Title: Rescues and Rewards
Pairings: Luffy/Usopp, Frobin, San/Na
Rating: PG-13 (? I think…?)
Warnings: Gropage and Kissing
AN: Merry Christmas Navo! And sooooooo much thanks to Lady Emzebel for helping me by being my beta! This is my first ever one shot, and first One Piece fic, so I hope you enjoy!

Something was wrong, out of place, on the Thousand Sunny and Usopp couldn't figure out what it was.

Sanji was in the kitchen as always, whipping up treat after treat with names longer than Luffy's memory, filling the air with sugary sweet smells. Nami was on the deck lawn ordering around a grudging Zoro laden with boxes, and soon the deck was a beacon of coloured light; not that the Strawhats cared anyway.

It was Christmastime and Luffy, as captain, ordered a full celebration. Nami set to decorating, with Zoro acting as her (unwilling) pack mule.

Chopper was with Robin, sitting in her lap and listening intently to a story she read aloud from a book as large as the reindeer himself. (Usopp mentally noted to wish the little reindeer a happy birthday again when he came down.) Franky wasn't too far away, looking on at the two with fond eyes as he worked on setting up a tree taller than Brooke, ready and waiting to be decorated. The living skeleton himself was twirling and flitting around deck singing carols at the top of his non-existent lungs.

'I can't hear Luffy.' Usopp finally realized from his place in the crows nest. Because of Zoro's preoccupation with the Christmas lights, Nami had confined Usopp to the crows nest for watch. Normally, he would complain, but it gave him the perfect opportunity to wrap his crew mate's presents, so he had left with an 'Aye, Aye, Captain Nami!' to which Luffy had let out an indignant squawk. Chuckling at the memory, Usopp was just beginning to wonder if he should be worried about Luffy's silence when Brook poked his head into the room.

"Yohoho! Would you like some hot chocolate, Usopp-kun? I would be glad to relieve you of your position!"

Usopp smiled and said, "Thanks Brook! Make sure no one sees these for me, kay?" Seeing the presents, Brook cheered, "I shall guard them with my life! AHH! But I've already lost it! SKULL JOKE!"

Laughing, Usopp made his way down onto the deck where he was almost trampled by a fleeing Zoro, tinsel wrapped around his head. "Damnit Zoro! Get back here you dolt!"

"Witch!!"

"Seaweed brain!"

Quickly capturing Nami's attention and giving Zoro the chance to flee, Usopp called ,"Oi, Nami! Have you seen Luffy? He's being really quiet, should I be worried?" Usopp was glad for his timing. Surely Nami would have threatened Zoro's growing debt next.

Nami's face, which had grown scary as she stalked after Zoro, split into a grin. With a loud voice, she turned to face the direction of Sunny's figurehead, "Luffy's just fine, right Captain!?"

"WAAAAAAHHHHH~~~!!!"

Panicking, Usopp sprinted to the front of the ship, "Ah, Luffy! What has she done to you!?"

The rubber captain was suspended above the sea water by a rope wrapped around one of Sunny's 'horns' Looking up at him with pitiful eyes streaming with tears, Luffy cried, "Usopp! Save me!"

"Don't worry, Luffy! Captain Usopp will save the day!" And he began to pull up his captain, hand over hand, and Luffy cheered.

"OH NO YOU WON'T!!" Usopp froze and turned to see Nami stalking toward him. Quickly pulling Luffy over the side, he pulled him into a fireman's carry and ran, "No!! The evil sea witch has returned to kill the princess!"

"Oi, I'm not a girl!"

"Who cares Luffy, stop wiggling and let me run!" Usopp, clumsy to begin with, was stumbling under Luffy's trashing.

"Oi, who just called my Nami-swan a sea witch!"

"Sorry Sanji!" And Usopp grabbed the cook around the shoulders and pushed him into the oncoming Nami. The two tumbled to the ground and everyone watching froze seeing where Sanji's hands… landed.

"MELLORIIIIIIIIIIIIINEEEE~~~~~~!!!!!"

Usopp took off after the extremely loud crash - and Franky's shout of, "Little sis, don't ruin the ship! No, not the railing!" - with Luffy still swung over his shoulders.

He jubilantly ran past a giggling Robin before scooping up Chopper, shrieking with laughter, and hoisting him up onto his shoulders. Circling around the archaeologist, Usopp deposited the reindeer back in Robin's lap, still laughing. The two continued to flee, stumbling and randomly navigating the deck of the Thousand Sunny before collapsing in a heap, laughing and laughing.

Usopp realized how much noise they were making and quickly shushed Luffy, "Nami will find us if we're too loud!" Luffy covered his mouth, stifling his giggles and Usopp laughed along quietly, "What the heck did you do to make her so mad anyway?"

"I don't know! I was just decorating!" Luffy argued, hands on his hips. Briefly flinching at Luffy's idea of decorating - he could practically see the mess - Usopp was about to speak when-

"USOPP!!! LUFFY!!!"

"Ah shit!" Usopp exclaimed. Luffy looked around wildly, scared, "What are gonna do, Usopp! She'll kill us!

Usopp hesitated, "We can't go inside, she knows all our hiding spots!" Looking at Luffy's pitiful face, Usopp thought quickly. "I've got it! We'll make a fort and cover it in snow." Usopp said, scheming look on his face.

Luffy laughed, "Shishishi!! Let's do it!"

Usopp looked around, mind whirring as he saw two crates left on the deck. Grinning, he lifted a board on the top, creating the perfect roof. "Luffy! Help me put snow on it!"

Quickly, with the help of his rubber captain, the fort was covered in snow, indistinguishable from the rest of the deck. "She'll think it's just another crate covered with snow!"

"Damnit you two, where'd you go! When I find you, you're so dead!"

"Hurry Luffy! Inside!" And the two dived, scrambling against each other to fit in the confined space. Usopp reached out and pulled another crate to cover the entrance, putting the two into almost full darkness.

It was cramped, but warm, and the two watched with bated breath as Nami stalked by, a furious blush across her face, mumbling about perverted cooks and idiotic snipers as she walked past. Stopping in front of the crate, Nami sighed, rubbing her temples.

As the two watched, footsteps from the other side of the deck made Nami turn to see Sanji walking over, a tray delicately balanced on his hands and a red mark across his cheek.

The blush on her face grew deeper and Sanji stuttered over his words. "N-Nami-swan, I'm sorry for what those simpletons caused me to d-do. I'll just go and find them and kick their asses for you, my sweet!"

Nami stood, "No Sanji-kun, just… Don't, it's fine. We need to set everything up for tonight…"

And Sanji, standing with the look of a kicked puppy, nodded. Nami sighed seeing this and took a few steps toward him. Almost passing him, Nami stopped for a moment before speaking. "Sanji-kun?"

"Y-Yes Nami-swan?"

And in that moment Nami reached up and plucked the cigarette out of Sanji's mouth, and standing on her tiptoes, gave him a chaste kiss.

As the two pulled away, Nami let out a bright smile and gave Sanji his cigarette back. She sauntered away back to the front of the ship, ready to get to work now that her bad mood had dissipated. A love struck Sanji followed behind, tittering compliments.

And then it was only Luffy and Usopp, under the crates, and Usopp let out a relieved sigh, the danger having passed.

"Ne, Usopp?"

Looking at Luffy with a raised eyebrow, Usopp answered, "Yeah?"

"Why was Nami trying to eat Sanji's face? Does he taste good?"

Shocked at the question, Usopp laughed. He stifled them as quiet as he could, not wanting to alert anyone. "S-She wasn't trying to eat him, Luffy. They were k-kissing."

"Kissing?"

Seeing Luffy's innocent look, Usopp chuckled, "It's what you do when you really, really like someone, more than anyone else, and you always feel really happy when they're around." Usopp blushed lightly, thinking of the times he tried to forget when he and Luffy wrestled and Luffy pinned him to the deck, breathless. The captain may have been oblivious, but Usopp had almost given in to the urge to kiss him many times.

He didn't expect for Luffy's face to suddenly be inches from his own.

He stilled, "L-Luffy-"

And his captain kissed him.

It was slow and soft, but Luffy hadn't hesitated. His lips pressed insistently to Usopp's as the sharpshooters mind shut down. Luffy had overturned their positions, and Usopp's back was on the ground, legs on either side of Luffy's waist and braced against the wall behind them, and Usopp felt a shiver run down his spine realizing their position.

Luffy pulled away, lips barely touching his and he whispered, "Like that…?"

Usopp looked up at Luffy in shock. He couldn't think; his thoughts had halted and only a single stuttering word made it past his lips. "W-What…?"

"Well you said when I like someone more than a lot and they make me happy, right?" Luffy said, brow knitted in confusion, still unaware of the seriousness of the situation. "What, did I do it wrong?"

Usopp let out a breathless laugh, and pulled Luffy close. The captain's wiry body fit closely with Usopp's and Usopp leaned his head against his captains. "No, no, that was right Luffy…"

And his captain's face split into a smile, from ear to ear. "Besides, you saved me!" Leaning in, as his hand caressed down Usopps' side, Luffy whispered into the shell of Usopp's ear, "My hero…"

Usopp didn't resist the urge to lean upward and kiss him again.

Stopping in his exploration of his sniper's mouth, Luffy spoke. "Nah, Usopp, was your arm always this muscly?"

Gasping from the assault on his body and the kisses that left him breathless, Usopp whispered, confused, "Arm? Muscly? You're not even touching my arm."

A new voice spoke. "Urrgh, why are you guys humping in my lap?"

"GYAAAAH!"

The yell could be heard from the front of the deck, and in the confusion, Usopp saw Nami and Sanji, very mussed and flustered, dart onto the quarterdeck and stare.

"What the hell?" Nami looked on incredulously, anger dissipating at the strange scene.

Zoro had a hand wrapped around each of the 'captain's' throats. "THEY WERE GETTING DOWN AND DIRTY ON MY LAP!"

Not batting an eyelash, Sanji remarked, smirking, "Never figured you a voyeur, marimo."

With a primal yell, Zoro released his captives and launched himself at Sanji. The two fell out of sight, the sounds of battle emanating from were they were.

Luffy let out a laugh and tackled a still bruised Usopp to the ground, "Wrestle time!"

~The End~