So, I'm bored. Anyone want a drabble? Give me a pairing and a prompt (word, sentence, dialogue, whatever) and I'll write something for you. Have at it!
The air was so frigid that it sapped the warmth from Vivi's bones, turning her fingers icy in their gloves so that she had to tuck her hands under her arms and burrow into her coat like a sand crab keeping warm at night in the desert. Karue, asleep at her side, provided little body heat; his feathers trapped in all of his warmth and kept him safe from the biting cold. Vivi fought back the jealousy and huddled closer, wondering what time it was. If she was right, Usopp should be up to relieve her from watch in half an hour or so...
Right on cue, there was a thump as someone landed in the crow's nest. Karue squawked and ruffled, but immediately settled back down when he realized that the newcomer was Usopp. "Hi," he said from somewhere under his scarf.
"Oh, hi Usopp-san," Vivi replied, contemplating digging her way out of her own scarf to show him a smile, but ultimately decided against it because of the cold searing the exposed skin around her eyes and nose. "What time is it?"
"Half an hour to midnight." He sat down, repositioning his legs a few times in an effort to find a position that would conserve as much body heat as possible. "I figured maybe you'd want some company or something...because, you know, you could get lonely. Being that there's kind of a dearth of people up here. And besides, it's cold and dark up here and you might need someone like Brave Captain Usopp here to protect you should the ice weasels come out of the night to attack you--"
"Thank you, Usopp-san," Vivi interrupted, laying a gloved hand on his elbow.
"Um. You're welcome." There was a brief pause. "So...do you need some company? And protection from ice weasels? Because I'm available for both or either..."
"Yes, thank you, that would be nice," said Vivi. She shifted uncomfortably in her coat; the icy wind was beginning to leak through the material. "Right now I could use some protection from the cold..."
Usopp looked, from the three visible inches of his face, a little surprised. "Do...you want me to go down and get you a blanket? Because we have blankets, Sanji just got them out of the store room."
"No...if you leave, the ice weasels might attack."
Now he seemed to be trying to determine whether she was smiling. "Right. Good point. I'll just stay here and, um, I'll--"
"You could sit closer so we could share body heat."
"I...uh..." Those three visible inches of face looked rather flushed. "O-okay. Sure." Hesitantly, he scooted closer until they were pressed side-to-side against the wall of the crow's nest. "Is...is that better?"
"Mm-hmm, thank you." She snuggled closer, taking advantage of the warmth seeping through layers of clothing. Then she looked up, chin resting on his shoulder. "Um...Usopp-san?"
"Yeah?"
"Maybe you could..." Now she was blushing. Well, at least her face was warm. "You could put your arm around me?"
"Oh, sure," he said, and did so, immediately if awkwardly. "Because you see, being a great warrior isn't the only thing I'm good at. The Great Captain Usopp also possesses the capacity to be as gentle as a kitten! ...But, you know, in a manly way."
"Oh, of course," Vivi agreed, turning toward him and wrapping an arm around his chest. "The Great Captain Usopp is also very toasty."
"Thanks," Usopp said earnestly. "I try."
Vivi giggled. "Thanks, Usopp-san."
There was a long, quiet pause, broken only by Karue's sleepy rustlings and the howling of the wind below. She heard Usopp swallow loudly somewhere under his scarf. The mittened hand on her shoulder tightened as if by reflex, then tentatively smoothed up and down her arm.
"You're welcome," he whispered, and it was almost lost to the wind, but not quite.
Right on cue, there was a thump as someone landed in the crow's nest. Karue squawked and ruffled, but immediately settled back down when he realized that the newcomer was Usopp. "Hi," he said from somewhere under his scarf.
"Oh, hi Usopp-san," Vivi replied, contemplating digging her way out of her own scarf to show him a smile, but ultimately decided against it because of the cold searing the exposed skin around her eyes and nose. "What time is it?"
"Half an hour to midnight." He sat down, repositioning his legs a few times in an effort to find a position that would conserve as much body heat as possible. "I figured maybe you'd want some company or something...because, you know, you could get lonely. Being that there's kind of a dearth of people up here. And besides, it's cold and dark up here and you might need someone like Brave Captain Usopp here to protect you should the ice weasels come out of the night to attack you--"
"Thank you, Usopp-san," Vivi interrupted, laying a gloved hand on his elbow.
"Um. You're welcome." There was a brief pause. "So...do you need some company? And protection from ice weasels? Because I'm available for both or either..."
"Yes, thank you, that would be nice," said Vivi. She shifted uncomfortably in her coat; the icy wind was beginning to leak through the material. "Right now I could use some protection from the cold..."
Usopp looked, from the three visible inches of his face, a little surprised. "Do...you want me to go down and get you a blanket? Because we have blankets, Sanji just got them out of the store room."
"No...if you leave, the ice weasels might attack."
Now he seemed to be trying to determine whether she was smiling. "Right. Good point. I'll just stay here and, um, I'll--"
"You could sit closer so we could share body heat."
"I...uh..." Those three visible inches of face looked rather flushed. "O-okay. Sure." Hesitantly, he scooted closer until they were pressed side-to-side against the wall of the crow's nest. "Is...is that better?"
"Mm-hmm, thank you." She snuggled closer, taking advantage of the warmth seeping through layers of clothing. Then she looked up, chin resting on his shoulder. "Um...Usopp-san?"
"Yeah?"
"Maybe you could..." Now she was blushing. Well, at least her face was warm. "You could put your arm around me?"
"Oh, sure," he said, and did so, immediately if awkwardly. "Because you see, being a great warrior isn't the only thing I'm good at. The Great Captain Usopp also possesses the capacity to be as gentle as a kitten! ...But, you know, in a manly way."
"Oh, of course," Vivi agreed, turning toward him and wrapping an arm around his chest. "The Great Captain Usopp is also very toasty."
"Thanks," Usopp said earnestly. "I try."
Vivi giggled. "Thanks, Usopp-san."
There was a long, quiet pause, broken only by Karue's sleepy rustlings and the howling of the wind below. She heard Usopp swallow loudly somewhere under his scarf. The mittened hand on her shoulder tightened as if by reflex, then tentatively smoothed up and down her arm.
"You're welcome," he whispered, and it was almost lost to the wind, but not quite.
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