Author's Note:

Salutations Readers!

This is the first of the drabbles I promised to the readers of Breaking Through Walls. Some of you asked about how the rest of the crew would react to their relationship. Well, these first two drabbles will help elaborate on that for me. I hope everyone enjoys. Please read and review.

Oh! and if anyone has any prompts or commissions—things you would like to see happen, I'm taking suggestions. I already have a bunch of these written, but I'm always looking for new ideas.

Now, for the show.


It suddenly occurs to me as I stand in the middle of the galley kitchen that I've got some extra free time on my hands. It's been forever since this's happened. Ever since we got back a month ago, one of the two lovely maidens that graces our decks with her presence—Nami-swan with her enchanting way of commanding authority—has been eagerly distributing chores and work that she needs done. I've been only willing to lift the burden from her delicate and ever slender shoulders in any way I possibly can. But...

I sigh deeply through my nose.

While I love doing most anything for our Goddess of Navigation...I haven't been able to see a lot of Usopp lately. He's been helping Nami-san with a lot of things as well and the two of us seem too busy to grab more than a few minutes of each other's company. Our time together is always fleeting and hard enough to come by without over whelming distractions and insufferable shitty interruptions popping up at every possible inconvenience.

As I look around the kitchen again, I'm surprised that everything's done for the moment. The dishes from lunch are clean already, put away, and I just finished handing out the afternoon snacks a half-hour ago. The roast in the oven has another hour at best. I finished preparing the salad and other courses earlier because I thought the marinade for the meat would take longer, but it seems I miscalculated. I pick up a rag and dampen it, leaning over the counter to finish wiping it down one last time.

I realize with an open smile, that if there's nothing left, I'm free to do what I want. Uh, such as drop in on our crew's sniper.

"Usopp should be below deck in his factory right about now," I say to myself as I unroll my sleeves and start for the other side of the galley. Everyone else should be busy elsewhere. Robin's reading in the observatory, Nami's probably still sunbathing, Franky's in the engine room, Brook's out playing his violin by the bow, Chopper's in the infirmary, and that shitty marimo and Luffy are off somewhere probably screwing like rabbits. Ugh, not that the mental image of that isn't enough to kill the mood...but, given the moment, I could probably get away with a little something myself before I have to come back and finish the main course.

My eyes wander over to the infirmary door. Even though it would probably be quicker to go through the infirmary, I don't want to run into anyone if possible.

Even as I think this, sigh, I know I'm probably sending Usopp the wrong message. Hiding our relationship from everyone isn't really the best way to convince him that I love him. I should probably do something about this whole situation soon.

It's not like I'm ashamed of it—how could I ever be ashamed about how much I've come to love him—I've never loved one person as much as this. I've realized that over this month how much he means to me, and has meant to me even before I realized. It's not just Nakama. It's something a little more... still, it's just that I-I...I really don't want to deal with hearing that shitty moss-head go on and on about it. He'll never let me live it down, I know he won't. Not after I've been poking at his obvious relationship with the captain and the fact that the man's practically gender blind to begin with. He wouldn't notice a beauty standing in front of him even if she started stripping.

My head starts to spin from the imaginary images, but I smack myself before it gets out of hand.

No, I don't think I'm prepared to handle his torment just yet or, alas, the thought of letting poor Nami-swan down. I don't know what she would think if she learned that I've given my heart to another. The only comforting thought in all this is that with Luffy and that shitty green haired idiot rolling around naked on every flat surface on the ship, I'm at least pretty sure that the rest of the crew is open minded enough that if Usopp and I were to come out, it wouldn't make any really big waves.

By the time I've made it around to the rear of the ship I've kind of worked myself up, excited with the prospect of it just being the two of us again even if it is only for an hour or so—but oh, what you can do in an hour, heh heh. As I've mentioned, it's been a long time since everyone's been off doing their own shit and I've had the chance to sneak away like this. I get to the stairs and I'm just outside Usopp's workshop when I hear the voice of the voluptuous Nami-swan! ...and I freeze where I stand.

Wait, what's the elegant Nami-swan doing down here? Last I witnessed her exquisite beauty, she was out on the lawn deck.

"—really over Sanji already?"

"Ugh, Nami why do you have to keep bringing this up?"

My name?! What!? I lean against the wall in the stairwell, just out of view. Eavesdropping's never been a hobby of mine, but Usopp's voice sounded frustrated and if anything, that's peeked my interest.

"Because I don't feel like this whole thing is over yet," I hear Nami-san say before Usopp sighs.

"Didn't I tell you I don't want to talk about it anymore...?"

"That's just it. You haven't said a word about it in a month. I've been worrying about you ever since you started crying during our last transmission." Usopp was crying?! What? Why!? "I want to make sure that you're not down here growing mushrooms or something."

"No," I catch Usopp muttering, "I do that on the upper deck obviously."

The familiar sound of the lovely Nami-san smacking her delicate hand to her face is followed by the ever enchanting aggravated tone in her voice. "You know what I mean, you idiot."

"What's it matter? I've already got it handled," Usopp says patiently.

"Got what handled?" she asks suspiciously. "Are you suppressing your feelings for Sanji again?"

Nami-san knows?! She knew Usopp liked me all long? I'm surprised, yeah, but I don't know why it hurts, my hand clenching at the fabric of my shirt without me noticing. Is it because I'm angry? At what then? That Usopp confided in Nami-san or that she's known something like this longer then I have? Am I really jealous? Or am I just feeling extremely guilty? Usopp's liked me for so long and... Even now he's pretending that nothing has changed between us to help me save face.

"No, it's just, uh, different now... Um..." he says softly.

"Usopp," she sighs. "You know that I'm here for you, right? I feel really bad about trying to force you into confessing. I shouldn't have done that, but you..."

"You don't need to worry about it anymore. I'm better now. In fact, I'm more than better, so stop, okay?"

"You know, I've known you so long that...—it's still hard to tell your lies from the truth sometimes," Nami-san says sounding ever the witty scrutinizer that she is.

"I'm telling the truth this time, I swear," Usopp's says trying not to laugh.

"Yeah, like you haven't said that before," she says with a smile in her tone.

The click of her heels suddenly grows louder and I realize belatedly that it's a little late to make myself scarce. When she turns the corner and our eyes meet, I'm not just embarrassed, but at a loss as to what to say for myself being caught red handed.

"Sanji?!" she says half alarmed and I hear the sound of a chair scraping against the floor, no doubt Usopp pushing it back as he stands up. Sure enough I hear the hurried scuffing of his feet and then he's standing next to her looking awkwardly up at me from the foot of the stairs.

"Uh, Sanji," she starts. "It's not what is sounded like, I uh—" "I'm sorry Sanji. I didn't mean—" they're saying at the same time. Even though I know that Nami-san is only trying to cover it up, I'm more concerned about the look of anxiety that's passing over Usopp's face.

"It's fine," I say quickly and though Usopp stops talking, Nami-san's still insistent.

"No, it's my fault because—"

"It's fine," I say again calmingly as I take the last few steps.

Usopp's now looking up at me appearing thoroughly tongue-tied if not still distressed. "I'm sorry," he mutters again as his eyes turn downcast and he suddenly finds his hands far more interesting than anything else.

I smile, because I think I know him far better than I initially realized. I know that he's worried that we've been exposed or potentially have. He's probably thinking that I'd break it all off right here—possibly act like it never happened. I'm worried myself that he doesn't have much faith in me or maybe more accurately, in himself, but I know the way to fix that is going to be proving to him time and again that I really do care about him and these feelings of mine are only growing more potent with time.

I pull his chin up, none to gracefully, because I almost have to fight him to get his eyes to meet mine. He's worrying his lower lip and I'm finding the expression of apprehension on his face charming. I bring him closer to me, the fact that we have an audience forces me to restrain myself for the moment—it is a innocent lady after all—and merely wrapping my arms around his waist and pulling him into a loose hug. He squeaks, a sound that is most endearing since it only represents how shy he still is and I can't resist the final urge to lean forward and tease him more, whispering softly so that only he's aware of what I'm saying, "You don't have to worry".

I want to make his face even redder than it already is, but I reel myself back in. I turn to face Nami-san, who seems speechless as well.

"It's fine Nami-san. It seems that I'm in love with him as well." My dear Nami-san looks confused, but I'm relieved to see a small smile poking at the corner of her mouth. Hopefully that is a good sign.

"Seriously?" she asks. She's such a vision as she recovers, placing her hands on her hips, her eyes beginning to judge us. "You like him back?" She looks at Usopp, who's trying to push me away halfheartedly and he stops when he feels her eyes on him. "Usopp?"

"Uh..." he says staring at her with that lovely red running down his neck. "W-what he said, I g-guess..."

She looks back at me, now crossing her arms over her chest. "And that's all the explanation I get?" she asked severely, but from the stunning expression, I could tell that Nami-san is highly amused.