Totally Buggin' (Buggy the Clown Live Action Fic)

Tension

The archive room had rows and rows of wooden cabinets coming up about waist high, and beyond that were floor-to-ceiling shelves lined with books, journals, and scrolls. We split up, searching frantically between the cabinets for any sign of the map. "There!" shouted Trixie after a minute, pointing to one of the tall shelves. "'Maps'!"
We bounded towards it. At least a hundred old parchment maps were rolled up on the shelf. "They're tagged with what they show," Douglas said. "Quickly!"
We got to work pulling maps and checking their labels, tossing aside all that weren't the one we were there for. On another day, we may have been tempted to keep some of them, but time was not on our side.
It was Niko who finally found it. "Here! 'Elixis Fruit'!" he called out.
Douglas pulled it from his hands and quickly unfurled it. "Ahh!" he said breathlessly. "Yes, this is it! This is the map!" he rolled it up and tied it securely to his belt, then pulled his coat over it. "Let's go, it won't be long before they get a key for that door."
As he said it, the lock clicked open and soldiers pushed into the room. Our group braced again for battle, but before the Marines could attack, the whole building shook, throwing us all off-balance. "It's the Cat, she's made it!" exclaimed Trixie.
"Great timing," commented Niko. "So long as she doesn't blow us to bits."
We fought our way past the guards, helped by the falling debris of another cannon strike. "This way," I led the group. We came to the end of the corridor, where we could see the beach beyond through a gaping hole that had been blasted through the wall. Rubble framed the striking scene on the other side: the Cat's Crown at the mouth of the cove, backlit by the dying rays of sunlight, her cannons firing towards us in an awesome display of power. We climbed through the hole and leapt onto the deck. More Marines awaited us and we clashed blades ferociously as we continued on our path. Cannons from the rooftop of the Marine base fired back at my ship, but the soldiers were caught off guard and spread too thin to do real damage.
We were nearly to the edge of the deck, and then there was a ten-foot drop to the sand below. I covered my crew members as they made the leap, swinging my sword on instinct at this point. Buggy was the last to join, wiping sweat from his brow, and we jumped together, hitting the sand with a soft thud.
We ran down the beach towards where I could just make out Yonis and our skiff at the edge of the sand. I checked behind us for pursuers, and there was a soldier a few yards back, gaining speed. I stopped running and crossed blades with the woman; after a brief clash, I cut her down. My companions had stopped to wait for me and I turned back to face them, just in time to see yet another Marine guard slip out from the trees with his sword aimed at Buggy. No one else saw the man; without another thought I pulled the knife from my belt and flung it at him. It struck its mark right as he was raising his sword. The guard took a few final steps backwards before falling onto the ground.
Buggy blinked at the fallen soldier, then looked back at me with wide eyes. Neither of us said anything as I pushed past him, and we continued our race down the beach. Finally we reached Yonis and pushed the skiff out to sea, sailing for the silhouette of my ship in the twilight.

The music was loud and the drinks were flowing on the CC that night. You'd have thought we'd brought back the actual Elixis Fruit, the atmosphere was so triumphant. The crew sang shanties and danced around the deck late into the night, the Ignamuj Islands left far behind us.
Despite having a long and exciting day, the five of us from the mission were some of the last ones still awake when the party finally began to wind down. We sat around a small fire pit on the main deck, our spirits high and our bellies warm with alcohol.
"A toast!" Douglas raised his bottle, the liquid sloshing. The rest of us followed suit. "To our successful mission! And," he continued, looking at me, "to our extraordinary captain, who has never given up, and will soon lead us to the cure for this horrible virus!"
"Here here!" Wayne called amongst whoops from the others.
I grinned and finished my drink, then got up from my chair unsteadily. "How about another bottle?" I asked, prompting more sounds of approval. I walked carefully across the deck, where crates of liquor had been set in a far corner, back behind the stairs. Niko followed me.
He leaned against a large crate while I crouched, searching for a specific bottle. "You were amazing today," he said, his voice matching his rosy cheeks.
"So were you," I replied, grinning up at him. "We'd never have gotten to the map without you." I found the rum I was looking for and stood. "Here it is!" I announced, showing him my prize. "Ready to go?"
"Let's just... stay here a second," he said. He reached for my wrist, taking the bottle from me and setting it next to him on the crate. Then, he put a hand around my waist and pulled me in, touching his forehead to mine.
Our breathing mingled and his face swam before me. I closed my eyes. "Niko," I mumbled, his closeness making it hard to think. "We can't."
"Why not?" he murmured.
"You know why." I shook my head, trying to clear the drunkenness from my thoughts. He held me steady, leaning closer so our noses were touching too. His smell itself was intoxicating. I swallowed, tempted by the proximity of his lips, but I held my ground. "We've done this," I said, putting my hand on his chest. "We know how it ends." I pulled away from him and opened my eyes.
"It doesn't have to end that way," he insisted. "We could just... see how it goes. Just for tonight." He gently swept a piece of my hair behind my ears, and his fingers lingered on my cheek.
Looking into his deep brown eyes, I was almost swayed. But I knew it was different for him than it was for me; I had to make the decision a good captain would. "I'm sorry, Niko," I said genuinely, backing away.
I registered the pain on his face before he turned it away from me. "Fine," he said gruffly. "Enjoy your night." He pushed past me and headed for the stairs that led below deck. I watched him go, then sighed and grabbed the bottle from its place on the crate.
I got back to the circle to find most of my crewmates had disappeared to bed. I could just make out Douglas and another crew member up on the top deck, likely smoking cigars, and Wayne was now sprawled out where he'd been sitting, fast asleep on the floorboards. Trixie had also taken off; only Buggy remained enjoying the fire. I sat in the chair next to him and offered him the rum. He took it with a smile. "Everything okay?" he asked with an eyebrow raised before taking a drink.
"Sure, why wouldn't it be?"
"I saw your friend stalk off below deck," he said, meaning Niko. "He seemed upset."
"He'll be fine," I answered curtly. Buggy handed the rum back and I took a large swig.
"So, you and him?" Buggy asked curiously.
I huffed. "Not a conversation I want to have with you."
"I'm just surprised," said Buggy chuckling. "I mean, that guy? He doesn't seem like he's made anyone laugh in his life."
I snorted involuntarily. He had a pretty good read on Niko; since our break-up, 'brooding' was the word I'd have used to describe him.
Buggy grinned at me. A moment passed between us where we just looked at each other, the firelight dancing on our faces. His eyes turned serious. "I loved you too, you know," he said quietly.
A lump formed in my throat and I shook my head. "You didn't know me," I responded sadly.
"Maybe you're right," he mused, his voice somber. "It seems like I've learned more about you in the past couple weeks than the whole time we were together back then." He took the bottle from my hand. "Anyway, I guess this means you decided to forgive me?" he asked, taking another drink.
I shrugged. "I don't know if I decided that," I admitted, "but I'm tired of fighting. I don't want to be angry anymore."
He smiled slightly. "Good enough for me."
Buggy offered the rum back but I declined, my head already feeling fuzzy enough. "I'm heading to bed," I said, getting up with a stretch. "G'night, Buggy."
"Good night, Kitty."
I entered my cabin and flopped down on the bed without bothering to undress. I laid there for a few minutes but, drunk as I felt, I couldn't quiet my thoughts long enough to close my eyes. With no idea where I was going, I got out of bed and stumbled back to the door. I swung it open.
Standing there in the dark, with his hand raised as if to knock, was Buggy. He lowered his arm slowly. "Hi."
Without a word, I reached for his collar and pulled him inside, catching him with my lips and shutting the door behind us.