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“I’m dying, my I-can’t-stand-this-cold-itis is going to kill me.”
“Can you shut up? I’m trying to understand this damn weather.”
Usopp pouted, hugging himself tighter. They had been stuck for over four hours in a storm — the kind that makes you want to dive under your blankets for the rest of the afternoon. Maybe drink some hot chocolate, read a book, or just hug your pillow to keep warm. But that was impossible for a group of pirates in the middle of the Grand Line. They had no choice but to stay completely alert, especially with the extreme weather they were dealing with.
Worse things had happened, no doubt. But they didn’t want to let their guard down — especially Nami. She insisted on making sure they were truly safe before relaxing. She wanted everyone spread out at different watch points in case anything happened. Usopp stood next to her, watching her stare up at the sky with a manic look that gave him a little bit of fear.
From there, he could see the corner where Brook and Luffy were.
The skeleton stood completely still, ready to fulfill the task the navigator had given him. On the other hand, Luffy could barely stay still. He kept turning in place, taking little steps to stay warm, rubbing his arms with his hands, his face twisted in pure frustration — he had always hated winter clothes. It was like all the fabric and wool itched his skin and irritated him even more than the cold itself.
Usopp couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
Luffy, with his hair all messy and his hat miraculously still clinging to his head. His nose and cheeks were so red it was almost cartoonish, impossible not to think he looked kind of adorable. Like — just imagine the most energetic boy in the world, completely frozen, starving, scowling, and in a bad mood because the gloves were too itchy to let him scratch everywhere he wanted. Usopp almost wanted to go over there and mess with him.
The captain lifted his gaze, as if he had felt Usopp staring.
As soon as their eyes met, he grinned wide. Even in the biting cold, Luffy managed to keep his heart warm. So soft that Usopp felt his knees weaken.
He smiled back, raising his hand and gesturing toward Nami, then mimicked her confused expression in a teasing way.
Luffy laughed, his red cheeks stretching with the motion.
Usopp wanted to squish them.
Then he saw Luffy’s expression change.
He looked scared now.
Before Usopp could even raise an eyebrow, Nami smacked him on the head, a bump quickly forming.
“Who do you think you’re laughing at?!”
-
-
-
“Thanks—Mm! Sanji—” Luffy mumbled with three marshmallows still in his mouth.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, idiot,” the cook replied, giving him a small smack on the shoulder that made the captain sit up straighter. “You’ll choke if you eat like that.”
Luffy’s cheeks were stuffed with marshmallows, stretched by his rubbery skin. Cute. “Mm— this chocolate is so good!”
“He’s a lost cause,” Zoro sighed, and the cook just nodded, rolling his eyes.
Nami entered the kitchen, and everyone looked at her expectantly.
“I got scared because of how sudden the temperature drop was. But everything seems to be fine. So, you can relax. We’ll be stuck with this cold for about four days.”
Everyone nodded, equally relieved that they weren’t in serious danger and annoyed that they’d have to endure more of this freezing weather.
“I can’t stand this sweater, it’s not super at all,” Franky said, crossing his arms.
Robin raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re not even wearing pants. You’ll get sick.”
“Pants? Are you seriously insulting my style right now?”
“I don’t like this sweater either,” Luffy managed to say, still chewing, chocolate smudged on his lips.
How could someone be such a disaster when eating?
“What’s wrong with it?” Usopp asked, as he pushed the napkins closer to the captain, a small gesture that Luffy quickly understood.
“It makes my whole body itchy.”
“Heh. I guess we’ll have to buy you more winter clothes later.”
“He’s the one who always ruins what I buy him. Money doesn’t fall from the sky—he has to take care of his clothes if he really wants to stop wearing cheap wool sweaters,” Nami accused, her eyes lit up with anger.
Everyone laughed, though Chopper made sure to check that Luffy wasn’t having a bad skin reaction, like an allergy or irritation.
When night finally came, Usopp dropped his head onto the pillow with the drama of someone who had waited years for that moment. He wrapped himself in an especially wide blanket, hugging his pillow tightly.
For a few seconds, he remembered the cold nights in his village. The way his mother would wrap him in her arms with such pure, soft affection that it warmed him more than any blanket or clothing ever could. Hunger didn’t matter when she was there. The cold was nothing compared to her embrace.
When she was gone, everything felt a thousand times worse.
The hunger was heavier than before.
The cold crept in through the poorly built windows and the door that wouldn’t shut properly, freezing his fingers.
The loneliness.
He shook the thought from his head quickly. He didn’t know why it had been eating at him so much lately. Maybe because the anniversary of her death was approaching.
Maybe it was the feeling of the pillow against his face that reminded him of the warmth she used to give.
Maybe it was just the cold.
He closed his eyes.
…
Usopp dreamed of a gentle warmth wrapping around his whole body.
Long arms sliding down his back, legs tangled with his.
The relaxing smell of shampoo against his nose.
He blinked slowly, his eyes adjusting to the darkness, little by little making sense of what—no, who—he had in his arms.
The round and undeniably huge eyes of Luffy were visible even in the dark.
Only the faint glow of the moon let him confirm it was him.
He had no idea when Luffy got into the hammock—or why he would even do that.
For a few seconds, he thought he was still dreaming.
Until he felt the squeeze around his ribs.
Luffy was hugging him, arms stretched all the way around him, like a rope holding him in place.
“…Luffy?”
“Mm? What?”
“What are you doing?”
Luffy raised an eyebrow. “I told you I was really cold. You let me in and hugged me so we’d be warm.”
“I—What?!”
Usopp quickly lowered his voice again, remembering the time and place he was in.
“I… uh, I was half asleep, I don’t remember.”
“Well, that’s what happened.”
Luffy rested his head against Usopp’s chest, as if everything had already been resolved.
Usopp froze, unsure whether he should push him away, talk to him, or just let him stay.
His heart was pounding so hard he feared Luffy would notice.
“Calm down,” he told himself. “It’s just the cold. It’s just… human warmth. Uh-huh.”
Luffy let out a sigh against his neck, the warm breath tickling his skin.
Usopp wanted to die.
-
-
-
The next morning, when he woke up, Luffy was still there, now drooling slightly on his shirt.
“…Ah.” Usopp looked at him. “This can’t happen again.”
It happened again.
The night after that, too. And the one after that.
Each time, more naturally.
He didn’t even bother making up excuses anymore.
Luffy would just show up, crawl into his bed, cling to him like a koala, and fall asleep instantly.
Usopp tried to keep his dignity… but there was something comforting in Luffy’s weight on top of him, the way their legs tangled without meaning to, how he mumbled half-asleep nonsense.
It was devastatingly adorable.
Warm.
Why complain?
…
The fourth day was the coldest of all.
They were both sitting on the deck, Luffy’s shoulder casually brushing against his.
Normally, he wouldn’t have thought much of that light contact, barely even noticing it.
But now he couldn’t ignore the tingling in his fingers.
The urge to pull him closer, to wrap an arm around his shoulder.
He was about to do it when a scream rang out behind them.
“Look, look what I made!” Chopper shouted, running toward them with a pile of perfectly round snowballs.
“Snowball fight!” Luffy shrieked, and in less than a second he already had one in his hand, throwing it directly at Zoro’s forehead—who had been peacefully lying down, nearly falling asleep.
“WHAT THE HELL?!”
“Run, Luffy!”
“AAAAAAAAH!”
Usopp immediately joined the chaos, building an improvised snowball catapult with sticks and his slingshot.
Chopper was shouting strategies and orders like a tiny general, and Luffy kept tripping over everything, but never stopped laughing.
In the middle of the battle, Usopp found himself watching Luffy—snow in his hair, cheeks flushed red, laughing like there was no cold, no world.
He felt… so soft inside.
Like something warm was bubbling up in his chest, melting him from the inside out.
“What are you looking at, Usopp? Don’t you see Zoro’s going to kill us?” Chopper asked, shoving a snowball at him.
“N-nothing. Prepare for my super attack technique, Zoro!” he shouted, quickly looking away, his heart pounding like a runaway drum.
“Stupid idiots!”
…
That night, they slept together again.
Luffy arrived dragging a giant blanket behind him like a cape. Looking like an idiot.
“Do you think we won?” he asked as he slipped under the blanket with Usopp without permission or warning.
“If winning means Zoro throwing you into a barrel and knocking you out… I guess so.”
“It was a good nap!”
Usopp chuckled quietly, letting Luffy’s head find its place against his chest.
There was no point denying it anymore.
He liked this. He liked it a lot.
The fourth day was the coldest—but also the warmest on the inside.
The next day, the sky was clear.
The sun was melting the ice built up on the ropes. The wood creaked under the crew’s footsteps, now without scarves or heavy cloaks.
Nami made the announcement during breakfast. “Temperature’s rising. Looks like the polar front drifted off. Things are going back to normal.”
Everyone cheered. Sanji served fresh fruit. Luffy yelled that he could finally take off the demon sweater. Robin read outside in the sun.
Usopp… felt a hollow in his stomach.
“Damn cold. Why couldn’t you stick around a little longer?”
…
“Finally… goodbye, gross sweater.”
Luffy appeared walking with his arms stretched up, shirtless and hair still damp from his shower. He made his way casually to the back of the ship, where Usopp and Sanji were leaning against the railing, enjoying the warm air and the sun that was, at last, shining.
Sanji had gone back to his classic black suit, jacket barely buttoned, and a freshly lit cigarette hanging from his lips with automatic elegance. Usopp, on the other hand, was shirtless—which clearly seemed to thrill him. He wore only a pair of brown shorts down to his knees, bare feet against the Sunny’s wood, and his hair still messy from air-drying.
“Man, I missed showing off these babies,” he said with a wide grin, flexing his arms dramatically and pointing at his biceps with exaggerated pride.
The gesture earned a short laugh from Sanji, who shook his head, used to his nonsense.
“Yeah, I missed them too.”
Luffy’s voice came without a trace of sarcasm.
Everyone fell silent.
Usopp blinked, frozen, his smile faltering.
His face immediately began to heat up uncontrollably, like the sun had suddenly turned its full attention on him. A deep, alarming blush spread from his cheeks to his forehead, and a cold sweat slid down his back.
He laughed. Or at least, he tried to.
A series of awkward, broken chuckles forced their way out of his throat like he was desperately trying to play it cool.
“Ha—Hahaha! Yeah, of course! Legendary muscles, who wouldn’t miss them, right?”
He avoided looking directly at Luffy, focusing instead with exaggerated dedication on a distant cloud, as if it were a meteorological phenomenon of the utmost importance.
The last thing he wanted was to catch that expression of his, that smile so uniquely Luffy’s, the kind that could split open his chest with a sweetness as disarming as it was confusing.
Sanji glanced at them out of the corner of his eye. One eyebrow rose slightly. “Hm?”
The sniper swallowed hard.
He tried to change the subject, gently nudging the deck with his bare foot.
“Eh… Nice weather, huh? The sun makes it feel like the cold never even existed! Hehe… don’t you think?”
Sanji slowly exhaled a puff of smoke and, without taking his eyes off them, replied, “Uh-huh.”
Luffy, on the other hand, just smiled even wider.
Usopp thought that, if he kept this up, his face was literally going to melt.
…
Usopp curled up in his bed with the firm idea of sleeping alone.
No tangled arms. No shared warmth.
He repeated it like a mantra as he rolled over the blanket, searching for a comfortable position.
It’s not cold anymore.
There’s no reason anymore.
That’s it.
Just when he was starting to doze off, he heard footsteps.
“Usopp?” The voice came soft, barely a whisper.
The sniper turned halfway, blinking. “Luffy?”
The captain peeked his head in, hair messy, dragging his favorite blanket behind him like a tail.
“Can I stay here again?”
Usopp sat up straight. “What? Why? It’s not cold anymore!”
Luffy came in without waiting for permission, as if the question had only been a formality. “Zoro’s snoring too loud! I can’t sleep!” He flopped onto the bed as if he weighed absolutely nothing, and immediately began settling in like it was his usual spot.
Usopp stayed frozen, eyes wide open.
He could feel Luffy’s body heat next to his, the way he clung to him like there wasn’t any space in the bed (when clearly there was—not much, but enough), and how he sighed like that was the only way to feel safe.
The fact that Usopp was sleeping shirtless didn’t help.
Now the contact was more direct, the warmth spread right against his skin and made it crawl with goosebumps.
“Luffy…”
“Mm?”
“…Nothing, it’s fine. Just… sleep.”
He didn’t have the strength to say no.
He didn’t want to.
…
“You’re laughing too loudly. Shut up.”
“Yohoho… But it’s hard not to! Our sniper looks like…”
Brook didn’t finish the sentence.
Because everyone was seeing the same thing.
Luffy, sound asleep, had a leg draped over Usopp’s, an arm wrapped firmly around his waist, his cheek smushed against Usopp’s neck.
His breathing was slow, warm… and a small line of drool ran shamelessly down Usopp’s collarbone, who couldn’t move. Not even blink.
And everyone was there.
Not just the guys.
Even Robin and Nami, who rarely set foot in the men’s quarters.
Usopp’s eyes fluttered open slowly. He blinked once, twice, trying to process the scene.
His voice came out dull, hoarse. “...Why is everyone here?”
No one answered right away.
Robin was the first to look away gently, as if granting him privacy.
Sanji followed suit, pretending not to have seen anything.
Nami cleared her throat. “Nothing. Just… breakfast is ready. You weren’t coming and… well.”
“And the entire crew needed to come get me?”
“I actually came alone,” said Chopper, raising a little hoof, “but they came when I said you guys were—”
“Silence, Chopper!” Nami shouted, a faint blush rising on her face.
No one said anything else.
Usopp felt the heat rise to his face so fast it made his ears ring.
He looked down at Luffy, who was still completely unconscious, smiling even in his sleep, like the whole world was a comfy place as long as he was there, wrapped in his arms.
And for a moment, that warmth that once felt so comforting now felt… dangerous.
Were they thinking weird things?
Were they imagining something that wasn’t real?
What if Luffy thought something strange someday, too?
What if he woke up and they all looked at him differently?
What if they started treating him differently? Looking at Luffy differently?
What if…?
No. He couldn’t keep this up.
As warm as it was. As perfect as it felt. As much as his heart seemed to melt every time Luffy hugged him in his sleep…
This wasn’t right. He didn’t want to ruin anything. He didn’t want his captain to think anything strange about him. He didn’t want to do something stupid, thinking it all meant something more.
Maybe he needed to stay away.
Just a little.
Just to make sure he didn’t cross some invisible line.
…
Breakfast was quiet—or as quiet as it could be with Luffy devouring three servings of bread.
Usopp didn’t say much.
He laughed at the right moments, nodded when others spoke, and kept his eyes on his plate longer than necessary.
Words wouldn’t come, and neither would thoughts. Something was stuck in his throat.
Later, he sat down to work on one of his gadgets: a small metallic sphere with internal gears, a defensive trap he’d been meaning to finish since before the storm.
He laid out his tools on the workbench by the mast and let himself get absorbed in the screws.
Luffy appeared without warning—as always—and sat down next to him cross-legged, munching on an apple.
He didn’t say anything at first. Just chewed, watching every move he made with the screwdriver, brows slightly furrowed, focused on how the gears aligned.
Usopp could feel him there, watching.
The heat of his presence was impossible to ignore.
“Luffy…” he said at last, without lifting his gaze from the mechanism.
The captain chewed once more and swallowed. “Mm?”
“About sleeping together…” Usopp took a deep breath. His fingers paused at the edge of the spring. “We should stop doing that.”
There was a brief silence.
“It’s not that… I don’t like it. It’s just that… the others might start thinking weird things.”
He didn’t look at him.
He couldn’t.
He was afraid of what he might see in his eyes.
Luffy didn’t answer right away.He seemed more serious than usual—Usopp thought maybe he didn’t understand.
Until, in a completely normal voice, he spoke. “I know. I’m not stupid.”
That made Usopp glance up a little.
Luffy’s eyes held no anger, no surprise.
Just calm.
That quiet way he had when something mattered to him.
“Then… why do you keep coming?” The question slipped out before he could stop it.
“Because it doesn’t matter,” Luffy said, shrugging. “We don’t care about that stuff. Nobody’s gonna treat us differently because of it.”
Usopp swallowed hard. “You don’t get it.”
His voice dropped lower now, almost a whisper.
“It’s not just that they don’t say anything. It’s… what they could be thinking. It’s what you might start thinking about me.
I don’t want you to wake up one day and… and feel like I did something weird to you.”
Luffy tilted his head, like he was listening to a language he didn’t quite understand.
“But you didn’t do anything weird,” he said. “You just hugged me. Sometimes you talked in your sleep, but that’s not weird.”
Usopp turned even redder. “That’s not it… it’s just… agh.” He covered his face with a hand. “Forget it. I’m just saying it’s a bad idea. That’s all.”
The silence thickened again.
Luffy looked down at his apple, turning it between his fingers. When he spoke again, his voice was lower, a bit more fragile.
“So… you don’t want me to stay anymore?”
Usopp closed his eyes for a moment. His chest ached. He’d wanted to avoid this. Exactly this.
“Luffy…”
“It’s okay,” he murmured, cutting him off before he could finish. He stood up, not raising his voice, not complaining.
“If it’s a bad idea, I won’t do it anymore.”
…
Usopp couldn’t sleep. He lay on his back, eyes fixed on the dark ceiling of the cabin, arms crossed over his chest like he could contain the hollow ache blooming right beneath his sternum.
The mattress felt colder.
And the empty space, enormous.
He missed the warmth of Luffy’s body pressed against his, the way he’d hold him like Usopp was something safe. He missed the nonsense he mumbled before falling asleep, the way his breathing would deepen—loose, trusting. He missed the presence. The kind you couldn’t fake or replace.
It felt almost like a punishment.
One he had given himself.
He sighed. Tossed and turned in the sheets. Tried to cover his face. Nothing helped.
“Screw it.”
He got up without thinking, not turning on any light, walking quietly on the balls of his feet to the captain’s bed. Luffy was curled up in his blanket, one foot dangling off the edge, a hand resting on his belly.
Usopp swallowed hard.
“Luffy…”
The captain opened one eye, slow, but when he saw Usopp standing there, he opened it fully and smiled. “Gave in?” His voice was thick with sleep, but amusement was clear in it.
“Shut up,” Usopp muttered, blushing to the tips of his ears. “That’s not why I came.”
“Of course not,” Luffy said, sitting up slightly and making space for him. “You just came to… admire my dangling foot, right?”
Usopp was relieved that he wasn’t mad. But that smug tone still got on his nerves. “You’re unbearable.”
“And you’re a liar.” Luffy laughed softly, tugging his blanket. “Come on.”
Usopp crawled into bed awkwardly, heart pounding like he’d climbed a tower. Luffy’s body was warm, familiar, and the silence between them was more comfortable than he expected. At some point, their hands touched beneath the blanket.
And didn’t move apart.
It was Usopp who squeezed first.
Just a little.
“…I was scared,” he said. His voice was low. “Of doing something stupid. Of thinking something that wasn’t real. Of confusing what you… what you wanted.”
Luffy took a moment to answer.
“Do you really think I sneak into your bed for no reason?”
Usopp turned his head toward him, heart skipping a beat.
“You think I’m not trying to hint at something?”
Silence.
Tense. Warm.
Thick like a rubber band wrapped around nervous human hearts.
“…You were…?” Usopp murmured, barely audible.
Luffy looked at him, a half-smile on his face, something a little shy, a little brave.
“Duh.”
Usopp felt the world stop for a second. His mouth went dry. There were so many things he wanted to ask. So many things he wanted to understand. But before he could say anything else, Luffy turned his face slightly toward him and looked at him with a mix of shyness and curiosity.
And it was Luffy who leaned in, clumsily, like he wasn’t exactly sure where to place his mouth.
The kiss was barely a brush.
A warm, hesitant contact, full of both questions and answers.
When they pulled away, Luffy smiled.
“So… that was your way of ‘hinting at something’?” Usopp asked in a low voice, trying to sound teasing, but his heart was spinning like it was on a roller coaster.
Luffy smiled with his eyes closed, still with his fingers laced through Usopp’s. “Did it work?”
“You’re unbelievable. Seriously.”
“Thanks,” Luffy said proudly, still curled up like a lazy cat.
“And since when do you hint at things, huh?” Usopp poked him gently in the side, making him squirm with a giggle.
“Since always,” he replied, laughing. “But only with you.”
That made Usopp turn red again, like his skin couldn’t decide whether to melt or disappear.
“W-what do you mean, only with me?”
Luffy opened one eye and looked at him with an unbearably sweet expression. “Because I like you, dummy.”
“Luffy…” Usopp’s voice came out choked, between a breathless laugh and something far more vulnerable that he didn’t want to let out just yet.
“Don’t make that face,” said the captain, moving a bit closer and squeezing his hand. “You already told me you were scared. But if it helps… I’m kind of scared too.”
“You? Scared?” Usopp raised an eyebrow, incredulous.
“Well… I don’t know if I’m doing this right,” Luffy admitted quietly. “I’ve never… done this before. But when I’m with you, I want to be closer. I want to touch you more. And say weird things that just come out on their own. Is that weird?”
“No,” Usopp said, swallowing hard, his throat tight with emotion. “It’s not weird. I feel the same.”
Luffy smiled. “Then say what you want and touch me however you want.” He paused, looking him in the eyes in a way that knocked all the air out of Usopp’s lungs. “I’ll let you.”
Usopp swallowed. His throat didn’t want to work properly. The way Luffy looked at him—direct, honest, without a trace of shame—made him feel like his body was made of glass. Like he was being seen from the inside. Like he couldn’t hide a single thing.
“Anything?” he asked, trying to keep his voice steady, but his breathing gave him away.
“Well… don’t pull my cheeks,” Luffy said with a little laugh, shrugging. “But yeah. Whatever you want.”
Usopp felt his heart pound even harder.
He didn’t know what to do with so much permission.
He wasn’t used to being wanted like this. So simply. So unconditionally.
He had no guide for it. It was like walking a tightrope blindfolded—but when he looked ahead, there he was, arms wide open.
They stayed silent for a moment, hands still entwined.
Breathing in sync.
Their bodies closer and closer.
Usopp felt the urge to say something, to break the tension with a joke or a ridiculous comment—something to make him seem more in control. But the words didn’t come.
Instead, he shifted his body slightly, just enough to turn on his side, and with a slow motion—like time had stretched—he rested his forehead against Luffy’s.
The captain’s eyes sparkled in the dark.
Like stars that weren’t ready to explode just yet.
“So… is it okay if I kiss you again?” Usopp asked softly.
The shyness nearly defeated him, but he didn’t look away.
He forced himself to stay.
To not run from it.
Luffy nodded.
Usopp finally looked him in the eyes, and felt the fear melt just a little in his chest.
Not all of it.
But enough to stop resisting.
He leaned in slowly. Clumsily.
Their noses bumped.
“Oops—”
“Hehe.”
They laughed. And then, finally, their lips met in a kiss clearer than the first.
Longer. More trembling, too. Luffy’s hands quickly tangled in his hair, then slid softly down to his waist, holding him just enough, as if to make sure Usopp wouldn’t pull away.
As if he had no intention of letting him go ever again.
“I like your muscles,” he murmured suddenly, with a shamelessly honest smile.
“Thanks?” Usopp replied, half-choked, his heart about to leap out of his throat.
His cheeks were burning, his skin buzzing.
“They’re nice. Especially when you use them to hug me,” Luffy added, slipping his fingers under the fabric of his shirt without the slightest hesitation.
Just to touch him.
Just to have him there.
Usopp let out a nervous laugh, half hiding his face in the other’s neck.
“You’re shameless.”
“Is that bad?” Luffy asked softly, his hands now fully resting on his back.
“Yes. I mean—no. I don’t know.”
“What if I said I like your eyebrows too?”
“What’s with my eyebrows?”
“I don’t know. They make me want to kiss you on the eyes.”
“What kind of compliment is that?” Usopp gave up with a sigh between laughs. He snuggled against his chest, still disbelieving that this was happening. That Luffy would talk like that, touch like that, stay like that.
So close.
“You’re being weird.”
“I’m in love.”