Totally Buggin' (Buggy the Clown Live Action Fic)

Swallow

Two other groups had arrived at our designated meeting spot by the time our party got there, but none of them had found anything. Niko's group came next, and he silently shook his head at me, the only interaction needed to send another wave of disappointed nausea through me. For the next couple of hours, I felt a stab in my chest every time another party arrived with nothing to report. Some people built a bonfire in the clearing by the lake and Wayne started preparing food for the crew, but I had no appetite. When the seventh and final group appeared having seen no sign of the Elixis Fruit, it was all I could do to sit silently on the dirt and keep the panic in my chest from overwhelming me.
Keeping the secret of the fruit Buggy'd found was making it ten times worse, gnawing away at me like a rodent trapped under my skin. I should make him show us where he found it, I thought when Buggy sat next to me by the fire. Or have him show it to everyone, so they at least know what they're looking for. But I could think of no way to do this without causing absolute chaos. My crewmates were a loyal bunch, but offering only one Elixis Fruit to a group of death-marked pirates? We might as well play hot-potato with a hand-grenade for all the bloodshed it'd cause.
The stars shone brightly that night, reflecting brilliantly off the surface of the lake. My crew was quieter than usual; bottles of liquor were passed around, and I graciously accepted one, taking a long swig to ease the ache in my chest. It burned going down.
"Can we talk?" Buggy finally murmured in my ear. I had known it was coming and nodded once. We got up from our places around the fire and walked into the dark jungle together. I saw both Niko and Trixie cast glances after us but avoided making eye contact with either of them.
After about five minutes of walking in silence, Buggy stopped me. We'd come to a small clearing, and his handsome face glowed blue in the moonlight. "Kitty," he said softly.
Instead of answering, I pulled him into a hug. I snuggled in close, trying to postpone the conversation I knew we had to have. It didn't work; he wrapped an arm around me, but with the other he lifted the blue fruit from his pocket once again. "No one has to know," he murmured into my hair.
Buggy pulled away from the embrace, and I watched as he procured his knife and carefully cut the small fruit in half. He then used the tip of the blade to peel off the fruit's thin layer of fuzzy skin. "One for you... and one for me," he said, pinching one of the halves between his fingers and holding it up towards me in the moonlight so I could see. The flesh of the fruit was the same turquoise color as the outside but dotted with small white seeds. I stared at it in wonder.
    When I didn't reach for it, Buggy brought it to his own mouth. I didn't stop him as he popped it between his lips and swallowed it. It happened faster than seemed imaginable. "Your turn," he instructed, holding the other half out to me.
I gulped and shook my head. "I can't," I breathed.
"Yes, you can," Buggy muttered back. "Kitty, please."
"Buggy, I can't," I insisted. "I've been thinking about it all day, believe me I have. Give it to Trixie," I pleaded, "or if you won't, then have the rest yourself. Maybe it'll improve its chances of working. But I can't eat it, not unless everyone can."
"You can," growled Buggy, growing frustrated. "I get it, you're afraid for your friends, but we can keep looking for more fruit. Maybe there's a whole grove of Elixis Fruit trees somewhere we just haven't found. But if there aren't, if this is the last one..." His eyes held mine pleadingly. "You eating this won't change their chances, Kitty. You deserve this. You've given so much to find this fruit, now just—," he sucked in a breath, exasperated. "Just eat the damn thing!"
I shook my head slowly, my mind already made up. "It's time for me to be the captain now," I said with a newfound strength in my voice. "No more crying or hiding or being a coward. I will have the fruit only when the rest of my crew can, or I won't have it at all."
Buggy looked at me for a while, his eyes searching mine. His expression turned dark. "That's your decision?" he asked me, his voice strangely hollow.
"That's my decision," I confirmed, my voice sad but firm. "I hope you can understand."
"Oh Kitty, I do understand," he said sadly. His expression turned wistful and he reached out to me with his free hand, cupping my cheek. His thumb caressed me softly. "I just hope you understand."
Before I could question what he meant, Buggy's gentle grip on my jaw turned firm. Without warning he shoved the piece of fruit in my mouth, pushing it with his fingers to the back of my tongue. I tried to push him away, but he was stronger than I was. He clasped a hand over my mouth while his other hand held the back of my head, tilting it back. "Swallow, sweetheart," he said gently as I struggled against him, choking on the fruit. Tears stung in my eyes. "Shhh shhh, just swallow and it'll be all done."
I swallowed audibly, the chunk of fruit sliding uncomfortably down my esophagus. "There's a good girl," Buggy whispered, and only then did he remove his hands.
I pushed away from him, coughing and blinking away the tears. I looked back incredulously, anger lighting in my chest. "What is wrong with you?" I rasped.
"I couldn't just let you walk away from this," he said, his voice unapologetic. "I just got you back. Five years apart, Kitty, and I didn't handle that all too well. I'm not about to bury you any time soon."
"It wasn't your decision!" I tried to yell, but my throat felt raw and it came out as sort of a croak. "You don't get to just ignore my will—I was choosing to do what was best for my crew!"
"Yeah, I know you were," Buggy agreed, "but I'm choosing to do what's best for us." He stepped forward, grabbed my wrist and pulled it against his chest. I tried to tear it away while avoiding his piercing gaze, but he held me firm. "I'm too selfish, Princess," he said softly. "I won't lose you again."
Finally I met his eyes, and when I did it was with a glare. "If I have to watch my crew die, one-by-one," I told him, drawing each word out, "then I will never speak to you again. I'll go as far away from you as I can, just like before, only this time if we cross paths, I will bury my sword in your chest."
He held my gaze. "Then let's hope we can find more fruit," he replied, unfazed.
I twisted out of his grip. "I'm dead fucking serious, Buggy!" I stated. "Stay away from me!"
"You will forgive me," he assured me. "I might've just saved your life."
"It wasn't your decision!" I seethed, stomping away from him back into the jungle.