Work Text:
“You’ve been awfully smiley lately,” Nami says as way of greeting, sitting on the edge of Usopp’s grow bed. He doesn’t bother looking at her, but she knows him too well and sees the slight pause in his work.
“Yeah, we haven’t had to fight for our lives in a good week, it’s a miracle,” he says as he pats pellets of plant food into the soil.
“That’s true,” she concedes. “That just means we’re overdue for a battle, the next one will probably be worse than normal.” That stops him. He looks at her, eyes wide.
“Oh gods, you’re right. I should be preparing.”
“We both know you’re already fully prepared at all times. And we both know the longer we go without a fight the more nervous you get, but you weren’t even thinking about it until just now,” she points out. “So, what’s got you so distracted?” her voice comes out sickly sweet. They both know she’s onto him.
He shrugs. “I just have a lot of projects on my mind right now. So many things I want to do that I just wasn’t thinking about it.” He grabs another palmful of plant food and begins pressing it into the dirt around the next plant.
Nami hums neutrally. “Do those projects of yours happen to be in the galley?” she asks, keeping her smirk in check as Usopp’s hands stutter. “You seem to be spending a lot of time in there as of late.”
“Yeah, the galley just has better lighting for smaller stuff. As long as it’s not dangerous to the food or anything, Sanji lets me work in there,”
“So, you leaving the galley smiling so much must be because your work is going so well.”
He snaps his fingers. “Exactly!”
Her grin grows. “Can I see what you're working on?” she asks. This has Usopp fully turning to look at her, an eyebrow raised.
“You…” he looks her up and down and she rolls her eyes, “want to see what I’m working on? When it’s not your climatact?”
“Like you said, nothing has happened this past week. I’m bored.”
“Uhm…” he purses his lips, “I don’t think you’d be interested in any of it, just more boring stuff,” he says, as if Nami doesn’t know he hasn’t actually been working on anything recently.
“You’re not going to show me? I thought we shared everything with each other,” she says, making Usopp grimace. “Like how I told you when Vivi and I got into a relationship.” Her words are very pointed and Usopp sighs deeply, sitting back on the floor to fully face her.
“How did you know?”
She lets her grin widen. “I didn’t until you just confirmed it.” She smacks his arm.
“Ow! Hey!” he rubs the spot but she ignores him.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me! After I’ve been there for you through you’re whole crush!”
“Sorry,” he says, at least having the decency to actually sound it. “We just wanted it to be between us while it was new.”
“So you’re not telling anyone else yet?” her grin turns predatory and Usopp’s shoulders droop.
“You’re not going to charge me for it are you?” he whines. Nami hums, thinking about her options. She is happy for her best friend. He’s been mooning after Sanji for ages and she doesn’t really want to punish him for a good thing.
“No.” His face lights up. “But you will be taking part in a con I have planned on the next island,” she says, crushing his hope. He nods though.
“Yeah okay, you probably would have made me do it anyway,” he says.
Nami stands, walking towards the library. She turns back just before leaving though. “Congrats by the way,” she says. Usopp smiles, blushing.
“Thanks!”
The empty bottom of a bag meets his hand as Franky digs for another screw. He turns it upside down, but it is really empty. Looking around his workstation, he tries to see if the last one fell somewhere, but he doesn’t find anything. He was sure he had enough screws for the job.
Oh well, he can just ask Usopp if he has any spares. He stands and makes his way next door to Usopp’s factory.
“Hey bro, you got any 2 inch, 12 gage screws?” he asks, opening the door. Only to freeze in his tracks at the sight before him.
Usopp is pinned between his work desk and Sanji, the chef’s hands around his waist and neck while Usopp’s are over his shoulders.
All three men stare at each other in shock for several long seconds. Sanji is the first to move, detaching himself from Usopp and taking two long strides away. Both of them are blushing madly.
Tears well up in Franky’s eyes. “I’m so happy for you guys!” he cries. Usopp was so obvious about his infatuation for Sanji that it was almost painful to watch his little bro’s pining.
“It’s not- We- Shit!” Sanji says, only getting redder. “Don’t tell anyone!” he yells.
“Are you not-?” Franky begins, tears coming for a whole new reason.
“We are!” Sanji says, turning away to hide his scarlet face. Usopp looks at him with a soft smile that Franky’s seen him give the other man countless times.
“We just didn’t want to tell anyone yet,” Usopp says, turning to Franky.
Sanji turns to him as well, eye fierce as he glares. “If you tell anyone I’ll kick you all the way back to Water 7!”
Franky’s lip wobbles. Sanji has always been extra protective of Usopp, all the while proclaiming he only protects women, and it’s been aimed at Franky before. But it’s just so nice to see how much he cares.
The tears continue down his face and he rushes to grab both young men in his arms, squeezing them tightly. “I won’t tell anyone till you’re ready,” he blubbers. “I just knew you two were gonna fall in love! Can I be the best man at your wedding Uso-bro?”
Sanji extracts himself from the hug. “We’re not getting married yet!”
“Yet?” Usopp asks, voice quiet, letting Franky smother him.
They both lock eyes for a second before looking away, flushing further.
Franky is so happy for them.
He doesn’t normally knock when entering Usopp’s factory and is glad he didn’t today. They move between each other’s workshops to share tools and materials often. But he might have to start. Or get him a do not disturb sign.
Sanji holds her chair out for her as she sits. “Thank you,” she says, as she does every meal.
“Of course Robin-cwan!” he twirls away and Robin simply smiles at his antics. Sanji serves her and Nami’s food as normal before the men but she politely waits to eat.
He brings out the men’s plates, setting Usopp’s down first before moving around the table. Everything would be normal except that Franky bursts into tears. Everyone’s gazes lock onto him.
“What’s wrong?” Chopper asks, standing on his seat. “Are you hurt?”
Franky wipes his eyes, shaking his head.
“What is wrong?” Brook asks.
Franky sniffs. “Nothing, I’m just so dang happy!” he yells. And Robin can see that. She can read Franky well and not an ounce of his tears are of sorrow. She grows an arm on his shoulder, picks up a napkin and dabs at his eyes.
“Thank you, Robin,” he says, taking the tissue from her hand.
While everyone pays attention to Franky’s breakdown, Robin thinks about what could have caused it. She looks around and is surprised by Usopp’s red face. He shovels a large bite of food into his mouth and stares at the table.
She looks back to Franky, his eyes now dry. The meal moves on, no one unused to Franky’s loud emotions, but Robin keeps her eyes trained on him.
He keeps sneaking quick glances across the table between bites. Robin follows his gaze to Sanji, who’s having a conversation with Usopp. They both wear wide smiles, Sanji’s fond and he listens to Usopp.
Well then. She turns to Franky, catching his eye and raising a thin eyebrow, glancing in the direction of the boys. Franky’s eyes mist up again but no tears fall.
Robin can’t help as a pleased smile forms on her face. It was only a matter of time before those two got it.
Something has been off, and Chopper can’t put his hoof on it. Everyone is acting normal, but his senses are picking something up. And as a doctor he can’t just let that go. It’s been nudging at the back of his mind for days.
Maybe someone is sick and hasn’t started showing symptoms yet. Sometimes Chopper will know when someone is ill even before they do. But he normally knows that’s what’s wrong even if he doesn’t know what they’ve come down with yet.
This is different. Maybe he should check on everyone just as a precaution.
Leaving his office to assess the crew, Chopper enters the galley. He might as well start with the closest person.
“Sanji!” he walks over and tugs on the man’s slacks. Sanji looks down at him, in the middle of preparing lunch.
“What is it?” he asks.
“Do you…” Chopper pauses. He doesn’t want to scare anyone into thinking there’s some kind of disease going around. “Feel off at all?” If he’s vague enough to just seem friendly it should be fine.
Sanji scrunches his face in confusion. “No? Why would I?” his hands land on his hips. “Did that moss-head tell you I was sick just because I didn’t want to put up with his shit today?”
Chopper waves his hooves in front of himself. “No! I just… uhm… thought it would be good to check in on everyone’s health every now and then.” It’s an excuse and he feels bad about lying, but it’s not really a lie since it’s a good idea and he should start doing that. “Even if you aren’t sick, or only have one or two mild symptoms, me knowing about them could help prevent anyone from actually getting sick.”
“Oh, well I appreciate the care, doctor,” Sanji says, patting him on the head.
“Bastard! Calling me doctor won’t make me like you more!” despite his words he can’t help his body’s wiggly reaction. Sanji snorts.
“But I feel perfectly fine, the same as always,” he assures. Chopper is glad to hear it, but still, he can’t help the feeling that something is off.
“Would you mind if I do a small checkup? Just to take your temperature and look at your throat?” he asks. Sanji hums, attention on the food. “If you’re too busy I can just do it after lunch,” he says.
Sanji sets down the bowl he was holding and turns the burners down. “Go ahead, I’ve got a few minutes.” He squats to be at Chopper’s level, which he appreciates.
Chopper places a hoof on Sanji’s forehead. His temperature is slightly warm, but that’s because he’s working over a hot stove so it’s not concerning. He’s about to ask Sanji to open his mouth when his nose picks something up.
He didn’t smell it at first because of the tabaco and smoke that clings to Sanji’s clothes. But Sanji’s scent is definitely off.
“You smell different,” he says. Sanji leans away.
“Different as in bad? I’m one of the cleanest people on this ship, by far. I don’t even know the last time Luffy took a bath.”
Chopper shakes his head. “Not like body odor, that would still smell like you. There’s something else on you.” Sanji’s brow furrows the same as Chopper’s. He steps closer and sniffs again. The smell is metallic and earthy.
Suddenly the scent clicks into place. “Why do you smell like Usopp?” he asks, genuinely confused. The only one who smells so much like the other crew members is Luffy, and it’s because he’s constantly tackling and dragging everyone everywhere. For Sanji to smell this much like Usopp they’d have to have been touching each other a lot recently.
Sanji sharply stands up, snatching the pan off the stove and turning the fire all the way up. The flames lick outwards, and Chopper jumps back.
“Sorry Chopper, but Luffy’s going to be breathing down my neck if I don’t have this finished soon. Have fun checking on everyone,” he says, voice stilted.
Chopper tilts his head but takes the dismissal for what it is and heads off to check on the others. For some reason the weird feeling has vanished though.
Chopper yawns. It’s been a few hours since dinner and he’s just finished doing inventory before they hit land tomorrow. It’s been rather quiet, so not much is needed. He has his list prepared and is finally ready to go to bed.
As he exists his office, he finds that he’s not alone in the galley. He knows that he’s usually the first to go to bed, but it is a rather late night for him so it’s odd to see anyone in here.
Sanji and Usopp sit next to each other at the table. They’re close together, speaking quietly and don’t seem to notice him.
The Sunny is amazing, and Franky keeps her is such good condition that none of the doors squeak, but it has led to Chopper being startled by his crewmates many times. And now it means neither man notices him.
They really should be in bed too though. Chopper knows how early Sanji wakes and he wants to drag them to the men’s room with him, but something keeps him from interrupting them.
Usopp laughs at something and leans in to elbow Sanji. He stays that way though, pressed up against the other as they continue to whisper. Chopper can’t make out their words. If they talk like this every night, it’s no wonder they smell so much like each other.
That feeling of something in the back of his mind comes back. Chopper tilts his head. He already figured out what was bothering him, it was Sanji and Usopp’s scents being off, so what’s wrong now?
He wracks his brain, watching the two for several more seconds being it hits him. He gasps, startling the men at the table. Both jerks their gazes to him, going silent.
Chopper gapes.
“Why are you still awake it’s 2 am?” Usopp asks, trying to subtly scoot away from Sanji.
“You’re in love?!” Chopper yells, ignoring the question. Sanji turns bright red while Usopp giggles.
“It’s a secret right now… but yeah,” Usopp says, the last part quiet. Chopper walks over to stand in front of them.
“That’s why you smell so much like each other,” he makes sure to keep his voice down, hardly able to contain his smile.
“I thought we were busted when you said that earlier,” Sanji says as his face returns to a normal color.
Chopper jumps up and down in excitement. “I’ll super keep your secret! You can trust me, I won’t tell anyone!” He really is excited to be in on such a big secret.
“Good, we’re trusting you,” Usopp says. “We should all go to bed now though.” He stands and picks Chopper up, plopping him on his shoulders.
Chopper yawns as the three of them make their way out of the galley. He’s still smiling from ear to ear though. They’re silly to be embarrassed about being in love, but humans are embarrassed about all kinds of dumb things so he won’t hold it against them.
“Good morning, Brook, up a little late?” Sanji asks as he hands a steaming cup of tea to the skeleton. Brook accepts it, nodding his head in thanks.
“Yes, must have been more tired than usual. Seas know I sleep like the dead. Yohoho!” he jokes, making his way to the couch. He is unusually tired, having decidedly not slept like the dead, instead waking up multiple times throughout the night. Hopefully the tea will kickstart his old bones.
He’ll head to the aquarium bar soon to fiddle with his newest song. Normally he’d head there right after getting his tea, but for now he’s comfortable on the couch. He takes a sip and is delighted at the taste. Sanji makes his favorite perfectly every time, but sometimes he gives Brook something new like now.
The door opens and a groggy Usopp walks in. If Brook is up late, then Usopp is up quite early. Perhaps whatever made it hard for Brook to sleep last night is affecting the sniper as well.
“Good morning, Sanji,” Usopp mumbles, walking up behind the chef.
Brook is very quiet. He doesn’t mean to be, it just comes with not needing to breath or having a pulse. It’s fun spook others by seemingly appearing out of thin air, when he simply walks up behind them. So it doesn’t bother him that Usopp doesn’t greet him when it means he can scare him the second he turns around.
Usopp doesn’t turn around after receiving a cup from Sanji though. Holding the cup away from their bodies, Usopp leans up and kisses Sanji on the cheek, smiling softly.
Brook’s jaw hangs open, teacup stilling halfway to his mouth as Sanji whirls around to face him, eyes wide and lips drawn into a thin line. Usopp pulls back and follows his gaze, also catching sight of Brook. He blanches; his own jaw dropping open. His arm falls, the teacup and saucer with it. Usopp breaks out of his stupor at the same time as Sanji. Both darting to grab the cup before it hits the floor.
Both hands wrap around the cup followed by a loud crack as their heads collide.
“Shit!”
“Oww!”
Sanji lets go and clutches his head. Usopp uses the back of the wrist holding the cup to rub the center of his forehead.
“Yohohoho!” Brook laughs. “Good catch.” Usopp looks at him sheepishly.
“I didn’t see you there,” he says, and Brook drowns his further giggles at the obvious statement in his tea.
They may have saved Usopp’s cup, but the tea is all over the wood floor.
“I’d say congratulations are in order,” Brook says, standing and walking over to refill his now empty cup. “So, congratulations, oh it’s always lovely to see young love!”
Sanji takes the cup from him and refills it himself, now blushing. “Thank you,” he says, handing back the once again steaming cup.
“I should write you a song in dedication to your romance!” He quickly has notes and lyrics flying through his skull.
“You don’t have to do that,” Usopp says.
Brook shakes his head. “It’s too late, I already have the beginnings of the melody.”
Zoro’s frustrated. They’ve spent too long at sea without any confrontation or fights. Lifting weights and practicing katas are incredibly important, but will only get him so far in his training. He needs to actually fight to improve his skills.
And this has been such a long stretch of peaceful time. It was nice at first. More time for him to nap in the sun is always welcome, but after two weeks of nothing interesting, he’s starting to get restless.
Not as much as his captain though. Luffy’s been near bouncing off the walls, especially since Usopp has been too busy working to play as much. Every time Luffy is about to drag Usopp out, Chopper stops him, saying Usopp’s just been very inspired lately and to not bother him. Which means they’ve instead been bothering Zoro.
He refuses to play tag, but he’ll wrestle or play the occasional hide and seek when he wants to find a quiet place to sleep.
But Zoro can’t have an actual battle with either of them. He can wrestle and rough house, but an actual spar between he and Luffy could never happen on this ship, and isn’t something Luffy has ever expressed interest in, and Chopper doesn’t have the strength to match him. Besides, sparing with friends isn’t what he’s looking for right now. His swords itch for a real fight.
And the closest he’s going to get to that on this ship is with the curly brow.
Who for some reason also hasn’t started a single fight with him in the last two weeks! He’s been cooped up in the galley, or wherever the fuck else, staying out of Zoro’s hair. Which was a pleasant change of pace early on, but as time goes on, is starting to piss him off.
Whatever, if the crappy cook won’t start anything, Zoro will.
Racking his weights, only more frustrated than before he started working out, Zoro climbs down from the crow’s nest and makes his way to the galley.
When he gets there, he throws open the door. Franky isn’t in the room to complain about it thankfully. Only to see Usopp sitting on the bar stool talking to the curly brow as he leans over the other side. Both look up at his entrance.
“Hi,” Usopp waves while Sanji glowers at him.
“What do you want?” he asks.
Hand landing on his swords, he’s about to answer when he really takes the two in. Why even is Usopp in here? Zoro thought he was working hard on some project. His arms are on the counter, Sanji’s hand placed not even an inch from him.
Why hasn’t the cook gotten into any fights with him recently? Normally this long at sea and they’d need to fight. Blow off steam so they weren’t at each other’s throats.
Everything falls into place. Usopp’s absences and Sanji’s lack of annoying voice bothering him. How close they’ve gotten since reuniting at Sabaody.
“Are you two fucking?” he asks.
The men turn scarlet. Usopp yanks his arms off the counter while Sanji’s enraged eye pierces into Zoro’s.
“What they fuck did you say?!” he shouts.
Their reactions are all the confirmation Zoro needs. He sneers in disgust. “You could do way better than the love cook, Usopp,” he says.
The words are barely out of his mouth before a flaming shoe comes barreling at his face. Sliding two of his swords free, he blocks it. Sanji steams, teeth gritted together as he glares.
From behind, Usopp crosses his arms, blush still on his face. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Sanji’s the best there is,” he argues.
The smoke coming off Sanj’s legs swirl into hearts as he turns to gush at Usopp. “Uso-swan you’re so sweet!”
“Gross,” Zoro says, and slashes again. Sanji’s attention falls back to him as he kicks him out the door.
If anything, he’ll at least get a decent fight with how heated the cook is.
“I was only holding on to Sunny with my legs wrapped around the railing. Both my arms straining to grip the new deep sea fishing rod. Whatever I had hooked must have weighed at least two tons! The force it swam against my reel enough to pull the ship off course,” Usopp says, standing at the dinner table with one leg on his chair.
Luffy listens with rapt attention to the story. All he had heard was a lot of yelling and by the time he got there the sea beast was already dead.
“Sunny was jerked to the side, being pulled by the massive creature underneath. I tried to free it since it was clearly too big to be placed in the aquarium, but I had no way of unhooking it. My only choice was to fight!” He mimes holding the newly installed heavy weight fishing rod and reeling it in.
The mouthwatering smell of roasting fish reaches Luffy’s nostrils and he almost looks away.
“It was me against the sea beast, we fought for hours, neither side willing to give. But in the end, it didn’t have the will to overcome me, and I yanked it out of the water. The beast towering over Sunny-“
“When you screamed and I had to slice it up,” Zoro finishes for him.
“When I yelled, triumphantly, and asked my dear crewmate Zoro to end it’s suffering,” Usopp talks over him.
“And now we get to eat it!” Luffy cheers.
“I knew the new rod would be able to handle a sea beast,” Franky says.
The delicious scent wafts closer, until Sanji is setting plates of grilled sea beast in front of Nami and Robin.
“It worked even better than we thought!” Usopp replies, turning his attention to Franky.
Luffy drools as a heaping plate is placed in front of him. He digs in, shoving an entire juicy slice into his mouth.
“Of course it was going to work, you designed it,” Sanji says, placing down Usopp’s plate.
Usopp turns, and receives a kiss on the lips from Sanji.
Luffy’s mouth falls open, half chewed meat falling onto his plate.
“Ew! Luffy! That’s disgusting, come one!” Nami yells, scooting further away from him. But his eyes are locked onto his cook and sniper.
“What?!” he yells. Everyone turns to him. Usopp’s cheeks tinted red, but clearly smiling. “When did that happen?!”
Sanji clears his throat. “A while ago,” he says.
Luffy looks around to the others, but no one looks shocked at the kiss, their reactions a mix of amused and exasperated on the part of Zoro.
“You didn’t know?” Brook asks.
“It was easy to figure out,” Robin agrees.
“Easy?” Usopp whines.
“Yeah, you were not subtle,” Nami says.
Luffy looks back and forth between the two men and the rest of his crew. “You all knew?” he asks, feeling put out to be the last.
“Yes! Finally! The secret has been killing me!” Chopper shouts, receiving head pats from Zoro.
”Okay well, I’m captain so I get to marry them, so there!” he says, crossing his arms. Sanji and Usopp’s faces flood with color while everyone else laughs.
“I already called dibs on being Usopp’s best man!” Franky shouts, clapping his massive hand on Usopp’s shoulder, tears filling his eyes.
“And we already told you we’re not getting married yet!” Sanji snaps, sending the table into a fit or laughter.
It’s been a long time since Jinbei has seen a crew so carefree. Pirates are defined by their freedom, and yet… the Strawhats feel different.
He relaxes in the lawn chair Franky made specifically for him, sipping a fruity drink Sanji made for everyone, and just basks in it.
He knows there are going to be more challenging fights ahead, but he will never take the quiet moments for granted.
Nami sits beside him in her own chair, sipping a distinctly fancier fruity drink. The company is welcome as they watch Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp run around the grass. Luffy tramples over Zoro causing the swordsman to give chase. He quickly catches Usopp and Chopper, rubbing his fist into each of their heads for disturbing his sleep.
Jinbei laughs as Chopper and Usopp beg unsuccessfully to be released.
“It’s like this all the time,” Nami says, raising her sunglasses to sit on top of her hair. “I never get any real quiet,” she complains. Jinbei chuckles again.
“I find it quite endearing,” he says. “A crew in high spirits makes for the best sailing.” Nami hums in reply, taking a sip of her drink.
“I guess that’s true,” she agrees.
Sanji exists the galley, stomping over to the others to loudly berate Zoro who simply rolls his eye and lets his captives go before walking back to his napping spot.
Usopp and Chopper hug Sanji, exaggeratedly thanking him for freeing them.
“I’ve been meaning to ask,” Jinbei starts, still watching as Chopper runs off, leaving the two young men to talk in quieter voices. “Please correct me if I’m wrong, but are those two in a relationship?” he asks.
Nami opens her mouth to reply, but is cut off by Luffy’s head as it comes in between them from wherever he had run off to.
“Yeah, duh, they’re so obvious,” he says.
Nami whacks his arm with her newspaper. “You were the last to know! He’s only been here for a week and he’s figured it out!” Luffy pouts and she huffs in exaggeration. Jinbei laughs heartedly as they bicker.