Falaise

Burning Your Bridges

Hey! Just to let you know, I wrote the last part of this fic listening to Solas by Jamie Duffy, just in case you'd like to listen to it!

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Just like that first night they'd spent in Lisieux weeks ago, Buggy and his two knights slept in the same room. It had not been explicitly stated, but Rasiphe was no sucker. Without consulting him, the Count had arranged two bunks in the room, in addition with the bed. None of the knights joined the Duke in the comfortable sheets, though.

This night should have been like the other nights, and sleep should have come easy to him, and yet. Buggy had tried to justify it by the fact that he was stressed due to the trip they partook in, but even he didn't have the indecency to believe it.

There was awkwardness in the air as the three men laid in bed. Crocodile was laying on his back, arms behind his head, looking at the ceiling. Buggy, on the contrary, was lying on his stomach, looking at his nails absent-mindedly. Mihawk was sitting in his bunk, reading something. None of the men seemed ready to sleep, despite the late hour.

Crocodile was the one to take Buggy out of his pondering, his gruff voice coming out as a relief to the tormented Jester. 'We can hear you thinking, Jester. What's going on in this head of yours?'

Buggy groaned, rolling on his back. 'Are we really going to play pretend? Act as if nothing happened in my room the other night, until we've made the trip to England and come back, even though this might never happen?'

Mihawk set his parchments down, but did not look in the two others' direction. 'You did not seem against it when we decided that the other night.'

'Well, I didn't think it would entail acting as such in private as well.' Buggy said.

'It can only happen in private, Jester. I don't really see how you could have thought it would be different.' Crocodile countered, sounding moderately annoyed.

Buggy shut his eyes closed, his fingers coming to rub at the bridge of his nose. 'Well, I didn't think about it at the time, okay? I was confused and dazed, and it's even more of a blur now. I-' He sighed, letting his arm fall back on the bed. 'I'm not asking for cuddles and shit, I don't want that. But. Can you at least not pretend like nothing happened when it's just the three of us? Maybe act differently than when we're in public? Don't treat me like the Duke. –Though it's not like you're usually doing it anyway–.'

From his bunk, Crocodile snorted. Mihawk did not seem to react, but Buggy could see that his gaze had shifted, and the man was now looking at him discreetly.

It wasn't much, but Buggy felt better, the awkwardness cleared, his mind at ease. Not completely, but the part of his brain regarding relationships, at least. He'd spoken up, stated his desire, as small and foolish as it could seem, he had not backed out. And though they had not seemed to react, Buggy knew his two knights had listened.

To his left, Crocodile blew out his candle, slipping inside the covers. They were too short for him, and he always ended up bunching it up, his feet and legs sticking out, arms opened, like a cross.

It contrasted with Mihawk on the other side, the blanket covering the entirety of his body up to his neck, neatly tucked in the bunk.

Buggy didn't have the chance to keep ogling, Mihawk blowing out his candles as well, plunging the room into darkness. Crocodile reached for Buggy's candle on the bedside table, his fingers crushing the wick to put it out.

'Go to sleep, Jester. You'll need your full wit to charm the ditherers.' He said, one of his hands brushing Buggy's arm slightly, and the blue-haired man complied without protesting.