#stsh

"Remind me what we're doing again?" Usopp groaned, rubbing his eyes as he trailed behind his partner. A hand absentmindedly scratched his chest as he attempted to wake himself.

"I'm just trying to do something nice for the crew, and I need you to be my lookout," (Name) replied, testing wooden steps for unruly squeakiness. They carefully made their way up to the main deck and signaled for Usopp to follow.

He hummed and trod up the stairs. Usopp lazily pulled his curls back into a low ponytail with a colorful scrunchie. "You're not going to get in trouble with Sanji," he sighed, "I think I'm allergic to waking up early."

(Name) scoffed, barely containing their smile. "I'll make you a latte," they offered, hoping such a peace offering would placate their grumpy boyfriend.

"Only if it's one of those tasty honey ones," Usopp replied before slapping his cheeks, putting life back into his body.

The kitchen door jerked open as (Name) reached for the doorknob. They stumbled back, bumping into Usopp, who gave out a little yelp.

(Name)' s hand shot up and covered his mouth. Several moments passed (Name), and Usopp stood on the deck, staring at their captain inside the kitchen. Both parties looked somewhat guilty.

They must've been a sight for Luffy. The lovers, standing in the cool early morning hours, wore the same set of pajamas. Usopp was wearing comfy pants, and (Name) had stolen the matching t-shirt. Both missing either a shirt or pants.

"Don't tell Sanji," Luffy whispered, flashing a grin before pushing past them, seemingly not caring about their intentions.

"Go figure," Usopp grunted, pulling (Name) 's hands off his face. He let them pull him into the kitchen, “I think I hear the pillow calling my name.”

“But I can’t rely on anyone else to help me with the Cinnamon Roll Stake Out,” (Name) pouted a little, “You’re the best look out ever.”

He rolled his eyes. “I really think it’s calling me. If you listen closely you can hear my blanket; ‘oh Usopp I miss you~!” he feigned distress, as (Name) started to grind coffee beans.

“You’ll live,” (Name) smiled. They couldn’t help thinking about how cute Usopp was. Such a goofy sweet guy that was all for them. How lucky was (Name)?

"Here you go, bae," (Name) mused, setting the coffee mug in front of Usopp.

"You're the best," Usopp cooed before taking a long sip of his hot latte. He leaned against the counter, looking out of the small porthole window that decorated the kitchen door.

"Hm, yeah, I know," they replied. The scent of coffee flooding the kitchen convinced (Name) to make their own latte before digging around the pantry,

(Name) set out the dry ingredients before putting a small bowl of milk in the microwave. "Can you get the butter out for me?" (Name) asked, grabbing an apron.

"I thought I was just supposed to be the lookout," Usopp whined as he moved toward the fridge, "Just need me to set it out?"

"Yeah, and then tie this for me," (Name) said, turning their back toward him, holding the apron strings.

Usopp carefully tied the apron and then rested his head on her shoulder. "It's not too tight, is it?" he asked, his breath hot on (Name) 's neck. When they shivered, a smirk tugged on his lips.

"It's perfect," (Name) nearly squealed, jumping away from their partner. When they turned to stare at Usopp, he barely contained his laughter. "You snot," they grinned, punching him playfully in the shoulder.

"Come on, you know you love me," Usopp chuckled and returned to his post, sipping his coffee.

"More than anything," (Name) hummed, washing their hands before pouring active yeast into the bowl of milk they took from the microwave.

They set the bowl and whisk on the counter next to Usopp, asking him to whisk the contents. (Name) moved on to mixing the rest of the ingredients, carefully putting all the containers back where they found each item. They didn’t want to leave any evidence for Sanji to find. Then (Name) took the bowl from Usopp, combining the last of the ingredients.

"I need to let the dough rise for a bit. Then it'll be cinnamon roll time," (Name) sang before finally taking another sip from their coffee mug. They rested a cloth over the bowl before grabbing a washcloth to clean off the counter space.

Usopp rinsed out his mug and rested it in the sink. "So what do we do until then?" he asked as he began washing the extra dishes.

(Name) sat on the counter, where Usopp had been standing, to get a good view out of the kitchen doors window. Sipping their coffee, (Name) rubbed their eyes.

"I guess we're just going to hang out for a bit," (Name) shrugged, watching the melted whipped cream float at the top of their cup. Their eyelids began to feel heavy as the adrenaline of sneaking into the kitchen had worn away. They let out a great yawn.

Usopp failed to stave off an equally big yawn in reply, to which (Name) smiled.

"Oh~ you like me," (Name) teased, "How embarrassing."

Usopp dried his hands and grinned, "I do like you." He strolled to (Name) and took the coffee mug out of their hands. "I like you quite a lot, actually," he said, wrapping his well-built arms around his partner's waist, "You could say I'm infatuated with you." Usopp leaned in close, kissing (Name).

They melted into his touch, and one hand cupped Usopp's cheek. (Name) tried and failed not to smile.

Feeling the curve of their lips, Usopp broke off the kiss. He rested his forehead against theirs. "I think I might even love you," he murmured. The peace and privacy of the early morning kept him from feeling terribly embarrassed.

Hearing a noise outside, (Name) unhappily moved away from their partner. They peeked out the window, only to catch a glimpse of blond hair making its way toward the kitchen.

"Ah fuck, it's Sanji," (Name) swore, pushing Usopp away from the door.

"What do we do?" he gasped, "Sanji's going to kill us." The once sweet moment had descended into near-comical fright from both parties.

"Um-uh-let's- oh! The pantry," (Name) stumbled through thoughts, shoving Usopp toward the large pantry, "We can try to hide in there."

"Obviously, Sanji's going to look in there," Usopp protested. He moved toward it regardless.

(Name) huffed behind him, "Duh, but I don't have any better ideas."

The couple tumbled into the pantry, closing the door behind them. The two moved around encased in the darkness of a walk-in-pantry.

(Name) grabbed Usopp's hand and pulled him into a spot behind a few barrels of ale. They snuggled close to Usopp's side, trying to settle their thundering heart.

Usopp leaned his head against the wall and squeezed (Name) 's hands. When they squeezed back, the warmth of affection swept through him. All would be well. Sanji wouldn't kill them; at worst, Usopp would get kicked, and Sanji would scold them. The ridiculousness of them hiding in the pantry dawned on him. A little snort of laughter escaped him.

Usopp's laugh made (Name) giggle, making Usopp laugh more until the two of them were in hushed giggles. Both of them tried to shush the other between laughter.

A sudden light washed over them. Sanji had swung open the pantry door. He marched over to the barrel the two of them were hiding behind.

"Okay, lovebirds, stop being perverts and get out of my kitchen," Sanji ordered. The sharp sound of his shoes tapping the wood filled the entire area. He rested his hand firmly on his hip.

"We're not perverts," (Name) protested.

Sanji hummed in response, "Seems like the world's lamest seven minutes in heaven to me," Sanji said, pulling (Name) to their feet.

"It wasn't like that," Usopp remarked, following (Name) out of the pantry, "We were making cinnamon rolls and-"

Sanji clicked his tongue, cutting his crewmate off, "Save it, perv. I don't need the details."

The couple both wailed in unison, denying Sanji's allegations.

(Name) went back to the counter where the dough had been resting. "See? I was gonna make breakfast," they cried, pulling the cloth off the top of the bowl.

Sanji inspected the bowl and gave the dough a tentative poke. He huffed for a moment. "Oh, fine. You can finish it," He sighed, giving in, "Just no mushy stuff in front of me."

"Fair enough," Usopp nodded in agreement, "Mission Cinnamon-Roll-Stakeout has officially failed."

(Name) patted his shoulder sympathetically. "No worries, love," they comforted, "You can help me finish breakfast instead."

"Really?" Usopp perked up, "Mission Making Cinnamon-Buns-with-my-Honey-bun accepted."

————— ୨୧ —————

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Rosinante kicked the snow off his boots before he stepped inside his home. Closing the door behind him, he took off his uniform's winter jacket and hung it on the coat rack. Taking off his boots, he placed them on the side of the vent so they could dry off. His hands reached for the blue handkerchief tied around his neck, undoing the knot and he let out a sigh of relief as it came off. 

Rosinante glanced around the living room next to the entrance, humming to himself and wondering where you were. That's when a pleasant smell caught his attention. A strong peppermint scent danced in the air, drawing Rosinante toward the kitchen. He heard you humming Christmas jingles to yourself as he entered the kitchen and spotted you in front of the island. You hummed as your delicate hands kept busy, dicing red 'n' green striped candy canes, you hadn't noticed the silent man enter the room. Curious, Rosinante walked behind you and looked over your shoulder.

"Whatcha making?"

"Ah!" you jumped, slicing a big chunk of the candy cane. Glancing behind you, you saw Rosinante standing behind you. Setting down the knife, you placed a hand on your chest. "You scared me, Rosi."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." Rosi sheepishly smiled and scratched the back of his neck.

"It's fine, at least I didn't cut my finger," you say as you glance at the large chunk of candy. Surprise captured your emotions again when Rosinante took your hand and began inspecting it for any cuts. "I'm fine, really," you felt your cheeks flush as watching Rosi examine your hand, eyes narrowed as he carefully scanned.

"Seems like you cut your finger," Rosinante pointed out, bringing the small slice to your view.

"Oh, that must've been from earlier," you mumbled as you looked at it. "I had a tricky start cutting the candy canes, it's not as simple as slicing strawberries," you explain while Rosi goes through the cabinets.

"You need to be more careful, [Name]." Rosinante pulled out some disinfecting alcohol and a box of bandaids. He took some paper towel and dabbed the alcohol on the surface then gesture for you to let him see your hand again.

"I got the hang of it now," you tell him as you let him take your hand and disinfect your cut. 

"Hmm..." Setting the paper towel down, Rosinante grabbed one of the bandaids in the box. "Never answered my question earlier."

"Oh, I'm making candy cane ice cream," you chirped with a smile. "I thought since we'll be going to your father's house for Christmas, we could bring a dessert so Sengoku doesn't have to worry about everything-"

"Uh, [Name] could please help," Rosi asked, hands covered with wrinkled bandaids.

"How did this happen?" you giggled, your fingers moving to remove the bandaids. 

Rosi blushed and looked away, mumbling a small 'ow' as each bandaid came off. Once they were all gone, you kissed his hands to shoo the pain away, colouring Rosi's cheeks a deeper red. Taking his hands back, he grabbed the box and handed it to you. You gave him a small smile as you took out a bandaid and put it over the clean cut.

"There all better," you state, waving your fingers. You followed your actions with a kiss on your lover's cheek. "Thank you Rosi."

"Now then-" you clapped your hands together and finished dicing the candy canes, brushing them into the mix you had prepared prior and layering them in. "Could you pass the tin Rosi, please?"

"Of course," Rosi grabbed the tin that sat on the counter and placed it next to you.

You steadily poured the batter into the tin until it almost hit the brim, yet some batter remained in the bowl. You frown seeing that you over-measured the amount you needed. As you wrapped the current filled tin of unfrozen ice cream you wondered what to do with the leftovers.

"Mmm, this tastes good," Rosi complimented. You glanced over to see the blond licking the batter off the spatula.

"You're supposed to eat it once it's been frozen," you giggled.

"It may be but it's just as good as this, try it," Rosi held the spatula toward you, waiting for you to taste the creamy batter.

Leaning forward, you licked the part that seemed to have the most amount of candy cane. The sweetness melted in your mouth and you hummed pleasantly, savouring the taste in your mouth. It did taste delicious.