Chapter Text
Buggy is eight the first time he hears about soulmarks. Captain is lounging around looking bored and Buggy knows that unless he distracts him, he’ll come up with a ‘fun’ idea that will ruin Buggy’s perfectly calm day. Problem is, he’s already suggested fishing, pranking Reyleigh-san and even sparring lessons and nothing seems to spark any interest in Captain. Then he gets that light in his eyes that makes Buggy break into a cold sweat and he proclaims he’s had the best idea ever. Buggy reacts before thinking and grabs his left arm to stop him from going to do whatever moronic, probably dangerous, thing he has come up with. That’s when he sees the name scribbled on Roger’s left wrist.
“Why do you have Garp’s name tattooed?” He blurts out. He knows Garp, Garp is the scary marine that sometimes follows them around. One of the very few people that can fight Captain on an even ground.
“This? This isn't a tattoo, it’s a soulmark,” he explains like that’s supposed to mean anything to Buggy. “You do know what soulmarks are, don’t you?”
Buggy shakes his head, how could he know it when no one has bothered to tell him?
“I see, does Shanks know?”
“He better not!” Buggy won’t forgive him if he does. Buggy is the smart one, he’s the one that’s supposed to know things.
“Red! Come here!” At Captain’s yell, Shanks all but runs to them, abandoning the broom he was just using. Lucky bastard, it was his turn to do chores! Buggy would complain (he did them yesterday!) but whatever this soulmate business is seems to have distracted Captain from his newest hare-brained scheme. “Do you know what soulmarks are?”
Shanks looks at Buggy for an answer before shaking his head. “No idea.”
Roger nods, looking as serious as he did when he explained the Code to them, and shows them his wrists.
“Monkey D Garp,” Shanks reads, tracing the letters softly. “That’s the vice admiral, right?”
“Yup, he is my rival for life,” Roger declared proudly. “That’s what names on the left wrist means. If it were on my right, it would mean that I’ve decided to spend the rest of my life with him.”
“Like a marriage?” Shanks asks, looking weirded out.
“Not necessarily, though a lot of people get their names when they propose. Soulmates can be platonic too.” Captain's grin turns a bit soft. “Rayleigh got my name when he decided to take to the seas with me.”
“But you don't have his,” Buggy points out. Roger's right wrist is devoid of any name.
“I don’t,” Captain admits. “But that doesn't mean he isn’t important to me. Marks appear after you make a choice that alters the rest of your life. When we met, I wanted to go to the sea and have adventures already but Rayleigh didn’t. Regardless, he chose to come with me, that’s when the name appeared. He had the gall to sigh and moan that he was now trapped playing babysitter for the rest of his life.”
“And you decided to fight with the Fist forever?” Buggy asks incredulously. He knew Captain wasn’t the smartest, but still!
“I decided to join forces with him, somehow that marked both of us as rivals,” Roger shrugs. “These marks are weird, some are very easy to understand but others are unfathomable.”
“I want to spend the rest of my life sailing with Buggy!” Shanks declares, looking at his wrist with anticipation. No name appears and he pouts, looking up at Roger with betrayed eyes. “Why isn’t it working?”
“Maybe it would work if you vowed to be my first mate,” Buggy suggests, trying to fight the heat in his cheeks. “It did for Rayleigh-san.”
“No way! I wanna be captain!” Shanks protests. “You be my first mate.”
“Never ever ever.”
The conversation dissolves into bickering and Shanks ends up not having to do the chores after all, since a very mad Rayleigh-san appears and forces Captain to do them because he ‘started another war’ or something like that.
After that Buggy doesn’t exactly forget about the whole soulmate business (how could he when Shanks insists on looking at his wrist every time he agrees to go with Buggy anywhere?) but he doesn’t think too much on the subject either. He does start noticing it, though, because that’s free information that people literally wear on their sleeves! (Or right under them, but the point stands). And information is very useful, especially during fights.
That is, of course, unless you are fighting the Whitebeards. Because of course more than half of those weirdos have their ‘daddy’ as their soulmate. Including the chicken that Shanks is so in awe with. Talk about a family complex.
Birdie and Sparkly don’t even have the courtesy of looking embarrassed when Buggy points it out. They just laugh happily and tell him that he’ll get it one day. Which is stupid, Buggy gets it now. He gets that they will never truly allow themselves to spread their wings, they will forever stay with Newgate, playing second fiddle. It’s a shame, really, Marco would have made for a wonderful Captain.
How can they be okay with this? Buggy’s watched Rayleigh-san and Captain. Observed that one is free and the other is always following. It’s not something he’d ever want for himself and can’t imagine why they do.
Sparkly must read it in his face because he pauses in the middle of their fight and gestures towards their Captains who are still not done splitting the heavens and doing all that flashy stuff. But that’s not what gives Buggy pause, he is used to that. No, what catches his eye is Newgate’s right arm.
“That’s cheating!” Buggy declares. Because it is! Most people don’t even have one name, so why is Newgate allowed to have enough to reach his elbow!
“Mine is the first one,” Marco declares proudly. “That’s why it’s the closest to his wrist.”
“But you are only supposed to get them if your choice changes your life, right?”
“Yeah, he says we all are his kids and every new kid is a new blessing and responsibility for life,” Jozu says, rolling his eyes but looking pleased. His name is about three up from Marco’s.
“So what happens when he has to choose?” asks Shanks from under the choke hold Marco has him in.
“Why would he have to?!”
“We’d never make him!”
Whitebeards are weird, Buggy decides. But it must be nice to know that your Captain's first priority is not adventure or treasure but you yourself. For the first time ever he thinks it wouldn’t be that bad to have his name adorn someone's wrist.
The fight with the Whitebeards ends, like always, with a party and Shanks and Buggy manage to convince Whitey Bay to get them a bottle of sake to share between themselves. They escape before a member of their crew (or worse, Marco) realizes it, and settle onto a rock that allows them to look over the beach.
“They are a bunch of crazy people,” Buggy complains.
“Sure, but they're kind of cool,” Shanks retords. “What do you think of their new guy?”
“The one that attacked Roger? He was mental!” He shakes his head. “But I guess he was kind of funny.”
“And really strong too!” Shanks points out. He lowers his voice even though Buggy is the only one around. “I think Captain wants him to join us.”
“Really?” His friend nods and Buggy bits his lip. “I guess that would be okay,” he decides. “Does that mean the babies will come too? A pirate ship is not a place for kids!”
“I guess so, he and his wife have each other’s names after all.” Shanks rubs at his blank right wrist. “It’s kind of romantic.”
“Why? All the people dressed like New Guy had his name on the right wrist.” Even the minks had it! Buggy had been fascinated at seeing that in their case, the fur just turned into a darker color to form the name.
“Well yeah, but Toki and Oden are husband and wife and they both have the other's name! That’s different!”
“Don’t tell me you’ve been reading Gaban’s trashy romance novels!” Buggy laughs and Shanks face goes red which only pushes him to tease him more. “Do you want your name to appear after your first kiss, is that it, Shanks? Maybe you’ll find your one and only on a beach during sunset and as your lips meet, so will your hearts.”
“Shut up!”
“No, no! It’s cute! Tell me Shanks, is there anyone playing the violin in that fantasy of yours?”
“Just a bunch of rowdy pirates singing in the background,” Shanks is still blushing but he looks determined and Buggy realizes that they are on a beach and that the sun is going down.
“What…”
He doesn’t get to finish his sentence before Shanks leans down to press his lips on his. It’s weird, just a pressure on his mouth and Buggy will forever deny the spark of electricity that curses through him. He pushes his friend away, aware that, for once, his nose is the least red thing on his face.
Shanks isn’t looking at him, though. He is looking at his, still blank, wrist and pouting. And that’s just insulting! He doesn’t get to shake Buggy up so badly only to be disappointed! Who does he think he is! He just stole his first kiss! Why is he looking like it wasn’t enough?!
Buggy is so mad that he doesn’t hesitate to lift Shanks face up and press his lips back into the other’s. The yelp the redhead lets out is weirdly satisfying. Not that he gets to enjoy it, since Shanks decides that wrapping his arms around Buggy’s neck is allowed for some reason, so Buggy has to deal with the skin there heating up uncomfortably.
“What do we have here, yoi?”
Buggy pushes Shanks hard enough that the other boy almost goes tumbling down the slope. He doesn’t care. All he cares about is wiping that stupid smug grin off Birdie’s face. “Nothing! You saw nothing!”
“Awwww, don’t be embarrassed,” Marco says, his grin expanding.
“What’s going on?”
Great, now Vista is here as well. And he is followed by Gaban of all people. And he can not find out, if he does Buggy will never escape the teasing.
Buggy is not proud of what he does next, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. “Please, Marco.”
He must sound sufficiently pathetic because the older boy sighs and turns towards the newcomers. “Nothing major, just caught those two drinking.”
“What? Where did you get that bottle from?” Gaban asks, crossing his arms.
“Rayleigh-san gave it to us,” lies Buggy unabashedly. “He said it was okay just for today.”
“He did, huh?”
“Totally!” agrees Shanks who for some reason sounds a bit breathless. “You can ask him if you want.”
Gaban sighs and takes their still half-full bottle. “Right. Well, since Ray’s hands are already full enough babysitting our idiot of a Captain, I’ll pretend that I believe you. But you better come back and stay where I can see you.”
“Okay!”
Good for Buggy. The last thing he wants is to be alone with Shanks anyway. The other boy may want them to talk about this!
They rejoin the party and Buggy knows that Shanks wants to get him alone again which is why he decides to go talk with Jozu. He likes the diamond boy, he is quiet and doesn’t tease. Not like that stupid bird that keeps smirking over at him and wiggling his eyebrows.
“Sorry about him,” Jozu tells him. “Want me to sic Whitey at him?”
Buggy relishes the mental image of a humbled Marco before shaking his head. The last thing he needs is to get on his bad side, he could talk! Nah, if he gets too bothersome, he’ll just suggest to Shanks that it’s been too long since he challenged Birdie.
He looks around, realizing that Shanks has not followed him here and he sees him talking to the creepy new kid the Whitebeards have picked up.
Jozu follows his gaze and must misinterpret his expression because he says, “That’s Teach, he is nice but I don’t think he’ll be able to keep Shanks' attention for too long.”
But that’s not the problem. Buggy isn’t worried about Shanks ditching him. He is, and it pains him to admit it, worried about Shanks full stop. Because the kid feels creepy for some reason. Buggy can’t really explain it, except by saying that he makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
He knows better to say it to the ever protective Whitebeards, but he also knows better than to ignore it. He sighs, resigns himself to another smug smirk from Marco, and calls out to Shanks.
The other boy comes running to him, like he always does, and Buggy keeps him close, and away from ‘Teach’, for the rest of the party. He isn’t sure what bothers him more, the weird teasing expressions Marco sends their way or the unbridled joy that Shanks seems to radiate.