Chapter 14: Zoro/Usopp: Bravery

Finding strength in one another.

Notes: For you EvilGu! :3

Usopp sat under the algarrobo tree. It was old, had probably seen a whole bunch of things. Usopp wondered if the utter destruction of the city below was the craziest. It had certainly felt the craziest, and the scariest! Why was it that wherever he and his crew went, things always went sideways?! Luffy and his magnet for trouble!

Trouble was scary dammit! And no amount of fancy title –God be damned– made Usopp feel any less terrified of being annihilated. These were the big leagues now, going up against Emperors and Warlords and a billion underlings. It was nuts! How was he even alive?!

Worse, he'd almost run away again. Forgot Robin. Shame burned hot in his chest. The door to the little hut they had all been healing up in opened, a familiar solid presence approaching.

"Quit it, you're doing it again," Zoro rumbled, settling down beside him. Usopp cringed, pulling his legs up to his chest. "Seriously, Usopp, it itches, quit the sorry for yourself shit."

Usopp curled up some more. Zoro's irritation poked in-between his ribs. "Easy for you to say, you didn't almost…" he mumbled. Forget their nakamaka, run away like a coward. Almost be the coward he tried so hard not to be.

"Tch, you are brave, and you didn't run. I felt you the whole time dumbass," Zoro huffed, taking a swig of the beer he'd brought with him. Usopp glanced at him, his green hair waving in the breeze.

"...Really?" he whispered. Zoro gave him a long look through his one eye. A fondness that made Usopp want to curl under a blanket and scream whisked across him.

"Yeah. And… you can always use some of my bravery or whatever if you need it. You're…not alone. You have me," Zoro rumbled, looking away from him. The heat on his face was unbearable, the warmth in his chest like coming in from a blizzard. Like spring green grass stretching toward the sun.

"Thanks Zoro," Usopp uttered softly, lips curling up at the edges. The leaves above them rustled in the breeze.

"And if you ever need sense for running, you can borrow some from me!" Zoro groaned as Usopp laughed.

Notes: Hehehe nothing like being able to explore angst and fluff in one collection let me tell you. Also I am now obsessed with a few of these concepts and jotting them down for more exploration!

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As always, thank you for reading and you can find me on twitter at buggyisbest!