Sun streamed through the huge window that dominated one wall of the room and bathed Usopp in warmth and light. He rolled over and tried to ignore it, but soon the heat under the blanket became too much to bear and he reluctantly sat up on the battered old couch. He blinked a little, in a vague attempt to clear his head of the half-sleep-half-beer fog that clouded it, and managed to focus on a glass of orange juice and a note that someone had left for him. On closer inspection, there were also two painkillers sitting on the table beside the paper.

Usopp took a sip of the juice and knocked back both tablets, then finished the rest of the glass while he waited impatiently for the painkillers to take effect. They didn't, not that he could tell anyway, but he did become aware of someone softly playing a guitar in the next room over. Anything, in his opinion, was better than sitting in the harsh light feeling sorry for himself, so he got to his feet and shuffled through the open door to find Thatch sitting on his bed and playing an old blue guitar.

"Hey, you," Usopp croaked, "that's my guitar."

Thatch stopped playing. "Sorry, just brings back memories." He gently put the guitar on the bed and stretched lazily. "Didn't know you played?"

Usopp shrugged and turned to go to the kitchen for more painkillers, when Thatch's voice stopped him in his tracks:

"By the way, is there any particular reason you busted in here dead drunk last night?"

A shiver went up his spine. "Er…"

"Because I can tell you right now that you seriously owe me a favour, buddy. I don't appreciate cleaning up other people's vomit," and here Thatch sort of laughed in a way that wasn't even slightly funny, "and besides anything else, you're a terrible kisser when you're drunk."

Usopp blanched. "Oh god, I actually did that?"

Thatch nodded a little -"Yeah, man,"-, and Usopp died a little on the inside (or felt like he did, anyway). A million stupid explanations ran through his mind, each leaving as soon as he thought of how to say it. He opened his mouth in the hope that an excuse might present itself, but Thatch held up a hand to stop him.

"Don't worry about that bit, I just want to know what someone your age is doing getting so damned drunk that you don't even know what you're doing"

He flushed furiously, and before he could stop himself he spat, "Same thing you did when you were my age!"

To his surprise, Thatch didn't shout or lash out, just put his face in his hands and breathed out slowly. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But I was a brainless nutter when I was your age. Where's your excuse?"

Still kind of mad, but mostly frustrated and ashamed, he muttered, "Dunno…"

Thatch stood up. "All right, you made a mistake. Happens to everyone. Just don't do it again, all right? Or at least if you hafta, do it with someone responsible like me."

"You're not responsible…"

"Yeah I am!" Thatch considered that, then quickly added, "For a given value of responsible, at any rate."

Usopp shook his head and laughed for the first time in a while.

"You're crazy, man."

"Fuck yeah."


Why, Lord, why is Thatch not listed in the character file? D: Um... yeah. This is for Aoi24's alternate universes challenge, basically you have to do five drabbles, all set in an alternate universe. I know the rules, but I'm bad at explainin', so check out his/her/its profile if you want to do it. Also, just so you're aware, there isn't a single 'HIGH SCHOOL OHMAI' AU in the bunch 'coz I'm classy like that. Yeh.

Enjoy!