As the god expected, "bath time" turned out to be incredibly awkward and embarrassing.
Usopp was almost certain that Blue Gilly had caught him and Orlumbus making out, and if that wasn't bad enough by itself, the man seemed to be set on teasing Usopp further.
The god was glad to know that Mornin no longer felt the need to oversee his bathing, but that only saved him from the embarrassment of having to hide his attraction from the old man, not the objects of his attraction.
Usopp tried to sink lower into the water at that thought - objects. Multiple.
Eight.
He splashed a handful of water on his face and tried to vigorously rub away the thoughts.
Once upon a time, his mind had been firmly set on Kaya (though if he was honest with himself, he still did dream that she would come back to him), then his attention had swung to Luffy before he realized that ship would never sail, before landing on Zoro.
He had never felt anything for more than one person at a time, his focus swinging like a compass, hoping and waiting for his hook to grab onto someone who was equally as interested.
The closest he had gotten to was Zoro.
The swordsman wasn't an ideal partner, for obvious reasons, but he had been good to Usopp. He had let the other god latch onto him when Luffy had been too caught up with everything but love and allowed Usopp to have something of what he craved. He didn't pretend to be in love with him, and Usopp had no delusions that the man ever would be, but he had given him a taste of what it could be like to be in a relationship, had shown him the more physical side of companionship that went well beyond Luffy's skinship.
Yet, despite his meager love life, here Usopp was, enraptured by eight men at the same time. Absolutely absurd.
"God Usopp, you shouldn't do that. There are specialized cloths just to clean your face - you don't need to do it yourself." Usopp pulled his hands away to glare at the other man. There was a taunting quality to Blue Gilly's voice and Usopp knew he wasn't the only one to catch it as Ideo visibly bristled at the words, though he made no comment of his own.
Instead of becoming used to having the two men bathing him, Usopp was progressively getting worse. The longer they stayed in his temple, the closer he felt to them yet the stranger their touches became.
Usopp didn't know if it was purposeful, but he definitely guessed that it wasn't all accidental. He was sure Blue Gilly at the very least was attempting to win his affections.
And it was working.
Already high strung from Orlumbus and certain that Blue Gilly knew of their actions, Usopp was sitting rimrod straight in the bath, jaw set in preparation to fight if Blue Gilly made one word about it.
So far, the long legged man had kept the incident off of his tongue, but his actions were getting increasingly bold.
It would be a lie to say that the god disliked the attention, but he definitely didn't like what it said about him - what it said about their view of him.
He wasn't stupid and he knew that quite a few gods were…unashamed of their behaviors, but Usopp wasn't experienced enough to even comprehend having multiple flings, especially with people who lived with him. The thought of Blue Gilly thinking of him as loose made something ugly bubble in his stomach and he knew it was the assumption he hated. The assumption that Usopp could use his godhood to seduce and flirt was so unfounded it hurt.
He was willing to admit that he wanted to be like that. He wished he was suave and charismatic, that he could convince people to get into his bed, but the truth of the matter was that he was clumsy and awkward and shy. He was scared of talking to people and though he had come a long way from how he used to be, he wasn't a Sanji. The only person he'd ever even gotten into his bed had been Zoro and that was only because it had been taken out of his hands by one too many drunken nights.
Usopp wasn't used to the attention of so many men. Even as a god, he was unpopular. So the thought of any of his new priests thinking he had any sort of ability under his belt was painful because it wasn't true.
"God Usopp," Ideo's hands stilled from where they were wiping at the god's throat causing Usopp to looked away from his glare at the wall to see the man frowning at him. "If you want me to kill him, I will."
His face was so serious that Usopp couldn't contain a surprised laugh, the sound so startling to his own ears that he had to press a hand against his mouth to stop anymore from following.
"You couldn't kill me even if you wanted to." Blue Gilly shot back, but there was a self-satisfied smile on his lips as the two both crowded closer to their god.
Ideo ignored the blue-haired man and instead pulled Usopp's hand away from his face, a crease between his brows.
"If anything is wrong, you can let me-"
"Us!"
"-know and I'll get rid of any problem."
There was a truth in Ideo's kohl-lined eyes, the firmness of his face stopping Usopp in his tracks, stilling his breath as he recognized that Ideo would.
The god gripped Ideo's wrist lightly, giving him a smile that Usopp hoped would express his gratitude.
Ideo leaned closer, his eyes hard as he searched the god's face, looking for any sign that Usopp needed help. He backed off when he saw nothing of the sort, though he was reluctant to allow his hand to drop out of the god's grasp.
"Listen, I think we can safely say that any of us here would do anything for God Usopp - we wouldn't be here if that wasn't the case." Blue Gilly hadn't moved back with the other man but Usopp couldn't find it in himself to be annoyed. "Though, I do think some of us are more capable than others. Say those who may spend more time staring at gods than ensuring there are no enemies nearby for instance. Not a very good bodyguard, though a very thorough wash-hand."
Ideo sputtered at what was clearly a stab at him before the two started battling towards the center of the pool.
Usopp was content watching the two, glad to have some time to settle himself.
He was so focused on the play fight, that it took the god a few minutes to comprehend that Blue Gilly was implying that Ideo was mooning after him.
After that, it was a little harder to watch the two tangling around each other.
A week later found Usopp frustrated out of his mind and cursing his trainer for his bold and idiotic ideas.
Who would have thought that 7 days of sexual frustration as he was waited on hand and foot by eight attractive men culminating in watching said men fight before him, covered in sweat and shining in the morning light, would give Usopp more trouble than relief?
It, of course, didn't help that Heracles decided that a Free-for-All fight was the most appropriate. This meant that instead of seeing two men slide slickly against each other, he had to watch all eight go at it at once.
He was, for once, appreciative of the layered clothes he had to wear because it would be very obvious that he appreciated the men in more ways than just their combat abilities.
And how different each of their combat abilities were.
The men most formative with brute strength -Orlumbus, Hajrudin, and Elizabello - were distracting enough with their large frames, but seeing them pick up and toss their opponents had the god trying desperately to not make outward noises of appreciation, especially since he knew the strength beneath each of their hands after countless times being picked up and carried around like an adorned doll.
Those mastering specialized fighting - Ideo, Hack, Boo, and Blue Gilly - had their own...perks.
Watching each use techniques that couldn't easily be copied, moves that obviously took years of training and practice for was...for lack of better words, amazing.
Watching the men finally let loose and use their skills made Usopp's chest tighten with an emotion that wasn't entirely pleasant.
He enjoyed it, yes. He liked seeing how skillful they all were, liked seeing how much they enjoyed showing their strengths, but it hurt to see.
It hurt to know that Usopp was holding them back.
They didn't belong serving a poor god. They didn't belong serving any god at all. Priesthood didn't fit them, didn't suit them. They weren't terrible at it, they were very competent, but it wasn't their calling and the longer Usopp watched the fight, the more he was sure it wasn't right to keep them with him.
Though he was willing to admit that he wanted them no where but where they were right then. Usopp was perfectly fine admitting he was selfish enough to want that at least.
He was a god wasn't he? He could ask for that.
Usopp was distracted from his internal musings by Cavendish pushing back against one of Boo's axes, the sight impressive enough to grab hold of the god's complete attention.
Cavendish, surprisingly, was showing himself to be much more formidable than first expected.
He was tall with nice muscles, but he definitely didn't fit the first category of pure muscle wall. His technique was impressive, but it focused on his handling with a sword rather than a manipulation of his body like the second category. Either way, he was holding his own against the seven other men with little difficulty.
Usopp was surprised to find he enjoyed watching the blond's quick reflexes and interesting swordwork. He was used to Zoro's sword fighting - brutal and deadly; a very different style than the ex-prince's.
With his focus on Cavendish completely, the god didn't miss the faltering in the blond's footwork, or the man suddenly collapsing, but he didn't miss the torrent that ran through the duel, leaving the rest of the men on the ground.
The incident was so quick that it took Usopp a few seconds to register what happened and by the time he had stood up in shock as it slowly pushed threw his brain that his priests had all fallen, he was pressed back into his seat by a firm grip.
The mask that greeted him was terrifying. Eyes that were completely white and a mouth that stretched into a black void of a grin - it wasn't a sight that anyone would be happy to find right in front of their face and Usopp was no exception.
"God Usopp!" Both Mornin and Luigia raced up the dais but Usopp raised a hand to stop them, gripping the wrist on his shoulder to keep the thing from turning towards the old people. It was fear that moved him, fear for the two elders' safety, but fear all the same. He had no voice to speak with and he could feel his hand trembling where he latched onto the swordsman.
"Usopp'n!" The god could hear Heracles thundering across the field, but his eyes were stuck on the white face inching closer to his own. The open-mouthed grin that was settled seemed to grow, but the god wasn't sure if that was due to it coming towards him or the creature actually moving its face.
Before either Heracles or the god could make any further movements, the white mask creased in a scowl and then it was broken.
It was Cavendish that fell in the thing's place, his unconscious body sagging against Usopp who was too shocked to move.
There was nothing like pure fear to get rid of any lingering lust.
Usopp refused to come out of his room for three days.
He knew it was petty, perhaps even selfish, and just downright cowardly, but the god couldn't find it in himself to care.
He had known that the men were strangers, that he knew nothing about them, but to see it? To have it set before his eyes that he was ignorant of who they were, of what kind of threats they posed, of what kind of situations they came from? It was more than eye opening.
He knew that neither Mornin nor Luigia would purposefully put him in harm's way, but they couldn't be expected to know everything either. They could vet as much as they wanted but there would always be something that slipped through the cracks.
So Usopp has done the only thing he could think to do: run away from the problem.
The god denied entrance to anyone who wasn't Mornin or Luigia and refused to leave his quarters.
It was a shock - he had let himself get swept away so easily by their attention, by their admiring looks and pretty words that he had forgotten who he was.
A god of misfortune.
A lowly mistake of a god. One meant to be avoided and shunned because no amount of lucky shots against bigger gods could hide the fact that he was a bringer of misfortune. An absent father, a dead mother, an ailing love - he wasn't meant to be cherished and praised and adored.
"God Usopp," the muffled voice followed a brief knocking on the door. Usopp recognized it as Luigia so he turned to listen to whatever the old woman had to say. "You have a visitor."
"Tell them to go away." The god responded immediately before flopping back onto his bed and covering himself with his blanket.
The old woman was silent before the unmistakable creaking of the old door opening sounded through the room and Usopp tensed, waiting for Luigia to come closer and try and tempt his out of his hiding once more. Instead, his bed shook with the force of a weight falling on it.
Usopp was still for a moment, stunned, before he popped up and turned to see who had landed on his bed.
"Zoro?"
The swordsman was leaning back on top of the sheets, arms crossed behind his head and his one good eye closed. His only response to Usopp's shocked mumbling of his name was a grunt.
"Zoro, what are you even doing here?" Despite his words, Usopp could hear the underlying excitement in his own voice.
"Sleeping."
Usopp watched the other man in contemplation before flopping back down next to him and scooting as close as he could to lay his head on Zoro's impressive biceps.
The swordsman wrapped an arm around the other god and the two fell asleep.
Zoro's headstrong and laid back personality meant Usopp was tossed back into the ring before he really wanted to.
The god of lost wanderers wanted a bath and wanted food and wanted to sword fight and he didn't plan to stay and sleep in Usopp's bed forever. Admittedly, he did sleep in Usopp's bed for quite a long time, but as soon as he was up, he was dragging the other man out of bed with him.
On the way to the bath, the two gods passed Hack and Elizabello II. The priests in training hugged the wall as the green haired god plowed forward with little regard to those in his way.
An emotion flooded Usopp's chest when his eyes met Hack's that tore at him painfully and aggressively. It felt like he couldn't look away fast enough, a coldness washing through to cover the pain.
It was irrational and irritating.
He clutched at Zoro's hand tighter, increasing his pace so that he was closer to the other god.
It felt safer with him. Natural.
Even if he was a cursed god, Zoro was a stronger god. He wasn't like the priests or worshipers - people who would leave when they realized he was nothing more than a blight.
Cavendish had scared him, Usopp wasn't going to lie.
But it wasn't just the fact that it was strangers who came into his life, it was the reminder that not only did he not know them, but that they didn't know him.
They came because he had saved them, but he wasn't anything amazing and they would see that soon.
They would leave him soon.
Before he could drown in his emotions, he was tugged headlong into his pool-sized bath. Not for the first time in his life, Usopp was glad the temple's bath was as big as it was.
He came up sputtering and coughing, a wave washing over him as soon as he came up as Zoro's jumped in after him.
It felt like forever since the last time he took a bath without someone else washing him, a feeling that Zoro's wouldn't be able to comprehend as a mobile god who was used to popping into random people's homes and helping himself to their facilities.
Usopp couldn't help but compare his life to Zoro's.
The other god had a wildly different way of living with godhood. He traveled - or more accurately, wandered - across the land and sea, people willingly giving him beds to sleep on, food to feast on, and baths to wash in with the hopes that if they ever find themselves lost, they'd find safety and hospitality in turn. His worshipers happened upon him unexpectedly and thankfully, the god finding no shortage of people to desire his appearance.
His priests, on the other hand, seemed overwhelmingly put upon. A god of lost wanderers, understandably, was lost for the majority of always and festivals were impossible to plan.
Thinking of the two rather idiotic priests, Usopp turned to Zoro.
"Where are Yosaku and Johnny?"
The green haired man paused in his scrubbing to think before shrugging unhelpfully.
"Lost, probably."
"You didn't follow them did you." Usopp sighed, a statement more than a question. Zoro didn't have the tact to look ashamed but he didn't disagree outright, opting to grunt to show his disapproval at the wording.
Usopp couldn't keep a fond smile off his face and he slid closer to the other god, wrapping himself around his back and feeling the ridges of his muscles against his forearms.
He sighed contentedly, rubbing his forehead against Zoro's back just to feel the other man more. Usopp could feel the suds slipping down the swordsman's chest as he continued to wash himself as if the darker man hadn't attached himself like an octopus.
The heat that had evaporated so suddenly after the tournament was creeping back up through his stomach, gripping his chest with a warmth that made him put himself flush against Zoro's back until it felt like there was no more water separating any piece of their skin.
Usopp slid his arms further down, letting them hang around the other's waist; hesitating not from uncertainty but rather a desire for explicit reciprocation.
The darker man could feel Zoro's muscles tense as his movements stopped. Before he could take another breath, the swordsman was twisting in Usopp's grasp so that they were chest to chest and picking him up by his thighs.
The startelement was short lived on Usopp's part as he realized that he was getting what he wanted.
Zoro's lips were on his - harsher and more familiar than Orlumbus's had been. There was a practiced ease and a mutual hunger that spoke to the fact that their actions were not only relief-seeking, but also routine and expected.
It was nice.
It was safe.
Usopp knew where to put his hands, knew how to tangle his tongue with Zoro's, knew how hard to push their hips together. He wasn't scared of looking desperate, because he was desperate and he knew that Zoro knew that too.
When he felt the swordsman's hands drift, their lips breaking as he set Usopp on the edge of the pool and dragging the soap basket closer, he knew what was coming, what to expect, and shifted to allow better access.
Zoro uncorked an oil bottle with his teeth, dumping the contents directly onto the other god's dick as Usopp tried to keep balance by hooking his heels over Zoro's hips. He thought briefly about the hilarity of using holy oil as lube, before it was drowned out by Zoro's tongue on his neck and his thick, calloused fingers tracing around his ass.
The first finger entering felt like a floodgate opening, the relief at finally - finally - going far enough for penetration was overwhelming, and despite the discomfort, it took all of Usopp's willpower to do more than lay back limply on the floor and let Zoro do whatever he wanted with him. He tugged his hands through the swordsman's hair, pulling him closer and maneuvering his head so that the darker man could mouth at his ear, taking his gold earrings in his mouth and tugging at them with his teeth.
Zoro huffed a laugh near his ear and the heat of his breath spreading across Usopp's sensitive skin made the heat pulling in his stomach tighten until he had to press his knees against Zoro's ribs to relieve some of the pressure.
The green haired god's hands traveled down Usopp's body, the rough palms, more used to gripping swords than caressing soft skin, felt like they were stroking the fire beneath his flesh. Zoro pulled away from Usopp's neck, mouthing after the trail his hands left as he lifted the other god's legs with a firm grip on his thighs to allow him better access to the stiff dick between them.
The mouth enveloping him was accompanied by a second finger pressing inside him. Usopp pressed his thighs around Zoro's ears, one hand gripping green hair for dear life as the other tangled in his own dark curls as he focused on the sensations.
It felt like forever, yet mere seconds as well, before Zoro pulled off, a thin line of saliva connecting his lips to the tip of Usopp's dick for a precious moment that had the younger god licking his own lips in appreciation, and pulled his fingers out after a careful assurance that the stretching had been enough.
Usopp's legs slide off the other's shoulders, coming to hook around Zoro's waist again, pulling the other roughly towards him. The swordsman grunted in annoyance as he maneuvered himself so he could line up with the impatient marksman, holding Usopp's thighs open with one hand and guided his own dick to the darker man's entrance.
Usopp watched intently, his own hands gripping the back of his knees, teeth biting into his lower lip. All the tension in his body seemed to release when Zoro finally pushed inside.
Usopp's back arched up and he let go of his knees, letting Zoro handle his lower half as he moved to cover his face with his arms. Zoro fucked him deep and hard, his movements systematic and uniform in their force and angle. It was a rhythm that Usopp knew well.
Zoro's hands had moved from holding his legs to gripping his hips, fingers digging into Usopp's lower back and using the leverage to fuck the other man on his dick. Usopp tried to position himself to be of some assistance before giving up and sitting up to wrap his arms around Zoro's neck.
The swordsman, undeterred, picked the other god up fully, using his grip to fuck Usopp down on his dick as much as he fucked up into him.
Dinner was more awkward than it would have been had Blue Gilly and Ideo not decided to walk into the bathing room when Zoro and Usopp were fucking.
In their defense, it was their job to assist with bathing and dressing Usopp, but that didn't make it less embarrassing.
The pair had opted to drop the god's clothes in a basket and retreat when Zoro pointed them to do so, Usopp too shocked to do more than bury himself in the swordsman's neck.
Zoro had convinced Usopp to finish what they started, perhaps a little too easily for Usopp's pride, and then the two had dressed.
You would think someone had died with how quiet the room was.
Usopp gave up his seat as the head to Zoro, a courtesy expected of templed gods to traveling ones. They moved from the high table and chairs that Usopp preferred, to the low table and cushions, the head position the only place with a chair-like structure made of stacked pillows, as Zoro preferred. He poured the wine into Zoro's cup, replaced the bread on his small plate every time he finished one, cut off a portion of his meat and gave it to Zoro - everything that was expected of him, yet he couldn't help but feel like he was doing something wrong with how tense his priests were.
If it wasn't for the fact that Luigia and Mornin nodded at him encouragingly every time he looked to them in uncertainty, he would have thought he was committing some grave faux pas despite the fact that he had been doing these chores his whole life.
Zoro, the thick-headed brute, noticed nothing. He ate his meal calmly, the quiet being something he prefered so he took no interest in the cause of it or the atmosphere.
It wasn't until he held his cup out purposefully to Usopp for a refill, that the silence was disrupted.
"I'll pour it." Elizabello II clamoured to his feet from Usopp's left-hand side, reaching across the table to grab the pitcher with more force than necessary, the red liquid sloshing over the rim and onto the table.
Usopp half stood on his knees, an indignant cry on his tongue before Zoro waved him off, holding his cup out to the priest instead.
It was obvious that Zoro didn't give two shits about the formalities of the gathering - he knew the rights and wrongs purely because he had lived in the system for long enough, but he didn't push or pull for the rules to be followed. He was content getting his due - a bath, a bed, some food. Everything else was noise.
He knew Usopp followed them more stringently as a templed god - the restrictions and rituals more tight and strict when one lived surrounded by priests in a single environment than when traveling, so he let the other man do what pleased him, never demanding he stop on account of their friendship.
The new priests, however, clearly were less informed on the formalities expected of not only themselves, but their god as well.
Zoro could see the stiff lines of their shoulders and the tightness of their jaws as they watched him with spite and no little amount of fury, and knew that they cared deeply about the marksman, to the point of being borderline heretical.
Elizabello II poured the wine messily into Zoro's cup, his demeanor telling of one more used to being served than serving. When he sat back down, Luigia reached across the table with her cane to smack the blond over the head, her old face wrinkled even more in vexed anger.
Zoro looked over the rim of his drink at Usopp, the smaller god's lips thinned in restrained annoyance. He could tell the marksman wanted to talk - whether to voice his opinion or just to have a conversation, he couldn't tell, but the swordsman knew Usopp well enough to know that the silence was killing him.
He didn't understand templed gods completely. The rules and regulations wildly different than the ones Zoro had to follow. He knew the chatterbox hated the silence pact - only being able to talk to initiated priests and other gods being a hassle that made the already jumpy god absolutely anxious.
In a moment of pity, Zoro turned to the most reasonable pair of the new priests.
"How much longer until you all have the authority to talk to Usopp?"
Though he thought it was a rather safe question, the way the grey-haired man's lips quirked downward and the overall increase of tenseness in the already sour atmosphere keyed him into the fact that the question was perhaps tactless. Uncaring for his rather insensitive words, Zoro shrugged and took another pull from his cup as he waited for a reply.
Hack looked to Luigia briefly before answering the god, Hajrudin choosing to let the younger speak.
"The initiation ceremony is set for next week."
Zoro nodded absently, his gaze falling to Usopp again.
"Can you even wait that long?"
Before the younger god could answer, the blond at the very end of the table was clattering to his feet, hands slamming down on the table as he leaned around Boo. Ignoring Luigia's harsh whispered warning of, "Cavendish!" as he continued aggressively.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Zoro didn't even spare him a glance, opting instead to continue looking pointedly towards Usopp. The younger god looked between the two with a crease between his brows before he leant over the table, one hand holding his balance on the dark wood and the other steadying himself on Zoro's arm as he whispered in his ear.
Zoro caught from the corner of his eye the way some of the priests' stares snapped to the god's waist, traveling from his narrow hips, up the tight muscles of his stomach to the peak of bare chest showing from under his usekh. All of them watched the exchange between them intently, only Luigia and Mornin showing courtesy to a private conversation and Zoro could already tell that the lot of them were severely lacking in priestly decorem even with his own uncaringness towards the rituals and regulations of the class.
The rest of the table couldn't make out the words spilling from Usopp's lips, only being able to hear the slightest vibration in the air that told of the fact that the god of misfortune was speaking, but they still all held their breath in hopes of catching something.
Zoro snorted at Usopp's reply, his eyes bright with some emotion that wasn't entirely pleasant as he swept his gaze over the table, the cup rising to his lips again as the darker man sat back.
He took his time draining the cup before setting it down harshly on the table, standing up from his seat and stretching his arms over his head as the tension in the room shimmered in the air.
"I plan on leaving as soon as Yosaku and Johnny show up." He finally spoke, one hand gripping the handle of one of his swords.
Usopp's face fell and Zoro had heart enough to feel a little bad about leaving him to his misery, but he didn't worry too much.
Usopp wasn't weak.
"Good riddance." Cavendish collapsed back on his cushion roughly, face twisted in a sneer.
"You are talking to a god." Luigia looked positively horrified at Cavendish, her jaw slacked and her staff visibly shaking in her hand where she was obviously trying to hold herself back from reaching down the line and smacking him a new one. "You will hold your tongue."
Cavendish curled further into himself, face dolorous and arms crossed over his chest like a petulant child.
Before completely going back into his shell of self-inflicted isolation, Cavendish threw out one more remark, just to show that he could.
"I only see one god here."
It was stated quietly enough that Luigia could only bristle, Mornin sighing tiredly and patting her on the shoulder to draw back her ire.
Zoro snorted.
He was glad Usopp had found more people to care for him, and if the wide eyed look he could see the other god give down the table meant what he thought it meant, he knew that the other god had his hands full.
He turned on his heel, thoughts of heading back to Usopp's uncomfortable bed flitting across his mind before thinking better of it and veering off to the courtyard to train instead.