Author's Note: Confession time. I LOVE Zoro and Usopp's friendship. It is the most adorable thing I've ever seen. And, I don't think it gets enough love. Both these boys love their nakama and, at the end of the day, they'd do anything to protect those they care about. Thus, this was born. Because Roronoa Zoro hurts so pretty and protective Usopp is the BEST Usopp. I also strongly headcanon that Zoro listens to all of Usopp's stories and that he fakes being asleep so he can enjoy the tales without seeming childish. I hope you guys enjoy!

Pain fights through the haze of unconsciousness first. The dull drum hammers through every ounce of his body. Cold comes next. Icy wetness that leaks through his pants and coat. Usopp forces himself to open his eyes. Blurs of white fight their way into focus. Cloudy gray clouds are the only thing that break through the white onslaught of thick snow around him.

Slight weight presses on his leg and over some of his torso. Snow, he realized as he pushes himself up. The thick, puffy snow falls off him. He blinks hard and stares down at his glove covered hands and tries to remember what happened. They'd been on a winter island, gathering supplies. Luffy had made friends with a couple of locals and been invited to a party up on the mountain. They'd gone up, partied, spent the night. Then, when morning came along, the others had started down the mountain.

Usopp stayed behind. He'd been sick. Too sick. Too hungover. So, he waited until he'd felt more up to it. Then, he'd headed down the mountain.

Had he slipped? No. No way. No mere soil could have taken down the Great Captain Usopp. So, what then?

Usopp looks up. Down the mountain a ways, he can see two holes in the thick snow. Footprints and drag marks. Red droplets. All that leads up to him.

Avalanche. Tidal waves of snow that crashed down on him. But, not just him. One of his nakama had stayed behind with him. Enjoyed extra sleep time. Harassed him mercilessly as he puked his guts out.

Zoro. Shit, Zoro.

Usopp whips his head around. Through the thick snowfall around them doesn't completely cover the puddle of blood forming beside the unconscious swordsman's head. He lays motionless beside Usopp, one arm outstretched as though reaching for Usopp. Had been reaching for Usopp. Had dragged Usopp as far as he could before apparently collapsing.

"Oi, Zoro." Usopp lunges for his nakama. Regrets it when pain flares through his body. He bites his lip to hold in a scream of pain. "Z-Zoro."

Usopp ignores the pain rushing through his body and forces himself over to his nakama. Zoro doesn't respond as Usopp shakes him urgently. Face lax and stained with the blood rolling from a wound hiding in his moss green hair.

"Zoro," Usopp says again. "Oi, oi, Zoro. Wake up."

From somewhere above them, thunder rolls. Usopp swears wildly. If it's another avalanche, they're screwed. If the storm gets any worse, they could freeze to death.

"Shit, shit," Usopp hisses, looking around desperately. Gaze searching for somewhere to go. Something to help him move Zoro. "Shit."

Nothing but white surrounds him. White snow, some stained red with his nakama's blood. The thought rocks his stomach. Shivers race through him. Snow leaks through his gloves and pants. More rumbling. They need to get good distance in and find a safe place to whole up until the storm passes.

Zoro remains dead weight as Usopp maneuvers him. Pulls and hefts Zoro's still body onto his back. A breathy groan breaks Zoro's lips at the movement. Usopp freezes and cranes his neck to look back at Zoro, still unconscious. Clearly something about the movement had caused Zoro some sort of pain. Ribs, maybe. Or his shoulders? Arms? Shit, this is harder than Usopp thought.

"Sorry, Zoro," Usopp mumbles.

The weight on his back screams discomfort as he forces one foot in front of the other. The snow makes things far more difficult. Usopp stumbles, struggles to keep from dropping Zoro's stiff form. A few particularly bad stumbles cause Zoro to moan, even allow his eyelids to flicker open from time to time.

A bit of relief fills Usopp. If nothing else, it tells him his nakama is still breathing. That some sort of consciousness lingers behind Zoro's pain.

Around them, the storm worsens. Cold winds and snow slap Usopp across the face. Snowflakes stick to his hair and eyelashes.

"Almost there," Usopp promises, though he isn't sure he can deliver on that. At this rate, he's praying that he can keep his arms from giving out and dropping his nakama. "Any second now, we'll be there, alright? This is nothing compared to some of the storms I've been through. Once when I was seven, I got lost in a blizzard with only a pocket knife."

A cabin. Usopp's told Zoro four stories of braving various storms when he almost smacks into it. The snow makes it difficult to see his hand in front of his face. Let alone something thirty feet away.

No lights shine through the windows. Peeking through dirty, frosty windows, Usopp doesn't think it's been used in quite some time. Hopefully they've left supplies, whoever the cabin belongs to. And, they won't mind them using it. Slowly and carefully, Usopp lowers Zoro to sit against the cabin wall. A mistake if Usopp's ever made one.

Zoro's eyes pop open with a scream of pain. He slams his head back against the cabin's walls, hand clenched around Usopp's coat. Usopp leaps, startled, and scrambles to move Zoro into a less painful position. A moment too late. Zoro's eyes roll back in his head and his chin hits his chest in a dead faint.

Panic and urgency race through Usopp. He turns to the door and rams his shoulder into it. Once. The door trembles under the weight. Twice. Wood creaks and groans. Three times. The frame gives and the door swings open and Usopp stumbles in. The inside of the cabin is no warmer than outside. But there's a small wood stove across the room and chopped wood. A small bed covered in quilts. A thick layer of dust and cobwebs cover the room. Probably an old hunting cabin. One that hasn't been touched in a long time.

Perfect.

Zoro makes only a few whimpers as Usopp carries him into the cabin and settles him on the bed. Carefully, he strips Zoro's soaked coat, boots and pants. He ignores the bruises strewn across his nakama's body and pulls the quilt back over Zoro's shivering body. Injuries can wait until he gets a fire started and warms them up.

Something is wrong with Zoro's hip. Usopp is eternally grateful that Zoro remains unconscious as he searches his nakama's body. Zoro probably wouldn't appreciate Usopp pulling back the band of his underwear to get a better look at the bruise beginning to form on the lump sitting over Zoro's hip.

God, Usopp hopes it isn't broken. Whatever it is, he needs to do something. Maybe he can fashion an ice pack out of snow and cloth to bring down the swelling. Though, with the raging in the fire place across from them, it would probably melt in minutes.

Worth a try, though, Usopp supposes. Anything to help Zoro out with even the barest trace of pain. If it's enough to knock the swordsman out, Usopp has no doubts the pain is unbearable.

He checks himself over after he's finished with Zoro. Finds a collection of bruises. Maybe a few broken ribs. But nothing too bad. Nothing too bad. Nothing to keep him from looking after his injured nakama. After tearing apart some old sheets, Usopp puts some of the strips out to freeze. He needs to get something cold on Zoro's leg and bring down that swelling. He fills a pot with snow as well and brings it in to sit beside the fire. Once it melts, Usopp can use the water to clean some of the blood off of Zoro.

Eerie silence sits over them. Not so much as a snore from Zoro. A sure sign that he's unconscious and not asleep. Looking at the swordsman, shirtless and still in a bed, blankets pulled up to his chest with a bandage wrapped around his head reminds Usopp entirely too much of Thriller Bark. He fails to suppress a shudder.

They never need a repeat of Thriller Bark. Never.

"Say, Zoro, did I ever tell you about the time my Great Usopp Pirates battled a giant beast made of vines?" Usopp settles into a chair beside Zoro and talks.

It doesn't take long to clean the blood from Zoro's face. The swordsman remains unmoving as Usopp runs a cloth down his temple and cheek. Breathing smooth. Usopp isn't sure whether or not to be concerned. With the collection of injuries he has, sleep may be exactly what Zoro needs. But, it's unnatural to see Zoro this still.

"Hey, maybe you should wake up," Usopp says softly. "I could really use some help with the fire wood."

He doesn't need any help with the fire wood but Zoro always comes through for his nakama. Maybe, just maybe, if Usopp can convince Zoro that he's needed, he'll wake up. It may be far fetched but at this point, anything is worth a shot.

Zoro's eyebrows don't even twitch.

"Did I ever tell you about the time I saved a small island in the West Blue?"

Zoro stirs slightly whenever Usopp changes the frozen cloth on his hip. Otherwise, he remains still and quiet. Usopp busies himself with going through the cabin for supplies. The cupboards have a surprising amount of food in them. Enough to last them well over a week. Firewood should last them not quite as long. Though, as long as the storm only lasts a day, they should be alright.

Usopp spreads out one of the spare blankets beside the bed and lays down. The fire crackles gently across from him. The only noise in the warm cabin air. Far too quiet as far as Usopp's concerned.

"Once, when I was seven, I got lost on the open sea in a storm…"

The storm lasts longer than Usopp hoped. The snow piles higher by the moment. There's no way the crew can be out looking for them in this weather. Which means they're stuck for at least another day. Usopp's gaze moves from their dwindling wood pile to Zoro's slowly moving chest. Still no sign of waking. If this lasts another day, Usopp will have to go find firewood. Otherwise, they'll freeze to death.

"You know, once, I was on an island in the North Blue. My men and I got lost in a blizzard. I took charge and found us a cabin for shelter. But, alas, we had run sort of fire wood. I knew it would never be enough to last us through the storm. So, we are out to find some firewood. I let the charge through the unknown. I knew we would find something! The brave Captain Usopp never gives up hope!"

Zoro sleeps soundly through the story, through the monster that attacked the groups, through how Usopp slayed the beast and saved the day.

"Don't worry," Usopp tells the sleeping swordsman. "The storm will lighten up soon. Then I can get us out of here."

Zoro sleeps on.

If the storm lightens up at all, Usopp can't tell. What he can tell is that their firewood supplies run dangerously low. They may not make it through another night. Zoro's eyelids have yet to so much as flutter.

Usopp's gaze moves to the window again. Anxiety ripples through him. If something happens and the snow doesn't lighten up, they could freeze. To death. A real possibility. His gaze moves back to Zoro. Zoro, who's counting on him. Zoro, for once, needs Usopp to take care of him. Usopp refuses to let him down. Even think of letting him down.

"Alright. I'll be back soon, Zoro."

The person who owned the cabin has rope stored in the cupboard. A large coil tied up, thick and reliable. If he ties it to the door and his waist, he'll be able to look for firewood without getting lost. Usopp wraps himself in his coat and mittens and pulls Kabuto over his shoulder before he lays an extra blanket over Zoro and steps into the storm.

Wind whips against his face, snow stinging his skin. The thick snow rises over his boots and into his socks. The walk is tedious, free sing. And he can only hope the ammunition in his bag will be enough to cut up a tree.

He tries to keep paranoia from creeping up his back. Fails to keep his mind from turning the harsh winds into the growls of an imaginary beast.

Or an actual beast.

A particularly rough noise freezes him in his tracks. Tall, dark and menacing. Red eyes peer at him, brows dipped in an angry sneer. Usopp's fingers fumble. Try desperately to open his bag as the beast rushes toward him.

"Oni giri."

Zoro's hoarse growl barely reaches Usopp's ears. Blood dances in the air. The body of a large white monster falls in the snow. A few feet in front of it, Zoro drops into the snow as well, face scrunched in pain.

"O-oi." Usopp bolts to his fallen nakama's side.

Zoro pushes himself slightly out of the snow. His pants and boots are both present, though both his coat and kimono are missing. A moan of pain leaves Zoro's lips as he pushes himself up a bit, one hand pressed against his bad hip.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Zoro grumbles, sliding his katana back into their scabbards.

"What was I thinking?" Usopp demands. "You're injured!"

"I'm fine." Zoro collapses as soon as he tries to pick himself up.

Usopp scoffs. "I'm fine," he mocks.

Breathing harshly, Zoro manages to sit himself up. His face twists in agony, hand pressed to his injured hip.

"Shouldn't go out alone," Zoro mumbles. "Had plenty of firewood."

"No, we didn't," Usopp sighs, holding out a hand. "Come on. Let me help you up."

"I'm fine," Zoro repeats.

He accepts the hand regardless and stumbles against Usopp, clutching him tightly. A swarm of curses slip past Zoro's lips. Most of his weight crashes down on Usopp as his bad leg gives out, leaving the sniper to struggle with both of their weights.

"Shit," Usopp growls.

He lowers Zoro into the snow as the swordsman bites down on his lip to hold in another cry of pain. Frustration bubbles in Usopp's chest as he watches Zoro's face scrunch in pain, hand pressed against his bad side.

"What are you doing out here?" Usopp demands.

"You shouldn't go out alone," Zoro growls back at him. "You could have been killed."

"I would have been fine, Zoro."

"Tell that to him." Zoro motions to the beast before them.

Usopp sighs and rolls his eyes. There's no point in arguing with Zoro when he thinks he's right. What matters right now is that Zoro is out in a snowstorm with no jacket and he'll freeze to death if Usop doesn't get him back into the warmth, fast.

"You're so reckless," Usopp says. "Come on. We need to get you back to the cabin."

"I can get back to the cabin - what are you doing?"

Usopp squats in front of Zoro, holding his arms back slightly, so Zoro can climb on his back. "I'm carrying you."

"You are not carrying me," Zoro snaps. "I walked out here. I'll walk back."

"Don't be an idiot."

Damn swordsman and his damn pride.

"You don't be an idiot."

"Zoro, swallow your damn pride-"

"This isn't about my pride, baka. Your ribs are broken. You can't carry me."

Usopp blinks. "What?"

"Your ribs," Zoro repeats, "are broken. You're going to hurt yourself even worse trying to carry me around. I can walk."

"Oh." The word leaves Usopp as a small whimper. "Don't worry about it."

Zoro rolls his eyes. "Just, help me stand."

"We tried that already, Zoro. Just, let me carry you."

"You aren't going to carry me."

"I did it already once anyway," Usopp tells him. "I can do it again."

"You did?" Zoro sounds surprised.

"Of course. How else did you think you got to the cabin?"

Zoro blinks, brow furrowing. "I figured you dragged me."

"Of course I didn't drag you," Usopp says indignantly. "That would have hurt you worse. Don't be an idiot, get on."

After a good five minutes of grumbling, Usopp finally manages to heft the swordsman onto his back. A barely concealed moan escapes Zoro as Usopp adjusts his weight, warm forehead resting against Usopp's neck.

"Careful of my swords," Zoro mumbles.

"I know how to handle swords, Zoro. Didn't I ever tell you about the time I fought three swordsmen with only a pocket knife?"

Zoro groans.

"It's dislocated," Zoro says around a hiss of pain as Usopp lays a freshly frozen cloth strip on his hip. "Just pop it back into place."

That might just be the worst idea Usopp has ever heard. Anything could go wrong without Chopper there to help them.

"Are you insane?" Usopp demands, laying a second strip over the first. "There are seventeen different ways that could go wrong."

Zoro snorts. "Only seventeen?"

"No. At least seventeen."

A tired smile pulls at the swordsman's lips. Pained exhaustion fills Zoro's face, his eyes drooping low.

"Seventeen," Zoro mutters.

"Go back to sleep, Zoro," Usopp orders softly, pulling the blanket back over Zoro's chest.

The swordsman's surprisingly strong grip wraps around Usopp's wrist. "Don't leave again," Zoro says. "'S dangerous."

"I'm not seventeen anymore, Zoro. I'm strong now."

"I know," Zoro mutters. "You carried me all the way. You're strong. Just don't like you out there without me watching your back. Don't leave again."

Sighing, Usopp sits back in the chair beside Zoro's bed. "Yosh. Yosh. I'll stay here."

A slightly stronger smile crosses Zoro's face. "Good." His face pinches in pain when he shifts his weight.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Usopp asks.

Which is probably an awfully stupid question. But Usopp never claimed to be smart.

"No," Zoro lies.

The swordsman's eyes drift close and he lays still for a moment before he lets out a long breath.

"Oi, Usopp?"

Usopp hums softly.

"Finish telling me about the time you and the Usopp Pirates saved the princess and her kingdom from those corrupt marines."

Usopp blinks. "You heard that?"

Zoro hums. "Heard all of them. That's how I knew you were in trouble out there?"

"Eh?"

"You said there was a monster in the snow. Then you went out to get firewood."

Zoro must be delirious with pain. He must have confused reality with the stories Usopp had been telling him to break the silence.

"I didn't know you listened when I told stories."

"Course. The goldfish. N' the giant bird. The dragons. N' the yeti. I always listen to them."

Usopp can feel the surprise mounting in his chest. Here he thought the swordsman thought he was ridiculous and would rather ignore Usopp than waste time listening to him. He watches Zoro's eyes settle close, finally letting his exhaustion take over.

Letting out a small breath, Usopp smiles. "So, I sent the Usopp Pirates to find out where the Marines had set up their base."

The storm lifts sometime in the night. Usopp kicks himself for falling asleep at Zoro's bedside, but he's relieved to see sunlight streaming in from the window. Pushing himself up, he glances down at the sleeping swordsman for a moment before he pulls the door open and peeks outside. Their footsteps from the night before have vanished beneath the snow. But, by some miracle, Usopp can still see down the mountain. On the horizon sits the harbor, along with a dot that Usopp knows must be Sunny. It's a day's walk, tops.

And the rest of the crew will probably be looking for them. He'll meet them halfway.

"Zoro," Usopp says, shaking Usopp's shoulder. "Oi, Zoro, wake up."

Zoro moans slightly, but doesn't wake. Red spreads over his cheeks and nose, skin warm to the touch. Usopp curses. If the idiot swordsman had just stayed inside, like Usopp asked, he wouldn't be sick.

"Alright," Usopp sighs. "I guess I'll have to do this myself."

Zoro stirs slightly as Usopp shifts him, dressing the swordsman's limp limbs with extreme difficulty. But, at least Zoro doesn't wake up and try to cut him in half. It takes longer than he'd like, but there's still lots of daylight left when Usopp heaves the unconscious man onto his back and starts out the door.

Warm breath hits Usopp's neck, a comfort to remind him that Zoro is alive and well. The thick snow makes it hard but Usopp steps with conviction, forcing himself onward. Zoro needs Chopper. Badly.

Wind chills his cheeks but the beating sun makes him sweat. A strange paradox that keeps him trapped between cursing the sun's warmth and wanting it to stay high in the sky. Usopp keeps his eyes on the horizon, desperately wishing he could walk faster. If it wasn't for this damn snow, his nakama would be safe in a bed right now.

"We'll be there soon, Zoro," Usopp tells the unconscious swordsman. "Chopper will fix you up. Sanji will make us hot chocolate. Luffy will probably even let you sleep. I promise. I'm going to get us back to Sunny."

He will. Nothing will stop him from getting his nakama home safely.

"Usopp!" A cry fills the air. Luffy's strong, excited voice. "Oi! Usopp! Zoro!"

"Usopp!" Nami's voice joins him. "Zoro! Where are you?"

Relief slams into Usopp like a cannonball. The ache in his ribs returns with sudden and blinding pain. His knees weaken and he stumbles, nearly dropping Zoro as his adrenaline drops. His nakama are near. Any second now, someone is going to help him.

"Nami?" Usopp's voice fails him, wind throwing the name back in his face.

Zoro lets out a pained groan as Usopp stumbles again and his hip is jostled.

Pausing, Usopp forces strength back into his legs, tightening his grip on Zoro to keep him still. "Oi! Luffy!"

This time his voice carries. Echoes around them in an endless shout. Then, silence. Almost as though Luffy's voice had been a figment of his imagination.

"USSSSOOOOPPPPP!"

In the distance, a red blur shoots toward them. Any of Usopp's relief fades to horror when he realizes Luffy is going to slam right into them and probably cause even more damage to his injured crewmate, without even knowing. He locks his knees, putting most of his weight forward in the hope of standing despite Luffy's momentum.

Amazingly, the captain never hits them. Luffy makes it almost to them before he seems to realize something is off. He touches down, snow flying up around him, and runs the rest of the way.

"Oi, oi," Luffy says softly, coming to stop in front of them. "Usopp. Zoro?"

"I'm okay," Usopp tells his captain. "But Zoro's hurt. His hip is really bad, Luffy. He can't walk."

Face set in grime determination, Luffy nods. "Yosh. I'll take Zoro."

"It's alright, Luffy. I can carry him."

Luffy shakes his head, concern frown etched on his face. "Usopp's hurt too. Let me carry Zoro."

"Usopp!" Nami's excited cry fills the air as she sprints toward them, waving her arms. "Oi, Us-opp."

Any excitement or annoyance the navigator saved up seems to disappear as she skids to a halt in front of them. Her gaze flickers from Luffy as he eases Zoro's limb body from Usopp's back to Usopp, who can't help but grimace as the weight change drums against his ribs.

"Oh, Usopp." Nami pulls him into a hug. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Nami," he assures her.

"But, your face." She pulls away, cupping his face.

"My face?"

"Have you not seen it?"

"Well, I can't see my own face."

Nami scowls. "Don't be an idiot. You're covered in bruises." Her gaze softens. "What happened?"

"Avalanche." Usopp glances back, watching his captain ease their first mate into his arms, cradling Zoro close.

Nami nods. "Come on. Chopper's back at Sunny. The others are out looking for you two. We'll find them after."

Sanji does make them hot chocolate when they returns. Or, at least, he makes Usopp hot chocolate. Zoro has fallen back asleep by the time the cook returns, partially from the exhaustion of his injuries, partially from the fever running through his body.

The swordsman had woken briefly, screaming in pain when Chopper had finally forced his hip back into place. He'd slurred out Usopp's name, desperate eyes searching for his nakama and Usopp hadn't had the heart to leave the swordsman until Luffy made him.

"You did good, Usopp," Sanji told him, patting him on the shoulder as he led him from the infirmary. "Let Sencho and Chopper take it from here."

Usopp didn't really want to. Every instinct in his body told him to stay with Zoro. And to watch over his nakama like he promised to. But he sits with Sanji anyway, watching the cook make dinner as the rest of their nakama filter in slowly.

Sanji sets aside a dish for Zoro and Luffy - who surprisingly skips dinner to sit with their sick swordsman.

"You did a great job taking care of him, Usopp," Chopper praises. "His hip is back in place. If I can convince him to stay off it for a few days, it'll heal faster. But, I doubt that will happen. I think his fever is mostly from shock. He doesn't seem to have frostbite anywhere."

"He ran around outside with no boots and no coat," Usopp offers.

Chopper lets out a long suffering sigh.

"Usopp." Luffy smiles at him when he opens the door. "Zoro just fell back asleep."

"That's okay. I just wanted to check in. Chopper said you were making him go to bed."

Luffy nods. "Chopper's tired. And Zoro says he's okay. Just tired. So, I'll sit up with Zoro tonight."

Usopp frowns. "If he's okay, why is someone sitting up with him?"

The slight smile on Luffy's face fades and he shifts uncomfortably. "Chopper says nobody needs to. I just want to."

Usopp's brow furrows. "Luffy."

"I told Zoro I'd never let us get separated again. Any of us. And then you and Zoro didn't come back. For three whole days." Luffy's voice wavers.

"We're fine," Usopp insists softly. "We looked after each other."

Luffy smiles again. "I know. Zoro told me. He said you looked after him best. And told him the best stories. Will you tell me?"

Please, don't leave me alone. Usopp doesn't know if he's ever read his captain like this. Or if Luffy's ever asked for his protection like this. Either way, Usopp could never refuse.

"Of course." Usopp pulls over an empty chair and sits himself beside his captain. "Have I told you about the time the Usopp Pirates and I saved a princess from corrupt Marines?"

And that's a wrap everybody! I hope you enjoyed this. I had a lot of fun working on it and writing this friendship. Remember to have a good day, stay healthy, and stay safe out there.