As always, I don't own One Piece or the characters. If I did, there would be a lot more sex. X3
Gift!fic for the wonderful dethorats... Happy Holidays, my dear!
It wasn't a secret that Zoro wasn't much into sweets. He preferred his empty calories to be in the form of alcohol, thank you very much. Besides, the way that the shit cook seemed convinced that his silly frou-frou desserts would get him into the girls' pants put the swordsman right off of eating them. So naturally, what happened when their log pose led them to the next island on their Grand Line adventure? It turned out to be some pansy-assed winter island that seemed to survive on nothing but sugar; he was never so glad to have the ship's watch duty as he was that night while the younger boys ate themselves into a candy coma.
The crow's nest offered Zoro the solitude he needed, a chance to get away from the chaos below and stare out over the endless ocean. Snowflakes coated his clothing and brilliant green hair like a glittering net of diamonds, a lovely gift from Winter to an unfortunately oblivious pirate.
"Hey, Zoro- whoa, slippery." A familiar voice called out from just below the swordsman's perch. "I'm, uh, coming up, so don't kill me or anything."
Zoro came to his feet with a grunt and leaned over to grab his crew mate by the front of his overalls, pulling Usopp up from the rigging below with almost effortless ease (Usopp didn't scream, thank you very much. It was just the manly war cry of a Captain to make sure there were no enemies lurking about. Yeah.). "Don't kill yourself, idiot. What are you even doing up here?"
Somewhere from the depths of his winter coat the sharpshooter pulled out a thermos. "I thought you might be cold, so I figured you might like some hot chocolate?" He held it out to Zoro, his lips curled in a shy smile. "I made it with hardly any sugar, just the way you like it."
One green eyebrow shot up in surprise, but the swordsman said nothing more as he sat back down and popped the thermos open to take a sip, rolling the hot liquid around on his tongue. The bitter flavor of straight chocolate assaulted his senses, unhampered by the overabundance of sugar that Sanji was so fond of loading the drink with. "It's... good. Thanks, Usopp."
"No problem!" Huddling deep into the warmth of his coat, the younger man peered out over the waves. The snow that landed in his dark hair stood out in stark contrast, tiny flakes clinging to his lashes over eyes the same color as the rich chocolate warming his tongue; as all too often happened, Zoro couldn't help but notice the little things about his strange and sometimes cowardly crew mate. It was one of those unexplainable things that he gave up trying to understand a long time ago; with a crew like his, he didn't have much of a choice.
Soon the crinkle of plastic draw Zoro's attention to Usopp's hands, where he clutched a thick stick of that red and white candy that had practically overwhelmed the island. "Would you like some? I know you're not much into candy, but it's pretty good."
"No thanks."
"Suit yourself." Tucking the cellophane back into his coat, Usopp eyed up the treat for a moment before bringing it to his lips. He began at the bottom, giving an experimental lick to the surface just above his fingers before slowly dragging his tongue all the way up to the tip. Mouthing at the end, Usopp made a low, happy noise. "Damn, this stuff is amazing."
Zoro silently agreed, unable to keep his ever-widening gaze from the spectacle before him.
Seemingly oblivious, the younger man continued to lap at his treat. Taking a bit more of the stick into his mouth, Usopp sucked a little more forcefully, cheeks hallowing at the effort and full lips glistening with saliva. It looked so innocent if not for the fact that the swordsman's mind kept dragging the image down to the gutter, to less innocent things that suddenly would not leave his mind now that he'd seen that... that candy porn. Fuck.
Clearing his throat, Zoro turned away in an attempt to hide his embarrassed flush.
Usopp drew the candy from his mouth with a loud slurp, giving his crew mate an odd look. "Um, Zoro? Are you sure you don't want a taste? I-I don't mind sharing-"
Rough fingers tangled in the curls at the back of the sharpshooter's neck and yanked him forward without warning, lips meeting lips in a warm, chapped kiss. Zoro expected him to flail or yell or any of the number of things that Usopp usually did when surprised, but when the young man simply melted against him after that initial moment of shock... well, he wasn't complaining. Flicking his tongue against the seal of Usopp's lips, Zoro could taste the faint tingle of mint and pushed forward for more, making a soft sound of encouragement when the other man's lips finally parted.
He didn't know how long they sat pressed together like that, bodies and tongues pushing closer and closer with each passing moment, but eventually the need for air won out and they reluctantly drew apart. Usopp stared at him, cheeks rosy and lips kiss-swollen and looking entirely too delicious all at once. He fingered at the curve of his lower lip, uncertain. "Um..."
"You said I could taste," Zoro said simply, mouth twisting with a hint of smugness. "You didn't say how."
"O-oh. Well." The blush fired up full force as the shy smile from earlier returned. Sucking the stick back into his mouth for a moment, Usopp gathered up his courage and leaned forward. "I-In that case, would you like another taste?"
Zoro's answer came in the form of another kiss, this one a bit softer and more inviting, and as Usopp hummed happily against his mouth, the swordsman decided that maybe he did like the taste of candy a little more than he'd realized.