The only piece of advice...
Title: To Protect You
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Characters: Usopp, Zoro (tho Nami and Chopper make an appearance
Word Count(if applicable): Ahahaha. Wayy too many. But as this is just for the prompt and not the competition I figure that's okay.
Prompt: Advice
"You should take it easy," Chopper said, giving the bandages a final light tap. Usopp winced bore it bravely and tried pretend not to notice the ripple of pain that danced up his now broken ribs.
"I'll be fine," Usopp said, standing almost straight and putting his hands on his hips. A little pain was nothing! He'd been bandaged more times than he could count since starting on this journey and at this point, cracked ribs were just like a splinter...that caught just underneath the nail where you couldn't get it out. Chopper gave him a dubious look but moved on to check on Nami who had a concussion from one of the pirates they had fought. Usopp hadn't seen it because he'd been knocked senseless by that same sneaky bastard had gotten up behind him where he had been hiding strategically positioned behind some provisions they hadn't yet stored and smashed him right in the ribs with some kind of stone-hammer punch. Then the bastard had gotten Nami and then Sanji had kicked him so hard, Chopper had said, that the stupid stone pirate jerk had made a dent in the mast. Something else to fix.
Usopp took a shallow breath and made his way to the door so he could check the damage. Outside it was sunny and a cool wind filled the sails, still blowing from the spring island they'd left, he bet. Despite the wind the sea was barely ruffled. It was as if nothing had happened at all. Usopp made it to the mast without grimacing too much and then really did grimace as he saw the dent in the wood and metal, flecks of blood, too. Well, at least it didn't look too bad but he wasn't even sure how to fix that kind of thing. Too many more knocks like that and they might have to replace the whole mast. He sighed.
The ship pitched suddenly, enough to throw Usopp off balance and he stumbled, pain snapping up through him. The sea was getting rougher. It would probably be better to sit down and think about things in a cool manly way. He looked around for a suitably awesome spot but saw nothing more remarkable than Zoro napping away in the sunshine, not even scratched. Lucky him. Usopp went to sit beside him, more for company than anything else. Usopp tucked a hand over his ribs, than folded his arms because that looked tougher. He wondered what it was like to be Zoro. To not be afraid of anything. To not get beat up constantly- or get beat up and not care. It was probably because Zoro was strong enough to bite through a steel door. Maybe, when you were that strong, nothing could bother you.
Usopp lifted his head and stared at the sky which was starting to fill with little white clouds. But Usopp could get that way too, couldn't he? After all, Zoro was more or less a regular person, wasn't he? Though he'd probably spent an insane amount of time in training. (Though sometimes it seemed to Usopp that everyone on this ship was insane in one way or another). As if sensing he was being thought about Zoro shifted, stretching his arms out and yawning before tucking them behind his head and blinking in a bleary sort of way as if ready to go right back to sleep.
"Ne, Zoro," Usopp said, before he lost the nerve "How long did you have to train to get as strong as you are?" Not that he cared. Not that he wanted the advice or anything. Not that he wanted hope. He was already plenty strong. He was practically the greatest warrior that ever lived, only it was hard to see because half of his nakama consisted of overpowered monsters.
"I've trained every day since I was young," Zoro said. Usopp wasn't surprised but a strange disappointment settled just under his (broken) ribs. He had been half hoping there was some secret to Zoro's success. Quick and easy training. Even a devil fruit. Probably being built like the side of a mountain helped. Usopp nodded, stroking his chin with his fingers and tried to look introspective.
"Yes, that makes a lot of sense. Of course I used to train every day, too, when I was a kid but then I was elected unofficial mayor of Syrup and you know with all the ceremonies and important decisions there wasn't the time." He shook his head, spreading his hands regretfully. It was a stupid lie but he bet Luffy would believe him. Chopper definitely. Zoro snorted as if he most obviously didn't, but that was alright.
"You can't get stronger just by training," Zoro said, mildly surprising Usopp who had assumed it was the end of the conversation.
"Well I did a lot of fighting, too," Usopp said, not to be outdone. "This one time-"
"You can't get stronger just by fighting either." Zoro was staring at the sky, seeming thoughtful. "I used to think that was it, but now I wonder…” he trailed off, as if he wasn’t sure himself. What else could it be?
Natural talent, Usopp thought. Luck. Like how Luffy always managed to do what he set out to do no matter how many armies people armies stood in the way. Of course, Usopp had plenty of natural talent, too, and incredible luck. After all there were more than a few times when he was eventually able to help save the day! After all, there was that one time when they were attacked by a marine-a group of marines-two whole ships fleets full of marines! During a typhoon! And Usopp had stood on the pitching deck with the rain lashing into his face…and some kind of cloak that would look cool, something to whip in the wind-and then-
“Oi, oi, are you going to pay attention or not?”
“Oh, sorry, Zoro,” Usopp said, looking back at him. The swordsman shot him an annoyed look but also a faint blush as if he was embarrassed by what he’d just said. Now Usopp really wanted to know. It would be great blackmail ammunition for later. Zoro gave him another long look and then said:
“Forget it.” He gathered his swords and stood in one easy movement. Was it something silly? Something weird? Something dumb (yet strangely motivational) like eating five eggs in the middle of the afternoon on a Thursday?
“Come on, tell me,” Usopp said, leaning forward to stand and follow him. A crackling pain went up through his ribs and set him back against the hull. Damnit. He bit the inside of his lip and held his ribs. It…it didn’t hurt. It didn’t hurt at all. He…he just wanted to sit here, that was all. Zoro looked down at him and sighed.
“I was just thinking that it’s not enough to fight for the sake of fighting but to really become strong you have to fight to protect something.”
“Protect something?” Usopp echoed, and suddenly felt bad for not listening the first time, for wanting to tease him about it. He had thought it was some trick, some weird training maybe but this was different, a fighting philosophy--like a warrior shared with another warrior and Usopp felt suddenly out of place, like whatever Zoro had been trying to say was wasted on him.
Still, Usopp wanted to say something, to lighten the mood, prove he was worth…. prove he was worth speaking to. But he couldn’t think of anything to say. As if sensing this, Zoro moved off, heading toward the damaged mast as if to take his place on watch. Or maybe find somewhere quieter to sleep. Usopp stared at the deck, rough and gouged here and there from the passage of feet, the dig and slide of a bullet.
It wasn’t even as if he had anyone to protect. Chopper, maybe if he was in Brain Point. Nami, maybe but with the clima-tact she was stronger just as strong as he was. A warm wet wind came swirled across the deck and whispered over his nose. The sea rocked underneath the Merry’s hull and she pitched and rolled with it, creaking like an old woman or a young woman that couldn’t stop coughing.
The Going Merry was strong, too, Usopp thought, patting the deck affectionately. She had protected all of them since the very beginning. She had taken them to the Grand Line and even to the white white sea in the sky. And somehow, despite Usopp’s meager skill at ship repair, she had held mostly together even though her crew, her nakama? didn’t always take the best care of her. Well, Usopp could protect her, anyway. And when he-when they got back to Syrup village, proud and scarred from their many adventures, the brave Captain Usopp could point out each scrape and patch in the Merry’s hull to Kaya and tell her the grand story behind it and not even have to lie much
Usopp leaned his head back and saw the door to the galley open out of the corner of his eye. Nami stood in the open doorway, supported by Chopper in heavy point who was watching her concerned.
“There’s a typhoon coming,” she said, voice ringing above the rising wind. “A big one.” She sounded worried. Well Usopp w…wasn’t worried. much but the Going Merry’s sails needed to be trimmed or they might be torn away. Yosh, Usopp thought, using the railing to level himself upwards. His ribs pinched but he ignored it (as much as he could) and started for the mast.
“Be careful, Usopp!” Chopper called as Usopp started to climb the mast, wincing at the dent. Just the dent. Only the dent. It didn’t hurt that much. Really it didn’t. Usopp grinned at Chopper to reassure him that he was alright.
“A brave warrior of the sea always protects his ship!” he said, pain the wind carrying away his voice and making him sound smaller than he’d meant it. Oh well, never mind for right now. Usopp started to climb, noticing more dents and splinters the further up he got. The entire ship was due for an overhaul. Maybe on the next island they could find a shipwright to look at her. Until that time,
“Don’t worry, Merry,” he said, pausing for a moment to breathe, to wipe the rain from his face. “I’ll take care of you.”
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Characters: Usopp, Zoro (tho Nami and Chopper make an appearance
Word Count(if applicable): Ahahaha. Wayy too many. But as this is just for the prompt and not the competition I figure that's okay.
Prompt: Advice
"You should take it easy," Chopper said, giving the bandages a final light tap. Usopp winced bore it bravely and tried pretend not to notice the ripple of pain that danced up his now broken ribs.
"I'll be fine," Usopp said, standing almost straight and putting his hands on his hips. A little pain was nothing! He'd been bandaged more times than he could count since starting on this journey and at this point, cracked ribs were just like a splinter...that caught just underneath the nail where you couldn't get it out. Chopper gave him a dubious look but moved on to check on Nami who had a concussion from one of the pirates they had fought. Usopp hadn't seen it because he'd been knocked senseless by that same sneaky bastard had gotten up behind him where he had been hiding strategically positioned behind some provisions they hadn't yet stored and smashed him right in the ribs with some kind of stone-hammer punch. Then the bastard had gotten Nami and then Sanji had kicked him so hard, Chopper had said, that the stupid stone pirate jerk had made a dent in the mast. Something else to fix.
Usopp took a shallow breath and made his way to the door so he could check the damage. Outside it was sunny and a cool wind filled the sails, still blowing from the spring island they'd left, he bet. Despite the wind the sea was barely ruffled. It was as if nothing had happened at all. Usopp made it to the mast without grimacing too much and then really did grimace as he saw the dent in the wood and metal, flecks of blood, too. Well, at least it didn't look too bad but he wasn't even sure how to fix that kind of thing. Too many more knocks like that and they might have to replace the whole mast. He sighed.
The ship pitched suddenly, enough to throw Usopp off balance and he stumbled, pain snapping up through him. The sea was getting rougher. It would probably be better to sit down and think about things in a cool manly way. He looked around for a suitably awesome spot but saw nothing more remarkable than Zoro napping away in the sunshine, not even scratched. Lucky him. Usopp went to sit beside him, more for company than anything else. Usopp tucked a hand over his ribs, than folded his arms because that looked tougher. He wondered what it was like to be Zoro. To not be afraid of anything. To not get beat up constantly- or get beat up and not care. It was probably because Zoro was strong enough to bite through a steel door. Maybe, when you were that strong, nothing could bother you.
Usopp lifted his head and stared at the sky which was starting to fill with little white clouds. But Usopp could get that way too, couldn't he? After all, Zoro was more or less a regular person, wasn't he? Though he'd probably spent an insane amount of time in training. (Though sometimes it seemed to Usopp that everyone on this ship was insane in one way or another). As if sensing he was being thought about Zoro shifted, stretching his arms out and yawning before tucking them behind his head and blinking in a bleary sort of way as if ready to go right back to sleep.
"Ne, Zoro," Usopp said, before he lost the nerve "How long did you have to train to get as strong as you are?" Not that he cared. Not that he wanted the advice or anything. Not that he wanted hope. He was already plenty strong. He was practically the greatest warrior that ever lived, only it was hard to see because half of his nakama consisted of overpowered monsters.
"I've trained every day since I was young," Zoro said. Usopp wasn't surprised but a strange disappointment settled just under his (broken) ribs. He had been half hoping there was some secret to Zoro's success. Quick and easy training. Even a devil fruit. Probably being built like the side of a mountain helped. Usopp nodded, stroking his chin with his fingers and tried to look introspective.
"Yes, that makes a lot of sense. Of course I used to train every day, too, when I was a kid but then I was elected unofficial mayor of Syrup and you know with all the ceremonies and important decisions there wasn't the time." He shook his head, spreading his hands regretfully. It was a stupid lie but he bet Luffy would believe him. Chopper definitely. Zoro snorted as if he most obviously didn't, but that was alright.
"You can't get stronger just by training," Zoro said, mildly surprising Usopp who had assumed it was the end of the conversation.
"Well I did a lot of fighting, too," Usopp said, not to be outdone. "This one time-"
"You can't get stronger just by fighting either." Zoro was staring at the sky, seeming thoughtful. "I used to think that was it, but now I wonder…” he trailed off, as if he wasn’t sure himself. What else could it be?
Natural talent, Usopp thought. Luck. Like how Luffy always managed to do what he set out to do no matter how many armies people armies stood in the way. Of course, Usopp had plenty of natural talent, too, and incredible luck. After all there were more than a few times when he was eventually able to help save the day! After all, there was that one time when they were attacked by a marine-a group of marines-two whole ships fleets full of marines! During a typhoon! And Usopp had stood on the pitching deck with the rain lashing into his face…and some kind of cloak that would look cool, something to whip in the wind-and then-
“Oi, oi, are you going to pay attention or not?”
“Oh, sorry, Zoro,” Usopp said, looking back at him. The swordsman shot him an annoyed look but also a faint blush as if he was embarrassed by what he’d just said. Now Usopp really wanted to know. It would be great blackmail ammunition for later. Zoro gave him another long look and then said:
“Forget it.” He gathered his swords and stood in one easy movement. Was it something silly? Something weird? Something dumb (yet strangely motivational) like eating five eggs in the middle of the afternoon on a Thursday?
“Come on, tell me,” Usopp said, leaning forward to stand and follow him. A crackling pain went up through his ribs and set him back against the hull. Damnit. He bit the inside of his lip and held his ribs. It…it didn’t hurt. It didn’t hurt at all. He…he just wanted to sit here, that was all. Zoro looked down at him and sighed.
“I was just thinking that it’s not enough to fight for the sake of fighting but to really become strong you have to fight to protect something.”
“Protect something?” Usopp echoed, and suddenly felt bad for not listening the first time, for wanting to tease him about it. He had thought it was some trick, some weird training maybe but this was different, a fighting philosophy--like a warrior shared with another warrior and Usopp felt suddenly out of place, like whatever Zoro had been trying to say was wasted on him.
Still, Usopp wanted to say something, to lighten the mood, prove he was worth…. prove he was worth speaking to. But he couldn’t think of anything to say. As if sensing this, Zoro moved off, heading toward the damaged mast as if to take his place on watch. Or maybe find somewhere quieter to sleep. Usopp stared at the deck, rough and gouged here and there from the passage of feet, the dig and slide of a bullet.
It wasn’t even as if he had anyone to protect. Chopper, maybe if he was in Brain Point. Nami, maybe but with the clima-tact she was stronger just as strong as he was. A warm wet wind came swirled across the deck and whispered over his nose. The sea rocked underneath the Merry’s hull and she pitched and rolled with it, creaking like an old woman or a young woman that couldn’t stop coughing.
The Going Merry was strong, too, Usopp thought, patting the deck affectionately. She had protected all of them since the very beginning. She had taken them to the Grand Line and even to the white white sea in the sky. And somehow, despite Usopp’s meager skill at ship repair, she had held mostly together even though her crew, her nakama? didn’t always take the best care of her. Well, Usopp could protect her, anyway. And when he-when they got back to Syrup village, proud and scarred from their many adventures, the brave Captain Usopp could point out each scrape and patch in the Merry’s hull to Kaya and tell her the grand story behind it and not even have to lie much
Usopp leaned his head back and saw the door to the galley open out of the corner of his eye. Nami stood in the open doorway, supported by Chopper in heavy point who was watching her concerned.
“There’s a typhoon coming,” she said, voice ringing above the rising wind. “A big one.” She sounded worried. Well Usopp w…wasn’t worried. much but the Going Merry’s sails needed to be trimmed or they might be torn away. Yosh, Usopp thought, using the railing to level himself upwards. His ribs pinched but he ignored it (as much as he could) and started for the mast.
“Be careful, Usopp!” Chopper called as Usopp started to climb the mast, wincing at the dent. Just the dent. Only the dent. It didn’t hurt that much. Really it didn’t. Usopp grinned at Chopper to reassure him that he was alright.
“A brave warrior of the sea always protects his ship!” he said, pain the wind carrying away his voice and making him sound smaller than he’d meant it. Oh well, never mind for right now. Usopp started to climb, noticing more dents and splinters the further up he got. The entire ship was due for an overhaul. Maybe on the next island they could find a shipwright to look at her. Until that time,
“Don’t worry, Merry,” he said, pausing for a moment to breathe, to wipe the rain from his face. “I’ll take care of you.”