Work Text:
The room was quiet, the only sound was the inconsistent buzzing of a small machine, and the slight shuffling and clinking of someone dipping a metal needle point into ink. The tension emanating from the blonde cook was tangible, and it made the long-nosed sniper tense, but he didn’t say anything to try and alleviate the situation. He didn’t quite know what to say. Sanji was certainly one of the more volatile on the crew, especially when it concerned… Personal matters, and Usopp really didn’t want to be on the receiving end of the bottom of Sanji’s shoes. Again. So, for now, silence would suffice.
After the events at Whole Cake Island and Wano, the crew had finally been able to gather together for the first time and catch up on their separate adventures, and to the crew’s surprise, the cook - who, before, was so closed off and tended to keep things on the inside, well, deep inside - shared a small amount about his experiences. It wasn't a lot, and he didn’t go into specific details of his past, and Usopp nor the rest of the crew expected him to so soon, but he did roll up his sleeves to reveal scars. Scars that were encircling his wrists from where those damned cuffs were. This, of course, was enough to make Usopp and the rest of their nakama see red, and if he didn’t know any better, he was sure Luffy would have turned the ship right around to go beat Judge’s ass halfway across the Grand Line. However, knowing how uncomfortable their chef was, especially when it came to pity, it helped to keep their reactions to a minimum (besides Franky who was, as expected, bawling his eyes out).
Despite respecting Sanji’s boundaries, Usopp did silently add ‘Hit Vinsmoke Judge in the nuts with an Impact Wolf’ to his Things-To-Do-Before-He-Died list.
And that is how Usopp found himself in this position - below deck with both of Sanji’s arms extended over his work desk while he worked away. In any other scenario, Usopp thinks he would have died on the spot from his ‘can’t-get-too-close-to-Sanji-or-his-heart-will-burst-and-he’ll-die’ disease, one of the most fatal of his many diseases, especially since he was practically holding the other man’s hand. Thankfully, though, he was able to keep his emotions and heart rate at bay, because this was something that needed to be done, and it needed to be done perfectly. This wasn’t just anyone’s hands, these were Sanji’s hands, his treasure, and he couldn’t afford to be sidetracked by his own palpitating heart and sweaty hands and racing thoughts and - well, you get the point.
Finally, after a few hours, the buzzing in the room finally stopped, and there was a quiet clink as the small machine was placed on the table. Usopp looked down at his handiwork and bit his bottom lip, eyes narrowing as he looked for any blemish or flaw or anything that could make Sanji’s hands, well, imperfect (not that there was anyway any part of the chef could be anything but perfect, but he now had a slightly better understanding of how the chef’s brain worked). Feeling satisfied, a bright smile grew on his face.
“Yosh!” He started, feigning confidence, because deep down he was nervous as fuck. The entire time, Sanji hadn’t even looked down once to see the progress he was making. “It’s done! You are now the proud owner of my 1,000th tattoo!” That was a fucking lie. In reality, besides practicing on a dummy Franky had made for the very purpose of ink practice, this was Usopp’s first tattoo. But, of course, what kind of man would he be if he didn’t tell a tall tale or two about it? Especially since he was horrified the blonde would hate it, that he had desecrated the wrists connecting to his very hands more so that his own fa- than Judge had. He couldn’t deal with that thought, so Usopp did what he did best! Lie horribly! “This was a fun one to do alright, but did you know that one time I tattooed the entirety of a giant Sea King?! The poor thing had been caught up in a fire on the sea, and his skin was horrifically burned. I couldn’t let it roam the seas looking so pathetic - so I tattooed it to make it look even mightier than it did before! In fact-”
As Usopp rambled on about a tale that was sure to blow Chopper’s mind, Sanji took this moment to purse his lips and slowly look at where he expected to see a painful reminder. A reminder of his past, of his abusers, of how helpless and powerless he had been against them, how - despite how much stronger he had become over the years away from them - he would always be weak against Judge, and that man who had brought him into this world would always hold some sick power over him.
But instead of finding such a reminder, he was instead met with something better. Something… beautiful.
Gone were the scars licking dangerously close to the bottoms of his hands and in its place was a perfectly shaded ocean - it wasn’t too dark, and it wasn’t too light, and the way it blended and faded back into his normal skin made it look like it was natural. Like the ocean was a part of him. And drawn within the ocean, with perfect lines and such intricate detail and coloring that only the hands of a true artist could achieve, were fish of all shapes and sizes, from all the different oceans of the world.
Usopp had taken away his trauma and pain and instead replaced it with his dream. His heart swelled.
The sniper paused his rambles when he noticed Sanji’s eyes locked on to his wrists, unable to gauge a reaction - Usopp could get lost in those blue eyes forever, if he so chose, but that didn’t mean he could always read what was going on within them, and this was one of those times. Immediately assuming the worst, he started to flail his arms and backtrack.
“W-w-well if you don’t like it, I can always try to cover it up with something else-” No, he absolutely could not! There was no way he could cover that tattoo up with anything that wouldn’t make it look like some sort of disgusting blob. But he couldn’t let Sanji know that. Maybe this was a signal that he should just jump overboard right now and swim back to Syrup Village, never to return again.
“Usopp-”
“I can fix it right now! Let me just get my sketchbook and brainstorm some ideas!”
“Usopp.”
“Don’t worry Sanji, when I’m done, you’ll be blown away by my artistic prowess!”
“Artistic prowess- what? Usopp-”
“You won’t even know what hit you! People from all around the world will approach you, asking you where you got that amazing tattoo, and you’ll be able to tell them that the great Captain Usopp has more than just one talent up his sleeves!”
“Usopp!” Sanji all but yelled this time, slamming the heel of his foot down on the top of the sniper’s workbench to finally shut him up. The sniper shrieked and fell gracefully onto his butt, covering his face to protect it from what he assumed was an incoming assault.
“I love it.”
… Well, that's not what he expected! Usopp blinked a few times, stuttering for several moments as he tried to find the right words, before finally deciding on, “Y-you do? I-I mean! Of course you do!” He scrambled to his feet and placed his hands on his hips, letting out a boisterous laugh, “There’s no way you wouldn’t like it! I am God Usopp, afterall!”
Sanji laughed, “Oh, so you’re a God now?” he asked in a sly way, eyes only leaving the new piece to look up at Usopp. The entire time he was being tattooed, his whole body felt shaky, in desperate need of a cigarette to calm his nerves, but he was unable to. He didn’t want to move too much in fear that a line would be messed up or Usopp would lose track of what he was doing. But now? He had completely forgotten about his craving.
“Well of course!” Usopp said, smile turning into something more soft. “I put the All Blue practically into the palm of your hands! Only a God could do that!” Usopp made a face, thinking over the words that just came out of his mouth, before deciding to tack on - “Until you find it, of course.”
There was a burst of warmth that exploded from the center of Sanji’s chest, which quickly traveled up into a slight dusting on his cheeks, and the chef couldn’t contain the genuine smile that spread on his lips. Without thinking and deciding to act based on what he felt, Sanji quickly stepped around the desk and pulled his nakama into a tight hug. “Thank you, Usopp. You don’t know how much this means to me.” Usopp felt his face heat up as those words were spoken quietly into his ear, and before he even had a chance to hug back or even reply, Sanji had already let go and was walking back out onto the deck. Usopp’s fingers slowly traced a spot on his cheek where he could have sworn he felt soft lips brush against it, but it happened so fast that he wasn’t quite sure. Regardless, a goofy grin was plastered on his face as he cleaned up his work space.
And when it was time for dinner, Usopp would feel his heart flutter as a plate was placed in front of him - a pike dish. His absolute favorite.