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2021-03-29
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2022-11-06
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Fever, Fever, Go Away

Chapter 2: Man Overboard

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

He was sleeping.

He wasn't sure how he knew he was sleeping, but he was.

A peal of breezy laughter floated in the air, light and soft, but somehow still able to cut through any noise. A laugh, which Usopp had not heard the likes of sense...

Ah.

There it was.

That was why he knew it was a dream.

It was her laughter.

Her.

His mother only existed in dreams.

Feelings and colors clarified; sounds smoothed out and settled into something understandable, and then the scene came into clarity.

Banchina, his perfect mother, was skipping down a hill. Not just any hill, but the hill below Usopp's family home. Syrup Village. This was Syrup village. He was home, no... no he was not home. He was just... remembering, or dreaming, or both, as the case was. He focused on his mother, her back so recognizable. From her strong posture, to her thin limbs, and her charming large hands which she used to make food, or make pottery, or when she was feeling especially industrious...

Mix chemicals.

She'd been a chemist, or something like it when he was a child. She even had a shed in the back, behind their house, that she used to mix all sorts of things together in. She had even taught him how to mix smoke bombs. There was a lot Usopp had gotten from his father... but there was a lot he'd gotten from his mother too. Usopp pulled himself back to the scene; back to his mother.

She hummed a tune as she skipped down the hill. One that Usopp hadn't thought about in a long time, but recognized immediately. Her hands were behind her back, one clasping her wrist loosely as she skipped and hummed, a few words slipping out as she half sang:

 

"As the son of a son of a sailor
I went out on the sea for adventure...


...As a dreamer of dreams and a travelin' man
I have chalked up many a mile..."

She did not sing the whole song, she stuck with humming mostly, seemingly only singing out her favorite parts or the song. But when she got to the chorus, her half meandering, half humming voice rose up, and she belted it out:

"Son of a son, son of a son
Son of a son of a sailor
Son of a gun, load the last ton
One step ahead of the jailer!"

Behind her, screaming more than singing, a small child's voice echoed her. It was him. Little him.

He turned, or at least the scene shifted and then, a small boy, no more than five came running after his mother, tearing down this hill at a speed too fast for the slope. He was belting out the chours too, eyes alight with delight as he thought of his father. The boy kicked up his heels when he got to, 'Ahead of the jailer,' and Usopp winced, knowing what would happen next. Little Usopp... tripped. And then, in a spectacular display of flailing, Little Usopp tumbled down, end over end, moving like a wild wheel down the hill, until his mother had stepped in front of him and caught him. Her face had been terrified during the moment, but now that she'd managed to stop the little boy's stumble, it smoothed out into a mask of calm.

She knelt to the ground, settling the little boy down about her lap, and in a soft voice asked, "Usopp! Are you alright?"

Little Usopp was shaking, half from fear, and the rest, from pain. The tumble had been quite dramatic, and would only get worse. Little Usopp hadn't seen it yet, but Usopp's knee was bleeding, and where it wasn't bleeding, it was scaped up raw, this skin stinging and irritated red.

Usopp, all grown up now, and nearing his twenties, still had the scar from this fall.

Banchina's eyes were on it, and she frowned with deep concern, and then Little Usopp spotted the injury. His eyes flooded with tears, and he took in a gulping breath---

But Banchina clapped her hands dramatically, and shouted, "Banchina... SPELL!!" She bellowed the word with a dramatic flourish, and then closed her eyes in deep concentration, and wiggled her fingers.

Little Usopp's head snapped to his mother, caught in rapt attention. Tears were still spilling down his cheeks, but his wail had been halted.

With an exaggerated grab at the air around Usopp's knee, and in a completely serious voice, Banchina began to chant, "Pain, Pain, fly away! Come again some other day!" She chanted these words over and over, each time her voice growing louder, more fervent, and more dramatic until she made a huge throwing motion, and tossed an unseen heavy load away from her son. Little Usopp sniffled and clapped for his mother's performance, and while he clapped, she removed a scarf from her neck and quickly tied it to his leg.

"Did that help?" She asked, still focusing on his bloodied knee.

"Yes," Little Usopp whispered, wincing as she tightened her makeshift bandage, "It still hurts."

"Yes... I think it will a little while yet!" Banchina whispered seriously, "You had a very big fall!" Once his knee was tied up, she scooped him up into her arms, and turned back towards the hill, "I shall have to cast more spells, but Usopp, you did very well! Brave boy!"

Little Usopp wrapped his arms around her, and buried his face in her neck. She was hurrying on up the hill, where she would treat his knee, but it would still scar.

Usopp, the big one who was watching his younger self with envy, knew this to be true. Absently, he touched the pant leg, knowing under it was the slightly hooked raised scar. As a child, he used to draw on it, and turn it into a yawning crocodile's mouth.

This was a nice dream. A nice memory to have. But it was sweet agony. Nice to see his mother... terrible to know that when he woke up... she would be gone.

He couldn't recall the last time he had dreamed of his mother.

As she reached the top of the hill, she paused, and turned around.

It was as if the distance between them had faded away. She stared at him. A young mother staring into her adult, or at least something like it, son's face. In reality, she'd never know his aged face, but she was looking now. Maybe she could see it, and know it.

Usopp stood a little straighter, puffed up his chest, and held out his arms. Would she like what she saw? Be proud of it? Even recognize it?

"Wh-what do you think?" He stammered. He hadn't meant to stammer.

Banchina looked him up and down appraisingly, in the way Robin might look at an ancient item, and then she whispered, "Wake up Usopp."

He blinked.

That was not her voice.

Banchina opened her mouth again, and Zoro's angry voice emerged, "Oi! Usopp! Wake up!"

 

 

Usopp took in a ragged breath, startled into alertness. No. No, he was not startled into alertness, he was terrified into it. He was thrust, terrifyingly into alertness, and even screamed as the hands at his shoulders, clamped harder.

"Ah! Come on Usopp! Shut up!" Zoro barked, shaking Usopp once more.

Usopp took in a deep breath, and coughed, choking on the scream he'd been about to let loose. When he managed to catch his breath, he rubbed his eyes. Looking about, Usopp felt confused by his place of sleep. This was not the men's room, nor was it his workshop.

"Where....?" He began to question and then stopped. He knew where he was. The answer had suddenly popped into his head.

This was the crow's nest, and he had been on duty. He... had slept on duty... and been awoken by Zoro.

Oh, no!

Even though they had been docked at Marah (The name of the island, which Robin liked quite a lot for some historical reason Usopp could not recall) for over a week, Zoro had insisted they still keep up their night watch routine. There'd been a few begrudging moans, but everyone had agreed. Seemingly, nice tourist location or not, the Straw Hats needed to be vigilant. They were all wanted people after all.

And Usopp had fallen asleep on his watch, a huge slight by the crew's, first mate's, standards.

Zoro crossed his arms and glared, letting Usopp know he was due for a lecture. And then probably a punishment, in the form of some workout routine.

And any other day, Usopp would agree. He took watch very seriously. He had never fallen asleep at watch, well, at least not since his Sabaody days, where the care of the group's well-being seemed to be taken a little more seriously overall. And Zoro, despite how often he napped, never fell asleep on watch, and was not one to let it go if any one else happened to fall asleep on a watch. Even Chopper had gotten a stern scolding from Zoro when the little doctor had fallen asleep, and Zoro was soft on him plenty.

Any other day-Usopp would accept a scolding from Zoro, and he'd whine, but he'd accept a punishment too.

But today was different.

He had dreamt of his mother and seen her with such aching clarity. Because of that, Usopp couldn't bear to be yelled at, scolded, or punished today. He needed to go hide, and... and... and something. Mourn maybe? But he needed to do something, and he needed to do it alone.

Remembering his mother was as painful as it was wonderful, and for the momentary joy he got in having that dream, his day was now ruined. Zoro needn't punish him... he was punished enough.

Because now he was back in a reality where she was dead and gone.

And it was such a bitter thing, worse than any pain Zoro could give him.

And so, with a bit of tremor to his voice, Usopp got up and muttered, "I recognize I fell asleep, and that was wrong, but I can't be yelled at just now."

Zoro raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "What was that?"

Usopp grit his teeth, but forced himself to unclench and relax his jaw. Not meeting Zoro's eye Usopp cleared his throat and said louder, "I was wrong for falling asleep, there's no excuse for that. But lecture me tomorrow-"

"So you admit to being in the wrong, but want to weasel out of the punishment?" Zoro snapped, talking over Usopp.

Usopp rubbed his head, a vein in his brow pulsing. His head hurt. His heart hurt. The scar on his knee, long recovered, hurt.

"Not now, Zoro," Usopp muttered, trying to get himself back into the present. Trying to readjust to being motherless. Why did it still have to hurt so much, years later? Why did tears still prickle at his eyes?

"What?" Zoro growled, his eyes narrowing as he tried to take on a frightening countenance.

But Usopp couldn't do with it today. He brushed past Zoro, and without a word, began to descend the rigging.

That was the wrong move apparently because Zoro was soon descending after him, making a scene. Shouting his name over and over, and demanding for Usppp to stop. Usopp did stop, when his feet hit the deck, his teeth grit hard, and his head throbbing as Zoro continued to yell. The rest of the crew was looking from their own positions, and a few were starting to drift towards the scene, clearly curious as to what was going on.

"Do you think you can just walk away from this?" Zoro barked out when he was on deck. But he did not stop when his feet hit the deck, he kept walking, shoving his chest against Usopp's and glaring into the Sniper's eyes when he, at last, looked up.

Usopp had not been expecting the contact, and when he was met by Zoro's chest, he pressed back, surprising himself by doing it. Zoro too, looked surprised.

And it was probably Usopp pressing back against the riled-up Zoro that had Sanji calling out, "Oi! Moss-head! What are you doing over there to Usopp?"

Sanji's face was set in a protective frown, and he was stomping over, Luffy already ahead of him, although he only looked interested at the scene, and not upset.

"Usopp," Zoro spat, poking a hard finger to Usopp's bare chest, "Fell asleep on watch."

Sanji's eyebrows shot up, and he set his mouth in a hard line. He didn't have anything to say to defend Usopp, but his face said he clearly didn't like Zoro being so angry about it.

Usopp's head throbbed more, now embarrassed and ashamed to have the whole crew hear his missive.

"Usopp fell asleep?" Luffy asked, coming to stand near his First mate and Sniper. His voice held that innocence it usually did, but it had an edge. An edge that he was listening in now as a Captain, and not as a friend.

Usopp swore under his breath, shoulders sagging. This day was turning out into a real mess, "I know. I know I fell asleep. It was wrong. And I'll take full responsibility-"

"You'll take it, now!" Zoro snapped, "Not tomorrow, or not later when you feel like it!" He jabbed Usopp several more times with his finger as if driving a point into Usopp.

Usopp's jaw was beginning to hurt from how hard he was gritting his teeth, and Zoro's last jab, actually made Usopp stagger.

"Oi! Marimo, quit being a prick!" Sanji snapped, making a move to walk forward, but Luffy held out his hand and stopped the irate cook.

"If Usopp fell asleep, he needs to get scolded," Luffy said his tone cool but authoritative in that way that only Luffy could manage. He was staring unblinkingly at Zoro and Usopp, peeling back the layers of the scene, assessing something Sanji could not. There was something suspicious in Luffy's gaze, like he had an idea forming, but wasn't quite sure of it yet.

"This isn't about me trying to avoid responsibility-" Usopp tried to say, his chest hurting as his anger built. His heart was rattling inside his chest, and it felt like a panic attack was brewing inside of him.

 

"Pain, Pain, fly away!" His mother sang in his ear.

 

"You, will stand there and listen to me!" Zoro said folding his arms, his voice leaving no more room for argument, "You fell asleep on watch, which is as stupid as it is dangerous. Anyone could have picked you off, or snuck on the ship and picked us off! Your life, and our lives are in your care when you are on watch. And do you know how terrifying it was for me to wake up to the dawn? I had third watch! You were supposed to change out with me, and so when I woke up, I thought something had happened to you! I thought you were hurt, or sick, or anything but asleep on the job!"

 

"Come again some other day!" Usopp's mother sang.

 

Usopp, whose head was barely lifted as it was, sagged downwards. His head was pounding. His mother was still dead. He had made a mistake, but could Zoro just wait? His mother had been long dead. It shouldn't still hurt. His heart felt too small in his ribcage. It was tight. Why did Zoro have to chew him out in front of everyone? Couldn't he wait. Just a little while longer? He was so embarrassed already, so ashamed, he was not his mother's brave boy.

"Usopp!" Zoro barked for attention.

"Hey..." Sanji began to talk, his hand reaching for Zoro's shoulder, "Stop! I think-"

"Usopp!" Luffy breathed, voice sure, and eyes knowing something, in the way he always knew, "Do you feel sick?"

Usopp lifted his pounding head to look at his Captain, confused by the question. Looking at Luffy took a strange amount of effort, and it made Usopp's head hurt worse. He squinted at his Captain, confused by his change of voice, when a loud, heavy wet sound caught his ear.

The deck went silent, and the air got heavy.

Usopp looked down at the deck below his feet. A startling large amount of blood was at his feet, and there were clumps in it. Great big clots were in the wet puddle, and Usopp cringed in disgust taking half a step back. It was then, he realized the blood was coming from his nose, as his movement caused his still dripping nose to be at the right angle to drip onto his chest. This was not the only problem. That half a step back, had also thrown off his equilibrium, and he was falling.

"Usopp!"

He was falling... but everything has already gone white anyways so... so...

Oh.

Usopp was unconscious.

Notes:

"Son of Son of a Sailor," is the song by Jimmy Buffett that Banchina is sing/humming.