Totally Buggin' (Buggy the Clown Live Action Fic)

Curtains

    By the time we got back to camp that night the mood had turned somber again. "I know you're mad at Buggy," Trixie whispered to me before we rejoined the rest of the crew, "and you have absolutely every right to be. But I'm really, really glad you're okay."
    I gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand before watching her walk off towards the bonfire. I stayed behind, inspecting the faces of my crew from afar; it was clear just by looking that no other Elixis Fruit had been found. I saw Buggy sitting next to Yonis on the dirt with a deck of cards fanned out in his hands. At first I thought they were playing a game, but I realized with a strange pang that Buggy was doing a card trick. I knew I couldn't bring myself to forgive him yet, so instead I turned away from the group, needing a moment by myself to figure out my next move.
    I was surprised when Niko came over to stand next to me by the lake. "Hey," he greeted warily.
    "Hey," I said back.
    "I just wanted to check on you," he offered, running his hand through his hair. "I didn't like how we left things the other day."
    "No, me neither," I agreed.
    "Especially if—" he stopped himself with a slight shake of his head. "I just wanted you to know that I've really enjoyed my time on your crew. And I... I would've left anyway, I think. After we found the fruit." Niko shrugged. "I think I'm ready for a life on land."
    I smiled slightly, understanding. "What would you do?" I asked.
    "I dunno," he answered, looking out at the lake. "I like working with my hands. Maybe I'd train to be a builder or a mason or something."
    "I could see that," I said. "Or a locksmith?"
    "Yeah," he responded with a laugh. "That'd be funny." We lapsed into silence for a minute before he spoke again. "So what happens now?" he asked.
    I exhaled deeply. "We keep looking," I replied. "We look until we've nowhere else on the island to look. And since it's here somewhere, we'll find it, and that's when you'll be free to go become a boring old mason or something. It'll all work out."
    "Right," Niko agreed halfheartedly. "Right."
    I looked out over the water, the reflection of the stars faint on its surface. I could imagine Niko's life on land, how it would go if he just had the chance to be cured. I could picture him settling down, getting married, and having kids; in my mind's eye he grew into an old man, happy and warm and loved. I wanted it so desperately for him that I had to swallow back tears. No more crying, I'd promised myself.
    I continued to stare out over the lake when suddenly my heart leapt into my throat. I gasped loudly.
    Niko startled. "What? What is it?" he asked, looking around wildly.
    "There's no stars!" I said, glancing up. The sky was dark, usual celestial view hidden by clouds.
    "O-Okay?" Niko was looking at me like I'd gone mad. This look intensified when he saw I'd begun stripping off my coat. "What are you...?"
    "The lights, Niko! In the water!" I indicated towards the lake with a jerk of my head while quickly pulling off my sword belt. "They're so faint—I thought it was the stars' reflection, but there's no stars!" I kicked off my shoes and, not waiting for him to catch up to my thought process, plunged into the lake. It got deep only a few feet past the shoreline.
    I heard Niko call out to me before my head went underwater, but I didn't turn back. I was a strong swimmer, and with powerful strokes I propelled myself down into the lake's depths. I could see the same glow I'd seen from above, down below me in the otherwise pitch black lake. It got brighter and brighter, and I kept swimming until I could see the orbs clearly, shining vividly in the water. The Elixis Fruit. The turquoise spheres clung to tendrils sticking up from the lake floor, which I realized were tree branches, though they were more gnarled and pale than any trees I'd ever seen. Struggling to get deeper and blinking my eyes against the murky water, I finally wrapped my hand around one of the luminous fruits and pulled it free. The fruit's glow dimmed immediately.
    I kicked upwards, at my limit for holding my breath. My face broke through the surface of the lake with a splash and I gasped for air. The whole crew had gathered by the edge of the water in the darkness to see what the commotion was. Triumphantly, I raised my hand in the air to reveal the softball-sized Elixis Fruit.
    Realization struck them all at once, and the crew broke into thunderous cheers and hollers. Their elation filled the night sky; I began paddling back with a giddy grin on my face, and many of them splashed into the water to meet me. The rest stripped on the bank, modesty be damned, before jumping into the lake and diving down to retrieve more of the Elixis Fruit.
    Trixie reached me first as I found my footing in the shallows. I offered her the fruit in my hand but she ignored it, instead throwing her arms around me and jumping up and down. "You found it!" she cried, not minding that my clothes were soaked through. "Oh Kitty, you did it, you did it!"
    "Eat, eat!" I commanded, pulling away from her with a smile and forcing the fruit into her hands.
    She laughed giddily and pushed her thumbs through its fuzzy skin, tearing the produce in half messily. "Niko, come have some!" she shouted, turning away to gesture to our friend. Trixie struggled through the water to give him her other half, and I watched as they both bit into it.
    All around me, my crewmates were coming to congratulate me and slap a hand on my back before diving into the lake to retrieve their own fruit. Wayne surfaced from the dark water with his arms full of the blue spheres. "This is what's for dinner folks!" he shouted. "Get it while it's hot!" Yonis, too, had swam below and brought back as many Elixis Fruits as he could carry. He was walking through the shallows, handing them around. He put one in my hands with a beaming smile.
    My heart felt light for the first time in a really long time. I wanted to sing with how absolutely perfect the moment felt. My crew splashed around, many of them half-dressed and soaking wet, and with blue juice dribbling down their chins. Some did start to sing, a celebratory shanty rising high in the air.
    I spotted Buggy sitting a bit away from the crew, leaning against a tree trunk. He watched the rest of us with a contented expression but stayed away from the lake, unable to swim. I walked over to him with a small smile on my face and handed him the fruit Yonis had given me. A peace offering.
    He took it, his eyes looking up into mine with relief. "I guess this means you forgive me?" he asked.
    "Yeah," I replied, sitting down on the dirt next to him. "Though I do hate it when you're right."
    Buggy pulled the fruit apart and handed me half. I chewed it slowly, noticing the sweet tanginess I hadn't before. We watched my crew dance around while we ate, and I felt like pure liquified joy was coursing through my veins.
    "You did good, kid," said Buggy, bumping shoulders with me. "And for what it's worth... I am sorry for what happened before. Not that I'm sorry for saving you," he said pointedly, "but I should've found a better way."
I pursed my lips. "I've been thinking a lot about what I'd have done if the roles were reversed," I admitted, "and the truth is... I'm not sure I'd have done any differently. I can't imagine losing you either."
Buggy smiled knowingly and locked his fingers in mine. "I'm yours," he said, "and you're mine. It feels like that's how it's supposed to be."
I leaned my head on his shoulder. We stayed like that for a minute, lost in the bliss of it all.
The crew had moved the party back to the bonfire. I could see Trixie and Niko dancing, and Wayne spinning Theresa around while someone hammered out a beat on a makeshift drum. "C'mon Captain, there's plenty more fruit!" someone called over to us.
I stood up with a smile and looked back down at Buggy, offering him a hand. "Together?" I asked.
He grinned up at me, his crystal blue eyes still making me melt. "Until we take our last bow, sweetheart," he said, taking my hand. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into one long, passionate kiss before we turned to join the celebration.