#sanuso soulmate au

[beanghostprincess]

Sanuso Soulmate AU in which everyone has a bracelet painted around their wrist like some sort of tattoo but it's the color of their soul, and inside there's a circle with their soulmate's color. So, you know, if you both have the same colors but the other way around, then you know you're soulmates, yadda yadda yadda.

The Vinsmoke siblings don't have those because Judge made them that way, except Sanji. Sanji has a blue bracelet painted around his wrist and decorated with a yellow circle. Which would be great if it wasn't because he hates that color. It's always the color Judge chooses for him and it always reminds him that he can never escape that damn thing. But, well, when he escapes and meets Zeff and stays with him, the thought of having a soulmate starts being more and more appealing. He's sure she's the prettiest girl in the world! Cheerful and fun and bright like her color. He checks every girl's wrist in case he sees yellow and blue together, and sometimes he does, but it's never the same tone, and by the way the girls act around him he knows they're not his soulmates. But he doesn't lose hope. He'll find his girl someday.

Usopp doesn't really care much about it. He has a yellow bracelet and a blue circle and meh, he thought Kaya was his soulmate but turns out she isn't and that's just about it. He doesn't think much about it and he thinks that, if they're destined to be together, they'll find each other at some point. Tbh, he thinks it's stupid to be forced to be with somebody just because the universe tells you to. Even if he meets his soulmate, he'll probably choose for himself instead of jumping into a relationship like an idiot. Who does that? Forcing a relationship just because some colors tell you to?

He learns, soon enough after some years, that there's an idiot who does that and his name is Sanji. When they meet at the Baratie, Nami points out their soulmate marks (hers being orange and blue. A wonder who that tone of blue might be) Sanji is, uh, very dramatic. He starts panicking, of course, because he never thought his soulmate would be a man. And Usopp is pretty and all but- And he makes his heart go insanely fast, especially now that he knows he's definitely his soulmate. But it can't be. Really. He can't be. Usopp tells him that it's okay and that they don't even have to be soulmates. Perhaps the colors are just really similar. And if they're soulmates (thing Usopp was not expecting either) they don't really have to be if they don't want to. One thing leads to another and Luffy tells him to come with him and be his cook, and Sanji has to admit that even if it takes a lot of convincing, he goes with them. Both for Luffy and for the All Blue. And... For Usopp. He really, really wants to know more. He knows he doesn't have to listen to the universe and do whatever it wants with him, the way he doesn't have to be a Vinsmoke if he doesn't want to. But the soulmate mark- Love. It's. It's kind of a sign of not being a Vinsmoke. So he really, really wants to know about this guy before he starts panicking because it's, uh, a guy.

He's a bit too clingy with Usopp, he has to admit. He doesn't treat him like one of the girls but he definitely cares about him way more than he cares about other men. He protects him more. Keeps an eye on him. Decides to spend more time by his side. Usopp lets him know that nothing will happen between them if he doesn't want to and that he won't date Sanji just because a soulmate mark says so. Sanji accepts it gladly, but he never stops being this way. He just wants the opportunity to love somebody, Usopp doesn't have to feel the same.

So they grow closer. Become best friends, even. Inseparable. Usopp has to admit that, after all, he enjoys Sanji's company the most. And when he's not forcing the soulmate thing between them, he's a sweetheart.

Then Skypiea happens, and Usopp knows that Sanji is more than what he looks like. Water 7 comes next, and Usopp misses Sanji the most. He won't stop staring at the stupid colors. And he thinks that if he's going to leave for good, he wishes he could take Sanji with him. He guesses Sanji would say yes. But he can't do that to him, or the crew. When he joins them again, he thinks about asking Sanji out on a date or something. Or- Or at least saying that he can feel it too. But it would be like following the universe orders and he wants to be more than what the universe tells him to be. He knows soulmates aren't a bad thing (hell, Zoro and Luffy are happy and Nami and Vivi are insane about each other too) but still... Usopp thinks that they need more time. Sanji waits patiently, too, perhaps he has forgotten about it already. The thought of Sanji moving on from him bothers him in the worst of ways, and Usopp feels extremely selfish for even thinking that. So, he'll confess. At some point. Something. He doesn't know exactly what. Is he in love with Sanji? He- He isn't sure. He needs just more time.

Oh. And the universe gives them time. Two fucking years of time to think on his own. Fucking perfect. And that's when Usopp instantly regrets not saying anything, because the first night alone after so long he dreams about blue seas and blue eyes and blue skies and blue blue blue. He decides, then, that he'll grow into somebody Sanji deserves to be with. And he'll fight against the universe for keeping them apart when they were meant to be together. Sanji, during his two years in Momoiro Island, learns that liking boys perhaps isn't that weird. That it could also be a way of showing he is not a Vinsmoke, because Judge would never make somebody who has a soulmate and whose soulmate also happens to be of the same gender. Well- Talking about gender, he's- He's not so sure about that one either, but he doesn't think about it too much.

When they meet again after two years being apart, it's like they know what the other is going to say. There's a confession. It's emotional. Usopp is the one crying, surprisingly enough. But they're together, and that's what matters, right?

Except that the world sort of happens to hate Usopp, and from the moment they step in Dressrosa they don't see each other for a long time. And suddenly Sanji is getting married to some random girl? He- He just really, really, thinks the universe is against him. But there's a force of power way stronger than the universe. Way stronger that the gods. So when Luffy promises him to bring back Sanji for him, Usopp trusts him with his whole soul.

For Sanji, it's a bit weird. Whole Cake is an experience. His brothers tell him he doesn't have the right to have a soulmate so he can't complain about getting married to somebody else. Besides, as if he had any right to do so. Pudding is a gorgeous, precious girl. How can he complain? Sanji starts thinking the things his brothers tell him, somehow. How could he reject somebody like that? Besides, Usopp deserves better. And he has never been too into the soulmate thing, anyway. He'll find someone else and Sanji will get married to a pretty girl that, even if she breaks his heart, will at least keep the crew safe with the marriage. Then Luffy waits for him. And starves for him. And then his captain says something about Usopp too that Sanji does not want to hear but shatters his heart into pieces anyway. He really, really wants go back home.

And he does, after a wild ride. And he has never been happier, even if he knows this is going to hunt him for his whole life and he'll never forget what happened.

He sees Usopp when they get to Wano, and he looks happy without him. He looks like he is, yet he clearly isn't, when his eyes meet Sanji's. Usopp hugs him and kisses him and hits him and insults him and cries and tells him that he's the dumbest guy in the history of men and that he should've thought about his soulmate before pulling this self-sacrificing shit on him. And Usopp keeps yelling and he's extremely angry but Sanji kisses him anyway. And- And they're fine.

They will be fine, the universe likes it or not.

#i wanted to play with the fact that the strawhats have specific colors #and also i love soulmate aus did you know i love them #they make me go insane let them be happy #i gotta go to work so i can't write more aghh #maybe i write a fic who knows #if anybody has questions or ideas or wants to talk abt this au please interact i actually love this idea #one piece #black leg sanji #usopp #sanuso #zolu #namivivi #< best side couples for sanuso grrr #sanuso soulmate au

[camels-pen]

a gift (not a burden)

summary:

Usopp knows who his soulmate is, but he doesn't want to follow some bullshit rules of fate etched into his skin.

Meanwhile, Sanji's a hopeless romantic.

—

second gift exchange fic! this is also for @redriotinggg & i've got some extra notes about their soulmarks i'm probably gonna share at some point

warning: internalized homophobia

Ao3 Link | Chapter 2

Chapter 1: I love you, my friend

“Soulmarks: a way of finding your perfect romantic match. Depending on where it’s placed, the meaning changes—”

“So?” Usopp said, colouring the mane of his fish-lion drawing.

“So,”—Ms. Okra ripped the paper away and he made a noise of protest—“yours is very important, Usopp.”

Usopp sighed, slumping forward on the table. Ms. Okra kept talking about more dumb soulmate facts while Usopp tried to remember her real name. She always bragged that she got the nickname ‘Ms. Okra’ because she sold the best okra in the village, but Usopp’s heard the other adults make fun of her hairdo plenty of times to know the truth.

“Are you even listening?!”

Usopp groaned. “Who cares about soulmates?”

“This is serious, Usopp,” she said, wagging a finger at him. “You have to make sure to find yours soon—”

“Because you don’t wanna come up the hill anymore?”

Ms. Okra stuttered, “Well—I—”

“I didn’t ask you to babysit me,” he grumbled, rolling his broken crayon across the table. “I was doing just fine before the mayor made you guys check up on me. I’m 7 and a half; I’m basically an adult!”

Ms. Okra rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying, you could stand to make a few friends. There are some nice boys and girls who visit on passing ships sometimes—”

Usopp blew raspberries. “You just wanna get rid o’ me. Prolly to steal all the legendary gold I’ve got hidden away.” He grinned. “Did I ever tell you? I went to a famous island made of cheese and—”

“Son of a pirate, indeed,” she whispered, rubbing the bridge of her nose. It sounded like any other curse she’d yelled at him from her shop window.

Usopp gripped his crayon tightly. “He’s gonna come back.” He glared at her. “And he’s not gonna be happy when I tell him what you said.”

“Oh please, if that coward was going to come back, he would’ve done it before Banchina—”

Usopp snatched his drawing and ran out the door. 

“Usopp! Usopp, get back here; we haven’t finished the lesson!” Ms. Okra shouted. “What would your mother say?!”

His mom would be proud of him for sticking up for himself and his dad. And she wouldn’t be so pushy about soulmates. Her mark was in the same spot as Usopp’s, after all, and look what happened.

Usopp spent the night holed up in a cave by the beach, his fish-lion crushed to his chest. The breeze whistled a lonely tune through the stone and sand. He buried his face in his knees and tried to ignore it.

—

Vinsmokes aren’t supposed to get soulmarks, his father sneered.

It’s like an ugly tattoo, his brothers jeered.

Make sure no one sees it, Reiju warned.

“Sanji,” his mother said, a warm look in her eyes, “it’s beautiful.”

“Really?” he asked, curled up next to her in bed. “Everyone else hates it.”

“Really, baby.” She tucked a stray hair behind his ear. “Don’t worry about everyone else; how does it make you feel?”

“Hmm.” Sanji traced each line of his mark with his finger. He smiled. “It makes me feel really warm and good! Like when I eat soup!”

His mom pressed a kiss to his temple and he giggled. “Then, mon chouchou, that’s all that matters.”

“But—But what if they don’t like me, maman?” He sniffled, tears welling up in his eyes. “I’m really bad at everything and I’m whiny and—”

His mom shushed him and pulled him closer. “Don’t listen to Judge and your brothers, okay? You are perfect just as you are. Your soulmate is going to love you.”

“Can you come with me when I meet them?” Sanji hastily added, “W-When you get better, I mean! And—And when I’m older and not as much of a baby!”

His mom took a sharp breath. She buried her face in his hair, the sheets rustling as she tugged him to her chest. “Of course, mon coeur,” she said, her voice sounding odd and muffled. “I’d love to be with you when you meet them.”

—

Usopp’s soulmark was a tiny little thing. Blue waves and a chef’s hat with a spiral pattern all inside a glass bottle. It was barely the size of his fingernail.

Mrs. Barb’s soulmark stretched across her whole back. A big green boar with curly white tusks and yellow flowers for eyes. Mrs. Barb’s tanktop couldn’t even cover it all.

“Rue!” Ms. Okra yelled, her voice easily louder than the sound of Mrs. Barb’s hammering. “You better not be fixing the display stand when I told you to rest!”

“Nope! No fixing here!” Ms. Okra stomped down the street as Mrs. Barb hastily put away her tools and kicked the box under the porch. She and Mrs. Barb whispered something to each other. Mrs. Barb said something that made Ms. Okra burst into laughter and smack her shoulder. Mrs. Barb put an arm around her waist and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

“Don’t get too close, Captain, or they might spot you.” Pepper pulled on the back of  Usopp’s shirt. “C’mon, let’s find Onion and Carrot, they’re still hiding!”

“R-Right! I was just trying to test my limits today.” He grinned. “Gotta practice my famous stealth techniques or I might get rusty!” 

“But I found you first…?” Pepper said, confused.

Usopp turned Pepper around and ushered him further down the alley towards the mouth of the forest. “Of course, of course, but that’s just because I was going easy on you, just wait until next time when I—”

—

“I almost had it!”

“Sure you did, kid!” Patty laughed around the cigarette in his mouth. “Maybe next time you’ll hit the target!” He laughed again, slapping the railing.

Sanji whirled on him. “Fuck off!”

“Hey! Watch your fucking language!”

“You need to bend your knees more,” Zeff called from the kitchen, his voice drifting out from the open door.

“You didn’t even see it!” Sanji yelled back.

“Didn’t have to. I could hear your dainty little steps from here.”

“They aren’t dainty.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

Sanji scoffed. “Whatever.” He swiped Patty’s cigarette and ran back inside, giggling while the man chased after him.

“Give that back you brat!” Patty knocked into a rolling cart piled with dirty plates. Carne scrambled to catch them with a curse. 

“Patty!” Zeff shouted. “Quit fucking around and harassing the Eggplant. Either finish your shitty break or get to work!”

“Ugh, dad to the rescue.”

Sanji flushed. “He’s—I mean—he’s okay, but he’s still just a shitty geezer.” There was a smarting pain to his head and Sanji squatted down with a hiss. “What’d you kick me for?!”

“I may be a geezer, but I ain’t shitty.” There was another thud, followed by a deeper hiss. Louder, Zeff said, “And I ain’t your dad, Patty, so get to fucking work.”

“Aye aye, Owner Zeff,” he grumbled.

With the sound of running water, Sanji looked up. Patty was at the sink, washing dishes and sporting a lump on top of his head. He snickered quietly to himself and took a celebratory drag of his stolen prize.

“You gotta stop picking fights like that,” Carne said, frowning down at Sanji. “Also, quit smoking. It’s bad for you.”

“Everybody else does it!”

Carne took the cigarette from Sanji and held it out of reach. “Well, you’re not everybody else, are you?”

“Hey!”

“Sanji, let it go.”

“But Pére!” Sanji whined.

Silence.

Carne had a hand over his mouth. Patty’s shoulders were shaking.

“What?” Sanji said, shoulders rising. “Don’t laugh! You guys said it earlier!”

Before he realized, Zeff leaned down and scooped him into a hug. Sanji stiffened. “W-What the hell are you doing, shitty geezer?”

“Nothing special.” He paused a moment. Sanji grew more tense with each passing second. “Thank you, mon fils.”

Sanji gasped. “You—what—when—?!”

“I wanted to read books from the North, so I learned,” he said. It sounded like that time he told Sanji he’d grow watermelons in his stomach if he ate the seeds. Zeff gave him a hard pat on the back and went back to cooking like nothing had happened.

“When you meet your soulmate, you better bring her ‘round to meet all of us, okay?” Carne said, wiping his eyes. Patty was trying and failing to subtly wipe his nose on his sleeve. “You can’t just run off without telling us!”

“As if I could ever run off.” Sanji leaned back against the counter, trying for smug, but ending up with a wobbly smile. “You guys would never survive without me.”

—

“Alright Zoro, hit me!”

Zoro wound up and punched Luffy in the face. Luffy bounced all across the deck, knocking over anything that wasn’t tied down until he ended up tangled in the railing. 

“Wow, seven bounces; that’s a new record!” Usopp said. “I need to step up my game.” 

“Hey bastards, you’re disturbing Nami!” Sanji shouted, bursting out of the galley.

“Sanji! When’s lunch?” 

“We just had breakfast.”

“And?” 

“And if I let you eat whenever you wanted you’d clear out every speck of food we have!”

Luffy whined. “But lunch is so far away. A little snack wouldn’t hurt.”

“Listen here you shitty rubberman—” Sanji picked Luffy up by the front of his vest. Anything else he said after that was completely lost to Usopp as he got a good look at his wrist.

Now, Sanji had been sailing with them for a couple weeks at this point, and he didn’t particularly put any effort in hiding the obvious mark stretching along the width of his wrist. Usopp could’ve probably named the basic colours and shapes of it based on the glimpses he’d seen. So really, it was no surprise that there was a yellow-orange target with a brown eye in the centre, framed by a green slingshot. 

What surprised him was the fact that it was only now, after seeing the whole picture at once, did he recognize that slingshot.

Holy fuck, Sanji was his soulmate!

Holy fuck, Sanji was his soulmate.

Mr. if-I-don’t-flirt-with-every-woman-around-I’ll-die was Usopp’s soulmate. Dear god.

What was he supposed to do with that? It was proper etiquette to make the soulmate bond known once one person had figured it out, but…

“Radiant Nami, would you like a refill of your tea?” 

“I picked some flowers just for you, my love!” 

“You’re the only girl for me, Nami baby!”

Well, what did Ms. Okra know anyway? She was wrong about a lot of things and all that soulmark junk was stupid anyway. Usopp’s curiousity had been sated, Sanji could keep flirting with girls guilt-free—it was a win-win!

And besides, compared to Sanji’s, Usopp’s soulmark was—fuck, he felt like crying.

“At least have the decency to wait a couple hours before asking for a snack!” Sanji growled, shaking Luffy and unintentionally bringing Usopp out of his head. Luffy simply laughed.

Usopp took a breath. He clenched his fists tight before letting them fall limp. “Hey, Sanji, you mind letting us have Luffy back? We were kinda in the middle of something.” He carefully kept his gaze away from Sanji’s wrist.

“Sure just give me a second, I need to beat some sense into this shitty captain of ours.”

“Give it up,” Zoro said. “That’s impossible with your puny kicks.”

“Puny?!” Sanji let go of Luffy and jumped the railing, butting heads with Zoro. “I’ll show you puny you third-rate swordsman!”

The force of Sanji letting go sent Luffy snapping back through the railing and around the deck before eventually flying through the galley door. There was a crashing noise and Nami screeched, followed closely by Luffy’s apologies between laughter.

“Eight bounces,” Usopp mumbled to himself.

Zoro and Sanji were fighting, Sanji’s sleeves riding up as he twisted around. 

Usopp quietly made his way below deck to the boys’ dorm, wedged himself in one of the corners, and buried his head in his knees with a groan.

—

“How come you’re so…” Nami waved a hand.

“You just gestured to all of me, my dear.”

“I mean, you flirt with pretty much any lady you meet.”

Sanji nodded frantically. “Of course! I can’t just let a lady go about her day without complimenting her!”

“Right.” Nami tapped the edge of her teacup. “Now, I don’t want to be rude, Sanji, but it really seems like you don’t care much about soulmates.”

“Ah, so that’s what this is about.” He smiled. “It’s the opposite, actually. And a little silly, I suppose, but when I was a kid, I didn’t want to miss the chance that one of the customers might be my soulmate. Some only visited the restaurant a few times a year and others only came once while passing through on their travels.”

“So you… decided to flirt with every woman who visited?”

Sanji’s cheeks warmed. “Well, yes, in a sense.” 

Nami raised an eyebrow. “What’s there to be embarrassed about? You certainly don’t have any shame about it now.”

He coughed into his hand. “I… started doing it rather young. And I hadn’t really been able to discern which customers were with their soulmates or otherwise in relationships already.”

Nami laughed. “Aww, Sanji, that’s so cute. I wish I could’ve seen that.”

“Trust me you really, really don’t,” he said, refilling her tea.

She took a sip and let out a satisfied sigh. The galley was silent for a long moment.

“If…” Nami paused. “If you’re waiting for your soulmate, then does that mean you know who they are?”

Sanji shook his head. “Nope, I’m just as much in the dark about her as you are with yours.”

Nami touched a finger to the spot just under her ear, a light blue heart outlining a well-loved crown atop a sandcastle, a single peacock’s feather sticking out of it. Sanji had never seen that style of crown before—none of them had—but then, that wasn’t uncommon when it came to soulmates from different places.

“Sanji,” Nami said softly, her eyes drawn to the table. “You really don’t recognize it?”

Sanji tilted his head. “No, not at all.”

Nami sighed again, this one more tired than satisfied. “Maybe we should get your eyes checked before we cross the Red Line.”

Sanji made a noise of confusion, but Nami refused to elaborate. When she asked about lunch plans, it didn’t take long for him to forget all about it.

—

Bath times were… harrowing to say the least. The guys didn’t have to wash up at the same time, but Luffy—and now Chopper, too—needed a buddy so he didn’t slip under the water and drown. Zoro needed a little persuading sometimes, which was always easiest with company around, and Nami forbade Usopp and Luffy from taking baths on their own, on account of wasting all the hot water messing around. Ever at Nami’s beck and call, Sanji would join bath time to keep order, followed by Chopper who came more for the comradery than anything.  

It wasn’t too hard for Usopp to hide his mark before. It was far smaller than his hand so he could easily cover it with a well placed towel or carrying Luffy to the tub in a particular way. Before, it was out of embarrassment of the size, but ever since recognizing his own mark on Sanji’s wrist, things had become a lot more stressful.

“Alright you idiots,”—Sanji clapped his hands and everyone turned to him—“Nami dearest is still recovering so we’re gonna get this done in no time and leave her, and our precious Vivi, plenty of hot water to soak in.”

Usopp kept one hand on his towel, saluting Sanji with the other. “Aye aye, bath captain!” Chopper and Carue rushed to mimic him, determined looks on their faces.

“But guys, I’m the captain…” Luffy said, pouting.

“Yes, but Sanji’s the bath captain. That means he’s no fun—”

“Watch it, Longnose.”

“Don’t forget afraid of a little dirt,” Zoro piped up from across the room, already having washed himself off and sitting in the back of the tub.

“Wow, I’m impressed,” Sanji said, brow raised. “You actually used your brain for once and insulted me when I won’t fight back. Maybe your head isn’t full of algae.” He smirked. “Though I guess it’s expected that you’re afraid of retaliation.”

“Who’s afraid?!” Zoro yelled, jumping to his feet. “You wanna go, Curly?”

Sanji wagged a finger. “Ah ah ah, what’s the rule?” 

He turned to Usopp and Luffy who both said, in a bored tone, “No fighting in the bath.”

“That’s right.” He started to unbutton his shirt as he added, “So finish up first and I’ll kick your ass later.”

Zoro sat himself back down, mumbling, “I’ll kick your ass later.”

If Sanji heard him, he didn’t show it, and man was Usopp glad for it. The days Sanji wasn’t just tearing out of his clothes as fast as possible to try and splash Zoro were always a treasure. Watching him leisurely expose the skin of his belly, a fine black happy trail dragging Usopp’s eyes down down down, just as he started to unbutton his pants—

“Usopp, hurry up!” He startled at Luffy’s voice, only just realizing he was still wearing his boxers. He quickly shoved them off and grabbed another towel for his waist before dumping a basin of water over Luffy’s head, clearing the suds all over him. Luffy gave a cheer and jumped into the bath, soaking Zoro completely. 

Ugh, what was Usopp doing? He couldn’t just check out Sanji like that! They were friends, crewmates! And Sanji didn’t even like guys, so it wasn’t like there was any chance. Besides, soulmarks didn’t really mean anything: you could be smitten lovers or barely acquaintences just like a relationship with any other person.

Yeah. Yeah! Usopp was probably just… going sea crazy. That’s a thing, right? Where being at sea so long makes you… fall in love with your best friend. Ugh.

“Sorry—I said I’m sorry, Zoro!” Luffy said as Zoro shook him back and forth. “I won’t do it again!”

“Won’t do it again my ass,” Regardless, Zoro let him slip from his grip and flop against the edge of the tub. 

“Usopp! Me too, me too!” Chopper said, covered in soap and holding out the basin. 

“Of course! The great Captain Usopp would never leave you hanging!” Usopp shifted in his stool. “Close your eyes and hold your breath.” Chopper did as instructed and Usopp poured the basin over him, slower than he did for Luffy. 

Chopper shook from head to toe, sending water flying everywhere. Usopp made a noise of surprise as he was soaked right back. “Thanks Usopp!” Chopper said, running for the bath. 

“Geez, give me a warning next time!” Usopp sighed, twirling some of his wet locks around his finger. “Man, I wasn’t even planning on washing my hair today.”

“No use complaining about it now.” Sanji said, pulling up a stool next to him. He held up Usopp’s shampoo bottle and shook it a little. “Want some help with it?”

“Please.”

—

Sanji laughed, the sound followed by a loud squirt of shampoo in his hand and a faint floral smell. Usopp turned his back to him and sighed happily at the first touch. They sat in relative silence—

“Chopper, do not turn into Walk Point—”

“Zoro, you don’t have to be jealous, we can take turns! You take the duck and—”

“I’m not gonna ride either of them!”

—as Sanji scrubbed shampoo into Usopp’s scalp. Usopp leaned back at bit more, his head tilting up. Like a cat wanting to be pet, Sanji thought fondly.

He took his time lathering up the suds and rubbing thoroughly at differents bits of sea salt and grit; he did the same for his own hair and he’d be damned if he didn’t do the same for his friend.

He combed his fingers through Usopp’s hair, taking his time to start from the ends and work his way up to the root, like Usopp taught him. Eventually, he ran his nails from the top of his scalp to the back of his nape in one smooth motion. Usopp had a full body tremble and sighed contentedly, the sound deep and satisfied. Something warm pooled in Sanji’s gut and he suddenly wanted to do anything to hear it again.

He repeated the motion, but Sanji only saw the curve of Usopp’s smile. A sight he held close to his heart, but not what he was hoping for. He ran his nails along the sides of his hair, scratching good and hard. Usopp huffed through his nose. Following the thread, Sanji put his fingers behind Usopp’s ear and scratched again; this time he had to rush to catch Usopp before he hit Sanji’s chest.

“Falling asleep?” Sanji asked with a laugh.

“Mmmno,” Usopp said, voice slow and drawn out. He tilted his ear towards Sanji and Sanji could see both his eyes were closed. “Keep going?”

Ah, maybe a dog would’ve been a better comparison. Sanji could almost imagine a little tail wagging against the floor. “‘Course. Can’t leave a job half done.” He grabbed a little more shampoo and got back to it, being sure to keep one hand right where Usopp wanted it.

To Sanji’s delight, Usopp sighed far deeper than before and pratically melted into his lap with hardly a thought; his arms lay limp over Sanji’s thighs and the back of his head pressed into Sanji’s stomach. The poor guy must’ve been tired from doing repairs on Merry earlier if all it took was a little head scratch or two to have him fighting sleep like that. Maybe Sanji should rinse off the shampoo and usher him off to bed—

Usopp sighed again, the sound closer to a pleased moan.

Well, this was benefitting both of them, really, so Sanji couldn’t just stop out of the blue. He had to be thorough in helping Usopp—he offered, afterall, and it’d be rude not to see it through. 

Usopp slid down a bit more, head turning to rest on Sanji’s thigh as Sanji scratched behind the other ear. His movement jostled the towel over his shoulder and it slipped to the ground.

Sanji noted it, absentmindedly, and glanced at the newly exposed part of Usopp’s chest without a second thought.

His hands stilled.

“Mmm? Why’d you stop?” Usopp asked. Sanji hardly heard him over the roaring in his ears. “Sanji?”

Blue waves. A chef’s hat. A distinct pattern of spirals. All encased in a small glass bottle.

There was a sharp inhale and suddenly the warmth across his thighs and stomach were gone.

Usopp stuttered some excuse as he left. Sanji was frozen, his eyes glued to the spot where his matching soulmark stared back at him.

His matching soulmark.

His matching soulmark.

And Usopp hadn’t said a word.

He sat there, covered in shampoo suds and wondering where he went wrong.

#one piece #sanji #usopp #sanuso #soulmate au #opfwex #opfwex2024 #opexchange #nemo the writing ho #this fic was so damn hard to keep quiet about #the other one too but this one Especially

[lu-ukas]

the other day i posted here my idea for a sanuso au where usopp has a blog to talk about his feelings and fears, and how sanji, relating to that blog, starts talking thinking the author is his soulmate and a beautiful lady, but imagine. imagine they finally are meeting irl, and sanji finds usopp and he starts getting worried (what if i disappoint him? what if I'm not what she expected? what if she's such a beautiful lady and he will never be able to reach her?) and ends up going away (HE'S A COWARD!!!) but leaving usopp a message saying sorry (he's a gentleman after all) so. so. usopp thinks maybe he just isn't worthy. so he deletes his blog. 🥰

#usopponepiece #one piece #sanuso #usopp #sanjionepiece #sanji x usopp #usosan #straw hat pirates #sanji #strawhat pirates

[icarianiscariot]

opla sanuso soulmate au is COOKING....

#originally it was gonna be acesan but i think the sanuso concept is more narratively compelling #personal #sanuso

[evil-gu]

Finished my @opsoulmates bingo card! This was fun!

Usopp Soulmate Prompts by Evilgu - One Piece

Chap 1: Zosopp (Wano) (T)

Chap 2: UsoNami (Colors) (T)

Chap 3: Acesopp (Modern AU) (M)

Chap 4: SanUso (Genderbend) (M)

Chap 5: UsoVivi (Fancy Restaurant) (T)

Chap 6: ZoSopp (Heat of the Moment) (E)

Chap 7: UsoNami (Body Swap) PART 1 (T)

Chap 8: SanUso (Merfolk) (G)

Chap 9: Lawsopp (Domestic) (G)

Chap 10: UsoNami (Body Swap) PART 2 (M)

Chap 11: Reiju/Usopp (Polar Opposites) (E)

Chap 12: Usopp/Nojiko (First Kiss) (G)

Chap 13: East Blue Polycule (There was only one bed) (E)

Chap 14: UsoNami (Body Swap) PART 3 (E)

#usopp #sanuso #zosopp #usonami #lusopp #vinsmoke reiju #usopp x kaya #one piece #one piece fanfiction

[talkativeweeb]

sanuso but make it soulmate au where when you turn 18, a soul mark will appear on random parts of your body with something significant of your soulmate. 

sometimes it is straight up your soulmate’s name, but most of the time it’s more random. a word, a doodle, or even a symbol associated with your soulmate. 

and thus usopp, getting his long awaited soul mark as the clock strikes 12 o’clock in the midnight (we will ignore actual birth time for the sake of aesthetic here) realizes that his soulmate is the man he had been crushing on for the past year. since the day luffy introduced him to sanji, aka the guy who lets him eat at his restaurant for free, usopp has slowly fallen in love with his charm and kindness that he swears is only reserved for the ladies. 

however, sanji is 1) straight and 2) has never said anything about his own soul mark. there’s a plethora of possibilities usopp could come up with, none of them good. his soul mark might have been less obvious than usopp’s, which would lead to him not even considering usopp as his soulmate. he might already know it is usopp but ignores it altogether since he has said multiple times, infront of usopp himself even, that he is not interested in men. or the worst, rare yet plausible third option: usopp might not even be sanji’s soulmate. 

#sanuso #oh the drama #also #usopps soul mark is the words sanji told him #which had saved usopp when he was spiraling into self loathing and depression #i'll do what you cant do #written in sanji's neat handwriting #my friend told me to make it sanji's eyebrows instead but im a romantic at heart #we'll see #pocketful of weeb #chattering bird

[the-obnoxious-sibling]

I just wish your fic would be shuggy 6 chapters one but it’s like my wish. I kinda wait for reveal to read yours and that’s it xDDD IM THE WORST PERSON. IDC ABOUT THE OTHERS. I AM NOT INTERESTED.

jkldfsjjlks;; well, uh, wish granted, i guess? 😅

i am sincere in recommending ppl check out the exchange's fic/art collection, though! filter out ships and characters you’re not interested in, sure, i’m the same way. that said, there are things i wouldn’t have thought i’d like that i gave a shot because they were made for the exchange, and i am so glad i did! (half of the participating artists/writers are getting a new subscriber now that authors are revealed, ijs. so much talent and creativity on display.) there’s a lot of great stuff to be found in that collection!!

including…

several sanji & zeff fics! my personal favorite is this post-rescue fic where they are immediately ride or die without exchanging a word and then hang out with a very fun oc, but they’re all good imo

a sweet nami/vivi modern au where nami’s hurting and and finds it easier to talk to a ‘sorry, wrong number’ stranger than her rl friends. chatfic, about equal parts nami/vivi and nami & strawhats

sanuso soulmate mark au!!! y’all know i’m a sucker for that concept so of course i loved this, sanji excited to meet his fated love and usopp overthinking himself into an anxiety spiral

kuina gets resurrected fic (bias: written for me~) where everyone is confused and zoro is Having A Time. i love the tension.

some gorgeous art of a very fun devil fruit/worldbuilding concept (not saying more so i don’t spoil the twist!)

#asked and answered #my opfwex fics #opfwex #one piece #fic recs

[beanghostprincess]

Not you dropping the soulmate idea into my head and thinking about how this all would apply to Pudding in a way. I can just imagine big mom doing some scooping and finding out what soulmate band Sanji has so she can just paint over / tattoo over her own child's mark like that because she big sucks and doesn’t care about / doesn’t let her child have negative feelings about this. It’s easier if Sanji thinks that he’s actually marrying his soulmate after all. Convenient

Of course this also would make it even worse for Usopp and Sanji because suddenly the "Maybe the colors are just really similar" theory, which they both slowly started to realize was bs, suddenly holds water again.

It also would be even worse for Sanji because the idea to be forced by his family to marry someone is horrid in itself but because she has the mark it suddenly feels like this is the universes way to tell him it’s justified, that he really shouldn’t complain because it works after all, in some weird way.

AGGHHHGVSHJGHASGDAHGSDGHASHGDHJWEGWEG I LOVE THIS SO MUCH ANON YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW.

I was thinking of ways to make this even angstier and you somehow made it. I love it. I absolutely love it. Poor Pudding, too, that would fuck her up so bad. Especially since she actually falls for Sanji and she isn't even his soulmate it's-- Ughhh. Painful. Horrid. Horrible. I love it. Pudding actually letting Sanji go and learning to be somebody for herself, ignoring even her original Soulmate mark because honestly??? Why would she even get married in the first place. She doesn't want to! Never has! She wants to keep cooking and make a name for herself outside of her family too! Sanji is so right for following his true love. She should do it too, and her love goes directly to chocolate and sweets.

Not to mention Sanji losing hope with the color tone things. It kills me. Sobbing. Crying. Curling up on the floor. He starts wondering if he should actually go against the universe because, even if Pudding is her true soulmate (she isn't. He just thinks she is for a brief moment) he still wants Usopp. And he goes back to his boyfriend's words about them not having to be together even if they're soulmates. And he just knows he can just tell the universe to fuck off, honestly. He finds out Pudding isn't his soulmate when he listens to her conversation with Reiju btw.

Also!!! Sanji saying something like "If I ever had to have another soulmate, It would've been you"

"No, I wouldn't have. But that's fine"

"Seriously. I- I am being serious. You're perfect for me. So much we could've been... Together. But you're not-"

"I'm not him. I know. I know, don't worry"

And it's so heartbreaking for both and ughhhhhhhh you know, sometimes my brain can't handle these things. Sometimes I need a moment to scream. I love you for this, anon. This is awesome.

#also fuck big mom #my mother would've done this too girl pudding i love you #making pudding a lesbian with comphet for this one guys bc she's just like me fr #unrequited sanpu making me go wild honestly idc #like she's a lesbian with comphet to me here but she thinks she loves sanji and it's unrequited and it breaks her heart etc etc etc #lesbian or aroace idc choose your fav why not aroaspec lesbian #like me like me #STOP PROJECTING BEAN #anyway i think about this au a lot thank you #one piece #black leg sanji #usopp #charlotte pudding #sanuso #sanuso soulmate au

[camels-pen]

a gift (not a burden)

Ao3 Link | Chapter 1 | Chapter 3

Chapter 2: Stay with me to the end

Alabasta came and went. It felt like they’d been there months, though it was nowhere near that long. Vivi and Carue stayed behind, a predictable if saddening outcome. Robin, a scary woman that could snap Usopp’s neck in his sleep, was allowed to join with hardly a thought as was typical with this crew. 

And, worst of all, now that the danger had passed and Vivi’s country was saved, they were left with plenty of down time as they sailed to the next island. 

Plenty of time for all those pesky feelings and thoughts to rear their ugly heads from the depths that Usopp shoved them in. Plenty of time for Sanji to—

Usopp frantically shook his head.

No—No, it was fine. Great, even! He needed the rest from all these dangerous adventures; they were terrible for his heart. That’s why he finished his breakfast in a flash and took over morning watch, afterall. He needed time to himself, away from the crazy monsters on the ship. He wasn’t running from anyone in particular, no, he just needed to… regroup! Yes, that was it. Usopp just needed to regroup. Refocus his strategy. Re-establish his plan.

Usopp stared at the empty notebook in his hand. A seagull cried in the distance.

Okay, so he never did have a plan for this, but how was he supposed to know that Sanji would ever find out?! Usopp had a system! A perfect system! A (mostly) Luffy-proof system!

And it was ruined! All because Sanji had to have magical fingers that made Usopp putty in his hands.

If Usopp weren’t avoiding—er, regrouping, he would give Sanji a piece of his mind for ruining his system. Stupid, beautiful, kindhearted Sanji. Always ruining his carefully concocted plans.

He pressed a hand to his chest, drawing circles in his overalls.

Stupid Sanji.

A cleared throat made Usopp jump, nearly sending his notebook flying out of the crow’s nest.

“Cook’s being insufferable,” Zoro said, taking a seat with his arms behind his head. 

“R-Really?” Usopp laughed, the sound strained. “Well, you’re more than welcome to hide up here with me! Ah, not that I’m hiding. Why would I be hiding? I’ve got nothing to hide, Zoro, what are you talking about? Ha ha ha.”

Zoro gave a deadpan stare. “Like peas in a pod.”

“Hey—”

He settled back against the mast, closing his eyes. “You two just need to talk about your soulmarks and you’ll be fine. ‘Course he’s too busy twisting himself in knots worrying about something new every five minutes.”

Usopp had a moment to feel surprised—to feel utterly shocked at the fact that Sanji was acting like Usopp himself usually did—before shouting, “Wait, did he tell—?!”

“Anyone with common sense could figure it out. Cook just doesn’t have any.”

Usopp sat back, breathing a big sigh of relief. He would’ve rather Zoro didn’t notice—nor anyone else, for that matter—but as long as Sanji stayed ignorant…

Ah, but that ship had sailed, hadn’t it?

Usopp slumped back against the wall. “The whole reason he’s being ‘insufferable’ is because he saw my mark.” He laughed, the sound a bitter, shaky thing. “I’m pretty sure he’d kill me if I tried to talk to him about how his precious woman-loving self was stuck with a man for a life partner.” His hands grabbed a fistful of his pants. “And even if he could get over being soulmates with a man, he’d still have to accept being stuck with someone like me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Usopp’s hands tightened their grip. “Usopp, you’ve got it twisted. You’re too good for him, not the other way around.”

“You’re just saying that because you don’t like him.”

“Usopp.”

“It’s true!” He dragged his bandana down over his eyes and whined. “He’s probably kicking holes in the wall just thinking about it and I’m gonna be next!” Oh, how Usopp yearned for Sanji to get knocked out so hard that he forgot everything that happened a couple weeks ago. It wasn’t likely to happen before Usopp got murdered in the near future, but a man can dream.

“Then how about this: if you talk to him and he tries to kick you,”—Zoro flicked part of his sword out of its sheath—“I’ll kill him.”

Usopp slowly put his head in his hands. “Thanks, Zoro. That is so very helpful.”

“I mean it.”

“Yes, yes, you’re always willing to try and kill Sanji.”

“No, I mean,”—Usopp looked up, catching Zoro’s steady gaze—“you need to talk to him.”

A lie sat on the tip of his tongue. Easy and automatic. It was so very tempting, to complain of never before seen illnesses and fantastical wonders. Obstacles so bizarre and impossible to overcome that Zoro would have to let Usopp run away from it all as much as he’d like.

It was right there. Waiting for him.

Zoro still stared.

Usopp sighed, hanging his head. 

—

He didn’t have the time to dwell on it, what with saving Vivi’s country, saying farewell, and welcoming the lovely Miss Robin on their ship. Now that they were back to sailing the Grand Line, however, it all came back full force.

It had to have been Sanji’s mark. It had to be, right? Right. It had to. It had to.

But then, why hide it? Why not tell him from the start? They could’ve talked about it. Could’ve swapped discovery stories. Sanji would’ve showed off his own mark more clearly, let Usopp touch and hold and examine it as much as he wanted.

Did Usopp not… not want him? Think him inadequate somehow? 

Was he disgusted by the fact he was paired with a man? Of course he was, who was Sanji kidding; anyone would be disgusted by that. Men weren’t supposed to be with other men, weren’t supposed to be dainty, weren’t supposed to be homosexual.

Why did the world have to work this way? Why did Sanji have to work this way? To be so tempted by women and men at every turn. To be so disgusting as to infect even his soulmate with such a disgraceful thing. 

Was it just another failure written into his DNA? Something that would follow him for the rest of his life? It was already unbearable before, unacceptable, but now it was suffocating, filling up his lungs as if—

“Sanji, the pot.”

He jumped, cursing as he quickly pulled the smoking pot off the stove, then cursing again as his wrist bumped the burning metal. The pot dropped to the counter with a CLANG as Sanji shook his hand out, quickly moving to run it under cold water.

“Sorry—sorry Robin, dear,” he mumbled, the rushing water nearly drowning him out. He grimaced at the acrid smell filling the galley as he rubbed his wrist under the spray. “Did you want a refill?”

“No thank you, Mr. Cook.” Her eyes flicked once to the countertop, then back to him. “Something on your mind?”

He followed her gaze, a little embarrassed at his rookie mistake, when he noticed a cigarette teetering on the edge of the counter. 

Did he pull one from his box? 

He tapped his breast pocket and found it empty. 

On the edge of his vision, an arm sprouted from the wall, picking up the familiar cardboard from a spot behind the burnt pot. 

Huh. So he did.

He stared at the crushed little thing. 

Unlit and unusable. 

Unwanted and unloved.

A hand found his shoulder. “Mr. Cook?”

He swallowed heavily. “Not… not using my name, like earlier?”

“You didn’t answer the first few times I spoke.”

Sanji hung his head. “Ah, I see. I didn’t mean to ignore you, my dear, I was just…”

A silence fell over them. The hand vanished with the smell of fallen petals.

“Would you like help?”

Sanji stiffened. He should accept—it wouldn’t do to refuse a lady, but—

“With the pot, I mean.”

Sanji breathed a sigh of relief. “No need to worry, I can handle that myself. I had to do it a lot when I was younger. I’m used to it.”

With that, he grabbed a sponge and set himself upon the task. Pot first, spiraling thoughts later.

Pot first. Pot first. Pot first.

“Mr. Cook.”

Just put everything else in a little box like you always do—just shove it in there, ignore it, put it away.

The pot clanged against the counter once more, wobbling back and forth as he registered a strong grip around his wrists, holding them in the air. There were arms sprouted from his elbows, holding each wrist with a tea towel. Belatedly, Sanji registered an itchy burning on his knuckles.

A new hand caught the pot handle. The sponge slipped from Sanji’s grasp with a plop.

“I believe it should cool off first, Mr. Cook,” Robin said. “We don’t want you harming your hands.”

The butter and garlic were a stark, crackling black on an otherwise pristine pot. A mar—a flaw so stark and obvious that anyone could see it despite its vain attempts to hide behind thin metal walls.

“You know, I’ve been told I’m quite good at keeping secrets.”

Patethically thin metal walls. The kind of cookware that ended up with several irreparable cracks and holes when used in a specific environment. 

One of them being polite conversation with a prying lady.

“I’m also skilled with a knife.”

The tension sapped from his body, leaving him nearly limp with relief. He made to refuse again, but paused as that same itchy heat prickled up his hand. 

Robin took up a cutting board.

—

“Okay, just go up and tell him. Just get it over with, get threatened, and then scream for Zoro when he tries to kill you,” Usopp whispered to himself, pacing back and forth in front of the galley door. “You stared down a guy who called himself a god; this is nothing! Just a few words, one mean look, and you’re gone! Outta there. Donezo. Nothing else required.”

He slowly turned his gaze to the door. A glimpse of blond hair had him ducking with a pounding heart.

“O-Or I could forget about all this, pretend it never happened, and hope Sanji eventually moves on from wanting to maim me.” He nodded to himself. “Yes, solid plan Captain Usopp. We’ll tell Zoro it was a valiant effort, but—”

“Tell Zoro what was a valiant effort?”

Usopp froze. Mechanically, he turned just enough to see Sanji’s face and check that the galley door was, indeed, open. “Oh. Hi, Sanji. I did not see you there. I was just doing Zoro a favour with my new dials.” He swiftly turned to leave. “I will stop bothering you now—”

A heavy hand clapped his shoulder. “Hold it.”

Usopp did his best not to squeak. The weight on his shoulder lightened with a sigh. “I’m not going to fillet you, just… come inside. We need to talk.”

Usopp laughed robotically. “Well, you see. Sanji. I really need to finish up that favour for Zoro. So. We will have to talk some other time.”

He was ready to make a break for it then, take advantage of Sanji’s loosening grip to pull out his patented Usopp Dash and cower in the boys’ dorm—hell, maybe even pay up a handful of berri to hide in the girls’ dorm—but then…

“Please?”

Even before seeing his matching mark, Usopp had never been able to turn down one of Sanji’s requests.

He followed Sanji inside, head hung and dragging his feet as if he were off to the gallows. He might as well be, with the fate that was awaiting him the moment he opened his mouth.

Sanji waited for him to close the door before whirling around and tightly gripping his shoulders. Usopp braced himself to get knee’d in the face. 

“I’m a burnt pot.”

A what? “A what?”

“A burnt pot.”

Usopp stared at Sanji. 

Sanji stared back.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“The walls are thin, Usopp.”

“Are you worried someone’s gonna listen in on us?”

“No, I—” Sanji groaned, pulling away to drag a hand down his face. “Look, I’m like a crumpled cigarette.”

Usopp put the back of his hand to Sanji’s forehead. “It doesn’t feel like a fever.”

Sanji slapped his hand away, a scowl on his face. “Will you cut that shit out? I’m trying to be sincere here.”

“Are you?” The words slipped from his mouth without a thought, but Usopp already knew the answer. He saw it written in the deep bags under Sanji’s eyes, the empty mugs and fresh coffee stains on the tablecloth, the way his hands jittered. “Did you sleep at all—?”

“I’m sorry.”

Usopp blinked. “You’re… sorry?”

Sanji looked away. “I must’ve scared you off that time in the bath, right? I get it… and I’m sorry.”

Usopp furrowed his brow. He didn’t remember anything beside his overwhelming panic at the time. “Your face didn’t scare me off, if that’s what you mean.”

“No, it’s—” He made a noise of frustration. “I fucked you up.”

Usopp inched a foot backwards. “Did you kick me so hard I forgot about it?”

“I didn’t kicked you! God,”—Sanji ran a hand down his face—“don’t make me spell it out.”

“If you’re gonna keep talking nonsense, then yes, please spell out whatever you’re trying to say.”

Sanji whined. Honest to god whined. 

Usopp held up his hands. “If it’s that bad, you don’t have to tell me, in fact we can just pretend this never happened and—”

“I’m sorry I turned you gay.”

A slow, rolling anger started to well up inside Usopp. In a low, dangerous voice, he said, “Excuse me?”

“I’ve been like this for as long as I can remember,” Sanji quickly added. “Don’t know when it started, but I’d been doing pretty good ignoring it or at least making sure other people didn’t notice. Everything was going pretty great until you guys showed up at the Baratie. Then all of a sudden it got worse and—and I kept it quiet, no one noticed, but…”

Usopp didn’t want to try to parse what he was saying. He wanted to give him a piece of his mind, tear into him. He wanted to—

Sanji sniffled. He looked about ready to cry.

Usopp deflated with a sigh.

“I’ve never really cared about who I crushed on.” Usopp took a seat at the table, suddenly tired down to his bones. “Guys, girls, people who were neither. The outside never really mattered.” He put his cheek in his hand and circled the edge of an empty mug with the tip of his finger. “You didn’t ‘infect me’ or anything, I’ve been like this the whole time. Besides, weren’t you given the soulmate shtick too?”

“Shtick?”

“You know,”—Usopp waved a hand—“how they’re supposed to be really important to you or really similar or whatever. People love to say it’s all about romance, but it doesn’t have to be, if you don’t want that.”

“What if I do want it?” Sanji blurted.

“Bold words from someone who was just apologizing for ‘turning me gay’.”

“I’m serious, I…” He knelt at Usopp’s side. “Usopp, please look at me.”

He sighed, but obliged. “Don’t see how this is going… to…” Usopp trailed off, surprise filling him at the tear tracks staining Sanji’s cheeks, the hopeful look in his eye.

“When I woke up next to you in the galley the other day and saw burns matching mine—when I finally got to the top of that shitty flying ship and you were covered in new burns and that fucking ‘god’ ruined your escape, I…” He reached out a hand, pausing to leave it hovering between them. Usopp didn’t move. Sanji gently cradled his cheek.. “I was terrified. I thought I’d lose the chance to tell you before I’d figured things out.” 

His eyes pinched. “No. More than that, I was just terrified to lose you, Usopp. I’d live the rest of my life just being your friend if it meant I could still spend every day of it by your side.” He rubbed his thumb over Usopp’s cheek. Softly, tenderly. “But I want to be more than that, if you’ll let me.”

“You haven’t slept.” Usopp put his hand over Sanji’s own. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”

Sanji brought his free hand up to Usopp’s other cheek. “Usopp, I know it’ll be hard for you to trust me—hell, I wouldn’t trust me—but please, give me a chance.”

He was forcing himself. He had to be. He was so caught up with the idea of soulmates that he didn’t care who or what he was matched with. He just wanted to blindly follow whatever the universe and adults told him growing up. 

Usopp swallowed around the lump in his throat. “We have time.” Sanji’s brow furrowed and Usopp rushed to add, “Y-You don’t have to force yourself into this just because of a mark. Take your time and think it over.” 

“But… but we’re supposed to—”

There it is, Usopp thought as he plastered on a smile. “We’re already good friends, isn’t that enough?” It had to be enough. “And I’m not telling you to forget about it, just make sure that it’s what you really want.”

A pause. Not long, but long enough. “What about you?”

Usopp waved a hand, laughing like his heart wasn’t splitting in two. “I’ve never believed in all that soulmate stuff. Sure I was curious who had my mark, but that was it.” He shook his head with a sigh, forcing his voice steady. “Don’t know why everyone’s always so caught up on forcing it to be romantic.”

“I… I suppose it’s… possible to have a friend as a soulmate….”

“That settles it.” Usopp pushed himself up from the table and went for the door. “Good talk, Sanji! Let me know when you’ve got an answer.” Please please, let that be never. “I’m going to enjoy the sunshine while it’s still around. Oh, Luffy might barge in the moment I open the door though, he was complaining about being hungry earlier—”

—

“Wait.”

Usopp turned around, still wearing that fake ass smile. Fuck. 

He clenched his fist. “Usopp, if you—”

“Tell anyone I’ll meet the business end of your shoe? I know that much, Sanji.”

Sanji’s lips thinned. “You didn’t answer my question.”

He shrugged. Sanji saw the tremble in his shoulders. “You’ve gotta know what you want—what you really want—before asking me that, Sanji.”

What he wanted? He wanted to be with his soulmate. To—To finally find the soul he was meant to be with, the person who he could love and cherish and dote on as much as he’d like. To find his other half. 

“I know you like the idea of soulmates,” Usopp said. “I get it, I do. But do you like the idea of me?”

Sanji reared back, as if struck. “Usopp, you have my mark—”

“There, see?” His facade cracked at the edges. “You’re not in it for me. You only see your mark on my chest.”

That—no, Sanji wasn’t—he cared about Usopp. They were best friends! Crewmates! Sanji would do anything to see him safe and happy and well fed! What was wrong with exploring things further? With taking a chance at making good times even better? It had nothing to do with marks and soulmates and following a pre-determined destiny.

Sanji wanted to speak those words—or any number of others that would get Usopp to understand, to listen, to wait—but it all dried up on the tip of his tongue, insincere and insensitive.

Usopp’s shoulders sagged, his eyes falling downcast. “Just. Think about it, okay?”

Still knelt in front of the table, Sanji watched as Usopp quietly left the galley, a swell of guilt in his chest and knowing exactly where he went wrong. 

#one piece #sanji #usopp #sanuso #soulmate au #opfwex #opexchange #opfwex2024 #nemo the writing ho #warnings are the same as ch 1

[camels-pen]

a gift (not a burden)

Ao3 Link | Chapter 3

Chapter 4: Fuck you, I'm in it for us

Usopp was home. He was home he was home he was home!

He was snotty and gross and covered in still healing wounds, but none of that mattered because Luffy was beside him and the others were around him and their new ship just flew through the sky and he was home, he was home, he was really—

Sanji picked up Usopp and brought him to his chest in a crushing hug. Usopp did his best to hug back, his dwindling tears returning full force. Ugly sobs and mangled sorries tumbled from his lips one by one until Sanji pulled him back and kissed him, hard and insistent.

When Usopp calmed against him, when he started to kiss back, Sanji pulled away again. Usopp stared at him. Confused, hopeful, and tingly all over.

“I don’t need anymore time to think,” Sanji said. “I never did; I’ve known the answer all along. I was just scared of messing things up.” He pressed his forehead to Usopp’s, heedless of the long nose curving against his own. “But not anymore.”

Usopp hiccupped. “Y-You’re sure? You don’t mind?”

“Mind?” Sanji laughed, a wet sheen over his eye. “Usopp, being with you would be a gift, not a burden.”

A swell of emotion too big for Usopp’s skeptic heart welled up in his throat. His lips wobbled as he tried not to burst into tears for a third time today.

“Usopp,”—Sanji pulled back the slightest bit, a hand cupping Usopp’s cheek—“will you marry me?”

“Yes, I’ll—” He paused. “NO! What the hell?! Dating comes first!”

Sanji grinned. “If you say so!”

Somehow, Usopp felt as if he’d been tricked— 

Sanji pressed a giggling kiss to his lips, twirling him around in his arms.

—but he found he didn’t mind in the slightest.

—

Hours later, Sanji’s hands hovered above Usopp’s bare mark. “Can I…?”

Usopp looked away, his cheeks gaining a red undertone. “Go ahead.”

He pressed his naked side further into the aquarium lounge—aquarium lounge!—bench, Sanji sat in front of him with his hand hovering between them.

Sanji let his hand rest on Usopp’s chest. Usopp flinched, but didn’t move away.

Sanji stared at it. Circled the pad of his finger around the bottle’s edges. Pressed another finger to the hat. It was the definitive proof that no matter how he led his life, how he was raised, whatever hell he might’ve endured with the slightest change in events, he would’ve always stayed a chef at heart. 

He would’ve always been able to hold onto his dreams. His interests. Just like his mom wanted.

Fuck.

“Sanji?”

“Sorry,” Sanji hastily wiped the tears from his eyes. “Sorry, it’s just nice knowing I was always going to be a chef, no matter what happened to me.”

Usopp’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean—?”

“Another time,” he said. A particularly strong shiver jostled Sanji’s finger. “Are you cold?”

“N-No.” Usopp turned his face towards the aquarium glass.

Sanji continued tracing. Another shiver wracked Usopp. He leaned forward to whisper in his ear, low and husky, “Are you sure?”

Usopp’s breath hitched. Warmth pooled in Sanji’s gut with the sound. “Because if you were, I’d be happy to warm you up.” He let his hand slip down to cup Usopp’s pec, his thumb rubbing right over his mark. “Let me show you how much my love burns for you, Usopp.” 

The skin under his hands grew tense. Sanji paused, pulled back to see Usopp’s eyes screwed shut and his shoulders up to his ears.

Ah. Sanji pulled his hands away. He slowly nuzzled Usopp’s nose with his own. “Too much?” Usopp started to shake his head. “It’s alright, just please, be honest.”

Usopp deflated in his seat with a sigh. “A little, yeah.” He tugged on Sanji’s hands, pulling him down the couch and guiding him to lay on him. “H-How about this instead?”

Sanji rubbed his cheek against Usopp’s chest. “Works for me.”

“Sanji.”

“Kidding!” 

A fond smile grew on his lips. He wrapped a few of Usopp’s stray curls around his finger and hummed, pressing a soft kiss above Usopp’s heart.

“This is perfect.”

#one piece #sanji #usopp #sanuso #soulmate au #opfwex #opfwex2024 #opexchange #nemo the writing ho #and with that it is doneee #hope you all enjoyed #i'll get to the soulmark placement notes when i've got more energy for it ✌️

[camels-pen]

a gift (not a burden)

Ao3 Link | Chapter 2 | Chapter 4

Chapter 3: You're not in it for me

Merry. Merry was all that mattered now. She and Usopp were going to sail the seas, all on their own. No one to tell them what to do, to try and get rid of them for being weak, to… slap their backs and call them great. Call them friends. Crewmates.

Usopp stuck a new plank on the hull, hammering it down hard enough to leave his arm shaking. 

They were gone. Usopp left. None of that mattered anymore.

Even if he had said some stupid things, he couldn’t go back. Couldn’t try to fix it. Not that he wanted to—not that he had said anything wrong.

He swung the hammer again, missing the plank entirely and hitting his thumb. He cursed, shaking out his hand before sticking it in his mouth.

Luffy… no, he wasn’t going to think about that bastard. What’s done is done and Usopp wouldn’t leave Merry behind, no matter what. But Sanji…

He clenched his fist. 

It was the truth. Usopp saw it written all over Sanji’s face then—hell, he’d seen it since the man first introduced himself, cuffs rolled up just enough to show off his wrists for all to see. 

It was the truth.

So why did it feel like it wasn’t?

— 

Stupid stupid stupid. Sanji ground his palm into his eye.

He should’ve stepped in sooner, should’ve pulled Usopp aside, should’ve— 

He mussed up his hair in frustration before turning over in bed. Luffy’s face smushed into Chopper’s hat greeted him. His arms were wrapped twice over around Chopper himself. Sanji’s discarded tie was gripped tight in one of his hands.

Sanji sighed under his breath. He slowly eased himself off the bed and snuck out of the room, tiptoeing around the mossball sleeping on the floor.

The hotel had an open window at the end of the hall. Sanji leaned against it, pulling out a cigarette. 

What right did he have to pull Usopp aside back then? What authority? He couldn’t even sincerely tell him that he loved him for him, not just some mark on his skin. How was he supposed to convince him to calm down and think things through when Sanji had yet to do the same?

Think, Sanji. Usopp might not be part of the crew right now—yes, right now, because he couldn’t bear to think of the alternative—but he could do this one thing. So that when Usopp returned, when not if, he would have a proper answer for him.

Think. Think.

He pressed his fingers to his temples and screwed his eyes shut. Did he like Usopp for Usopp? Was it just remnants of that conversation with his mother, with Zeff and the others, that made him want this so badly? 

He thought of Usopp, laughing loud and carefree. Thought of Usopp, in awe and shouting his praise for Sanji’s cooking. Thought of Usopp, conentrated with a single minded focus on his inventions. 

Thought of Usopp, utterly relaxed and laid out on his lap, eyes closed and sighing in pleasure.

Thought of Usopp, now. 

Hurt. Alone. Spiraling.

He took a shaky drag of his cigarette.

Was he eating enough? Getting balanced meals that would help along the healing process? Was he even tending to his wounds or was he so caught up in his anger he hadn’t bothered?

Sanji leaned his head on the window pane, staring out towards the shore.

“Take care of yourself, moron,” he muttered to himself. “Or I’ll come over there and kick you.”

#one piece #sanji #usopp #sanuso #soulmate au #opfwex #opfwex2024 #opexchange #nemo the writing ho #same warnings as other chapters

[lu-ukas]

sanuso au where usopp has a blog talking about his fears and his feelings and sanji is like "wow... i really relate to this" and then follows him and every time usopp posts something sanji reads and starts feeling a connection with that guy he had never seen thinking he must be a girl because the way he writes and draws is so mesmerizing it must be his soulmate because why else would they connect like this and idk my mind stops there (but yeah i will be writing about this soon!!!)

#one piece #sanuso #sanjionepiece #usopp #sanji x usopp #sanji

[beanghostprincess]

God. modern Au Usopp would win cosplay competitions for judges choice / most creative because he makes Darkwing Ducks weapons from scratch and puts his entire theatre kid soul into it. Kid Usopp would have woken up at six on a school day to catch reruns of DD and adult Usopp was ECSTATIC when the Ducktales reboot was announced and he heard Darkwing would be in it. I can most definetly see your vision here. Probably likes the new version a bit more but loves that original Darkwing is just such an attention hog while still being a caring person deep down.

Usopp and Sanji start to get closer and one of the hardest things Usopp has to do is let him into his flat were he has just an entire corner dedicated to nerd stuff,several series actually but among other things cells from the original series he spent way more money on that would seem reasonable and autographs and vhs tapes still in their packaging. „Uhh. Yeah it’s- hahh- listen this show is hugely sentimental to me and I love the new one and yea…. You probably think that’s super weird?“ and Sanji just blinks and fumbles and digs around in his bag „No! Nono it’s okay! And pulls out an old, damaged keychain of a figure that probably used to be Card Captor Sakura before all the paint started to chip off. „This is one of my most prized possessions! I admired her so much as a kid!“ And Usopp reconsiders his stances on „faithed love“ and „soulmates“ because obviously god must have made Sanji this perfect on purpose and put him on earth just for Usopp to fall on love with.

I know we don't know each other but I would marry you right now if I could because this is honestly quite exactly what I was thinking about??????????????? Please??????? I- i am having the biggest Ducktales brainrot right now and there you go, adding Usopp and Sanuso sprinkles to it and I am going insane. Thank you.

Usopp would fucking love Darkwing Duck and he would absolutely love Ducktales 2017. I think he'd prefer the new version just a little bit more because it has a bit more depth and he'd relate to Drake Mallard an insane amount. A loser who found comfort in a TV Show (the same as him!!) and then chose to be an actor to bring that happiness to other kids, but then ended up being the hero he had always dreamed of being?? He's overly confident when he wears the suit but there's always something within him telling him that he's not good enough and that he has to keep trying harder. But Launchpad and Gosalyn believe in him!!! And idk, I think Usopp would absolutely love it. It would give him the confidence to be himself and also go back to cosplaying (and also making his own OC! Sogeking!). This is just- The sweetest thing on earth.

And then he meets Sanji and he doesn't tell him about his obsession with Ducktales and Darkwing Duck because it's childish and people always call him a kid for liking these things (personal experience. I fucking hate being 19 and having to hide that one of my fav shows is Ducktales). But he really does want to get to know Sanji better, and the cook keeps insisting on going to his apartment in their early stages of dating (or y'know, starting to know each other with romantic intentions. Pining. Whatever). And then he shows him his room and he has the place full of merchandising (my dream, honestly. Somebody get me a Darkwing Duck figurine for Christmas). And,,, It's exactly what you said,,, They make me so happy,,

Sanji tells him he's a fan of Card Captor Sakura (WHICH BY THE WAY IS ONE OF MY FAV ANIMES OF ALL TIME AND I THINK SANJI WOULD LOVE IT) and they just- Instant love. They start infodumping to each other so hard their faces hurt from smiling so damn much.

I think they'd have cute little dates in which they watch Ducktales and Card Captor Sakura together (Sanji absolutely loves Lena by the end of the show. Something something relating to her story. And I think Usopp loves Kero because silly little guy that's actually the coolest).

#anon i love you for this one #this is SO good #it made my brain go BRRRRRRRRRR #you know??????? #my hyperfixations and me against the world #one piece #black leg sanji #usopp #sanuso #darkwing duck #ducktales #card captor sakura