid. But it still tasted disgusting. You fought hard to stop, or at least to be quiet, but it was a physical impossibility.

"I...I'm ok....I'm ok...." you repeated over and over between gasps, hastily wiping your mouth with the back of your hand, then immediately wished you hadn't, because what must he think of you? But you didn't want him seeing you dribbling either.

"Uh, clearly you're not" he disagreed, as he gently began rubbing small circles on your back; displaying a level of attentiveness that you never would've expected from him.

You shook your head helplessly, "No, I'm fine, and....I don't really want you to be here right now." you exhaled shakily. "you really don't have to be here."

"I know I don't have to be here, and believe me, I'm not exactly a fan of watching people throw up"

You turned your head to look at him and saw him grimace slightly.

"Then why don't you leave—?"

"Look, it's no big deal, sweetheart. Trust me, I've seen much worse"

You managed a weak smile. "Gee, that's such a comfort."

Buggy chuckled at that, and surprised you even further by carefully brushing your hair from your face, "Good, it should be" Grasping your shoulders, he gently hoisted you up and turned you around, peering at your face with an anxious frown. "D'you think you're done now? You're still looking kinda green. Honestly, you look like shit"

"Thanks. You sure know how to make a girl feel special, but that's fair, because honestly.....I feel like shit"

He nodded, trying and failing, to bite back a smile, "you're going to until you get your sea legs. Come on..."

This was the last thing you wanted, Buggy having to take charge because of your weak stomach. You found it ridiculously embarrassing. For some inexplicable reason you felt like a fraud. A pretend pirate. A pathetic girl that couldn't even take care of herself. But you were also too exhausted to resist, as he took hold of you, supporting your limp, shaking body against his own.
He shouldn't have to do this. You shouldn't be his responsibility, even your ex had never done this sort of thing for you when you got sick.

"Buggy, you really don't have to do this. I'm a big girl. I'll be fine--"

"Oh please. Just shut up and stop trying to argue with your captain, because you won't win, sweetheart" His commanding tone made it impossible to defy him, as you sagged like a rag doll; losing all the starch in your legs. He let out an exasperated noise that sounded part snort, part sigh, and in the next instant he scooped you up in his surprisingly capable arms.

His actions seemed to thrill and worry you in equal amounts. It felt good, undeniably good, to be comforted like this. Even by him, of all people.

"T-thank you." you exhaled weakly, as he carried you across the deck, cutting a path through the throng of gawking crew members who had gathered around to watch the scene unfold.

"Awwwww" they chorused mockingly, one or two individuals even being brave enough to heckle him as he passed by, shouting out derogatory remarks.

They obviously found his actions hilarious; as if beneath the flamboyant, imposing exterior he was soft.

"Shut up you bastards, you're only jealous!" he threw over his shoulder at the hecklers as he reached the stairs and began to descend below deck. "I'll teach those shitheads a lesson for disrespecting their quartermaster"

Quartermaster? You were pretty sure that was just a grander sounding term for first mate. But you didn't have the energy right now to converse with him properly, and he probably wouldn't appreciate being questioned anyway.

Your head lolled to the side, coming to rest on his shoulder. The blue tassels on his hat tickled your nose due to his brusque movements, so you shifted until your face was buried in the crook of his neck. It was a startling sensation feeling the warmth of his skin against yours, and you accidentally breathed him in. The scent of him was barely indescribable; a bizarre combination of greasepaint, sea salt, and smoke....like gunpowder. Beneath all of that were the subdued spicy tones of cologne. All in all, you didn't dislike it. He smelled decidedly masculine, which had the most peculiar effect on your pulse, even in spite of you feeling so unwell.

After walking down the narrow hallway towards the stern end of the ship, Buggy finally came to a stop; using his booted foot to kick open a door that had been left slightly ajar. You were in a cabin, you realized, but wasn't in any fit state to pay that much attention to your surroundings. Buggy then lay you down on the narrow cabin bed, and crouched down on his haunches to examine you closely.

"Get some rest. You'll feel better afterwards. The sickness will wear off"

As you raised your eyes to meet his striking green ones, you couldn't help feeling touched by the level of concern you thought you saw within them. Ah but, your map tattoo... that was probably the reason behind his attentiveness. He had referred to you as his best asset, after all. Tearing your gaze from his you allowed your heavy lids to drift shut, wrapping your arms around your middle in order to try relieve the discomfort of your churning stomach.

<<——————————————>>

It was many hours later when you awoke to the sound of someone moving around in the room. Confusion clouded your mind, hindering your ability to figure out where you were and what was happening. As you cautiously prised open your heavy eyelids, you blinked due to the soft glow of candlelight that lit the small room.

Then it all came rushing back to you with unforgiving crystal clarity, as you nervously cast your sleepy gaze around the cabin. You were on a pirate ship. Alvida's ship, to be more precise.You'd gotten sick. And Buggy had brought you here....

"Ah, awake at last, sleepyhead" the low rasp of the pirate clown's familiar voice reached your ears, immediately snaring your attention.

You turned your head to see him standing in the corner; now minus his captains hat. In it's place he wore a red and white striped bandana; errant tendrils of his blue hair escaping from the sides. His hat was clasped in his now gloveless hands, and you watched with mild fascination as he tossed it to one side, where it came to land atop a clothes trunk. The blue tassels no longer adorned the sides of his hat. Instead, there were two slits on either side of the brim. Did that mean....the tassels.....were his hair?!

"'Sup, cat got your tongue?" He pulled your attention back to him by snapping his fingers repeatedly, "hello, earth to Amby, are you with us?"

Hearing him say your name had an unsettling affect on you. For some inexplicable reason, you didn't think you'd ever get used to hearing him speak it.

"Uh, y-yeah, sorry. I'm just still....half asleep"

He nodded and hummed in acknowledgment, as he shrugged out of his long, fur-trimmed coat; revealing his sleeveless V-necked striped shirt and.....a pair of well-defined, lean muscular arms that were alarmingly aesthetically pleasing. For some reason you hadn't expected his biceps to be so toned. But why wouldn't they be? He obviously did his fair share of hard labour whilst aboard his own ship.

"Well, how are you feeling now? At least you've got a bit of color back in your cheeks, so you don't look like death"

You forced a small smile and gave a nervous bob of the head. The color in your cheeks had nothing to do with feeling better, but thankfully he wouldn't ever know the real reason for it. You were being ridiculous, reacting like a blushing schoolgirl at the mere sight of a strong pair of male arms. And yet all your mind kept returning to was the fact that you had been held by him. Held and carried in those toned, capable arms.

"Yeah, much better thanks. I....I'm sorry about earlier. I feel like a complete idiot"

"Look, it's pointless feeling like an idiot. It's your first time, getting sea sick is like.... a right of passage" he came towards you and picked up a steaming bowl from the desk at the side of the bed, "I brought you this, it's meat stew. You need to eat something"

Using your elbows you quickly pulled yourself up into a sitting position, and eyed the bowl he brandished with caution. It smelt divine due to the fact you were starving hungry, and you greatly appreciated the gesture, but you wasn't convinced that you were ready to stomach solid food.

"I took all the lumpy bits out" he then informed you, unceremoniously dropping down to sit on the edge of the narrow cabin bed.

"Lumpy bits?" you questioned as you subtly tried to shift position in the bed, so that the top of your outer thigh wasn't touching the back of his ass. If the contact fazed him in any way, he certainly didn't show any signs of it doing so.

"yeah you know, the meat and veg, so now it's just soup. It'll settle your stomach"

"You.....took the time to remove all the vegetables and meat, just for me?"

A look of panic danced across his painted face for a brief moment, making him look confused and unsure, but it was quickly replaced by a slight quirk of his red lips and a hint of arched eyebrow.

"Hey, no sweat, there wasn't that much meat in it to begin with. The cook here is stingy when it comes to portion sizes" he shrugged modestly, "and besides.....I was thinking of myself mostly. If you threw up again in here, there's nothing worse than chunky puke!"

"Ew!" Scrunching your face in distaste, you couldn't suppress a slight giggle, a giggle which practically backed-up into your throat when Buggy took a spoonful of the soup and raised it to your lips, expectantly.

"Come on, open wide for your captain!"

"Uh, you do realize if anyone's outside listening....that is not going to sound right at all"

"And you do realize I don't care, right?" He sniggered before adding, "Actually, I've no idea what you're even talking about"

You narrowed your eyes at him, not believing his display of feigned innocence. The devilish glint in his aqua eyes gave him away and he could see you were onto him.

"Look, that's either just your dirty mind or paranoia, sweetheart. Now stop overthinking and do as you're told"

Feeling more than just a little self-conscious, you obeyed and parted your lips apprehensively, allowing him to gently spoon the warm liquid into your mouth.

It tasted surprisingly good, the warmth soothing your throat which still felt raw from all the retching.

"What d'you think? Not exactly delicious cuisine but it could be much worse, believe me"

"Mmm, no, it's good. Thank you"

He repeated the action and you instinctively craned your neck forward to accept more soup from him, but as you took the spoon in your mouth your eyes accidentally locked with his. It was then you felt the not-so-subtle shift in the energy surrounding you, as though the air between you both had suddenly grown thicker, heavier, and intensely charged.

You swallowed hard, as all signs of the previous playful banter dissipated. Suddenly becoming even more aware of the closeness of your proximity, and the intimacy of him feeding you like this, you felt your pulse begin to flutter at the base of your throat.

Buggy suddenly cleared his throat, breaking the loaded silence, as well as the lingering eye contact. As if panicking, he all but thrust the bowl into your hands, like he'd been scolded. Except the bowl was hardly hot.

That's when you realized he had felt it too. Whatever it had been. That strange, unexpected palpable tension that had silently passed between you, and it had made him visibly uncomfortable.

"Uh, well you're not an invalid, you can feed yourself" he stated bluntly, rising to his feet, "but as you've made yourself comfortable I will let you take the bed...for tonight. I've taken care of alternative sleeping arrangements" he gestured vaguely towards a hammock directly across from you that he'd fastened to the beams overhead.

"You mean we're.....sharing a room?"

"Well, duh, of course we have to share. This is the cabin Alvida allocated me, and she thinks you're my little play-thing, so obviously it'll look bad if we don't sleep together"

Your cheeks flamed as a fresh wave of embarrassment flooded over you, "she wouldn't think that if you hadn't told her we were.....were......a thing"

His shrill burst of laughter startled you, almost making you spill your soup.

"A THING" he parroted gleefully, "pfft, I didn't exactly give her the impression that we're together, like an item—"

"No I know exactly what she thinks I am, she thinks I'm some sort of clown groupie that you've picked up just to....sleep with...during the voyage"

"And?" he couldn't sound any less disinterested even if he tried. In fact he seemed too preoccupied with the removal of his boots and belt, as if he suddenly found buckles fascinating.

"Well it's embarrassing, Buggy"

"Embarrassing?" his head snapped up as he shot you a withering look; impaling you with a cold, ice-dagger glare that made you falter, "you're embarrassed by the very idea of people thinking you're fucking a freak like me? Is that it?!"

Once again you felt your cheeks burn with humiliation. Thrown off-balance by his torrid choice of words.

"What? N-no, it's not that. It's nothing personal against you, captain. I meant no offense—"

"Good! 'Cause you're not my type anyway! So don't flatter yourself, darling"

"Ok....it's just the fact that everyone here will think I'm some kind of slut. A....a cheap whore—"

You fell silent as he approached you menacingly slowly, a peculiar, almost predatory gleam, in his eyes. You shrank back against the pillows as he loomed over you and then leaned down and caught hold of your face in his bare hand.

"You need to care less about what others think, especially the likes of Alvida's crew. They're all scumbags and fuckwits. Anddd..." he drew the word out as his face inched closer, until you could feel his hot breath caressing your flushed cheek, "......they won't think you're a slut, they'll think you're MY little slut, there's a difference. It means you'll be safe. Don't you get it? If I hadn't told Alvida we were fucking, you'd be sharing a bunk with the rest of the crew now, so....I've done you a favor"

Once again you felt shaken at the realization that he was, in spite of everything, just looking out for you. He was right. He'd spared you from having to bunk with the rest of the crew.

"You're welcome" he gently pinched your cheek, firing you a dazzling, self-satisfied smile as he saw the look of recognition dawn in your expression.

"I-I'm sorry, I never thought of it that way. Thank you"

Relinquishing his hold on your face, he flashed you a mischievous smirk, "Of course you didn't, that's why you shouldn't doubt your captain. But don't thank me just yet....she'll be expecting you to work twice as hard tomorrow to make up for your slacking today"

"Slacking! It's not my fault I got sick"

"So? Alvida doesn't give a rats ass about that. I told her to cut you some slack today, otherwise she'd have had you swabbing the decks even while you were puking. But there's only so much I can do, so you'll have to pull your weight tomorrow, got it?"

"Got it, captain" you responded with renewed determination.

You would prove to Alvida, her wretched crew, and to Buggy, that you were capable of holding your own as part of the crew. You didn't want any preferential treatment just because you were masquerading as Buggy's fuck-buddy.

"Atta girl" he winked playfully before turning to climb into his hammock, with well-practiced ease.

Whist his back was turned your way, you noticed the thick braid of blue hair that came to rest mid-way between his shoulder blades. So his hair really was that long. Who knew?

Finishing your soup you quickly set the bowl aside and scooted back down the bed.

"Get the light would you, Amby" his preemptory tone came as a command and not a request, but you found yourself smiling regardless, as you leaned towards the desk.

Rightly or wrongly, you didn't dislike this newfound familiarity that was slowly developing between the pair of you. It felt less formal, almost more friendly. Almost.

"Aye aye, captain"

With a deep gust of breath you reached across to the nightstand and turned out the light; plunging the cabin into darkness. You then settled back onto the narrow, but comfortable, mattress, and yawned.

That night you gradually drifted off back to sleep to the sounds of the gentle lapping of the waves that drifted throughout the cabin, and the creaking of the old wooden ship.

Because in spite of everything, it felt strangely cozy, and you were filled with renewed hope. Hope that Buggy wasn't quite as terrible as he'd want you to believe, so perhaps the trip wouldn't be so unbearable after all.