Title: Things With Teeth

Theme: #07- Wolf

Claim: SanjixUsopp

Words: 1,315

Rating: K

Warnings: Boyxboy, fluffy adorableness ahead.

Disclaimer(s): I don't own One Piece.

Sanji looked up as the door opened and Usopp walked in, yawning and rubbing his eyes as he sat down at the table. "Why aren't you in bed yet?" he asked, placing a dry plate on top of a clean stack.

"I was waiting for you," Usopp muttered, his arms coming up to rest on the table. He leaned forward and closed his eyes as if feigning sleep. "How much work do you have until you finish?"

"Not much, but you can go ahead and go to sleep without me. I don't want to be the reason you're staying up," Sanji said.

Usopp shifted as his face heated up. "…t's not the same," he said, his voice so low Sanji had to strain to hear it. When the blond caught his words, he smirked. "It's cold."

"I've only slept with you twice. Have you really enjoyed my company that much?"

Since Zoro was so kind and revealed Sanji and Usopp's relationship to the rest of the crew, the boys decided to go along with their usual habits; they were just more open about it. And one night Sanji crawled into Usopp's hammock for the first time in months, which had the younger man hooked. Usopp was sure he would never be able to sleep alone again.

There was a low moan from Usopp, one that told Sanji he was struggling to stay awake. "Usopp, I'll be going to bed soon. You go ahead and I'll climb in when I'm ready," he said, starting to stifle a yawn.

The door opened, small hooves tapping on the wooden floor. Chopper was standing in the doorway, small tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he sniffled. "Usopp, can you tell me a story?" he asked.

Usopp was suddenly sitting up, eyes wide to ensure the little reindeer was alright. "Sure buddy, what's wrong?" he asked.

Chopper ran to the table and climbed into Usopp's lap when the sniper turned to sit sideways on the bench. "I can't sleep," Chopper said, snuggling against Usopp's shirt. "But I want to hear a story. Can you tell me one?"

Sanji caught a glimpse of the two out of the corner of his eye and smiled. The way Usopp held onto Chopper almost made him think of a parent; everyone acted like Chopper's parent at one point though. Usopp was more of an older brother when Chopper had a mother figure in Robin and Nami, but he could have his own "mother moments." Sanji laughed to himself when it indirectly made him Chopper's so called "father."

"Well, one time I was going to visit my friend Kaya and I ended up having to fight off this huge wolf," Usopp started. "It was seven feet tall, had three rows of teeth, and the two tails."

"That's not how I remember the story," Sanji chuckled. He and Usopp had many moments to themselves where they talked about their childhoods, and Sanji was surprised when he learned the stories were entirely true. The wolf story Usopp was starting to tell wasn't entirely fictional. He could easily pick out the true facts in the tall tale the sniper was weaving into his story; the visit to Kaya's house, the wolf that appeared on his way and chased him through the village (although the one Usopp described was quite a deviation from the original), and if Sanji knew the story well enough, it would end with the wolf being caught by some of the adults in Syrup Village and cooked for dinner.

"How did you get away if the wolf bit all of your limbs?" Chopper asked as Sanji focused on the story again. He must have missed a large chunk of the story, which didn't really bother the cook since he preferred the truth. But another glance over his shoulder made Sanji realize that Usopp was starting to fall asleep where he sat.

"Well, it was painful, but I made the wolf chase me," Usopp muttered, his eyes drooping. "I was… I was just about to beat him up when… a dinosaur…"

"Dinosaur?" Chopper asked. Sanji chuckled under his breath, knowing this was the point where Usopp strayed from the truth.

"Yeah. The dinosaur… ate the wolf. It was… was really big," Usopp mumbled. His eyes were closed now, words trailing off as he fell asleep. "Then it… it started to… zzz."

Chopper's eyes, which had also begun to close as he grew tired, were suddenly wide open as Usopp leaned forward. Sanji was able to run across and hold Usopp up, preventing the now sleeping boy from crushing Chopper. "He fell asleep," Sanji sighed.

"B-But he didn't finish the story," Chopper pouted, his tears returning in his tired eyes.

Sanji assessed the situation before asking Chopper move. The reindeer complied, hopping down and watching as Sanji lifted Usopp from his seat. Chopper was still getting used to the idea of them as a couple and he couldn't help blushing as Sanji held Usopp like a small child. When Sanji grunted, shifting Usopp to hold him closer, he motioned for Chopper to open the door. "Let's get him to bed," he said.

"Sanji, do you know how the story ends?" Chopper asked quietly as he opened the door.

The cook took a moment to think about his answer as they walked to the men's cabin. "The dinosaur tried to eat Usopp when he tried to thank it, but Usopp was able to trick it. He told the dinosaur that there was a crowd of people behind the trees, waiting to give it food. The dinosaur turned its back for just a moment, giving Usopp enough time to hit him with some of his bullets and that 5 ton hammer you've seen him use," he said.

The cross from the kitchen to the men's cabin wasn't a very long trip, and Sanji opened the door this time to lead Chopper inside. The room was already filled with snores from the other occupants, so the new voices were no distraction.

Sanji decided it was time to finish the story rather than leave Chopper without an end. "Usopp took the dinosaur to Kaya and ate lunch with her right after that. He gave her the dinosaur as materials for dinner," Sanji whispered as he laid Usopp in the younger man's hammock.

"Whoa! Usopp is amazing!" Chopper exclaimed, stifling a yawn as Sanji lifted him off the ground. He was too tired to lift himself in to a hammock and more than willing to let Sanji put him to bed. Once in the hammock, he closed his eyes as he thanked the cook, curling up in a ball as Sanji covered him with the blanket. He was asleep in seconds.

Growing tired, Sanji rubbed his eyes and bit his bottom lip to keep his own yawn contained. He walked back to Usopp's hammock, leaning in to kiss Usopp briefly on the forehead. He still had a few things to finish in the kitchen, no matter how tempting it was to just crawl into bed.

A small groan escaped the marksman, his eyes opening just enough for Usopp to see Sanji. "Sanji? Where's Chopper?" he asked quietly.

"He's asleep, just like you should be. I'll be back in a few minutes; I'm still working on the kitchen," the cook replied.

Usopp pouted, reaching up to wrap both arms around Sanji's neck. "Stay here," he said as he gently pulled Sanji down.

"H-Hey, that's cheating!" Sanji hissed. He sighed as he kicked off his shoes, deciding the last few things to do in the kitchen could wait for the night. After prying Usopp's arms off his neck, Sanji crawled into the hammock and wrapped his arms around the younger man. Usopp moaned and pushed himself closer into Sanji's arms. The two drifted off to sleep as the cabin grew quiet.