This fic is one in a series where I’m taking a daily, month-long prompt event and just stretching it out by posting every two weeks or so instead of daily. Instead of putting making them all chapters in a single story (which is how I usually do (albeit much smaller) prompt events), I’m posting all of them individually so as to not terrorize each featured ship tag for fourteen months. Pairs will trend on the rare side and everything will be collected into an AO3 series as we go, including ones tumblr would not appreciate.
[FFN] - [AO3] - [Series on AO3] - [SqWA] - [Series on SqWA]
this one is cute and fluffy compared to a lot of the other installments in this prompt series; I wrote a portion of this with a thigh-high snowdrift outside my apartment so there’s that at least; takes place within the modern AU of Adventures of the Denizens of 1000 Sunny Rd., but you don’t need to really read anything else in there to understand this other than know the Sunny is a weird semi-rural party house and the other major ships are Bellazón and LawNa (aka: Bellazón Jr.)
Stopped by a snowstorm and there is only one room left, with one bed. [3525 words; UsoKaya; fluffy]
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“Are you sure there’s nothing else?” Kaya insisted. The clerk at the desk shook her head.
“I’m sorry, miss—it’s the only room we have available. There’s rooms that haven’t been claimed yet, but legally we can’t release them until six o’clock in the morning.”
Kaya sighed and glanced over her shoulder at Usopp, who was standing awkwardly in the otherwise-empty hotel lobby with their luggage. He looked like he was still trying to get signal on his phone—the storm that was parked above them was so thick it was even messing with cell service.
“Are you alright, miss?” the clerk asked. Kaya turned her attention back to the other woman and saw she was looking at Usopp curiously. “Are you… okay…?”
“Oh, yes, I’m fine,” she replied, blush rushing to her cheeks. “I’m just not used to sharing a room with anyone.”
“…because if you’re not okay…”
“I’m fine—we’re fine—I’ll take the room,” Kaya said. She took out her credit card and handed it to the other woman, soon getting it and a pair of cardkeys passed back to her. Once things were set, she went back to Usopp, who was now holding his phone up in the air as he tried to get signal. “We’re going to have to share, it seems.”
“The parking lot is practically abandoned,” he noted. “How are all the rooms full?”
“They aren’t, but they’re reserved and can’t be given away.” Kaya took possession of her bright blue suitcase and tried to reclaim her messenger bag from Usopp’s shoulder, only for him to keep hold of it. “It should only be for one night.”
“I don’t know, Kaya; this doesn’t feel like a one-night situation,” Usopp frowned as he took hold of his own yellow suitcase and followed her towards the elevator. “Even if the storm lets up within an hour, the highway and streets need to get plowed and who knows how long that’ll take.”
“Were you at least able to get a hold of everyone?”
“I think so—if the text doesn’t go through by the time we get to the room, I’ll email Nami over the wifi. Chances are Franky and Jinbe will help Zoro hook up the plow to his truck and they’ll come get us themselves.”
“That would be a sight.”
The elevator opened and they followed the wall placards through the eerily quiet corridors to where their room sat—three-hundred twenty-three—and went inside, dumping their stuff at the entryway in order to take a look at everything. It was a decent room at the very least, with a bathroom that looked dated but well-maintained, a table with a pair of chairs, a television sitting atop a cabinet that doubled as the dresser, an electric fireplace, and…
…a single bed.
Kaya could hear Usopp swallow hard.
“This was it…?” he wondered. “There was nothing with two beds?”
“This was it,” she replied. It felt a little silly when she thought about it, but this was how they were. “It won’t be so bad—it’s not like we’re strangers.”
“Yeah, but we get up to the cabin and the gang learns that we shared a bed? Sanji’s going to kill me, Nami’s going to kill me, Sanji’s going to kill me again…”
“You worry too much,” she replied. Kaya then went back to her stuff, put her messenger bag and purse on one of the chairs, and hefted her suitcase onto the foldable rack before going through it. “I’m at least going to shower and warm up.”
“While you do that, I’m going to see what’s going on with food around here.” He took one of the room keys and left, allowing Kaya to be in the space all by herself.
Okay, so it was… weird spending the night in the same room as Usopp, but it didn’t feel like a bad sort of weird. Surreal, maybe, but it wasn’t bad. She took her things into the bathroom and placed everything on the counter before getting ready for the shower. The hot water felt good as it ran over her skin and she admittedly spent more time under the spray than normal. She heard the door to the room click open and shut as she was toweling off and her heart skipped a beat—that was something she was going to have to get used to, as she couldn’t remember the last time she was fully dressing with a man on the other side of the door, it had been her father asking her to hurry up or they would be late for… oh, she couldn’t remember anymore. Huh.
With fluffy pajamas and slippers on and Kaya shuffled out into the main of the room and found Usopp finishing unpacking a paper bag that had been filled with fast food. There was burgers, fries, chicken nuggets, and even what looked like a couple milkshakes; it was all way more than she would have asked for normally.
“I walked next door to that drive-thru,” he explained, “and they were so glad to have a customer they gave me more than I ordered.” Kaya glanced down at the bottom of his pant legs—they were soaked with snow all the way up to the knees.
“Don’t you want to get out of those before you eat?” she asked as he sat down.
“Nah, this is nothing,” he claimed. “One time I had to stand in a snowbank for two days before I could get into dry clothes—it’s warm enough in here.”
“As long as you’re sure,” she said. He didn’t look like he was warm, but she also knew he probably didn’t want to worry her. They began digging into the food; the fries were cold and the burgers and nuggets… less than hot, but they were hungry enough to not care too much. Usopp placed his phone down on the table and typed up an email one-handed as they ate, sending it once he got one flimsy burger down.
“There. Nami now knows that we’re okay, we’re camped out in a hotel, and we’re not starving.”
“Think you’ll get a reply?”
“Possibly, if it’s even from her. I’ll probably get an angry call from someone once the snow lets up.” He shuddered at the thought—his best friend within the crew was… strong-willed, to say the least. “Let’s just get some sleep while we can because it won’t end well once everyone else does get a hold of us.”
That much, yes, she couldn’t deny. Agreeing to go with Usopp to the crew’s(?) cabin on the lake was shaping up to be much more than either of them bargained for—if only she had been able to skip her last class before winter break… then they would have been able to go earlier and would already be there and out of the storm…
Usopp popped the rest of his burger in his mouth and excused himself, heading into the bathroom to presumably take his own shower. Kaya nibbled on a chicken nugget and wondered how long they’d be stuck there… how long they’d be…! Oh! She looked at the bed and remembered the fact there was only one, and it wasn’t terribly big. Maybe it’d be big enough to sleep without touching, but… it would still the first time she would share a bed with someone she considered her boyfriend, and it was a little exciting.
Blushing, she thought about what it’d feel like to wake up next to him, and if it was anything like the naughty stories her friends passed around at school. She knew he wouldn’t—it was Usopp—but the very idea she was in exactly one of those kinda of stories—with only one bed and no one around to protest or get in the way—and it made her chest tight to even think!
The water in the bathroom turned off and Kaya began to panic—she needed to move quickly! She put away the rest of the food and moved their bags to the available chairs, hopping into bed ten seconds before Usopp came out of the bathroom. He was already fully dressed in his pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, his curls pulled back into a puff that allowed her to see the confusion on his face.
“What did you…?”
“So we don’t kick them accidentally in the middle of the night,” she lied quickly. Usopp saw through it and put his clothes atop his suitcase before moving it to the corner of the floor and grabbing a pillow from the bed. “What are you doing?”
“Gonna sleep.” He put the pillow on the table and sat down.
“Usopp…”
“I’ll be fine here,” he insisted, trying to get comfortable. He closed his eyes and waited for Kaya to turn off the lights. She didn’t. In fact, when he opened his eyes, he saw she was still sitting up in bed, frowning at him. “Kaya…?”
“Come to bed, Usopp,” she chided. “Don’t make me say it again.”
Taking his pillow, Usopp went to the empty side of the bed and stared at it for a moment. Kaya pulled back the bedding, silently inviting him in. Oh—he could see once she turned off the light that they would both be on the same side of the sheet… resigning himself to his fate, he put down the pillow and climbed in. Once the blankets were put to rights, she snuggled in close against his back, surprising him by how much warmth she radiated. She wrapped her arm around his middle and hummed, completely relaxed.
“Good night.”
“Good night.”
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Morning broke and Usopp could not remember the last time he’d slept so well. He was warm and comfortable; something both soft and solid was nestled into his side. It smelled nice and felt calming and oh yeah… this was nice…
“Morning, sleepy-head.”
Usopp’s eyes flew open as he realized why the bed was so warm and comfortable—Kaya was in it with him! His entire body tensed—oh, he was a dead man…
“M-M-Morning, K-Kaya…” he stammered. She giggled quietly. “Did you sleep alright?”
“I did,” she replied, her eyes still hazy in sleep. “How about you?”
“It was pretty good.” He realized she was laying on his arm, so he curled it around her, his hand resting low on her waist. Fuck, he was in bed holding his girlfriend! Suck it, Klahadore! “Do you have signal?”
“Mmm… lemme check…” She rolled out of his grasp, snatched her phone off the nightstand, and rolled back into position before unlocking the device while using his shoulder as a pillow. “Barely, but barely is better than nothing.”
“Yeah.” Usopp awkwardly reached for his phone to check it—a couple bars, but it was going to be enough for their friends to get through to them. He opened his text messages and, yup, scrolled one-handed through more than a dozen texts from Nami (not all of them related to their delay), a couple from some of the others, and then…
“Who sent you all those?” Kaya wondered as Usopp kept thumbing through fifty-three different texts.
“Sanji,” he deadpanned. It was a bunch of stuff threatening him over Kaya’s safety, her virtue, varied petty generalized threats… “He’s being Sanji.”
“Ah.” She then gingerly took his phone out of his hand and tossed it towards the end of the bed alongside her own. “Let’s just enjoy this.”
Usopp trembled as Kaya reached up and touched his face, turning him towards her. She leaned in and—after figuring out where their noses went—pressed their lips together in a kiss. He kissed back timidly, unsure of how far he could go, allowing her to take the reins as they lazily traded sleepy kisses, content in the bed…
…only for them to be cut off by the squelching of their empty stomachs.
“Hey, doesn’t this place have free breakfast…?” Usopp remembered. They both looked at the digital alarm clock sitting on the sidetable—7:21—and knew that they didn’t have much time anymore. At least they both had the foresight to dress in both a shirt and pants to go to bed, as they were able to just put on their shoes and grab a keycard before rushing out the door.
The breakfast area was absolutely packed; the buses carrying what looked like five travel youth hockey teams must have come in overnight, making the space a conglomeration of tired adults drawn impossibly thin and their bouncy, energetic older kids and tweens. Usopp was able to fend off a pair of eleven-year-old girls for use of a waffle iron, while Kaya smiled her way through some eight-year-olds bombarding her with questions as their parents sat clutching their coffees across the room.
“Do you like hockey?” a little boy asked. Kaya shook her head.
“No, but I don’t hate it,” she replied. “Do you like hockey?”
“Yeah! My cousin plays really good! He’s old, so I got time to be like him!”
“Your cousin’s not old, he’s twenty-three!” another child, a girl, huffed. “You think that’s old because you can’t count that high.” Kaya tried to not laugh as she wondered where in the hell these children’s adults were and why it didn’t involve reining them in. They began to bicker about the one’s ability to count higher than a hat trick, only for Usopp to return balancing a couple plates of mini waffles, plus the rest of his own food. He shooed the small children away and they ran off giggling.
“The Veggies spoiled me,” he muttered. She smirked; the trio of boys who often would hang around Usopp were just as rowdy, but there was three of them instead of thirty sets of three running about the breakfast area. “This almost makes me wanna swear off having kids.”
Kaya giggled. “I don’t see you as a hockey dad, anyhow.” Usopp blushed as he took a bite of sausage.
“…a dad…?” His voice was quiet, almost lost in the noise around them. “One day…?”
“If we get there, then yeah.”
They continued to eat in silence, the decibel level too ding-dang high for them to have a decent conversation… not the kind they were about to have, at the least. Rowdy children bounced around them as they read on their phones and ate their food, glad for the company each other provided. Kaya even hooked her foot around Usopp’s underneath the table, prompting them to exchange embarrassed glances.
Just then, Usopp’s phone began to blow up. Kaya watched as he picked it up and began to swipe through his notifications, rolling his eyes.
“What’s going on?” she wondered. Usopp simply put down his phone and shook his head.
“Nami’s bugging me…” Realization hit like a gut-punch. “…to look out the window…? But…?”
Dread washed over them both and they abandoned their food remnants to head over to the lobby doors. It was still snowing heavily as they stood outside underneath the awning; though there was only a couple inches crusting the salt-encrusted parking lot, while out on the adjoining highway…
Sure as shit, there was Zoro’s beaten-up pickup truck, effortlessly pushing the snow on the highway aside with an insane-looking plow. A little yellow car was not far behind, meaning that it was more than just their crew picking them up.
“Yeow, look at you two!” Franky grinned as he hopped out the passenger side of the pickup, not even waiting for the vehicle to stop. Both Kaya and Usopp weren’t sure what to say, especially since Franky had gone through the trouble of wearing shorts for the occasion instead of his usual swim bottoms. “Looks like the parking lot’s alright, but the roads were super gnarly!”
“Close the fucking door; it’s freezing!” Zoro snapped. Jinbe slid out from the middle seat and indeed closed the door, giving a polite greeting before pulling Franky along to check the on the plow.
“KAYA!” Only a second passed and suddenly both Usopp and Kaya were tackled in a hug by Nami, who was fully bundled up. She pulled them back into the lobby while looking insanely relieved to see them. “I’ve been worried about the two of you!”
“Everything’s fine,” Usopp insisted. He looked over his shoulder to see Luffy enter the lobby, going straight for the food and screeching children, while Law seemed ready to pop a blood vessel with how irritated he looked. All he did was lean down into Usopp’s face with grit teeth, growling:
“He’s riding with you.”
Usopp swallowed hard as Nami went to scold Luffy for being no better than the horde of children and Kaya hurriedly went back to their room to pack—somewhere, a fire alarm was pulled.
It was going to be a long drive.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
A couple hours later, after tailing Zoro truck and Law’s car at a disastrously slow pace, Usopp could finally let go of his death-grip on the wheel of his dad’s old, beaten-up minivan. Luffy launched himself from the back seat and bounced around the yard, running off to find Chopper and Brook to join in on building a snow fort.
“I’ll take in our stuff,” Kaya offered. Usopp simply sat there and nodded.
“We almost went off the road five times.”
“You know that’s what happens when Zoro leads.”
“…but on a straight road?!”
Kaya sighed and shook her head before pecking a kiss onto Usopp’s cheek before getting out of the car and leaving her boyfriend to sit and contemplate his choice in friends. Once the bags were out of the side door, she brought them into the house, just barely dodging Law being dragged into the snow fort escapades against his will. She watched him get kidnapped with a giggle, only to feel someone lift Usopp’s suitcase out of her hands.
“He’s never going to figure out how to tell Luffy ‘no’ at this rate,” Nami scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Come on; I’ll show you where our room is.”
“Oh, thanks!” Kaya followed her friend through the house to where the women’s room sat. It was not as big as the one with all the guys’ bunk beds where they dropped off Usopp’s things, though it still had enough room for four double beds, corresponding nightstands, a pair of large chests of drawers, and an old couch that was fraying in places despite how comfortable it looked. Kaya left her suitcase by one of the beds and looked out a window, seeing that Usopp had already been pulled from the van and was joining in the snowball fight that had broken out in the meantime. “He’s already having fun—I’m glad.”
“I’m sure it doesn’t beat the fun you two were having last night,” Nami grinned. Kaya broke out into a cold sweat—oh.
“Nothing like that happened, honest!”
“Uh-huh; Usopp’s the liar, not you. Now spill.”
“He lies about silly things, not important things,” Kaya reasoned. “There was only one bed, so we shared. That’s it.”
“That’s it?! That’s the setup for porn!”
“Not last night; we slept together, but we didn’t sleep together… we’re not like that…”
The admission seemed to hit Nami square in the gut.
“Wait… you seriously mean to tell me that you finally had him all to yourself, with one of the most delicious tropes in the romance genre, and the only thing you did was sleep?” she marveled. Kaya nodded in reply. “Girl. No fondling? No fingering? No thigh riding? Not even oral…?!”
“We… kissed a couple times…?”
“You… kissed… a couple times…” Nami slumped into the couch, leaning back so she could stare at the ceiling. “If Law and I were stuck like that I’d be getting an abortion.”
“You and Law would have had condoms and you’re on medication.”
“Yeah, but that’s besides the point.” Nami shook her head from side to side in disappointment. “You two are just too pure and repressed for your own good.”
“I’m… going to take that as a compliment. Somehow.”
“I mean it—if only the rest of us could be as squeaky-clean as you… it’d make things less messy at any rate… such a missed opportunity is only going to bite you in the ass later…”
Nami was just about to continue when Bonney and Carrot burst into the room, happy that the last of their roommates had finally arrived. They were going to have so much fun! Kaya tried to ignore the smug look Nami was giving her, as though they were not done talking yet…
…but if Kaya lucked out with having a bed to herself that night, and could barely forget how it felt to sleep cuddled up next to another warm body, one that could do everything to her and yet didn’t out of respect… that was for her and only her to know…
…and if Usopp were thinking the same, wishing it was Kaya in his side instead of being in the middle of a pile that included his very-platonic-thank-you-very-much guy friends as most of them slept on the living room floor… he’d never tell either.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
A/N: I’m such an old person at-heart that my preferred hotel chain when traveling serves free breakfast, and writing this made me look forward to the annual trip we usually take that’s semi-business where we stay at one of said hotels and that specific location’s breakfast is wonderful.
Watch Clone Wars Deception arc/Rako Hardeen arc (S4E15 - E18). Netflix is taking the series down on March 7 (!) .__.
It will enhance your viewing experience by at least ten times, trust me. It's past/eventual Quiobi; if you love Obi-Wan you'll love this fic.
Pulsion by @poplitealqueen (Gen, Sith Qui-Gon, 37.6K word WiP)
Obi-Wan must go undercover to foil a kidnapping plot against the Supreme Chancellor. Complications unsurprisingly ensue.
(Because there's nothing like a Sith Lord who thinks the Jedi he shares a Life Bond with has been murdered.)
~~~
The Karkarodon takes a swig of his drink and throws it aside with a growl, bearing razor teeth. He jabs a finger into Obi-Wan’s chest.
“You don’t look so tough to me.”
Obi-Wan pulls the prong from his mouth. “This food tastes terrible,” he says, face impassive as he twirls the fork in his hand, and without choreographing a single move, he buries it deep into a finned, grey hand.
The scaled creature jolts back with a loud roar that echoes through the mess hall, turning more than a few heads. This is Obi-Wan’s chance.
Without even turning his head, he pinches the vulnerable area around the other inmate’s gill slits and pulls him close enough to whisper:
This thing needs to get out in the world please go and be free my problematic LawSan be freeeeeee~
4723 words; this is the first fic I had begun writing where the Straw Hats refer to Law as Traffy so you can see me working through that a little bit; remember kids: inhaling smoke/vapor microparticles is bad to do in real life because it fucks you up real bad but these are blorbos from the comic/cartoon they don’t live by the rules of reality; I’ve been looking over this thing for a while so if there’s anything that slipped please forgive me my eyes go cross at these words at this point
polite; Sanji cooks dinner and Law wants to thank him, properly. [modern AU; contains naughty times]
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
There was no question that Law’s life was more eventful now that he was socially entangled with the Straw Hats. Unfortunately, he had enjoyed how his life was before: he had literally three close friends, a little over a dozen close acquaintances, and his dog. Everything was contained, he could trust everyone, and he would go home to his apartment to find the fuzzy ball with nothing in its brain other than lint ready to be adorable. There had been literally nothing missing from his life—nothing that he felt he wanted out of the world from what it could give anyhow—and things were likely better that way.
Except now, when he came home, there were often unauthorized people there, let in only Nika-knew-how. Why the Straw Hat Gang (which was, unfortunately, not the weirdest collection of people he knew with such a descriptor) thought they had full use of his apartment, he did not know, but it was getting fucking ridiculous as he would come home to multiple people with fewer braincells than his dog wandering about the place. Tonight was no different as he came in to find Onigiri bouncing around merrily on the carpet while Zoro was sleeping on his couch, Nami was watching his TV, and Sanji was using his kitchen to feed Luffy and Usopp.
“Give me five good reasons why I shouldn’t call the police,” Law droned, his voice clearly bored. “One for each of you, come on.”
“Don’t be so stingy, Traffy,” Nami said. “We’re not breaking anything.”
“Yeah,” Usopp added, mouth full of food. “Also, Onigiri’s fine, we don’t even have anyone looking for us, and Franky’s not trying to improve your alarm clock.”
“Oh, and ACAB,” Luffy nodded. Law pinched the bridge of his nose—he did not need this after eighteen hours in the trauma center. “You know we’re right.”
“I’m not in the mood; get out,” he demanded. “Some of us have jobs to recover from, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah, ‘cause you’re ‘an adult’ and ‘a functioning member of society’,” Usopp groaned. He and Luffy went to grab Zoro, dragging the half-awake moss-head out of the apartment with Nami not far behind. Sanji went to leave as well, only for Law to grab him by the upper arm.
“Not you—you’re helping me clean up after you take whatever you left in the oven out.”
“Want me gone, want me here; make up your fucking mind,” Sanji scoffed. “Oh, Nami-swan! I’ll be around later! Have to make sure Traffy’s kitchen isn’t mildly sloppy.”
“I’ll hold you to it,” Nami said as she closed the apartment door. Onigiri whimpered as he put his paws up on the door, wanting the other people to come back. Four seconds of that and he was frolicking around the apartment again, seemingly forgotten the others.
“What do you have in the oven?” Law wondered. Sanji shrugged and went back into the kitchen, with Law sitting down at the island bar.
“I didn’t have a lot to work with, and Nami wasn’t hungry, so I had slipped into a store on the way here and picked up stuff to make a casserole,” Sanji replied. He chuckled as Law raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you’ve never had a casserole.”
“Not in a long time,” Law admitted. He watched as Sanji took the casserole out of the oven; the glass dish showed the noodles and sauce, as well as some unidentified vegetables and meat. The top was coated in golden-brown breadcrumbs and it smelled nostalgic. “Doesn’t look like your normal dishes.”
“Bunch of heavy carbs; fills Luffy up fairly well,” the blond shrugged. He pulled out a serving spoon and a pair of plates, scooping out two servings and passing one to Law. “A lot can be said about what some consider ‘peasant food’, you know?”
“No shit.” Law took the fork that Sanji offered and muttered thanks under his breath before shoving a forkful of the casserole in his mouth. Was it the best food for him to eat? Probably not by a longshot, but a warm, comforting feeling crept through him as he ate, allowing his shoulders to relax and the throbbing in his head to fade. A few bites and he stopped, staring at Sanji with a sense of realization. “You made this for me, didn’t you?”
“I knew you were late from work, so I figured it might be the first meal you’ve had all day. Correct?”
“I… uh… yeah… thanks.”
“Don’t mention it; my job is literally to make sure people are fed. I’d be a pretty shitty cook if I did otherwise.”
Law grunted through his casserole and nodded. Part of him went back to watching his parents make the dish, his foster adult, and eventually his friends and him figuring out the recipe for themselves. Canned condensed soup was involved, a move that he had thought was certain would horrify the Straw Hat chef, but it seemed to not bother him at all. He took his own plate and sat next to Law, using a fork and knife to gather the noodly concoction and eat.
“What…?”
“Nothing.”
“No, it’s something, asshole. Why the fuck are you staring?”
“You have table manners—the rest of them don’t.”
“Nami-swan and Robin-chan can make finger-foods look delicate, but you’re right about the rest of them,” Sanji scowled. He ate another bite of casserole and a shudder overtook him. “None of them can eat with any sort of decorum.”
“Decorum? That’s a strong word.”
“It’s the word I’ve got.” He let Law eat some more before continuing. “You know… that’s part of why I love cooking for the ladies so much—they know how to hold themselves… sort of like you.”
“You saying I eat like a girl?”
“I’m saying you’re fucking polite; the idiots are appreciative, yeah, but they’re never polite. Can’t you take a compliment?”
“You used my kitchen without my permission, not to mention committed breaking and entering.”
“We have a key. It’s not breaking and entering when you have a key.”
“You all are exhausting.” Law rested his face in his hand, cheekbone nestled into the palm, as he leaned with his elbow on the countertop. “You, uh, usually make riceballs when you’re over here—why the change of pace?”
“Like I said: it would fill Luffy, and I’d still be able to save you a portion since it reheats and keeps well.” Now done with his own food, Sanji went back to the dish and began to portion out the rest in some resealable containers—where did those come from? “I’ll feel better knowing these are around; you’re too damn skinny.”
“I’m fine.”
“I can see your ribs through your scrubs, and Shachi told me none of them can get you to eat worth a damn. Fuck off.”
“You’re not my mother. Why should you care?”
“Idiot.” Sanji finished putting the leftovers away and put water in the pan to soak before sulking over towards the balcony. Law could see him from his chair, tapping his foot and fidgeting as he tried not to pace in lieu of a cigarette—ah, he fucked it up, didn’t he? Yeah, he was getting pretty sick of the Straw Hats just dropping into his life unannounced and usually with trouble trailing behind them, but at the same time… the man did have dinner waiting for him when he got home from work…
Figuring it was only fair, Law finished his food, partially loaded up the dishwasher, and went digging around in his room. Once he found the crushed, open packet of cigarettes, he brought them out onto the balcony and held them out towards Sanji, who stared.
“Didn’t know you smoked.”
“Not often, but enough.” He waited until Sanji took one before grabbing one of his own, putting it between his lips as Sanji flicked on a lighter. Law leaned down and lit the end of his cigarette with the same flame Sanji was using to light his with, their faces close enough for him to see the blush on the blond’s cheeks with the light from the flame and the distant streetlamp.
“Th-thanks,” Sanji mumbled, closing the lighter.
“Thank you for dinner.” Law inhaled deeply, allowing the smoke to fill his lungs before letting it all out his nose. Sanji was almost slackjawed watching him—not many people had seen him smoke before, let alone any of the Straw Hats. “Now look who’s staring.”
“A-Again… I didn’t think you smoked.”
“You put me in a nostalgic mood with that meal,” he replied. When his smoking conspirator said nothing, he continued, “This was the brand the idiot who fostered me smoked; sometimes it takes me years to finish a pack.”
“This is the brand I smoke.”
“Lucky.”
Another silence.
“I… didn’t know you were also in the system.”
“That much actually surprises me, with how much our collective idiots talk.” Sanji scoffed at that—yeah, they both had some prime idiots in their lives, didn’t they? “Eight years—the last five was a series of group homes until Penguin became a legal adult and took Shachi, Bepo and me out, which was hard. The first three…” He took the cigarette from his lips and watched the smoke curl off the end. “Let’s just say it was a different kind of hard.”
“Aged out after ten in the back of the geezer’s restaurant and just never left,” Sanji admitted. He then thought for a moment. “Must’ve been a hell of a guy if he gets a doctor to smoke.”
“Surgeon, and…” Law wanted to agree, but it was… complicated. “He tried. I can’t fault him for trying.”
“No, I guess not.” Putting his hands in his pockets, Sanji leaned on the balcony rail and shrugged in an attempt to seem aloof. It made Law think back to his tweenaged years, tramping about as he and Cora tried to run from their demons. Nights curled up in a tent or the back of the station wagon; days going from hospital to hospital in an attempt to cure what the third rate hacks refused; growing close despite the arm’s length distance; the pain of living every day, though pulling it together because that was all either of them could do for one another. Through the smoke and the colored streetlights, the other man resembled Cora more than he wanted to admit, though at the same time…
No, Law couldn’t. He shouldn’t. Cora was not only the man who saved him all those years ago, but he went around introducing the two of them as father and son. Very few truly believed it, mind, but he still did it to avoid questions. It didn’t change the burning way which he missed him some days… one of the many ways Doffy missed him, he was certain…
…except Cora was dead, Sanji was alive, and Law wanted to thank him properly for making him dinner. He wondered if the man in front of him ever slipped out of his careful, measured Eastern accent into something that sounded like home and what it would take to make that happen. What did he feel like underneath those carefully-curated shirts and slacks and suits? How did he sound when he was the one being cared for through careful ministrations? Would his mouth turn even filthier in the face of affection? Was he really as limber as everyone joked? Did he taste just like the cigarettes and cheap wine of his hazy memories or was there more to it than that? He watched him stub out the cigarette on the building brick and toss the tarred filter in the heavy flowerpot Law used as an ashtray—the younger man sure could suck them down…
Law swallowed hard; oh shit.
“Please tell me how to thank you for dinner,” he requested, voice threatening to crack. Sanji looked at him with one curled eyebrow raised.
“I cook for my friends all the time. It’s fine.”
“No, I want to be polite and thank you…” He inhaled deeply on the cigarette and caged Sanji in against the balcony rail, leaning down to press their lips together so that he could exhale in the other man’s mouth. A wisp of smoke fluttered between them as Law pulled away, watching as Sanji flushed a deep pink as he finally let go of his breath and smoke came pouring from his mouth and nostrils, enveloping him in a dizzying, hazy halo. “…properly.”
It was a moment before Sanji’s brain began to function again, it having shorted out the moment Law kissed him. He watched as it was the older man’s turn to extinguish his cigarette, amber eyes flashing in the dim city night with something uncertain… something he wasn’t even sure Law himself understood. Hesitating, he calculated the risks involved with continuing, all of his math pointing towards one singular answer: the night was already full of surprises, and he wasn’t going to learn what they were by leaving now.
“I keep my men to a high standard,” Sanji bluffed. “Do you think you’re ready to meet and exceed them?”
“I know who is in your friend circle—that bar is on the sidewalk underneath us.”
“Not that low, but low enough for you if you play your cards right.” A slight breeze carried off the rest of the smoke and now the blond was Just Sanji again, though it was a Sanji who knew that possibilities were presenting themselves and he didn’t hate it. Sanji left the railing and went back to the door, pausing to look back at Law with a smirk. “Let’s get that kitchen cleaned up and then we’ll talk.”
Law nodded silently, following Sanji inside his own apartment as his anticipation began to build. He shucked off his scrubs and let them drop to the floor; Onigiri went to sniff the pile, yelped, and stumbled away. Now in just his sleeveless undershirt and a pair of oversized basketball shorts, Law moved around the kitchen with Sanji almost effortlessly, wiping counters and placing varied spices and utensils back where they belonged. A glance here, a light touch there, and the electricity between them only built. Once the dishwasher was set for a delayed start and Onigiri’s kibble and water refilled, the pair looked at one another knowing that they had put it off long enough. They stood close enough to smell the remaining smoke still clinging to their skin and clothes, not nearly as strong but still the same scent that was pulling them together.
When it was clear Sanji was not going to budge, Law made the first move, ducking down to kiss the shorter man, the action almost timid. He tilted the blond’s chin up gently, making sure their faces met despite the eleven centimeters between them. Cigarettes, yes, but none of the cheap wine and instant noodles he remembered(?), he imagined(?); instead he could taste the casserole and something else as their tongues scraped together, frankly surprised anything other than the ashy smoker’s aftertaste was present, let alone detectable. As he broke the kiss, his nose brushed against the other man’s hair; unlike his mouth, the hair smelled exactly the same, with the sweet, cloying scent that the specific cigarette brand left behind.
“Are you going to continue to be a creep, Traffy, or are you going to invite me to some place more manageable?” Sanji quipped. He watched as the almost-drunk expression on Law’s face darkened before he swallowed and tried to wet his tongue.
“Tonight, please,” he hoarsely half-whispered, “use my real name. Call me Law. You can’t call me anything else… not tonight.”
Something clicked in Sanji’s brain and he nodded once. “Do you have something that you want to call me?” He watched as Law seemed to consider the notion, turning it over in his head before letting out one quiet word, voice dry and hushed.
“Cora.”
“I’m not a woman.”
“I didn’t say you were.”
Sanji considered this, then nodded. “I don’t know what the fuck this is about, Law, but don’t make me regret it.”
Taking that as all he needed, Law grabbed Sanji by the wrist and dragged him through his apartment to his bedroom, nearly throwing the other man onto the bed. He was almost immediately on top of him, putting hungry kisses on his neck as he pawed at the shirt and tie. The blond shoved him off in order to loosen his tie, a ruffled expression on his face.
“This is Doskoi—hold on,” he scolded. Sanji took off his tie and rolled it carefully, putting it in his jacket pocket, which then ended up draped on a nearby chair. His belt was treated in the same way, getting tucked into another pocket. “Not all of us go around in clothes that can be tossed on the floor, you know.”
“Work clothes,” Law defended. He sat on the bed awkwardly, the temptation to palm himself through his shorts very real. Sanji looked at him in the vanity mirror, catching the almost predatory look in the older man’s eyes.
“So… Cora.” He began to unbutton his shirt. “Who was he?”
“That… it’s not important.”
“Did he love you back?”
“I…” He swallowed, guilt blooming in his gut. “I don’t know.”
Of course, Law had not forgotten the last time he’d seen Cora. That abandoned warehouse, getting shoved in the crate; the very last thing he saw before the lid closed was Cora’s beaten face. He said he loved him, sure, but it was the first time those words had been said with any form of sincerity in years—he wanted more, craved more, and yet that night Doflamingo coldly took out all his rage and hostility on his brother. Law always wanted to ask why and how, tempted to go back to the corpse and see if it was really lifeless or just barely hanging on.
Surely he would have been caught had he did, right? If not by Doflamingo’s gang, then by the cop who drove them away. Cora-san had been a cop himself, well, right up until they went off-grid. That was how his younger self knew the man whisking him away from certain death in an organized crime ring could be trusted. No cops, no alternate crime bosses; just the two of them. Cora simply took him for himself and ran.
He never looked back and yet that was all Law could do.
“Anything that’s off the table?” Sanji asked, now in just his underwear. Damn, he was skinny. Law shrugged.
“Like…?”
“What are you not into?” Sanji’s lips pursed at the silence that met him. “Okay… what are you into?”
“I… erm…” Law just shrugged, still awkward. Sanji simply came over and tugged his shirt over his head, exposing his chest and back tattoos. He sat and traced one of the shoulder ones with a finger, attempting to parse out how to begin.
“Do you need to be called a good boy?”
He bit his lower lip—it was a start.
“How about a bad boy?”
It was subtle, but he bit down harder.
“Okay… then how about this: you gotta be on top, or bottom?”
“Can I… top…?” Law felt incredibly shy as he was beginning to regret this. Sanji just leaned into him further, their bodies pressing together.
“We don’t have to do this,” he said. Law nodded in response.
“I know.”
“Listen, Law…”
“You, erm, don’t have to talk or do a lot if you don’t want to; just… don’t worry about me.” He glanced over at Sanji, who seemed as though he was trying to piece him together mentally first. “What… what do you like?”
“Depends, just as long as who I’m with isn’t too lost in their own head,” the blond said. He leaned in and kissed Law, all ash and that delicious dinner. “I’ll invoke one of my idiots if I need you to pause, okay?”
Law nodded at that before gently placing his hand on Sanji’s neck and jaw, guiding him into another kiss. He pulled them both down onto the bed, positioning himself so that he was pressing the younger man against the mattress. They broke the kiss with an inhale, after which Law began to move toward the back of his jaw. The smell of smoke and food was intoxicating—mmm… this was good.
“You’re doing great, Law,” Sanji crooned. Law’s lips had been over his throat and the vibrations made him whine. That was when the blond decided to kick it up a notch to test the waters and let his natural accent come out. “You feel good; come on, make Cora feel good.”
Something clicked in Law’s mind as the smooth Northern tones of Sanji’s voice washed over him. It was not the same as Cora’s—not by a long shot—but they affected him all the same. He moved down to Sanji’s collarbone and bit, pulling a hiss from the blond.
“Naughty,” he chided. “Show me, Law; show me what you meant to back then. Be a good boy and show Cora a good time.”
Law grunted and rutted against Sanji’s leg, getting friction against his still-clothed erection. He continued kissing and grinding, hands finding their way over the other man’s slender body. A hand against the blond’s package revealed he was hard as well. He thought for a moment about riding him, feeling that cock swell inside him, but reconsidered as he reached for the nightstand drawer and pulled out an old-yet-still-wrapped condom and a near-empty bottle of lube. Fuck, it had been a while since he did anything other than tug himself off and he was going to make every moment of it worth the wait.
Seeing that things were in order, Sanji wriggled out of his underwear and allowed Law to manhandle him, opening his legs and letting a slick-covered finger slide its way in. They kissed as another finger worked its way in, then a third, Sanji moaning into Law’s mouth with each new test and flex of the surgeon’s long digits. He grabbed at Law’s hair as his own cock was flushed and throbbing by the time the hand left him, precome dribbled down his stomach. Law wiped his hand on a nearby cloth and then flipped Sanji over, putting him on his hands and knees atop the mattress.
“Hey, what the fuck are you…?” He went to protest, only for Law to steal his breath with another kiss that held his attention for a bit too long.
“Don’t you worry,” Law murmured against his lips. “Let Law take care of you now. Don’t worry and just concentrate on me.”
Law slid off the bed and shoved his shorts and underwear down in one movement, letting the garments rest at his ankles as he slid the condom on and once again let his fingers trace the muscles on the powerful legs before him. They were meatier than Cora’s had been—not to mention shorter, since the man had been tall—but Law had grown since then, hadn’t he? All he knew was that he had a blond in his bed, a Northern accent in his ears, and cigarettes on his tongue and in the air. He lined himself up with Sanji’s entrance and pushed in, shivering as the other man cussed underneath him.
Ah, fuck! His ass was so warm and tight, enveloping Law as he thrust experimentally. Tight, yet pliable… willing… hungry. With his feet planted firmly on the floor, he explored the younger man’s body with great interest, listening to the noises he pulled from him. A shiver and he knew he found his prostate, holding a thigh with one hand and Sanji’s lower back with another as he snapped their hips together.
“Law!” Sanji cried out, the sound going straight to the other man’s dick. “That’s it, Law! Yes!” He thrust harder and harder, hoping to make it long enough to not embarrass himself. His muscles began to shake and he knew he was doomed. The world was starting to blur as he came closer to orgasm, spurred there even faster by the encouraging noises and sounds coming from under him. He couldn’t even think as words escaped his lips, mind in a complete orgasmic blackout.
“I love you too, Cora!”
At that he came, gasping as he bent over double, his chest pressing against Cora’s back as he thrust through his after-shocks. Cora said something sweet as he nearly collapsed on him, only barely able to pull out before collapsing on the mattress. Was that the sound of Onigiri skittering away from his door? Law felt Cora’s cock and found it was still hard, allowing himself to be eased down to the floor so he could kneel at the other man’s feet while he sucked him off. Gentle hands played with his hair and he felt so light… so content… what was even happening? Soft Northern oaths reached his ears as the cock in his mouth shivered and a spurt of hot hit the back of his throat. He swallowed around it, drinking up every last drop he could.
Cora said something and all Law could do was pass out.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
A few hours later and Law woke up with a splitting headache and sore thighs, stark-naked between his bedsheets. He only just barely registered the other person in his bed, the fact that it was Sanji taking a few minutes to soak in. Yeah… he was naked… Sanji was naked… it smelled like sex… oh, and his condom was gone. Great.
“Oh, fuck…” he groaned, then winced at the sound of his voice. Oh… he swallowed dick, didn’t he? “What time is it?”
“Eleven,” Sanji replied, idly scrolling on his phone as he sat up against the headboard. Wait… why did he sound Eastern…? “Surprised it’s not eleven in the morning with how soundly you slept. I had to drag your ass into bed… and you’re not exactly light.”
“Sorry,” Law mumbled. He looked at Sanji and felt his face grow hot. “I… uh… don’t remember…”
“I didn’t roofie you, if that’s what you mean.”
“No… just… was it up to standard…?” The blond sighed—not a good sign.
“You’re fucked up, you know that?” Sanji locked his phone and tossed it on the other nightstand before sliding down into a lying position. “You might want to consider therapy.”
“I don’t have time for therapy,” Law admitted. The feel of Sanji’s fingertips against his skin, tracing his chest tattoo, felt so good it was almost ticklish. “Sorry if I’m…” He swallowed. “…fucked up.”
“Who isn’t?” Sanji shrugged. “You give a good sleepy blowjob at least.”
Fucking hell… Law wanted to hide under the covers and not come out until Sanji was out of his apartment building and in the next neighborhood. He just seduced a Straw Hat, of all people, and had shitty sex… his standards were tanking so hard it was a good thing his actual friends were all on a night shift. Sanji, however, simply propped himself up on his elbow and glanced down at Law as though this was the most normal thing in the world.
“You don’t have the time for therapy, I can’t afford therapy, and yet we’re right here, able to fuck it out until we’re good at something, don’t you think?”
“Don’t pity me.”
“…except I’m not, asshole; you’re realize that if you were fucking lucid.” He reached down Law’s body and cupped his junk, causing the other man to suck in a sharp breath through his nose; not quite over-sensitive, but not ready-to-party either. “Maybe while we’re waiting I can fix us up a snack?”
“I haven’t been to the store…”
“Then it’s a good thing I did before coming here.” Law thought about that for a moment before it hit him.
“You were planning on this, weren’t you?”
“Maybe… maybe not?” He leaned down and kissed Law on the mouth, their lips open and pliant against one another. “Guess you’ll have to find out, hm?”
Law’s life really was more eventful with the Straw Hat Gang entangled in his social circles… but at what cost…? Better yet: how exactly was he going to make the most of it?
Congrats--I’m the dumbass who posts fic for the wrong Straw Hat on another crewmate’s birthday lolol
9320 words; this hit me hard recently because, well, it just did (as in: I wrote most of this within the past few days); I have complicated emotions about Deadbeat Dad Yasopp and I guess this is my brain working through it; this does not take place in a continuity that contains Uta, mainly because I don’t really want to write her being a bratty little bully bc you know that’s what would happen; not an entire rewrite but does shift things a little bit to the left
to be a captain is to be brave, to care, to love; something very different happened on the day Banchina passed away: her son told the truth. [Usopp-centric slight AU]
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
She is dying.
That was the only thing that the doctor wrote on the paper before stuffing it in an envelope and sending it with a News Coo. That had been the week prior, and now it seemed as though the message was going to be for naught. He was sitting at the sick woman’s bedside, changing the compress on her forehead for a cool, fresh one.
“Where is Usopp?” she asked. The doctor shook his head.
“He ran off soon as I got here,” he replied, tone hiding the fact he’d told her twice already. “He’ll be back.”
“He’s such a silly boy.” She tilted her head and looked out the window at the clouds, bright and fluffy. “He has his father’s spirit.”
“Banchina…”
“No, he does; he’s going to become a wonderful person.”
The doctor sighed heavily. “I wrote to him.”
“Why…?” Her attention went back to the doctor, her eyes now sharp, all of her strength put behind them. “He was not supposed to know.”
“It doesn’t matter; he hasn’t come.”
“So you’d rather ignore the wishes of someone on their deathbed than let a free man enjoy the last moments he has at peace?” There was fire and venom in her voice, not heard by the doctor since they were young children. “It’s bad enough Usopp has had to watch me…”
“He deserves to know.”
“He deserves to be free.”
“He’s your husband; he should be here.”
“So you can torture him more?!”
“That’s not what this is and we both know it! It’s…!”
“Mom! Mom! Mom!” Usopp shouted from outside. Banchina gave one last glare before softening her face, not wanting a scowl to be how her son remembered her. “Pirates are coming! Pirates are coming up the slope!” The boy burst into the house and barreled towards his mother, tears streaming down his face. “Pirates are coming! That means that Dad’s back!”
“Usopp, sweetie, I need you to listen to me,” she said. “You’re going to have to be a good kid for me, alright? Make sure you grow into a good man, a good person, and never let them look down on you. Do you understand?”
“…but Mom…”
“I know your dad’s not there—please, don’t hate him for that. He’s very far away and can’t come back safely. It was my choice to stay here with you, and I’d do it over and over again…”
“Banchina, please…”
“I am talking to my son.” The doctor stepped towards the other side of the room at that, keeping his distance. “Please, Usopp, promise me you’re going to be brave, alright?”
“Mom…” Usopp’s tiny frame shook as he tried not to cry. “Just a little bit! Please!”
“I know what you’re doing, darling; don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
“…’China…?”
Banchina froze as her eyes went towards the door, seeing Yasopp standing in the threshold, body frozen in shock. All at once he stumbled into the house, nearly tripping over himself as he went to sit on the edge of the mattress at his wife’s side. Tears began to escape his eyes as he brought her limp, cold hand in both of his.
“I told them not to tell you,” she said, looking away in pain. “I didn’t want your last memory of me to be like this.”
“No, I’m glad I could come… I’ll take seeing you one last time while sick than never see you again at all.” His voice cracked and squeaked in pain—this was never what he had planned on when he left those years ago. “I’m so sorry… you were the only one who made this place worth it for so long…”
Banchina simply hushed him and offered the strongest smile she could. Yasopp bent down and pressed their foreheads together before kissing her gently. A sob escaped him as he pulled away, confirming to the little boy in the corner precisely what he had feared.
Banchina of Syrup Village was no more.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“So, how old are you, lad?”
“Uh… six…?”
“Oh… well, that’s a fucking bummer.”
Usopp stared at the red-haired man sitting at the table in the town’s only restaurant, who was currently involved in taking a large swig of beer. He didn’t want to be around his house at the moment, since his father and the village doctor were currently having a shouting match. The boy escaped the row by heading into town, where he saw the rest of the pirates his dad had come in with.
This one was apparently the captain.
“Everyone in town says that you’re the one that stole Dad from Mom and me,” Usopp said. The captain shrugged noncommittally—couldn’t refute that.
“What did your mom always say?”
“She said that ‘Dad left following his dream, the sea, his freedom’.”
“Then I think you should listen to your mom, kid.” The man adjusted the straw hat perched atop his head and took another drink. “You know, soon as your dad got news about your mom, we came straight here. I wouldn’t keep him from what he needs for anything.”
“Why’s that?”
“It’s my obligation, as the captain.” He paused as the waitress returned with food for the table, which he encouraged Usopp to sit and eat. “See, when you’re a captain, you need to figure out what it is that people need and how that’s different from what they want, and make it happen. Your dad always wants to travel the seas and very often needs to, but right now, what he needs is to be here.”
“You have a big crew—did they need to be here too?”
“No, but they wanted to come along, to support your dad, and it wasn’t anything that put a damper on their needs, so we all came along.” He watched as the boy’s face scrunched in thought. “It’s a lot to think about, I know. Don’t worry—you’re just a kid. You got time to figure it out.”
“What we don’t have time for is figuring out how this pit stop is going to impact our making it to the Grand Line without attracting too much attention,” said a tall, severe-faced man with dark hair. He took the smoldering cigarette from his lips and stubbed it out before beginning to eat. “We had a route, a plan, and none of it involved Yasopp’s hometown.”
“You can’t be so serious, Beck,” the captain chuckled. “We were planning on docking someplace for about a year anyhow… why not make it here?”
“…because I remember part of why it was so easy for him to leave to begin with.” He looked at the child currently nibbling on a fried chicken tender and sighed. “He really should have come here on his own and met up with us at the rendezvous point.”
“…and become a widow by himself…?”
“Minimize the impact on the locals—you know that.”
“Fuck…” It was then that Yasopp barged in the front door, looking fresh from a fight with a split lip and an impressive shiner. He found where his son was and blanched, going to his side immediately.
“You know better than to wander off on your own,” Yasopp gently chided. He removed the child from his seat and sat down, keeping his son in his lap. “We’re leaving soon as the captain is able to, okay?”
“Leaving…?” Usopp almost dropped the rest of his chicken tender. “Why…?”
“There are bad memories here,” Yasopp replied gravely. “I’m not going to make more by staying.”
“We can leave by nightfall,” the captain shrugged. He looked at the kid and raised his eyebrow. “Are you sure this is a good idea…?”
“If you grew up on a pirate ship, then I see no problem.” Yasopp picked up one of the neglected glasses of ice water and pressed the side against his black eye. “I’ll make sure to grab some things before we leave…”
“I’ll meet you at the house then, bye!” Usopp said. He wriggled out of his father’s grasp and ran out the door before any of the crew could snag him. Yasopp started to go after him, but was stopped by the captain.
“No,” the red-haired man said firmly. “He just learned he’s leaving. Let him make his peace with this place. Just because you never could doesn’t mean he can’t.”
Yasopp grumbled as he concentrated on the glass of water to his eye and grabbing a beer to occupy his other hand—captain’s orders sure were a bitch sometimes.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Usopp ran as fast as his tiny legs could take him. He ran through Syrup Village, dodging other residents, until he found a hole in a stone wall just big enough for him to shimmy through. On the other side was the expansive grounds of a mansion, which he rushed up to in order to knock on a very specific window. The little girl inside jumped in fright before running to open the pane.
“I’m leaving,” was all Usopp could get out, gasping for breath. The girl stared at him.
“What do you mean…?”
“My dad came… I’m leaving… today…”
“He what?! No way?!”
“Kaya, I’m scared!” The little boy began to shake terribly. “Dad came back, Mom died, and now we’re leaving and I don’t know when I’ll be here again!”
“…but why tell me…?”
“...because you’re the only one who’s nice to me!” He couldn’t bear to look at his friend, so instead he glared at a bit of wall as he cried. “I’ll come back to visit someday… I promise!”
“You gotta shake on it!” Kaya insisted. She stuck her hand out the window and waited for Usopp to take it, making direct eye contact. “You’re always talking about becoming a great warrior of the sea! Come back before you get too great, okay?”
“I promise!”
“Kaya? Sweetie? What’s going on in there…?”
“Usopp, run!” Kaya whispered. Her eyes were wide in not only fear, but excitement as well. “I’ll see you later, okay?!”
“Okay!”
The child sprinted off before his friend’s mother could investigate the room.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
It had been an entire week and Yasopp wasn’t entirely sure what to do.
After making sure that his wife would get a proper burial and his son had everything he needed, he had returned to the ship with his six-year-old in-tow and the determination to do what Banchina would have wanted. Ever since they were young, she had encouraged him to find solace on the sea, to escape the glares and mumbled words of spite that came from the other villagers. She had always been too uneasy on the sea, and had insisted that she would be fine as he chased that freedom and acceptance he craved without her, and now… now she was gone and he had their kid, which was a bit more of an adjustment than he thought it was going to be.
Kids, for the most part, were messy creatures, and there wasn’t a lot of room for messes on a pirate ship. While Usopp didn’t have a lot of toys, he did have clutter that was liable to be underfoot, which wasn’t exactly a good idea. Limejuice had already fallen flat on his ass thanks to some marbles the boy was experimenting with, and Yasopp himself was already victim to a variety of mishaps involving the aforementioned marbles, a chemistry set that seemed to appear out of nowhere, and a slingshot armed with all sorts of things sticky and stinky.
“Thank fuck we’re almost at port,” the man grumbled. He watched as Usopp bounced around the galley in excitement at the prospect of somewhere new. Hongo nodded in commiseration, the pair both below deck due to particularly troublesome hangovers.
“Letting the kid run around on land would definitely be for the better,” Hongo said. “He needs to eat dirt.”
Yasopp turned slowly and stared at his crewmate. “What…?”
“You know—get dirty. Play with other kids.”
“I know you might have forgotten, but it’s not like the boy comes from a long line of kids everyone wants to play with. Banchina…”
“… was the only one to ever give you the time of day, I remember.” Hongo sipped at his water and grimaced at the sounds coming out of the kitchen. “Maybe some of her openness rubbed off on him?”
“If it did, then I hope the world is kinder to him for it,” Yasopp frowned. He was about to reach back into his memories when he heard Shanks’s voice from above, filled with both authority and excitement.
“LAND AHEAD! ALL HANDS ON DECK!”
“Oh! Did you hear that, Dad?! Land!” Usopp seemed to almost vibrate in anticipation. “An island!”
“I heard him, I heard him,” Yasopp grumbled. He and Hongo both knocked back the rest of their waters before depositing the mugs and heading above deck, with the small child all but dragging his father along.
A few minutes of the sea air rejuvenated Yasopp and soon he was helping out with the rigging, with Usopp standing by the prow in an effort to see where they were sailing. Shanks went up to the child and patted him on the head.
“That’s called Foosha,” he said. “We’re gonna stay there for a while, if the locals are amenable.”
“What’s that?”
“If they don’t mind that we’re pirates.” He saw that the boy’s eyes were still locked onto the small village at the island’s edge and smiled. “We need a place to operate out of—a base of sorts—in order to help build a name for ourselves.”
“Really…?”
“Yeah. Now get ready to go! You’re coming along on the first boat!”
The boy’s eyes went wide—he got to go! Important people got to go on the first boat! This was going to be great!
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
As it turned out, getting to go with the initial landing party was less exciting than Usopp imagined it would be—it was actually kind of boring. He had to stand there with his dad, Shanks, and Beckmann as the captain talked with this old man about terms of their stay and what the rules were and things like that. The boy fidgeted in place, which the village elder took notice.
“How very shrewd of you to bring him along,” the old man said. “I suppose you need a place for him to stay so he doesn’t see what you get up to?”
“Possibly, but I still take responsibility for my son,” Yasopp said, giving a short bow. “I can no longer leave him with his mother.”
“Ah.” The elder nodded knowingly. “We have a child like that here. Maybe your son will be a good influence.”
“Excuse my laughter,” Shanks snickered, “but that must be some rambunctious kid you got there if a pirate’s child is the better influence.”
“You’re just upset because Gramps didn’t take me!” shouted a tiny voice. The pirates saw a small child poking angrily around a woman’s skirt. “Maybe they’ll take me with them! Then I can finally get out of here!”
“Over my dead body, you little brat!” the elder snapped. The boy stuck his tongue out at him and the old man sighed. “The whole family is an odd bunch; it’s a long story.”
“We’re pirates—what do we care?” Shanks chuckled. He then put his hand on Usopp’s back and urged him forward. “Go play while us adults talk more boring stuff. How about it?”
The boy grinned at Usopp before coming out from behind the young woman. He launched himself at Usopp happily, wrapping him in a tight hug.
“Alright! A new friend!”
It might have been shrewd of Shanks, but it did work.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“So, you don’t have parents?”
“Nope!”
“…and it’s just you and your grandpa?”
“Yup!”
“…and he leaves you here because he’s a Marine?”
“Pretty much!”
Usopp stared at Luffy as the other boy poked at a beetle. He had spent almost the entire day wandering around with the kid and was trying to wrap his head around him, yet couldn’t. They were almost the exact same age, and yet he was being left alone? It didn’t make sense. Even when his mom died, at least his dad was there…
“What do you think he’d do if he came to town while the crew’s docked here?”
“Probably laugh and have a drink,” Luffy shrugged. “Gramps is never working when he’s here, so he doesn’t really care who does what unless it’s really bad.”
“…but we’re pirates. We’re supposed to be bad.”
“You don’t seem that bad to me.”
“Luffy, we’re six.”
“Yeah? And?”
“You really don’t get it, do you?” Usopp frowned. He looked over his shoulder and saw that more of the crew was coming into port. Even Bonk Punch seemed small from this distance. “We’re brave warriors of the sea! We fight guys like the Marines!”
“You don’t.”
“Well, yeah, not yet… but I will!” Usopp stood atop a rock and pointed at the sky. “It’s my dream to be a proud and brave warrior of the sea one day! Just like my dad! I’ll even have a crew under my care!”
“Maybe.”
“What do you mean ‘maybe’?!”
“You might be part of my crew!”
“Your crew?!”
“Yeah! If you’re gonna be like your dad, you’re gonna need a captain. You’ll need a Shanks! I can do that!”
“Then you’d have to fight your grandpa!”
“Oh, that’s just what we always do.” Luffy grinned and held up the beetle. “Isn’t this cool?!”
“It is…” Usopp agreed. The boys marveled over the bug for a moment before Makino popped her head out the back of her bar, calling them in to wash up. “Is she, like, your sister? She’s not your mom.”
“I guess? I dunno. She feeds me and makes sure I’m okay. Is that what sisters do?”
“It’s what my mom did for me, but I guess a sister can too.”
The boys piled into the back kitchen and went directly to the sink. “Makino? Are you my mom or my sister?”
“Luffy!”
“He’s alright, Usopp,” the woman laughed. “Now, are your hands clean?” Both finished washing their hands quickly and showed her for inspection. “Good, now your dinner’s at the bar.”
“Alright!” Luffy cheered. He brought Usopp into the main of the bar, where the Red Hair Pirates were already beginning to settle in for an evening of partying. Two plates of food and glasses of milk sat on the bartop, where Luffy and Usopp both sat down and began eating.
“Wow! Miss Makino’s cooking is really good!” Usopp marveled. “It’s amazing!”
“Yeah!” Luffy agreed. “She’s the best!” He then chewed the food he already had stored in his cheeks thoughtfully. “That’s someone I’m going to need for my crew: a really good cook!”
“I can cook!”
“No you can’t—you’re six.”
“Yeah, and I cooked for my mom! She showed me how to make sandwiches and boil macaroni for cheese!”
“That’s not real cooking! Real cooking needs meat!”
“Boys, boys, relax,” Shanks said, coming up to the bar to grab a bottle of grog that had been left out for him. He tossed it over to Snake, who pulled the cork out with his teeth before he began drinking. “Let’s focus on the fact that you agree the lady’s cooking is superb.”
“Flattery will not get you very far here, I’m afraid,” Makino chuckled as she came out of the kitchen. She passed Shanks two plates of food, which he took with a suggestive wink. “I should rat you out to Woop Slap.”
“I do enjoy living dangerously,” he laughed, bringing the plates out to the crew. Luffy and Usopp simply stared at each other, confused.
“Don’t worry about it,” Makino chuckled. “Now finish your dinner and you can go play upstairs, okay?”
“Okay!”
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
The next morning, Usopp and Luffy went down the stairs to find the entirety of the Red Hair Pirates still passed out in the main area of the bar. Usopp even poked his dad, who kept on snoring—no luck.
“Come on, you,” Makino said, guiding the boy over to where she had set out food. “If you don’t eat, Luffy will finish your plate for you.”
“No! Don’t you dare!” The boy hopped onto the bar stool and began hoarking down his food, needing to smack Luffy away a couple of times in the process.
Yeah, Makino thought, this was right.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Time passed.
The Red Hair Pirates would leave Usopp in the care of Makino, returning a few weeks later with all the treasure and tales of adventure the boy and his friend could want. He would practice with his slingshot, or his chemistry set, or anything else he could while they were gone, making his dad beam with joy and pride when he told and showed him everything he accomplished.
Time passed, and the year mark crept ever-closer.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Makino let out a blood-curdling scream, the sound of which went directly into Usopp’s young bones. Both of them were standing on the edge of the harbor, watching as Shanks intimidated the Lord of the Coast with just a glare, but not after losing an arm as he went and rescued Luffy.
“Fuck! We need to get out there!” Yasopp cussed as he ran towards the pier.
“Everyone! Clean up the rest of the bandits!” Beckmann ordered. “We got this!”
“Aye, aye,” Roux said. He and the rest of the Red Hair Pirates charged at the last of Higuma’s gang, while Yasopp and Beckmann rowed out to where Shanks was treading water. This left Makino alone to sink to her knees, completely in shock, as Usopp trembled next to her.
“I told him not to make them mad…” the boy shivered. “Why didn’t he listen?!”
“I… I don’t think it would have mattered,” Makino said, her voice quiet. She looked at Usopp, her eyes glassy with tears, and held him by the shoulders. “This is not your fault.”
“…but Miss Makino, I…!”
“The only person who’s at fault is the bandit, and he’s now dead,” she insisted. She then brought him in close for a hug. “Don’t you ever think otherwise, you understand?”
“…but…!”
“I know you plan on being there for Luffy, and I need you to know that it’s not your fault, got it? Sometimes… things happen… and we can’t change it, but we can control how we act for them.”
“O… okay…”
It was then that Yasopp finished rowing back to shore, with Beckmann attempting to hold Shanks still while Luffy sobbed uncontrollably. Hongo appeared with his emergency kit, attempting to stop what was left of his captain’s arm from bleeding out right there on the dock. Yasopp threw Luffy over his shoulder and brought him to Makino, who grabbed onto him tightly.
“I thought… I thought he could…” she said unsteadily.
“He was so concentrated on saving this little guy that it was too late,” Yasopp replied. He stroked Luffy’s hair as the boy cried into Makino’s shoulder before turning his attention to his own son. Scooping up Usopp in a hug, he ignored the fact that he was currently sopping wet and covered in his captain’s blood—all he needed right now was his boy. “I’m so glad he didn’t get you too—the fact both of you are safe… it’s worth more than any treasure.”
Shanks bellowed in pain, causing all four of them to recoil. Usopp stared at the man as he writhed under Beckmann’s hold and Hongo’s attempts at treating him.
‘A captain has to know what his crew needs,’ he thought. ‘He needs to make it happen. Luffy needed to live… and he made that happen…’
There, on the little pier at the edge of the little village, the little boy in his father’s arms realized something very, very important: a captain was not a captain unless he had a crew, and once he had them, he should be prepared to do everything for them… even die for them… just like his mom died taking care of him.
A captain took care of his crew.
A crew is a captain’s greatest treasure.
The people one cared for are worth more than all the gold in the Grand Line.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
It took a few days until Shanks was able to be let out of bed. Hongo and Makino took turns watching him, waiting for the fever that set in to break, hoping he hadn’t lost too much blood. Once he was up and moving, Luffy seemed to completely forget that Usopp existed, instead clinging to the man who saved his life. It made sense to the other boy, but it still didn’t mean that he wasn’t at least a bit jealous.
It was a week since what the village was officially referring to as the “Bear Incident” and the Red Hair Pirates were enjoying themselves in Party’s Bar. Usopp was sulking in a booth while eating with his father, with Monster passed out on the opposite bench seat. Yasopp looked at the pouting lad and felt his nerves messing with his stomach. Fuck… why was this so difficult? He leaned in and lowered his voice so that only his son could hear.
“Usopp…?”
“Yeah, Dad?” He put down his fork as he saw that his father’s face was sad and full of worry. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to know if you like it here.”
“I do!” the boy replied, perking up. “Makino makes good food, and the people here are really nice, and Luffy’s, like, my best friend! After Kaya of course! Why?”
“Well… because…” Yasopp exhaled heavily, not enjoying his position. “Shanks wants to move on soon.”
“Move on…? To a different island…?”
“To the Grand Line.” He scratched his son’s scalp and watched as he grew quiet. There was something criminal about the boy having his hair and complexion, but his mother’s nose. “It’s very dangerous, you know, to be on the Grand Line. It’s more dangerous than fighting the Lord of the Coast. Even people who are born and raised there can’t survive.”
“I don’t think I want to go to the Grand Line.”
“…which is why I was talking with Miss Makino earlier, and her and I think it would be better if you stayed here, in Foosha.”
“What about you…?”
Yasopp bit his lower lip and breathed in deeply, trying to keep himself composed. “I can’t stay. I’m a sailor, and the sea calls to me. It’s why I never was around before—it’s too strong for me to resist.”
“Oh… is that why everyone but Mom said bad things about you back in Syrup? Because you can’t tell the sea no?”
“Yeah… something like that.” He then let out a slight chuckle. “Besides, not only am I a sailor, but a pirate. Mister Woop Slap says pirates can’t stay here for too long, or Luffy’s grandpa might come and beat them up.”
“Luffy says that’s just what his grandpa does like normal,” Usopp deadpanned. Well, it had been worth a shot. “It’s nice when you’re gone, but it’s better when you’re here.”
“Tell you what: I’m going to let you stay here with Miss Makino, where it’s safe and you have good people around you, and in the meantime you are going to do your best to become big and strong. When you do, come to the Grand Line and find me. How does that sound?”
Usopp broke into sobs, clinging to Yasopp’s shirt. The kid was unintelligible through his tears, but his father held him in his arms and pat him on the back, soothing him best he could.
“You’re one of the best things I’ve ever done, you know that?” he crooned. “I can’t bring you to the Grand Line and let you die. Then who will I have to live for?”
“I’ll miss you so much!”
“I know… and I’ll miss you too… but you have to be brave, Usopp. Be brave for me… and be brave for your mom. Please?” His son nodded into his chest. “There’s a good lad. I’ll always be proud of you… for everything that’s happened to us in the past year, you’ve been taking it very well.”
“When are you going to leave…?”
“Tomorrow.” He offered Usopp a smile and pat his hair. “Just remember that you have to let whatever happens to you push you forward, not back.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. Different people get pushed differently by the same things, so don’t compare yourself or get too worried. You’re your mother’s son—nothing is going to keep you down for long. I know it.”
Usopp wiped his nose on his arm and laughed weakly. Yeah… he guessed so.
“Until then,” Yasopp said, “let’s party! Go get some cake from Lucky Roux! Big slices! Go on!” He shoved his son from the booth and watched as he scurried across the dining area to where their large crewmate was lording over an even larger cake.
What was harder? Leaving his kind and understanding wife and a baby who didn’t know him or his son just as they were just becoming acquainted? He didn’t think he had the answer, nor did he want one.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Dawn was just beginning to break and wash Foosha Village with a lovely golden glow. The Red Hair Pirates all were asleep where they had been partying in the bar; even Usopp was curled up in his father’s side… that was… until Luffy began to shake him awake.
“Hey, Usopp! Get up!”
“What is it?” the boy asked groggily.
“I’m hungry, and no one else is awake to cook.”
“What about Miss Makino?”
“Her door’s locked.”
Usopp groaned and tried to shake his father awake—nothing. So, instead, he found a lockpick set on one of the other pirates and went up the stairs with Luffy. He worked patiently, eventually getting the door to give way. The pair went into the dark room and tugged at the blankets, rousing the sleeping adult.
“Miss Makino!” Luffy whined. “We’re hungry!”
“Oh fuck…” was the reply, except it wasn’t Makino…
“Captain…?” Usopp frowned. “What are you doing here?”
“I… uh… fell asleep talking to Miss Makino. She’ll be down in a minute.”
“…but Shanks! You’re naked!”
“I know Luffy, just… fuck… go play until Miss Makino calls for you, alright?”
The boys left the room disheartened, but also very confused. Why was the Captain in Miss Makino’s room? It took until they were outside watching the bugs hum to life in the sunrise before Usopp realized what had happened, hitting him like a ton of bricks.
Luckily for him, the scream he let out was the same he made when a bug took him by surprise, so no one awake in Foosha paid him any mind.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
After a tearful goodbye at the docks, the Red Hair Pirates sailed off without their youngest member. The boy and his friend watched until the ship could no longer be seen on the horizon, heading off to the forest afterwards to go play with bugs. They did that for a couple months, playing during the day and pretending to be pirates up in their rooms at night, until one morning, Usopp came down the stairs and saw that Luffy was not there.
“He’s gone?!”
“Yes; his grandpa came this morning and took him to the mountains,” Makino said. “We can go visit him in a couple weeks, if you’d like.”
“A couple weeks?!”
“We’re supposed to take food up to the Dadan Family around then—that’s who he’s staying with.”
“Th-th-the D-d-d-dadan Family?! Is Luffy going to be okay?!”
“Pretty sure; his grandpa wouldn’t take him there unless the thought it would be for the best.” She watched as Usopp sat down at his usual bar stool while seeming very conflicted. “I told him about you, by the way.”
“You did…?”
“I did. He likes that Luffy has a friend in you. For the meantime, it’s probably better you stay here, with me, in a place that’s not a bandit-infested forest.”
“True, true,” Usopp nodded. A plate of food was then placed before him, brightening his expression considerably.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Kaya,
It’s me, Usopp! I know we haven’t spoken in a long time, but I thought I’d write to you now that I know where I’m staying! There was enough left over in my allowance to get some paper and Coo fee, so here I am!
How are you doing? My dad left me in a different village, where people are nicer than the ones in Syrup. It’s called Foosha, and it’s in Goa Kingdom. I live with a lady named Makino—she’s really nice! You’d like her! She owns a bar and I help out sometimes. It’s the only one in town, so lots of people come by. Pirates, Marines, bounty hunters, bandits—we see them all! I’m saving the money I make so Luffy and I can sail to the Grand Line when we’re older! Maybe you can come along too?
Oh, yeah, that’s right: you’re my first best friend, but Luffy’s my second best friend. He used to live with Makino too, but now he lives in the mountains with his brothers Ace and Sabo. Luffy ate a Devil Fruit! He can stretch! It’s pretty cool, but not as cool as my shooting skills! I’m getting really good and some day, I’ll be better than my dad!
Okay, it’s time to wrap up now. It’s almost time for bed. I’ll send this in the morning.
Usopp
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“Luffy! Luffy, where are you?!”
Usopp looked around the treehouse, trying to find his friend. While it wasn’t unusual for him to not be there, at the same time it felt as though something was off. The boy shuffled around in an attempt to find any of the hideout’s usual suspects and got nothing.
Huh.
Shifting his backpack, Usopp cautiously wandered the forest in search of his friend. It wasn’t really like Luffy to not be around during Supply Day, when he and Makino brought food and drinks and other things up to Curly Dadan and her bandit crew. He was getting pretty good at dodging the dangerous parts of the forest—the things that Luffy’s grandpa said would make him stronger—and was actually beginning to like the place.
Except, when he finally found Luffy, he and Ace were standing near a cliff, the younger sobbing as they watched the Grey Terminal smolder in the distance. A couple sticks tied together into a cross had been stabbed into the ground and something sickeningly familiar coiled in the pit of Usopp’s stomach.
“Luffy? Ace? Where is Sabo?”
Ace was the one to turn around first, his face more dour and serious than the other boy had ever seen. “The Celestial Dragons murdered him. They didn’t care that he was just a kid.”
“I hate them!” Luffy hissed. “I want Sabo back! We made a promise…!”
“That’s not gonna help!” Usopp snapped. He then gasped, shocked at his own outburst, and softened his tone. “Wanting a dead person to come back isn’t going to do anything, like when my mom died. You have to be brave…” He then looked down at his hands—chapped from experiments with his chemistry set and wiping tables at the bar—and began picking at his fingers. “You have to let it push you forward.”
“Smart,” Ace nodded. He watched as Usopp pulled some food from his backpack and offer it consolingly to Luffy. “You sure you don’t want to stay here with us? There’s an opening now and… well… Sabo did like you. He’d like you being our third.”
“I can’t replace him,” Usopp said, shaking his head. “Besides, I learn a lot in the village! I don’t want to stop learning because I’m out here fighting to survive!”
“Fair,” Ace chuckled. The smile on his face was genuine, which made Usopp feel better.
“Then you and I can go!” Luffy insisted. “Ace and Sabo were already going to leave me behind! I can be co-captains with Usopp!”
“Luffy, that’s a lot of responsibility,” Ace warned.
“Well, yeah, but I’m gonna get stronger! And stronger! And stronger! And Usopp’s gonna get smarter, and we won’t let anything beat us! We won’t let anything like what happened to Sabo happen again!”
“We’ll do our best,” Usopp agreed. “Because that’s what friends do, right?!”
“Shishishi—right!” Luffy grinned through the remainder of his tears and snack. He and Usopp clapped their hands together, sealing the deal.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
It was a busy afternoon in Foosha Village, with many ships at the port on their usual trade stops. In Party’s Bar, the young teenaged busboy hurried to clear tables and wipe down surfaces, moving quickly as he worked.
“I’m gonna go wash some dishes, Miss Makino,” Usopp said, presenting her with the full tub. His boss was mid-pour of some beer and nodded as she finished it off.
“Let me know when you’re done, alright?”
“Yes, ma’am!” He carried everything into the kitchen and found that the water from when he did glasses a few moments earlier was still hot. Taking advantage of that, he got right into washing dishes, not even noticing that someone else had slipped into the kitchen behind him.
“Usopp, I’m bored!” The teen nearly dropped the plate in his hands at the sound of his friend’s voice. Turning around, he saw that it was definitely his best friend and co-captain, having snuck his way in without a problem.
“Luffy, I’m working.” He put his hands on his hips and scowled. “Don’t you know what a job is?”
“Jobs are boring—let’s go have fun!”
Usopp stuck his head out the kitchen door with a scowl. “Miss Makino! Luffy’s being a bad influence!” The woman in question simply smiled as she dried a glass with an expert hand.
“You’ve been working very hard, Usopp,” she said. “I think you’ve earned a bit of time with Luffy being a bad influence. Go on.”
“…but…!”
“Go! Go!” She shooed them both out through the back, insisting she had things covered until dinner. The teens then found themselves wandering around, with Luffy eventually bringing them to sit on the cliff overlooking the harbor.
“What do you think they’re doing?” Luffy wondered, his gaze unfocused over the ocean. Usopp shrugged.
“Ace might have made it to Logue Town by now… and my dad’s in the Grand Line, so I dunno…” He looked at his friend and wondered. “Are you sure you want me to sail with you?”
“Well, yeah, of course I do,” Luffy insisted. “You’re my friend and co-captain! Like how Ace and Sabo were gonna be co-captains!”
“…except, Ace and Sabo were brothers—your brothers—and I’m just a kid who lives in town.”
“That doesn’t make it different.” Luffy then laid down, turning his face to the sky. “We’re gonna do great things once we get to the Grand Line!”
“The two of us?”
“Well, yeah, but of course we’ll have a crew first. I’m sure Shanks and your dad will laugh at us if it’s just us two in a dinghy.”
“Ha, yeah…” Usopp hugged his knees and frowned at the ocean waves. “Doesn’t mean it’s not scary.”
“Shishishi—of course it’s scary!” Luffy laughed. “That’s the whole point of adventure, isn’t it? Doing things and seeing places other people are too scared of? Being more free than anyone else out there?”
“I guess, but…”
“You worry too much, Usopp.”
“Maybe that’s because you don’t worry enough.”
“Mmm… probably. But that’s okay. We’re still the captains, and that means we’ll take care of the crew and each other. That’s what counts, right?”
“Yeah… I guess it does.”
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Usopp admittedly wasn’t entirely prepared for when he set out from Foosha Village with Luffy, but he didn’t think that things would be as crazy as they became.
Making a new friend while surviving a mace-wielding nutcase? Check.
Recruiting a bounty hunter to the crew so powerful he was referred to as Pirate Hunter? Check.
Letting their new friend go off to do something as insane as join the Marines?! Check.
Team up with a girl to fight against a murderous clown that could slice himself into tiny bits? There was not enough insanity Usopp could conjure to have predicted that one.
However, when the young woman said that she was a navigator, there was a single request he had for where they would go next.
“So, this is where you’re from?” Nami asked. She raised an eyebrow at the sleepy little town. Their small boats were moored by the harbor and they were now walking along the path that led into the village. “There’s not a lot to it, is there?”
“No, but it’s still important to me,” Usopp said. “Let’s go see what’s going on these days!”
“Are we going to visit Kaya?” Luffy asked. Zoro and Nami looked at each other, then Usopp.
“Who’s Kaya?” Zoro wondered.
“Oh, that’s just Usopp’s super-best friend when he lived here!” Luffy explained. Usopp began to blush, which made the other two smirk. “He only talked about her, like, all the time when we were growing up!”
“We wrote a lot after I left, so we’ve been keeping in touch.”
“Well then, let’s go meet her,” Nami grinned.
Usopp swallowed hard—that was the look of a woman on a mission, and he wasn’t entirely certain he liked said mission. The crew meeting Kaya was sort of the last thing he wanted to do at the moment. He knew it was inevitable, however, and continued to lead them into the village, where everyone stared at them with some form of curiosity or disdain.
“Some welcome wagon this is,” Zoro noted as someone closed some window shutters at the sight of them. “I’ve gotten better receptions in dive bars in my bounty hunter days.”
“Well, Dad wasn’t too popular with the village, and Mom defended him, so she wasn’t liked a lot either,” Usopp shrugged. “Before I met Luffy, I only ever had one friend…”
“…and that’s this Kaya…?” Nami finished. He shrugged—well, yeah. “Do you think she’d like to come along?”
“Probably not—she’s been sick since her parents died a couple years ago. Even if she wanted to go, she’d likely need a doctor to come along too, and I don’t think any of us are good enough at medicine for that.”
“No, I guess not,” Nami said. She then noticed that they had walked past the last house, continuing on the path. “Uh… Usopp? Where does your friend live?”
“Right outside the village,” he said. “It’s how we became friends—we both didn’t live in the main part of the village, so we were practically neighbors!”
Except the crew didn’t expect his “neighbor” to live in a literal mansion, where the door was answered by a tall butler with slicked-back black hair and eyeglasses.
“Miss Kaya is too ill to visit with the likes of you; now go away.”
“Who the hell are you, telling me Kaya’s not doing well?!” Usopp fired back. He glared at the man standing in the doorway to Kaya’s house, unsure of the aura he was giving off. “I’m the Dread Captain Usopp, and I’ve been Kaya’s best friend since we were kids!”
“I’ve never seen you before,” the man sneered. He looked over Usopp’s shoulder at the rest of the crew, who were standing a few paces back. “Now you hooligans better leave before I call the police!”
“Klahadore! Don’t!” It was then that Kaya appeared at his side, looking rather cross. She also looked extremely frail, which was a distinct change from the girl who Usopp used to climb trees and play tag with. “This is the friend I’m always writing to! It’s him!”
“Miss Kaya! You should not be up!”
“My friend is back! That’s reason enough!”
“This is a charlatan, not your friend; besides, you are in no state to receive visitors.”
“Huh…” Nami muttered. “This is more interesting than I thought.”
“I’ll say,” Zoro agreed. He glanced over at Luffy, seeing that the captain’s fist was clenched. “Oi. Let Usopp fight his own battles.”
“This guy pisses me off,” Luffy said. “Usopp lies, but not about important stuff. Kaya’s one of his most important people.”
“I don’t know if that’s up for us to determine,” Nami added.
“We’ve been writing to each other to years! I’m her friend!”
“Miss Kaya has been corresponding with a young man from the city with prospects and standing,” the butler sneered. “You look like someone with neither.”
“That’s what Mother and Father told you so that you wouldn’t worry!” Kaya said. “We knew your ship was sunk by pirates, and that’s what Usopp’s dad is, but he’s a good guy!”
“Pirates are nothing but cowards and scoundrels.”
“Mother always said that his father was unjustly blamed and his mother brave for loving him! She hated having to stand by and watch, but she remembered! They were brave and loving people!”
Usopp sucked in a breath—he never heard anyone describe his parents in such a way. If that was what Kaya was always told, then maybe… was his dad wrong about this place?
“I cannot let us waste more time with these degenerates,” the butler said.
“Klahadore, that is enough! I command you—!”
Everyone went quiet as the butler slapped Kaya across the cheek. She stared at him, eyes wide and mouth ajar. Usopp froze in shock, unable to move. Luffy made a motion to hit the guy back, but Zoro put a hand on his shoulder. Not yet.
“Now look at what you made me do,” the butler hissed. “Your parents left your care to me, and now…” He looked at his own hand in irritation, which he then turned to Usopp. “You four are not welcome here. Do not attempt to contact Miss Kaya any further. Good day.”
The door closed in Usopp’s face and the teen—still in shock—could only gape.
“What the fuck…?” he breathed. “Kaya…?” He pounded both fists on the door and screamed her name at the top of his lungs.
“Come on,” Nami said, gently pulling him from the door. “We’ll figure something out.”
“…but…!”
“She’s right; let’s go,” Luffy frowned.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
It was the dead of night as Usopp snuck onto the grounds of Kaya’s mansion, heading directly over to where he remembered her room was. He knocked gently on the windowpane and stepped back, waiting for her to get out of bed. Soon as she opened the window, he hugged her tightly, an act which she returned.
“I can’t believe he did that,” he whispered. He then held her at arm’s length and tried not to gasp at the sight of her in the moonlight. “Has he ever done that before?”
“No… and he’s been apologizing since,” she replied. “I… I should have told you sooner…”
“Come with us,” Usopp blurted out. “We can get you out of here, see the world…”
“You know I can’t…!”
“We’ll just get a doctor on the way; it’s a priority anyhow,” he said. Seas… had Kaya always been this pretty? “Please…”
“I’m too fragile…”
“…from staying in this room! Come with us! Let me take care of you! Don’t tell me after all you wrote that you don’t want to see what’s out there?”
“Usopp, you know I do, but…!” She was cut off by the sound of someone else in the house, just outside her door. “Quick! Hide!” Usopp was just out of sight when the butler entered the room. “Oh! Klahadore! You didn’t need to come in!”
“You didn’t answer and I was worried,” he said. “Why is the window open?”
“I was a bit warm,” she lied. “Besides, I’m a bit restless.”
“Are you thinking about that boy again?”
“My friend, even if you don’t believe me.”
“Your parents left you in my care—it would be a great dishonor to their memory if I didn’t question the boy and his intentions regarding you.”
“His intentions…? Klahadore, his intentions involve going out to sea and becoming a proud warrior. He made a promise to visit me before he did, and he tried, and you ruined it.”
“A pirate’s child turning pirate is worse than both those things put together. His blood is poisoned…”
“…only because you don’t know him. Goodnight, Klahadore. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Despondent, the butler left the room and closed the door behind him, his charge waiting to hear his footsteps down the corridor before she flung herself back at the window, seeing Usopp hugging the wall in terror.
“Give me three days,” she said. “That’s when I’ll have the opportunity to get out of here.”
The grins they shared were brighter than the moon and stars combined.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“I still don’t know why we’ve got to wait,” Zoro grumbled. He and the others were sitting up inside Usopp’s house he used to share with his mom, the night after he talked to Kaya. The co-captain poked his head out the window, checking to make sure no one else was around.
“That asshole butler of hers takes a weekly trip to the next town over to get certain groceries,” he said. “We’ll help her sneak out then and leave notes with another butler and the village leader to kick Klahadore out while she’s gone. Then the five of us can head to the Grand Line.”
“No offense, Usopp,” Nami said, “but what can she do other than weigh us down?”
“She won’t!”
“The witch has a point,” Zoro grunted. “She’s practically an invalid; you can’t take someone like that to the Grand Line and expect everything to turn out okay. Maybe if we already had a doctor…”
“Luffy, can you back me on this?” Usopp groaned. He looked over at the other teen, who had his nose in a book. “Luff, come on…”
“I was just looking at this book—it’s got pictures from before we met!” he said. Luffy brought the book over to the table and set it down, showing a photo of Yasopp, Banchina, and a baby Usopp. “That’s your mom, right?”
“Yeah,” Usopp nodded. Something tugged at his heart—it was the first time he’d seen a photo of his mom in a long while. He turned the page and found one of him and her together, from right before she got sick. “You know, I never thought about her being the brave one until Kaya said it earlier.”
“She risked begin shunned by the village by being with your dad, from what it sounded like,” Zoro shrugged. “That, if anything, takes guts.”
“It really does,” Usopp agreed. He tensed up and stared at the door—someone was coming. The four all readied themselves, only for three kids to burst into the house.
“Pirates!” they cried.
“Uh… yeah…” Nami grimaced. This was going to be tedious, wasn’t it? “We’re pirates.”
“No, not you pirates!” the kid with the glasses panicked. “You’ve not done pirate stuff!”
“Well, we’re gonna do pirate stuff if I’m gonna be King of the Pirates,” Luffy said plainly.
“No, you don’t get it: there’s pirates at the slopes!” the one with the green hat explained. “And they’re talking about killing Miss Kaya!”
“Her creepy butler is with them, and he says he wants to kill her himself!” Glasses said.
“We think they want to blame you for it!” the third boy said. “You’re pirates too, but you’re not mean! Doesn’t Miss Kaya like you?!”
“She does,” Nami said. She looked over at Usopp, who seemed absolutely terrified. “So, Co-Captain, what do you plan on doing?”
“We’re going to save Kaya!” he said, entire body shaking in nerves. Luffy and Zoro both grinned, as they knew that this meant they were going to be able to finally pick a fight.
It was on.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
When all was said and done, Usopp was sure he didn’t like cats to begin with anyhow. Adding the fact that Kaya’s asshole butler was a famous pirate captain that supposedly had been captured and executed years earlier and planned on killing her in order to get her money and retire? Definitely not one of the things he had expected when he set off from Foosha.
The butler crumpled to the ground unconscious, knocked out cold from Usopp’s Ten Ton Hammer. Kaya had been underneath him, making it so she had to avoid him falling on her. She looked up at her best friend and nearly cried.
“Usopp, I…!” Kaya gasped as he lifted her up to her feet. They looked at each other and giggled awkwardly. “Thank you.”
“A captain takes care of his crew,” he said. He then swallowed hard at the realization of what he just implied. “I mean, a pirate’s crew is their friends, and… you’ve always been my friend, and…”
With a smile, Kaya placed her finger on Usopp’s lips, silencing him. They then both leaned in and kissed one another, chastely yet by no means less exhilarating. The only thing that stopped them was hearing gagging noises—the Pintsized Pirate Patrol had found them.
“Oh, and what are you three going on about?” Usopp frowned. “Wait until you see someone so pretty you have no choice but to kiss them!”
“Adults are so gross!” Green Hat scowled.
“Uh-huh, sure,” Usopp deadpanned. He felt Kaya’s arms warp around his middle and he sighed, his arm going around her waist. “Now where’s the rope? We need to tie this creep up before he wakes up and tries to kill us all again!”
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“Are you sure you can’t come along?” Usopp asked. He was sitting with Kaya on the beach, watching as Luffy, Zoro, and Nami got a tour of the Going Merry. They were getting the caravel as a gift for saving the town from the Black Cat Pirates, which honestly took the entire village by surprise. The only reason they even believed the teens was the fact that Merry backed them at all, so it was his honor to present them with their reward.
“I’ve got to get better first, but I think I’m going to do something else,” she said. “I want to be a doctor.”
“That’s… very different from sailing with us,” he acknowledged. “I’m just curious… why?”
“…because one day you’re going to be dragging yourself back here and someone is going to need to patch you up,” she giggled.
“Ouch, okay, fair.” They both laughed before he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her lips. “As long as you’re going forward.”
“Yeah.” She saw how much fun the others were having with Merry and she nodded to gesture in their direction. “Come on—a captain needs to take care of his crew, right?”
“Right.”
-_-_-_-_-_-_-
“Miss Kaya, the newspaper.”
Months had gone by in Syrup Village, with Kaya making considerable improvement with both her condition and her studies. She was reading a chapter on phlebotomy over breakfast when Merry brought in the paper.
“Oh, thank you!” She took it from him appreciatively. “There’s so much happening that it’s difficult to keep up, isn’t it?”
“It can be,” he agreed. Merry watched as her brow furrowed at the front page. “What is it?”
“Usopp…” She went to the bounty poster inserts and pulled out a small pile dedicated to the Straw Hat Pirates. There was Luffy, Zoro, Nami… ah… wait… Sogeking?! “They all have bounties now.”
“Well, would you look at that; you’re right!” Merry laughed. “Declaring war on the World Government? Oh, he is going to need to get patched up next time you see him!”
Declaring war on the World Government in order to save his crewmate… he really was a brave captain after all.
I accidentally fic’d Swap!AU. It’s a 200 word drabble but wmah.
“I swear to god...” Doctor 542 sighed, staring at the bottom of his Best Dad Ever mug “This one comes from Siberia for a week and this is what happens.”
Medical Section of Site-19 was most of times a quiet place, not that different from other hospitals. Today, though, one could hear screams and yells coming from one of cabinets - sadly, it was one of cabinet’s next to Doctor 542′s room. Cabinet of Doctor 882.
Doctor 897 sitting nearby, nose buried in paperwork, only shrugged. Assistant 2295, in the meanwhile entered the room, looking visibly distressed.
“Let me guess.” 542 nodded at tiny bear, acknowledging it’s presence, “Either 049 tried to help or Agent 610 started to bash 882′s head against a table.”
Assistant 2295 after a moment of hesitation raised two green paws into the air.
Doctor 542 sighed and got up. He stopped trying to figure out those two long, long time ago and for now he only hoped he could stop 610 and 882 from hurting each other too much, at least until either Agent 1048 or Agent 179 had arrived. He quietly hoped for the other one. Otherwise things could get rather ... messy. God knows Chief of Janitorial Staff 1837 always got pissed off whenever his handiwork gets spoiled.
