Falaise

Four Men

Crocodile did not fret about Buggy's absence the first day. Though he'd noticed, obviously, the possibility of fondling Mihawk across the table being way easier with no one around them.

It wasn't a surprise to him, considering the training session they'd done the previous morning. Though it was a bit disappointing to see that the Jester needed to rest a full day to recover from a training session that wasn't even that rough in Crocodile's opinion.

Mihawk did not raise concern either, though Crocodile did not miss the way the other man's eyes briefly flickered to the Duke's closed door when they reached their corridor that night.

It should be said that Crocodile had riled Mihawk up that day, constantly bringing Buggy up when they'd fucked in the shed behind the stables. The younger man was slowly giving up on trying to mask his attraction to the blue-haired man, and Crocodile delighted in making him admit it every so often.

It was a dangerous game, as Mihawk could very well grow fed up with Crocodile and decide overnight that he didn't want him anymore. He'd done it once already with Red-Hair, so it wouldn't be that unexpected. But Crocodile liked the thrill of it, the idea that Mihawk could slip away from his grasp silently and without leaving a trace.

Something told him that it wouldn't happen, but Crocodile wasn't someone who trusted his guts blindly. He liked to play with fire, but also knew what it felt like to be burnt.

On the second day, Crocodile started to grow suspicious. He and Mihawk were meant to be Buggy's guards, and he felt guilty when he realised that he had not even bothered to check if the man was in his room just like he'd thought so. What if someone had actually attacked him? Abducted him? And Crocodile and Mihawk were clueless, and had done nothing to protect him?

Standing alone in the training field, the two men barely let half an hour pass before they walked back inside the castle in hurried strides, suddenly aware of the fact that they had to see the man to protect him.

Mihawk was the one to knock on the Duke's door. For once, Crocodile did not make any comment on his haste. A weight had settled in his stomach ever since their observation of Buggy's absence in the trailing field.

They waited for an answer, but it did not come.

Frowning, Crocodile knocked this time. Roughly. He didn't wait for an answer, though, immediately calling for Buggy, 'Oï, Jester, you're in there? Answer.'

They heard shuffling inside the room, and held their breaths as footsteps approached. The door opened slightly, and to their relief, revealed Buggy. Standing in the doorway, dressed in simple clothes and looking unharmed, the Duke looked at them with a slight frown on his face.

'Yes?' he asked.

Ah. Of course, they had knocked, so they had to talk.

'Skipping training, Duke?' Crocodile asked, as casually as he could muster.

Buggy seemed surprised, looking at both of their faces. 'Huh, no. I just.. didn't think I needed to be there everyday.'

That was a weird answer, especially after the discussion they'd had at the end of their last training session. Mihawk seemed to think the same thing, as he asked next. 'What about lunch, then? Did you skip meals?'

Buggy did not like the way they pestered him with questions, as if they were his guardians. Acting like they cared. 'What's with the questioning? I was tired, I wanted to eat alone in my room, that's it.' He answered.

'We're supposed to look after you, how can we do it if we have no idea of where you are?' Mihawk asked, upset.

'Well you-' Buggy bit his tongue before he could continue, almost slipping and mentioning the scene he'd caught in the cabin. He knew that he was getting angry at his knights for reasons that were not rationals, but he couldn't help it. He'd gotten the time to think about it, and had realised that he was jealous.