Archive of Our Own

On the Straw Hat crew there were two main rules that everyone had to follow: the key to the fridge is never to fall into Luffy’s hands, and no one with a Devil Fruit is to bathe alone. 

Zoro and Luffy had gotten into their own routine long before the rule was even truly established. Nami was the buddy for not only Robin, but quite often Chopper as well. If they were somewhere with separated baths, Chopper always found himself with Zoro or Jinbei. Franky was happy to fill in for anyone (and would often bathe with Robin to keep an eye on her himself) while Sanji much preferred his privacy in the one place he was allowed to have it. 

That left only Brook and Usopp. 

The two didn’t seem to have much in common, especially with the 80+ year age difference, but after a few baths together they had fallen into a nice routine of chatting about gossip among the crew, an upcoming island, a book Brook was reading or a piece of music he was working on and Usopp pondering some problem he’d been having in the workshop. Brook would help him scrub the spot on his back he simply couldn’t reach, and Usopp had the lovely job of reaching into the man’s ribcage to work out any stains the skeleton couldn’t get to on his own. 

Settling into the bathtub, Usopp let out a long, pleased groan and allowed himself to slip down to his collarbones in the water. He would bathe in boiling water if his body would allow for it.

“Usopp-san, I have a question.”

“I can probably figure out an answer for you.” Usopp brought one hand up and snapped his fingers, pointing a finger gun towards him. “What is it?”

“I noticed,” Brook began, pointing one long and bony finger towards his friend’s head. “You don’t wash your hair when we bathe. Why is that?”

Raising a single curious brow, Usopp couldn’t help but let his gaze rise to look over his friend’s hair and then back down to his face. “Well of course not, my hair would dry out and break if I washed it as often as I wash myself.” 

Brook wrapped one of his own curls around his finger and gave it a light tug, thinking that over. Certainly explained a lot. 

“I’m not gonna lie to you,” an extremely funny statement coming from the sniper, “It kind of has been hurting my heart to watch you shampoo and rinse like you don’t have magnificent curls like me.” 

Brook turned his face away for a moment, staring out through the nearby window. It was quite unfair the lack of expression he could muster as he was deep in thought about the comment his friend had made. Where had he heard that before? 

“Yorki,” he said suddenly, water splashing as he brought his other hand up to cup his face in surprise. How could he have ever forgotten?! It was as if the fog of Thriller Bark had seeped into his mind and made his memories difficult to access again. “He used to tell me that. Magnificent curls.”

Usopp had taken a moment to wipe his face free of the water and remind his friend not to sink under in his whimpering before he could ask further questions. “Who is Yorki?”

An unusually long silence from the skeleton and Usopp briefly wondered if he should have just kept his mouth shut. 

“My captain.” Brook began, a smile evident on his face despite his lack of lips to curl up in happiness. “But also so much more. We,” oh, what was it they called themselves? Boyfriends? Lovers? He was certain they had jokingly used husband once or twice, spoken with a blush and a twinge of longing despite the shit eating grin. “Engaged in quite the fun romance.”

This had stunned the sniper into silence. So many immediate realizations and questions he never thought he would consider about his older friend. Almost like he had forgotten the man had ever been more than bones, soul and Afro.

“You’re gay?” 

“Bisexual. My sword swings in all directions.” Brook had burst into such heavy laughter that he nearly went under the water again. “Of course as pirates we never made marriage a priority. But it was known we were exclusive to one another only.”

Usopp nodded slowly, beginning to feel bad that he had spent the last few evenings in the bath with him not even asking a single question about his life before the darkness. He adjusted his position slightly, resting the back of his head on the wall behind him. 

“I’m sorry,” he started, scratching his chest lightly and pulling his lips into a small frown. “Sometimes I forget that you had a whole life before you— well, you know.” 

“Died? Me too.” Brook was staring down at his hands now, watching as his fingers curled and flexed despite no muscle to direct them. He missed watching his fingertips prune up after a long bath. “Sometimes I struggle to remember anything from before my death. As if it was a story I was told once and not something I actually lived.”

Nodding along, Usopp watched the man’s browline furrow into his eye sockets. There was more. “Do you want to tell me about Yorki?”

Brook glanced up and Usopp was once again left wondering how in the world he knew that the man was staring directly at him given his lack of eyeballs. His expression was oddly soft as he shook his head, looking out the window at the oncoming sunset. “Not tonight. But one day.”

Another nod and a smile. “Well, one more question then.” Usopp pushed himself up and to his feet, raising his arms up to pop his shoulders. “Do you want me to wash your hair? I’m planning on doing mine tomorrow anyway.”

“You would do that for me?” The space inside his ribcage felt tight and warm as if he could still feel the thrill of his pounding heart. “Usopp-san that’s so sweet of you!” In his dramatics the man nearly went under again and Usopp had to pause his stretching to fish him out. 

“Of course, we’re friends.” He grinned and gave his skeleton friend a thumbs up. “Can’t have you feeling itchy and gross when you should be ready to face anything with those curls.”

Usopp had come to fetch Brook much earlier in the morning than he expected, but the more he vacuumed the fog from his brain, the more he remembered spending entire afternoons together with Yorki washing his hair and long evenings into the starlight on the occasion he had the downtime and energy to braid. 

“The best part about this,” he began, gesturing for Brook to take a seat on the grass in front of him. “Is Sanji picked up on the routine so quick he has my coffee ready to go between oil and the first shampoo.”

“He is such a delightful young man!” Brook laughed and cupped his cheekbones in his excitement, turning slightly so he could see the expression on Usopp’s face. He was looking towards the galley with a soft smile and the skeleton couldn’t hold back his knowing giggle. “Seems you think so too.”

“What?” Usopp whipped his head around to face Brook again, eyes wide like a bunny caught biting on some important ropes. “I mean— he’s my friend, he’s a great guy! Everyone on this ship is nice.” Deciding to busy himself with digging into his bag, he grumbled a few more quiet arguments about not having a crush on his certainly very straight friend before he produced the bottle of oil he’d been searching for. 

“You like—”

“Turn your damn head!” Pointing across the deck towards where Luffy had plastered himself on the figurehead to wait for breakfast, Usopp frowned and pretended he wasn’t blushing. “I made this myself with stuff from mine and Robin’s garden. Especially since you haven’t had a chance to wash properly in so long it’ll help with keeping the moisture where it’s supposed to be. You’ll be soft in no time!”

Brook nodded as he listened, arms wrapped around his legs and chin resting lightly on his knees. He hadn’t expected it to feel so nice to have someone else take on the work of his hair— and furthermore, Usopp seemed excited to help out. It wasn’t a favor he was being burdened with, it was an act of love from a friend who knew how he felt. “Thank you, by the way.”

“For what?” Usopp seemed confused at his words, busy sectioning off large areas of his hair to make it easier to manage. He sure had a lot of it; loose spirals that bounced against his palm and kept their definition despite his playing around. 

“For doing my hair. I haven’t been around long enough to feel comfortable to start asking for help with such personal things just yet.” An impressive smile on his face once again despite his lack of muscles. “So much work and it must be done right.”

“You don’t have to thank me. Really.” Usopp’s voice was kind but firm, as if there was more to this hair care afternoon than he was alluding to. Sitting back a bit he admired his work, gently running his fingers through one of the sections of curls. “I know what it’s like to spend years not having anyone to help you out. My mom did my hair when I was little and then,” he trailed off, choosing to instead begin working the oil into the roots of the first section. “I get it.”

Holding back another thank you Brook instead began to whistle, leaning his head back a bit further into his friend’s hands. His fingers were warm and calloused, gentle against his scalp. If he had eyelids they would certainly be fluttering closed. 

“Hey Brook?” 

“Yes, Usopp-san?” He sounded sleepy now. “Do you have a question?”

“Yeah.” Moving to the side of the man’s skull, Usopp chewed his lip and tried to find the right words. The last thing he wanted to do was upset him. “Your crew, I… I bet you miss them a lot.” 

Brook was quiet for a little while, tapping the tips of his fingers against his shinbone. He wasn’t sure there was a word to cover how much he missed them. “I still forget they’re really gone sometimes. How does an entire human being, an entire soul disappear like that? I catch myself thinking they’ll come back one day.”

A bit of a sniffle as Usopp moved to the other side of his skull, refreshing the oil on his hands before working into the man’s curls. Thinner and rounder than his own; soft, light and perfect to brush out for his signature Afro. “Sometimes I think I should send a letter home to my mom and then I remember she isn’t there. Which is strange because it’s been over a decade and you would think I would get used to not having a mom anymore, but—”

“That’s not something you ever get over.” Clearing his throat to apologize for intruding, Sanji placed a mug of tea beside Brook and a cup of sweet flavored coffee beside Usopp before joining him on the bench. He placed a cigarette into Brook’s silently begging hand before lighting one of his own, politely blowing the smoke towards a gust of wind going the opposite direction. “I don’t think so anyway.” 

“I would agree with Sanji-san.” A very subtle nod as he didn’t want to pull his hair away from the kind and skillful hands currently massaging it. “Grief doesn’t have a timeline. You are not expected to get over someone’s death just because time has passed.”

Usopp sniffled again and wiped his hands clean on his towel before sitting back against the mast behind him, letting out a long sigh. “You’re good. Let that sit and then I’ll wash you.” He looked down, noticing the coffee and the way Sanji’s hand lingered just close enough that he could reach for it if he was brave. 

He picked up the coffee and transferred it to his other hand, putting his right hand back down, close enough that he could rest the side of his pinky against Sanji’s. A miscalculation, really. He could claim he thought he had more room or that he didn’t notice. 

Oh, but he noticed. The simple touch had his stomach lurching like they were about to go over the crest of a waterfall, skin flushing so hot he wondered if Sanji could feel the heat. 

“My mother died when I was pretty little.” Sanji chewed on the filter of his cigarette, being extremely bold with a subtle shift of his pinky to embrace the other man just slightly. A microscopic amount compared to what he truly needed. “Pain like that sticks with you.” 

“It does.” Usopp had his eyes fixed on the blonde, the way his lips were pulled into a tight frown like he was forcing the muscles to tense so they wouldn’t tremble. He let out a shaky exhale full of smoke before standing, meeting the brown eyes watching him for just a moment before he turned and made his way back to the kitchen where he belonged. One final sniffle and a long sip of his coffee before Usopp looked down at Brook again. “Alright. We should head to the tub.”

As if sensing that the two were preparing to start a new task, Luffy had peeled himself off of Sunny’s figurehead and bounced across the deck to meet them in the grass, looking between the cups of sweet caffeine and Usopp’s hair care bag. “What are you guys doing?”

“Gotta wash my hair, so I’m washing Brook’s too.” 

Luffy nodded, looking at his skeleton friend with a questioning gaze. He hadn’t spent very much time thinking about his appearance past ‘wow, talking skeleton! And he poops!’ “You and Usopp do kinda look alike!” 

“I’m taking that as a compliment.” Brook laughed and began following his friends towards the bathroom, taking a long sip of his tea. 

“It is! I had an Afro once and it was the best!” The young man ran into the bathroom and assumed a boxing stance, punching the air with both hands and laughing excitedly. “Wish I could have kept it!”

Brook turned his head to look over at Usopp, hoping he could convey the blinking in confusion he would have been doing if he had eyelids to do so with. 

“It’s exactly what it sounds like.” Usopp had pulled a stool up to the edge of the bathtub and gestured for the man to sit. He had already set up the showerhead within reach nearby, alongside a table of necessities like shampoo, hair masks, and multiple combs and clips. “Hope you’re ready, you may be here a while.”

“So polite. Almost as if you would fit very nicely with a certain someone.” 

“Is he talking about your crush on Sanji?” Luffy could never keep his mouth shut, giggles echoing in the bathroom as he watched his friend stutter and blush in embarrassment. “He is, isn’t he!”

“Go get breakfast already!” Usopp threw a wet sponge towards the man and held the shower head up like a gun, hand on the faucet ready to spray like he was a cat who had scratched an antique couch. “Out! Out I say!”

“Booo! You’re no fun!” Luffy stuck his tongue out and bolted towards the galley, finding his smile again as he smelled the distinct scent of Sanji’s breakfast menu. 

Brook stayed silent for a little while, leaning back against the tub and simply watching Usopp move around. Much more confident in his movements than he realized, always moving with intention and purpose and never hesitating until he seemed to remember that everyone else saw him as a coward. Almost as if his fear was simply a shield against a cold and unforgiving world. 

Usopp held one of his hands under the water until he was sure it was a good temperature, nodding to himself before bringing it down over Brook. “Damn,” he laughed softly, releasing a few of the clips on his right side. “Your hair is longer than I thought it would be.”

“Yorki said the same thing.” A long and dreamy whine out of the skeleton that turned into a whimper of pleasure at the feeling of his friend making sure everything was thoroughly soaked before working shampoo into the first section of curls. “You know, I think Sanji-san would be quite good at cosmetology. His dexterous fingers and all.”

Usopp tried to pretend he wasn’t blushing at the idea of letting himself relax under Sanji’s hands. Yes, he had thought about it quite often. “I would agree with that. Was Yorki good at it?” He desperately wanted to change the subject. Although, choosing a romantic partner to chat about may have given the man the wrong idea. Too late now. 

“Oh yes. He was often the one that nagged me to change my hairstyle simply so he could help.” Quite happy to have a moment to bring his memories back into focus, Brook stared at a spot on the ceiling and focused all his energy on bringing Yorki back clear as day. “A musician built for piano keys, his fingers were trained well for braiding before we met. He loved having busy hands while he talked.”

The sniper just barely swallowed a comment about Sanji, instead making some kind of odd noise he could pass off as a failed burp. “Uh— that’s really sweet. Can you turn your head?”

“Oh, of course!” Doing as he was told, Brook now stared off at a wall on the other side of the room. The Rumbar ship didn’t have nearly as nice of a bathroom but they made do with what they did have. “I remember we used to do our watches together when we could. With hot chocolate and braiding under the stars.” 

“That sounds so nice.” The words came out before Usopp could even think about it, smiling at the idea of he and Sanji doing the same. Maybe he had been trying to hang out at all the wrong times; he was in the kitchen all day from taking inventory to making grocery lists to preparing food and even to canning and preserving the perishables he wanted to keep longer. Maybe forgoing a good night’s sleep in favor of a little time with the cook would be worth it. “Sounds like you two were really in love.”

Brook nodded, firmly but not enough to pull his head away from the man shampooing him. Of all the things that had slipped away from him in the fog, the feeling of loving Yorki had never left him for a moment. “I think I will always love him.”

The comment made Usopp pause for a moment and he panicked, quickly resuming his shampooing so the man would feel safe to continue if he wanted. He hadn’t truly thought about him being a skeleton and what that meant for his ability to humanize him and build a relationship when he couldn’t even read his facial cues. It made it hard to think about him doing anything as a human when he didn’t have a visual reference. 

To Usopp he was always just a skeleton, but now he was beginning to picture a young man blushing and giggling at the affection of someone he admired. Maybe the two of them truly were a lot more alike than they had considered originally. “Do I remind you of yourself?” He found himself wondering aloud before he could truly even process the thought.

“Quite a bit, yes.” Following the guidance of the hand below his skull he turned and faced the wall fully so that Usopp could focus on the final section of curls in the back. It was true he had gazed at the young man often and used him as a base to rebuild his young self. While he was a few inches shorter and his skin a much deeper shade of brown, he had the same lanky figure and long limbs that he still hadn’t quite grown into yet. “You’re a handsome young man, Usopp-san.”

Helping him turn his head again so that he was facing the ceiling once more, Usopp peeked his head into his eyeline and gave him a proud smile. “Thank you. You’re a handsome fella yourself.”

“Oh, you flatter me!” Brook struggled to stay in his chair in all of his laughter, covering his face and still giggling as Usopp returned to washing the final section near his forehead. Fingers working at the same intensity as they had at the start, making sure to get all the dirt and whatever else the salty sea air blew across the deck of their ship every day out of the more dense curls near his skull. 

“There we go.” Usopp rinsed the shampoo from his hands and took a brief moment to stand and stretch, making sure his blood kept moving. He had to admit, this was quite nice. Until this point there hadn’t been anyone on the ship that understood or wanted to take the time to hang out as he washed his own hair. With Brook he truly felt like he was helping not only the skeleton, but himself as well. Sufficiently popped and stretched he sat back down, beginning to rinse the suds out and being careful to watch until the water ran clean. 

Brook thought this meant that they were moving on and got himself ready to stand but paused at the sound of the shampoo bottle squeezing again. 

“One more scrub, please. It’s been so long since you’ve washed properly.” Really, it would hurt his heart not to go all out with a double cleanse. If anything else, Brook needed to remember he was worth taking care of. “You won’t even recognize yourself after.”

Stifling a comment about already not recognizing himself and furthermore being quite scared of his own appearance now, he let the man work a second lather into his hair, focusing on the spots further from his scalp. He worked in silence this time and Brook took the time to simply appreciate the moment. 

He hadn’t realized until then that they were laying in the sun. At one time in his life he had been so terrified of a single ray of sunshine peeking through the dense fog, and now he realized he was laying in a delightfully warm spot and finding himself near sleep like a cat on a windowsill. Warm water soaking his hair once again and rinsing it clean of seemingly the last 50 years of darkness and grime. Like he was about to be a brand new person. 

Usopp shut the faucet off and used his hands to squeeze the excess water out of Brooks curls, reaching to the pile of necessities beside him for the bottle of conditioner. “Well the longest part is done now.” 

“Usopp-san,” Brook tilted his head back slightly so he could see his friend’s face. “May I wash your hair in return?” 

“Me?” He had squirted quite a large pile of conditioner into his palm in his surprise, never having expected to hear that question from a crewmate. Chopper and Nami had been the only two to ever really ask about his hair, and Nami was quite drunk when she had done it so he wasn’t sure what to make of it. No one had washed his hair for him since the last time his mother had done it. He hadn’t asked anyone to do it and no one else had ever offered. But when the words had left Brook’s mouth he simply couldn’t hold down the warm feeling that began to seep across his chest. “I would love that, Brook. Thank you.” 

Understanding that if he wasn’t careful with his praise the young man would certainly crumble under the weight of his own insecurity so he chose to stay quiet and admire his friend instead. He was beaming, although Brook wasn’t sure if he knew it or not. 

The faucet was on again and Usopp rinsed the man’s hair one final time, taking his time and carefully working through each layer and section to be sure he got everything. Once the water ran clear he turned it off again, setting the faucet down and now reaching for the final product for this part of the process. “Now to make sure it stays as soft as I just made it, I found this at the last Island we stopped at to resupply.” 

“So fancy.” 

Usopp laughed and scooped out a generous amount of the hair mask, spreading it across his palms much like the oil from earlier before working it in the same as the others. 

The two sat in silence as it worked, thoughts racing through both brains and grumbles emanating from Usopp’s belly. Was it still breakfast time? Lunch maybe? How long had they been in the bathroom? “Wonder what Sanji made for breakfast. I hope it’s biscuits and gravy.” 

“I’m quite in the mood for an omelette myself.” Brook nodded, thinking back to the ones that Yorki would always make for him. Sure they had a cook on their ship, and frankly they all liked to help out in the kitchen when they had the chance, but something about his permanently thin figure always made the blonde so protective over making sure he ate everything he needed. 

The faucet was on one last time and Usopp ran his fingers through the man’s hair with great care, a burst of pride in his chest as he could feel a difference from that morning. A few good squeezes with both hands and he shut the water off for good and grabbed the cotton towel he had brought for this reason. Another few squeezes and he was satisfied, wrapping Brook’s hair up with a neat little bow. “There. Your Afro should be twice as big tonight.”

Brook managed to sit up straight and pat at his nicely wrapped hair while laughing this time, looking at Usopp with an impossible twinkle in his eye sockets. “I feel ten pounds lighter!”

“You should!” Usopp got to his feet and brought his hands up to stretch, leaning backwards and cracking his spine and shoulders and whining at how damn good it felt. “Now, we should get some breakfast before we continue with me.”

“Do you just want an excuse to see Sanji-san?” 

“I want breakfast!” Usopp shouted, striding past the taller man and preparing to climb down the ladder when a large picnic basket raised up through the exit and onto the floor by his feet. Sanji’s head and shoulders came next and he seemed surprised the man was going to be there. 

“Thought you would still be at the tub.” Sanji let out an awkward laugh and pulled himself up into the bathroom, picking up the basket and handing it over to Usopp. “Anyway, I brought breakfast to you guys. So you wouldn’t have to interrupt the washing.”

“That’s very kind of you, Sanji!” Usopp shifted his weight back and forth a bit, finding the courage he knew he had buried deep inside somewhere. “Do you want to hang out up here for a while? With us?” He wanted to clarify that it was really just him that was asking. That the stories Brook was telling him were better than anything he could have ever come up with on his own and he had spent the entire time imagining him and Sanji in the role of Brook and Yorki. How could he not? 

“I wouldn’t want to intrude.” Sanji glanced away in that way he always did, like he didn’t want to be watching when he was rejected. 

“No intrusion at all!” Surprised at his own quick response, Usopp looked around and pulled another stool over, gesturing for Sanji to sit with them as he dug into the basket. Two bento boxes inside, one yellow and green, the other black and covered in stars. He handed Brook’s over, grinning at the sight of a massive bottle of ketchup settled at the bottom. Must be fried eggs!

“Sanji-san,” Brook popped open his breakfast and poured a generous amount of ketchup over his eggs before even considering taking a bite. “Have you ever considered learning to braid?”

Sanji raised a curious brow, slipping a cigarette between his lips as he thought it over. “Yeah, actually. I cut Nami and Robin’s hair for them. It only makes sense I would learn to help you guys too.” It seemed he wanted to say more, but he was focused on maintaining his cool demeanor. 

“Don’t you think this would be a great opportunity to do so with Usopp-san?” Shoveling a large forkful of eggs into his mouth as if his friends weren’t staring daggers into his very soul, he continued. “I would like to see our friend in a new hairstyle.” 

“What’s wrong with the way I keep my hair?” Usopp asked, muffled slightly by his own cheeks full of eggs and ketchup. 

“Nothing! But you are young and deserve a chance to mix it up.” Turning his bento box around so he could focus on the sausages and nicely roasted potatoes after devouring every crumb of egg. “You would be so handsome in braids.”

The mention made him pause and he stared down at his breakfast with an odd look of pain in his eyes. He had considered it, and had even started the process a time or two. But there was always a fear in his gut that forced him to reverse the work again. “I’m flattered, but… I don’t know if I can handle looking so much like my dad.” 

The room went quiet, the echoing sound of dripping water behind them suddenly becoming unbearably loud. Sanji had practically chewed through his cigarette to the point it was unusable and he had to dig out a new one. 

“Robin told me I looked like my dad once and I cried about it.” Luffy had poked his head up through the entrance to the bathroom, climbing up to join them all and maybe steal some sausage out of Usopp’s breakfast. He was fine to sit on the floor to complete the little circle they had started, well aware that all eyes were now on him. “I don’t know why it made me so sad. I don’t even know what he looks like.”

“The only reason I remember my dad’s face so well is his wanted poster.” Usopp admitted quietly, looking away and wanting to hide. This wasn’t a subject he enjoyed; he much preferred the romantic aspect of a life of freedom on an open ocean rather than the fear and loneliness he remembered back home alone in Syrup village. 

“Do you ever get angry at him?” Luffy was frowning in a way that only fit his face due to the being made of rubber, violet eyes focused on Usopp but the boy seemed to be off in the clouds with his thoughts. 

It took Usopp a little while to respond because he didn’t want to admit the truth. “Yeah. I can’t help it sometimes. The pain wins.” He sat up and put his empty breakfast dish in the basket again, looking at Luffy with concern in his eyes, like he was afraid he was encouraging him to fuel the anger at his own father. “But more than that I’m proud of him. Shanks asked him to be on that crew, my mom told me!” 

Luffy nodded vigorously as if he had heard the conversation with his own ears. “Shanks didn’t want anyone else to protect him. And your dad talked about you all the time! He named you after himself, didn’t he?” 

Another burst of pride and a warmth seeping across his chest. Usopp was afraid he was going to cry now, both hands covering his face and the burning embarrassed flush across his cheeks. He was right. His mother had even said so. 

“I get angry at my dad.” Luffy continued, staring up at the ceiling now. “Sometimes. And it’s hard cause I don’t really get why. Cause if he had raised me, I wouldn’t know Ace or Sabo or Dadan. And I wouldn’t have met Shanks.” 

Sanji was feeling brave now, blowing a stream of smoke towards a nearby vent. “You can have both. Anger at the situation but appreciation for where you ended up anyway.” And maybe that was all he needed to say on the subject.

“Sanji’s right!” Popping up off the floor as if he hadn’t just been detailing some very traumatic childhood memories, Luffy laughed and set his hands on his hips. “Don’t let anger ruin all your other good memories!” 

With that the young man had disappeared back down the ladder, leaving them all to ponder one of his very few moments of eloquence. 

“He really likes digging up your trauma and then leaving, huh.” Usopp could only laugh, wiping a tear from his eye and keeping busy with helping Brook clean up the breakfast they had all but inhaled. He handed the basket over to Sanji, feeling a brief sting of electricity at the way their fingers brushed against one another. “Thanks, Sanji. Delicious as always.” 

“As if the scarfing it down wasn’t enough proof.” Sanji laughed, setting the empty basket down at his feet. He didn’t want to leave just yet. “It’s getting hot out so I’m not going to make anything too huge for lunch. I’ve got time to hang out up here for a bit.” 

Brook was the first to stand, eager to get started on returning such a kind favor for his new friend. It was certainly a lot of work, and he had done it with such love and care. “Now that our bellies are full! Well—” he trailed off in laughter, mumbling something about not having a belly of his own to fill. “Come along now!”

“Brook, you’re the only person on this ship that truly understands when I say how much I’m looking forward to this.” Usopp couldn’t hold back his laughter as he removed his bandana, shoving it in his pocket and pulling off the scrunchie that was holding his hair in place. Relieved to no longer be confined, his hair definitely grew in volume an inch or so as he fluffed it out and scratched his head, unaware of the lovestruck smile present on the cook behind him. “It’s just so hard to get it all on your own.” 

Having to stack two of the stools atop one another as he and the skeleton had more than a few inches difference between their heights, he sat by the tub and made sure his hair was all over the edge where it needed to be. 

Brook was stunned. He tilted his head slightly to be sure he was seeing things correctly before he said anything, gently grabbing a few curls and lifting them up into the sunlight. “Usopp-san, what color do you think your hair is?”

“What the hell kind of question is that,” Usopp replied, laughing at the absurdity. “My hair is black, always has been.”

“I don’t think it is.” Brook gestured for Sanji to come look as well, tilting Usopp’s head slightly so the light could hit him properly. No, it didn’t look black at all to him. 

“Usopp, your hair is green.” Sanji was standing on his other side, reaching down with a delicate touch as he picked up a few of the curls himself. Soft and bouncy in his palm. Thick, and much more like a zigzag pattern than a stereotypical ringlet. He noticed it stretched much longer than he assumed it would. “Definitely green.”

Usopp was quiet for a little bit as he found himself overwhelmed with emotion. Green. Not black. Green, his hair was green. 

“I got my mom’s hair after all?” His voice was soft and insecure like he was afraid the two were simply pranking him, eyes darting between Brook and Sanji. “You’re sure? It’s green?”

“Yeah, green. A really really dark green so when your hair is all gathered together it looks black. But when the sun hits,” Sanji was aware he was blushing but he couldn’t stop now. “It turns a really nice forest green color.”

Sitting down on the edge of the bathtub beside the man’s head, Sanji kept a soft smile. “I can only assume since I’ve seen a picture of your dad and he doesn’t have your nose that you got it from your mom too.”

“You’re right.” Usopp kept his eyes focused on Sanji, aware to a certain degree that Brook was messing with the faucet and warming up the water again. “I was afraid that the older I got, I would lose her influence over my face.”

Nodding, Sanji ashed his cigarette into a nearby tray. “I look like my mom when I wear my hair right. It’s comforting in a strange way.” 

In a moment of bravery he had never felt before, Usopp did something he never expected. He felt his hand moving off of his chest, sliding down beside the bathtub and threading his fingers into Sanji’s free hand, pressing their palms together and giving him a reassuring squeeze. Like he wanted to convey that even in the pain of the moment, when no words were enough, he understood. He would always miss his mother. 

Brook pretended to be completely oblivious to what was happening as he was well aware of how delicate the two were in their ability to show or ask for any kind of affection, but his hands shook slightly with the excitement. It warmed the empty space in his ribs to watch young love blossom; especially one that mirrored the one true love of his life so closely. 

He worked the shampoo into Usopp’s hair much like the young man had done for his own. Section by section, beginning closer to his skull and moving further out as he scrubbed. It was clear he was meticulous and careful about his hair care, something that made Brook even prouder that he had been given the chance to help out.

“I think he’s asleep.”

“No ‘m not.” Usopp lifted his hand and waved at the blonde to prove he was still awake, although his eyelids were getting quite heavy. “Fully awake.”

“Goddamn liar.” Bringing his cigarette back up with his free hand, Sanji looked away and puffed through a quarter of it to prevent himself from grinning like a damn dork. Only another moment or two and Usopp was snoring. “There he goes.”

“No better compliment than sleep under your fingers, truly.” Brook was all smiles, looking at Sanji and unable to see anything other than a young Yorki waiting beside him as he washed and rinsed and picked and fluffed. Grabbing the showerhead he began to rinse, humming softly to himself and watching the water run clear. He repeated the process a second time, much like Usopp had done for him, moving down towards the ends of his hair with his suds this time. 

Sanji cleared his throat in that awkward way he did when he wanted to say something that was embarrassing or vulnerable. “Thank you. For being discreet. And,” he he chewed his lower lip, looking for the right words. “Bringing up something I’ve wanted but been too scared to say.”

“Yorki had no idea how to ask about my hair either.” A much quieter laugh this time as not to wake their friend. “It’s out of love and respect that you don’t want to mess up or be rude.”

He wanted to fight back about the usage of the word love there, but fighting it would only make him sound extremely guilty. But the man was right; he had avoided bringing up something that could have brought them much closer together because he was afraid of being disrespectful. 

Finishing his second rinse, Brook grabbed the bottle of conditioner and peeked at Usopp again to check his status in dreamland. Currently the king with how deeply asleep he was. 

“Your hands,” Brook started, working a good lather of conditioner into the more dense curls by his skull. “Would be perfect for braiding. And I am confident Usopp-san would more than appreciate the help.” 

Sanji nodded, crushing his cigarette into the ashtray. “Do you have some kind of bet going on us here? Got money on who’s gonna make the first move?”

“No. Is that something you all do?”

“It’s what Nami does.” 

Brook couldn’t stifle his laughter that time, his joyous yohoho echoing off the walls around them. That certainly sounded like their navigator. Picking up the shower head again, he rested one bony hand atop Usopp’s forehead to hold him in place while he rinsed one last time, scrunching out the excess water and humming softly to himself. Could it still be called muscle memory when he no longer had muscle?

“Care to wake sleeping beauty?” He asked, grabbing a towel and working to get a bit more water out before he fully wrapped him up.

Sanji nodded, reaching his free hand over to gently poke at the man’s face. “Pssst… time to wake up. Your services have been completed.” Even he couldn’t lie: Usopp was adorable like this. “Wakey wakey.”

A low groan and Usopp was back in the land of the living, sitting up and rubbing his eyes rather harshly. “Damn, Brook. You’re magic.” He laughed and looked up at his friend, overwhelmed with the mix of emotions he was experiencing. A certain type of gratitude over being seen in a way he was beginning to think didn’t exist for him on this ship. 

“Happy to be of service.” Brook gave a proud bow, standing up tall once more and unable to ignore the fact that the two were still holding hands. “Well, I will leave you two be. Thank you again, Usopp-san.” 

Sanji watched as the man hurried off towards the ladder, surely on his way to go talk about how refreshed and lively he felt now. He looked down at his hand, realizing that it was still entangled with Usopp’s. 

“Sorry, I can—”

“It”s okay.” As if to prove his point he gave his hand a squeeze, biting his lip and watching the man with a soft expression. One that begged please don’t let go yet. “I… I don’t think I’m as straight as everyone thinks I am.” Oh, okay, good job Sanji. Great starter. 

“That’s okay, I’m not either.” Usopp could only flash an awkward grin, hoping to convey that he was safe here in this bathroom with him. “I don’t know what I am. I just… like who I like. You know?” 

Sanji was beginning to panic, looking between Usopp’s impossibly large and trusting eyes and his soft lips. Admitting that he liked someone was terrifying enough, he couldn’t bring himself to cross the line into giving affection immediately. He cleared his throat, giving a gentle squeeze of his hand before standing and clearing his throat awkwardly. 

“I uh,” he pat his pockets to be sure he had everything, glancing one last time into his friend’s eyes as if to say this wouldn’t be the end of their conversation. “I have to prep for lunch. I’ll see you later.” 

Usopp nodded and waved timidly back at him, nodding in understanding. This would continue when they both were a bit less embarrassed and vulnerable.

It was Usopp’s turn to keep watch that night and he was pretty thankful for it. He loved the quiet time when everyone else was either asleep or doing their own personal care duties and it left him with just the stars above. Brook’s suggestion was still fresh in his mind like a juicy red tomato about to fall off the vine, so obvious and mouth watering he could just reach out and grab it. 

So he did. Under the stars he found himself surrounded by his hair supplies and a mirror borrowed from Nami, the left side of his now clean and soft curls pinned back so he wouldn’t feel overwhelmed. He was three braids in when he heard the sound of someone approaching, looking over and noticing a tray of hot chocolate and what looked to be a pile of fresh baked brownies coming through the entrance of the crows nest. Sanji pulled himself up soon after, having switched to a soft blue hoodie and a pair of pajama pants with ducks on them. 

“Thought you might be lonely up here.” ‘And I really want to hold your hand again’, but he wasn’t brave enough to say that out loud. Sanji approached the bench he had claimed and set the tray down on the table beside him, being extremely brave as he sat down at his right side, their knees just barely brushing together. “Might be cold, I dunno.” 

Usopp was beginning to realize that this was the blonde’s way of making a move. No, he was never going to approach and flirt loudly and over the top like with Nami or Robin, that wasn’t what men did for each other. Not in Sanji’s mind at least. Hell, they had all seen the way the chefs at the Baratie spoke to one another, it was no wonder he struggled with expressing his emotions. But the act of meeting him here, brushing pinkies, touching knees, holding his hand when talking about his mother, that was Sanji trying. 

He moved a little closer, pressing their thighs flush against one another now and pretending he didn’t hear the way Sanji sucked in so much smoke from his cigarette he had to cough like he was a teenager pretending to be cool behind the restaurant again. 

“You’re really handsome, Sanji.” Spoken with confidence that surprised himself, Usopp finished off his current braid and placed his now free hand on the man’s thigh. “Do you believe me when I say that?” 

“I want to,” Sanji admitted, struggling to meet his gaze but finally managing to lift his blue eyes off the floor and find the other man’s soft brown eyes under those long lashes. The way he stared like he could see right through all his lies made his heart feel like it was going to pump itself into overdrive. “That doesn’t sound like something you would lie about.”

“No, never.” 

A long silence between them as the words settled and the waves outside lapped gently against Sunny’s ever protective hull. It seemed they both had more to say but the words simply wouldn’t form. Sanji chose to be brave this time, reaching out and taking the hand that was on his thigh, lacing their fingers together and giving him a squeeze. 

“This isn’t going to break Kaya’s heart, is it?” Half a joke, but the man truly wanted to make sure he wasn’t about to intrude on a long distance relationship. Not that he believed Usopp was capable of such a thing, but of course, he always had to make sure that the lady in the situation was safe and respected. 

“Honestly,” Usopp could only grin. “I think she would be quite pleased. She is always encouraging me in her letters to do more adventurous things.”

“And kissing boys is how you decide to be adventurous?”

“Look who’s talking!”

Sanji was thankful for the reason to laugh, feeling like the sheet of ice between them had shattered and it was beginning to be easy to sit here with him. He allowed Usopp to cup his face with both his warm and calloused palms, even went so far as to not flinch when he pushed his bangs out of the way to see his entire face. He felt bare, vulnerable and naked in a way that scared him. He wanted to turn and run, but instead, he leaned in. 

Usopp met him halfway, unaware until that moment just how desperately he had wanted to kiss him. Until then Sanji had only been a mythical being, someone who was clearly so put together, brave and handsome that he had no shot. 

Oh, but here, Sanji was real. He was kissing him soft and sweet, lips parted and head tilted to fit against him easier. Eager, but hesitant as he wasn’t going to do anything the other didn’t already initiate. His lips were soft and tasted much less like tobacco than he was expecting; more of a mix of red wine and spices like he had to taste everything before it was acceptable for his cooking. 

Unfortunately for them breathing was still a thing they needed to be able to live and Usopp pulled away first, cheeks flushed and eyes half lidded. What was he even supposed to say? His mind was completely blank. Sanji had wiped his slate clean with a single kiss. 

“I think you’re really handsome too.” Gently cupping his chin, Sanji tilted Usopp’s head up slightly so he could see him better. Beautiful dark skin, eyes wide and full of his spark for creating and fixing, soft lips always pulled into that smug grin of his. “And I would really like to kiss you more.”

“I can’t say no to such a polite request.” Grinning now, Usopp wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him in properly, savoring every second of this version of Sanji as their lips met again. He probably was never going to be open with affection, but that only made their secret moments together even sweeter. 

This Sanji, the one that was cradling his chin with such grace, kissing him like they were lovers reuniting after a long absence, was his and his alone. It made the butterflies in his stomach flutter wildly and escape into his chest, affecting his ability to breathe and making his heartbeat increase to a dangerously high level. 

Fuck his need to breathe, he would be happy dying of suffocation if it meant he died on Sanji’s lips. Those soft, delicate, delicious lips. 

Sanji was the one who chose breathing over kissing, panting softly and seeming to fight his urge to dive back in. There was another reason he came up here. “I wanted to help.” He stated, his brain still a little starved of oxygen. “Your hair. You can teach me.” 

“Really?” Sanji may as well have asked the man to marry him. He bit his lip, running the pad of his thumb gently across his cheekbone and unable to ignore the way Sanji burrowed into his warmth like a desperate cat. “You want to do that for me?”

A nod into his palm and a brave kiss against his wrist. “Yeah. I don’t want you to feel so lonely up here like you can’t share this with us.”

Usopp pulled him in for one more kiss, preferring that over letting him see the tears welling up. Sanji continued to be soft and gentle against him, never pushing, never forcing him to quicken his pace or act like there was anything else they needed to be doing. Just kissing. He was so at peace with just kissing. 

“Okay,” finally pulling away and sitting back where he had been before, Usopp pretended his hands weren’t tingling as he picked up a small comb with a pointed metal end. “I’ll get it started and you can practice.” 

“So quick, just like that?” Sanji was amazed. Zeff didn’t let him even look at the inside of a kitchen until he had read through all of the cookbooks on his little blue bookshelf. He watched as Usopp’s fingers worked with confidence and purpose, parting a small section and forming a square near his temple. “You’re so fast.”

“My mom taught me.” Usopp said it with pride, sliding his fingers down to the end of the current strand of curls and holding it out for Sanji. “Go on, you’ll be good at it. I trust you.”

That seemed to be what the blonde needed to hear and he smiled, sitting up a bit taller and taking hold of his hair, noting the way it seemed to interlock together on it’s own without him even trying. A few stumbling passes of the stands of curls before he started to get into a good rhythm, nodding to himself. Okay, yeah, this was easy. He was good at this. 

Usopp took the opportunity to finally sip at his hot chocolate, thankful it had cooled down to a drinkable temperature now. He picked up the other mug and held it up towards Sanji’s lips, tilting it enough so he could get a good sip. 

“I thought I was supposed to be the gentleman here.” Sanji teased, licking his lips clean. “Thank you.”

“I should really be thanking you for making it. It’s delicious.” Setting the mugs down, he picked up his comb again and worked on sectioning off another braid, reaching the length that Sanji had been at almost immediately. In the back of his mind he remembered one of the stories his mother would tell while washing his hair and he jumped right in, eager to pass along something so dear to him and his mother. He was excited to learn more about Sanji’s mother and the ways they were alike, just like him and Banchina. 

They were both so wrapped up in the moment that neither one noticed a certain skeleton poking his head up through the opening of the crows nest. They wouldn’t have noticed his dreamy look, his yearning sigh, and the way he placed his hand over his ribcage where his heart used to pound in situations like these. And they certainly didn’t hear the way he whispered out into the evening air, hoping that Yorki was somewhere that allowed him to peek in on moments like this.

“Just like us, my love.”