OOC LOG: George and Usopp.
Who: George and Usopp
What: George says goodbye to Usopp before she heads off to spend a few days on the sub
Where The deck of Thousand Sunny
When: I don't even know. Early to mid-December sometime. This look took FOREVER to finish.
Rating: PG
---
Usopp climbed up the stairs slowly, a heavy lump sitting like lead in the pit of his stomach. He swallowed, hard, trying to remain stoic and school his features into a neutral expression before he took those last few steps and met George where she was waiting for him on deck.
George stood at the railing, staring out over the open sea, feeling very small. She still wasn't sure that she'd made the right decision, but leaving seemed like the best option. On Sunny she felt as though she had no room to breathe, let alone think. So lost in her own thoughts, she didn't even hear Usopp approach.
Usopp made the deck, and saw George standing there at Sunny's railing. She didn't seem to have noticed him yet, or maybe she was just pretending not to. He took a deep breath, watching her for just a second. There was a slight breeze blowing her fair hair back and to the side. She was wearing a thin short-sleeved shirt, and jeans: just the same kind of stuff she normally wore, but somehow right now she seemed impossibly small to him. Usopp had a moment of wanting to retreat, as if he could stop this from happening by not saying goodbye, but he knew that wouldn't really work. ...and what if this is the last time you see her in...a while? He took one more moment to make sure he was wearing a neutral expression, then started to cross the deck, clearing his throat to give her warning of his approach.
George turned to see him coming, lifting one hand in an awkward wave. "Hey," she said softly, not even trying to smile.
"Hi," he said in an equally soft reply, hands stuck in his pockets for now. That was on purpose; he was pretty sure if he didn't restrain himself in that small way, that he'd have his arms around her in a heartbeat, but he wasn't sure she'd be okay with that. He was even more unsure that if he did, he'd ever be able to let go.
George didn't know what to say for a moment, so an awkward silence stretched out between them before she finally said, "...I think Fujiko is going to pick me up in a few minutes."
Usopp winced slightly. "Already? I thought..." He'd thought there would be more time. He'd assumed George saying goodbye to him last meant they wouldn't have to rush.
"I don't have to go the second she gets here," George said quickly, noting the look on his face. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, really not sure of what either of them were supposed to say.
Usopp still had his hands in his pockets, keeping a "safe" distance away until he knew what would be okay. He still wasn't sure if they were even broken up now or not, but he didn't want to do something to make things worse, even though...even thought what he really wanted most was just to hold George tight. He sighed. "You won't be gone too long, right?"
George sighed. "I don't know, Usopp. I don't know how long I'll be gone." She kept her eyes on the deck, feeling impossibly guilty.
"Oh." He didn't know what else to say, because it all seemed like it would only make things worse.
"I told Sanji and Lucci I'd try to be back by Christmas, though," George said, shrugging.
Usopp nodded a little numbly. That was longer than he'd been expecting, even if she was back before Christmas. He bit his lip, because abruptly he felt like he might start to cry, and that was the last thing he needed to do to George right now. Of course, then we wasn't able to actually speak, either. To cover, he crossed the short distance between them and stood to her side, leaning against Sunny's railing and looking out at the waves until he felt more in control again.
George turned back toward the water and moved a little closer to him, not saying anything for the moment, partly because she didn't know what to say and partly because she felt like if she did say something that no matter what it was it would probably just make Usopp feel worse.
Usopp didn't look at her, but finally he pulled a hand from his pocket, tentatively holding it out towards her, not too close. That way, if she rejected it...maybe it wouldn't hurt so much.
George hesitated for a moment and took his hand, threading their fingers together loosely. She leaned into him a little more, unable to resist the opportunity to be close.
Usopp gave a quiet sigh of relief. That small gesture of acceptance made him feel a lot better, because...maybe things were bad, yeah, but at least they weren't that bad. He too, leaned into George a bit, though he resisted the urge to put his other arm around her. He was silent for a moment, till he finally spoke again, voice small. "I'll miss you."
George nodded, biting her lip. "I'll miss you too," she said, leaning into him a little more.
"...I'm sorry," he said, and then didn't continue, fearing his voice would break if he said any more. Instead he gave her hand a squeeze, still looking steadfastly out to sea. There was no sign of Fujiko yet, but if she approached submerged in their mini-sub, maybe there wouldn't be a warning at all.
"What for?" George asked, sighing heavily. "You didn't do anything."
Usopp shrugged.
"Don't be sorry. This is my fault," George said, taking another deep breath to keep from crying. "I'm sorry."
Usopp could hear some slight wavering in her voice and gave up on trying to keep a little bit of distance between them, putting both his arms around her and pulling her closer. "It'll be okay," he said, more out of habit at this point than anything else. It had become his mantra in the past week, even though he no longer believed it. He rubbed an absent circle on George's back.
George let him hug her, but remained a little stiff, not sure if she should be letting him do this, not sure exactly of where they stood or where any of this was going to end up. "I'm sorry," she said again.
Usopp could feel her stiffness, and pressed his lips together firmly to keep himself composed, realizing that he'd made a mistake. It hurt though, more than he could say. How could so much have changed in just a few days? He knew he should probably let her go and take a step back, but he just couldn't. Not yet, anyway.
George rested her head on Usopp's shoulder, wanting to give in and let him comfort her, but knowing she didn't deserve it. "I'm sorry," she said for a third time.
Usopp bit his lip, still patting a circle on George's back, thought it was more hesitant now. "Well," he said slowly, "this will fix it, right? Taking...some time away. So..." He trailed off, not sure what else to say.
"I don't know," George said softly, pulling herself away from him reluctantly.
"...oh." He felt George start to pull away, and quickly--perhaps too quickly--dropped his arms.
George wrapped her arms around herself protectively and wouldn't meet his gaze as the mini sub surfaced nearby.
Usopp still hadn't been looking at her, so he missed the way she was avoiding his face as well. Then the mini-sub broke the surface of the water in front of him, and he reeled back a step. Not so soon... They hadn't even had a chance to talk, not really. But...maybe George wanted it that way. A tear trickled down his cheek, surprising him.
George watched the sub surface and sighed heavily. Well. I guess I really have to say goodbye, then. She turned back to Usopp, feeling so guilty that she couldn't meet his eyes. "So,' she said.
Hearing her voice, Usopp hastily wiped his cheek with the side of his hand and finally turned to look at her. She looked miserable, and was avoiding looking up at his face. He swallowed, doing his best to keep his voice even. "...I guess this is really it for a while, huh."
George nodded, finally meeting his eyes. "But I'll come back. I promise," she said, needing to reassure him even with how unsure she felt.
Usopp nodded too. "I know. I know you will." He fidgeted for a moment, then gave up fighting his impulse and took a step forward, hugging George tightly and squeezing his eyes shut.
George hugged back tightly, giving into the impulse and almost melting against him. "Goodbye," she said softly.
Usopp felt tears sliding down his cheek again. "...I don't want you to go, George. I--" Then he cut himself off, mentally chastising himself. That was the one thing he'd promised he wasn't going to say, and he'd said it anyway. She needed to do this; he shouldn't be making it harder. He squeezed her a little tighter. "Never mind. Forget that. I didn't mean to say it."
"It's okay," said George. "I know." She buried her face in his shoulder. "But I need to do this right now."
"Y-yeah." Usopp nodded, breathing in and catching the clean scent of her hair as she leaned against him. "If...is there anything I can do though? T-to make it easier?"
George shrugged, pulling back enough to see his face. "I don't know. But I'll...keep in touch. Okay?"
Usopp gave another nod, feeling numb. He didn't know what else to say, besides the obvious. "Goodbye, George. I--" He swallowed, stopping before his voice betrayed him.
George brought a tentative hand up to his cheek. "Would it be a horrible idea to kiss you right now," she asked, almost to herself.
Usopp gave a small sound that was almost, but not quite, a sob. "...I was just wondering the same thing," he admitted, leaning into her touch.
"Well. Then I don't care if it's a bad idea." She leaned in to kiss him, softly but firmly.
Usopp pulled her a little closer, quickly answering the kiss. Maybe this was a bad idea, but at least for the moment, he could pretend everything was still okay. And... He gave a small internal wince for thinking it, but what if this was the last time he'd be able to kiss George?
George broke the kiss before it went on for too long and pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm sorry," she said again softly. "I love you."
"I know," he whispered in reply. "And I. I just love you so much, George. It'll...things will be okay, right?" He wasn't going to start crying. This was pathetic enough already. Instead he bent and kissed her again, trying to pour everything into it, and show her exactly how he felt. Maybe that would...
George made a small, frustrated noise into the kiss, breaking it after just a moment. "I need to go," she said, swallowing hard.
Usopp recoiled as if she'd just slapped him across the face, taking a half-step back.
George's heart twinged painfully. She felt so guilty right now that she almost wanted to just throw herself overboard. "I'm sorry," she said again, shaking her head and not knowing what else to do. With that she turned away from him and headed to the ladder so she could board the mini sub.
Usopp swallowed hard, wanting to say something, to stop her, to apologize, to something. He was pretty sure he'd just make it worse, though. But...he couldn't just let it end like this. He wasn't sure exactly where they stood right now, but this just seemed so...final. "George, wait--" The voice startled him, and it took him half an instant to realize that he'd been the one who'd spoken.
George turned back, looking defeated. "Yeah?" she asked.
Now that he had her attention he wasn't sure what to say. "Just..." He held out his hands helplessly. "Just--I don't know. ...I'm just making everything harder. I'm sorry." He dropped his gaze, kicking at a long strand of grass on the lawn deck and feeling like an idiot.
George sighed and walked back to him. "Please don't apologize," she said, "this is all my fault, and I'm sorry. I just. I don't know what to say to you. I know I'm hurting you and I feel terrible about it, but I don't know what else to do right now."
Usopp nodded, not looking up at her. He knew this; he knew all of it--at least he sort of did, in that detached logical way that was absolutely no use in real life. Emotions made everything messier. He thought of the things Sanji had mentioned, and George too: that she needed time apart to figure out what she wanted, so she could come back and love him "the way he deserved". And he could have dealt with that, really. The real problem was that there were no guarantees she would even come back at all. At least, not to him. "It's fine," he mumbled, realizing that was an absurd thing to say. He needed to...stop making everything worse, though. Usopp could tell she already felt horrible, and just because he did too, he didn't need to make it harder for her.
George just stood there for a moment, not knowing what to say. She's already apologized so many times that it didn't even mean anything anymore. "You're allowed to hate me, you know," she said, finally.
Now Usopp finally did look up at her again, his jaw gaping. "George! I wouldn't--I could never hate you. I--no matter what, I love you. Okay??" His chest hurt. "D-do you--would it be easier if..?" He trailed off, not sure what he'd been going to ask, exactly, but knowing that it wouldn't help matters anyway.
George sighed heavily. "Maybe it would be easier if you were angry with me or something," she said, shaking her head. "But I don't want you to be angry."
"I'm not mad. Definitely not at you. I'm just...how could stuff go so bad so quick?" Usopp's brow furrowed heavily. "You'd...if there was something wrong, you'd tell me. Right? Or if I--did something?"
George shook her head emphatically. "You didn't do anything. You've been great...Usopp..."
Usopp nodded slowly, feeling a little numb. None of this made any sense to him. If there was nothing wrong, if he hadn't messed things up, how had they gotten to this point? Part of him wanted to cross the distance between them and hug her again, maybe even kiss her, but he knew that would be a mistake. The way she'd reacted last time...he couldn't take that again. "So, you just need time to...figure stuff out, right?" He knew what the answer to that was, but asking it helped him keep from blurting out the questions he really wanted to ask; the ones that maybe didn't have an answer, or at least not one he'd want to hear.
George nodded and laughed a little, humorlessly. "That's the idea, yeah," she said.
"...do you think it'll work?"
"I hope so."
He gave another slow nod, pressing his lips together tightly to try to keep himself from speaking, because he knew he wouldn't be able to help it; he'd ask her things it wouldn't do any good to ask her right now. He just needed to--she just needed...space. All he could do was trust that she'd really meant the things she'd told him, and... "Everything will be okay," he murmured. His mantra of late, when it came to George, even if he didn't believe it anymore; not really.
George just nodded, not feeling very certain at all. "And I'll be back before you know it," she said.
"...I love you."
George's heart clenched painfully in her chest. "I love you too," she said.
Usopp took a small, careful step forward, holding out one hand in an invitation for one last hug. She'd have to go soon, he knew that, and no amount of stalling was going to make it easier; on the contrary, it seemed to be getting harder the more time passed by. But he couldn't--he needed one last embrace. He was pretty sure he'd be able to let go this time. At least, he hoped so.
George stepped toward him as well, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "Goodbye," she said softly.
Usopp held her tightly in return, feeling his eyes start to spill over. "Goodbye," he whispered. He couldn't let go until he repeated just once more, in an even softer whisper, "I love you, George. Just, when you're gone...remember that I do, okay? M-more than just about anything." Then, he finally loosened his arms and started to step back, ducking his head away so she wouldn't see his tears.
George let him go, guilty tears spilling down her own cheeks. She turned away from him before she could see the look on his face, or he could see the tears on hers. She climbed down the ladder, and into the waiting sub below, whispering a goodbye to Sunny.
What: George says goodbye to Usopp before she heads off to spend a few days on the sub
Where The deck of Thousand Sunny
When: I don't even know. Early to mid-December sometime. This look took FOREVER to finish.
Rating: PG
---
Usopp climbed up the stairs slowly, a heavy lump sitting like lead in the pit of his stomach. He swallowed, hard, trying to remain stoic and school his features into a neutral expression before he took those last few steps and met George where she was waiting for him on deck.
George stood at the railing, staring out over the open sea, feeling very small. She still wasn't sure that she'd made the right decision, but leaving seemed like the best option. On Sunny she felt as though she had no room to breathe, let alone think. So lost in her own thoughts, she didn't even hear Usopp approach.
Usopp made the deck, and saw George standing there at Sunny's railing. She didn't seem to have noticed him yet, or maybe she was just pretending not to. He took a deep breath, watching her for just a second. There was a slight breeze blowing her fair hair back and to the side. She was wearing a thin short-sleeved shirt, and jeans: just the same kind of stuff she normally wore, but somehow right now she seemed impossibly small to him. Usopp had a moment of wanting to retreat, as if he could stop this from happening by not saying goodbye, but he knew that wouldn't really work. ...and what if this is the last time you see her in...a while? He took one more moment to make sure he was wearing a neutral expression, then started to cross the deck, clearing his throat to give her warning of his approach.
George turned to see him coming, lifting one hand in an awkward wave. "Hey," she said softly, not even trying to smile.
"Hi," he said in an equally soft reply, hands stuck in his pockets for now. That was on purpose; he was pretty sure if he didn't restrain himself in that small way, that he'd have his arms around her in a heartbeat, but he wasn't sure she'd be okay with that. He was even more unsure that if he did, he'd ever be able to let go.
George didn't know what to say for a moment, so an awkward silence stretched out between them before she finally said, "...I think Fujiko is going to pick me up in a few minutes."
Usopp winced slightly. "Already? I thought..." He'd thought there would be more time. He'd assumed George saying goodbye to him last meant they wouldn't have to rush.
"I don't have to go the second she gets here," George said quickly, noting the look on his face. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt, really not sure of what either of them were supposed to say.
Usopp still had his hands in his pockets, keeping a "safe" distance away until he knew what would be okay. He still wasn't sure if they were even broken up now or not, but he didn't want to do something to make things worse, even though...even thought what he really wanted most was just to hold George tight. He sighed. "You won't be gone too long, right?"
George sighed. "I don't know, Usopp. I don't know how long I'll be gone." She kept her eyes on the deck, feeling impossibly guilty.
"Oh." He didn't know what else to say, because it all seemed like it would only make things worse.
"I told Sanji and Lucci I'd try to be back by Christmas, though," George said, shrugging.
Usopp nodded a little numbly. That was longer than he'd been expecting, even if she was back before Christmas. He bit his lip, because abruptly he felt like he might start to cry, and that was the last thing he needed to do to George right now. Of course, then we wasn't able to actually speak, either. To cover, he crossed the short distance between them and stood to her side, leaning against Sunny's railing and looking out at the waves until he felt more in control again.
George turned back toward the water and moved a little closer to him, not saying anything for the moment, partly because she didn't know what to say and partly because she felt like if she did say something that no matter what it was it would probably just make Usopp feel worse.
Usopp didn't look at her, but finally he pulled a hand from his pocket, tentatively holding it out towards her, not too close. That way, if she rejected it...maybe it wouldn't hurt so much.
George hesitated for a moment and took his hand, threading their fingers together loosely. She leaned into him a little more, unable to resist the opportunity to be close.
Usopp gave a quiet sigh of relief. That small gesture of acceptance made him feel a lot better, because...maybe things were bad, yeah, but at least they weren't that bad. He too, leaned into George a bit, though he resisted the urge to put his other arm around her. He was silent for a moment, till he finally spoke again, voice small. "I'll miss you."
George nodded, biting her lip. "I'll miss you too," she said, leaning into him a little more.
"...I'm sorry," he said, and then didn't continue, fearing his voice would break if he said any more. Instead he gave her hand a squeeze, still looking steadfastly out to sea. There was no sign of Fujiko yet, but if she approached submerged in their mini-sub, maybe there wouldn't be a warning at all.
"What for?" George asked, sighing heavily. "You didn't do anything."
Usopp shrugged.
"Don't be sorry. This is my fault," George said, taking another deep breath to keep from crying. "I'm sorry."
Usopp could hear some slight wavering in her voice and gave up on trying to keep a little bit of distance between them, putting both his arms around her and pulling her closer. "It'll be okay," he said, more out of habit at this point than anything else. It had become his mantra in the past week, even though he no longer believed it. He rubbed an absent circle on George's back.
George let him hug her, but remained a little stiff, not sure if she should be letting him do this, not sure exactly of where they stood or where any of this was going to end up. "I'm sorry," she said again.
Usopp could feel her stiffness, and pressed his lips together firmly to keep himself composed, realizing that he'd made a mistake. It hurt though, more than he could say. How could so much have changed in just a few days? He knew he should probably let her go and take a step back, but he just couldn't. Not yet, anyway.
George rested her head on Usopp's shoulder, wanting to give in and let him comfort her, but knowing she didn't deserve it. "I'm sorry," she said for a third time.
Usopp bit his lip, still patting a circle on George's back, thought it was more hesitant now. "Well," he said slowly, "this will fix it, right? Taking...some time away. So..." He trailed off, not sure what else to say.
"I don't know," George said softly, pulling herself away from him reluctantly.
"...oh." He felt George start to pull away, and quickly--perhaps too quickly--dropped his arms.
George wrapped her arms around herself protectively and wouldn't meet his gaze as the mini sub surfaced nearby.
Usopp still hadn't been looking at her, so he missed the way she was avoiding his face as well. Then the mini-sub broke the surface of the water in front of him, and he reeled back a step. Not so soon... They hadn't even had a chance to talk, not really. But...maybe George wanted it that way. A tear trickled down his cheek, surprising him.
George watched the sub surface and sighed heavily. Well. I guess I really have to say goodbye, then. She turned back to Usopp, feeling so guilty that she couldn't meet his eyes. "So,' she said.
Hearing her voice, Usopp hastily wiped his cheek with the side of his hand and finally turned to look at her. She looked miserable, and was avoiding looking up at his face. He swallowed, doing his best to keep his voice even. "...I guess this is really it for a while, huh."
George nodded, finally meeting his eyes. "But I'll come back. I promise," she said, needing to reassure him even with how unsure she felt.
Usopp nodded too. "I know. I know you will." He fidgeted for a moment, then gave up fighting his impulse and took a step forward, hugging George tightly and squeezing his eyes shut.
George hugged back tightly, giving into the impulse and almost melting against him. "Goodbye," she said softly.
Usopp felt tears sliding down his cheek again. "...I don't want you to go, George. I--" Then he cut himself off, mentally chastising himself. That was the one thing he'd promised he wasn't going to say, and he'd said it anyway. She needed to do this; he shouldn't be making it harder. He squeezed her a little tighter. "Never mind. Forget that. I didn't mean to say it."
"It's okay," said George. "I know." She buried her face in his shoulder. "But I need to do this right now."
"Y-yeah." Usopp nodded, breathing in and catching the clean scent of her hair as she leaned against him. "If...is there anything I can do though? T-to make it easier?"
George shrugged, pulling back enough to see his face. "I don't know. But I'll...keep in touch. Okay?"
Usopp gave another nod, feeling numb. He didn't know what else to say, besides the obvious. "Goodbye, George. I--" He swallowed, stopping before his voice betrayed him.
George brought a tentative hand up to his cheek. "Would it be a horrible idea to kiss you right now," she asked, almost to herself.
Usopp gave a small sound that was almost, but not quite, a sob. "...I was just wondering the same thing," he admitted, leaning into her touch.
"Well. Then I don't care if it's a bad idea." She leaned in to kiss him, softly but firmly.
Usopp pulled her a little closer, quickly answering the kiss. Maybe this was a bad idea, but at least for the moment, he could pretend everything was still okay. And... He gave a small internal wince for thinking it, but what if this was the last time he'd be able to kiss George?
George broke the kiss before it went on for too long and pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm sorry," she said again softly. "I love you."
"I know," he whispered in reply. "And I. I just love you so much, George. It'll...things will be okay, right?" He wasn't going to start crying. This was pathetic enough already. Instead he bent and kissed her again, trying to pour everything into it, and show her exactly how he felt. Maybe that would...
George made a small, frustrated noise into the kiss, breaking it after just a moment. "I need to go," she said, swallowing hard.
Usopp recoiled as if she'd just slapped him across the face, taking a half-step back.
George's heart twinged painfully. She felt so guilty right now that she almost wanted to just throw herself overboard. "I'm sorry," she said again, shaking her head and not knowing what else to do. With that she turned away from him and headed to the ladder so she could board the mini sub.
Usopp swallowed hard, wanting to say something, to stop her, to apologize, to something. He was pretty sure he'd just make it worse, though. But...he couldn't just let it end like this. He wasn't sure exactly where they stood right now, but this just seemed so...final. "George, wait--" The voice startled him, and it took him half an instant to realize that he'd been the one who'd spoken.
George turned back, looking defeated. "Yeah?" she asked.
Now that he had her attention he wasn't sure what to say. "Just..." He held out his hands helplessly. "Just--I don't know. ...I'm just making everything harder. I'm sorry." He dropped his gaze, kicking at a long strand of grass on the lawn deck and feeling like an idiot.
George sighed and walked back to him. "Please don't apologize," she said, "this is all my fault, and I'm sorry. I just. I don't know what to say to you. I know I'm hurting you and I feel terrible about it, but I don't know what else to do right now."
Usopp nodded, not looking up at her. He knew this; he knew all of it--at least he sort of did, in that detached logical way that was absolutely no use in real life. Emotions made everything messier. He thought of the things Sanji had mentioned, and George too: that she needed time apart to figure out what she wanted, so she could come back and love him "the way he deserved". And he could have dealt with that, really. The real problem was that there were no guarantees she would even come back at all. At least, not to him. "It's fine," he mumbled, realizing that was an absurd thing to say. He needed to...stop making everything worse, though. Usopp could tell she already felt horrible, and just because he did too, he didn't need to make it harder for her.
George just stood there for a moment, not knowing what to say. She's already apologized so many times that it didn't even mean anything anymore. "You're allowed to hate me, you know," she said, finally.
Now Usopp finally did look up at her again, his jaw gaping. "George! I wouldn't--I could never hate you. I--no matter what, I love you. Okay??" His chest hurt. "D-do you--would it be easier if..?" He trailed off, not sure what he'd been going to ask, exactly, but knowing that it wouldn't help matters anyway.
George sighed heavily. "Maybe it would be easier if you were angry with me or something," she said, shaking her head. "But I don't want you to be angry."
"I'm not mad. Definitely not at you. I'm just...how could stuff go so bad so quick?" Usopp's brow furrowed heavily. "You'd...if there was something wrong, you'd tell me. Right? Or if I--did something?"
George shook her head emphatically. "You didn't do anything. You've been great...Usopp..."
Usopp nodded slowly, feeling a little numb. None of this made any sense to him. If there was nothing wrong, if he hadn't messed things up, how had they gotten to this point? Part of him wanted to cross the distance between them and hug her again, maybe even kiss her, but he knew that would be a mistake. The way she'd reacted last time...he couldn't take that again. "So, you just need time to...figure stuff out, right?" He knew what the answer to that was, but asking it helped him keep from blurting out the questions he really wanted to ask; the ones that maybe didn't have an answer, or at least not one he'd want to hear.
George nodded and laughed a little, humorlessly. "That's the idea, yeah," she said.
"...do you think it'll work?"
"I hope so."
He gave another slow nod, pressing his lips together tightly to try to keep himself from speaking, because he knew he wouldn't be able to help it; he'd ask her things it wouldn't do any good to ask her right now. He just needed to--she just needed...space. All he could do was trust that she'd really meant the things she'd told him, and... "Everything will be okay," he murmured. His mantra of late, when it came to George, even if he didn't believe it anymore; not really.
George just nodded, not feeling very certain at all. "And I'll be back before you know it," she said.
"...I love you."
George's heart clenched painfully in her chest. "I love you too," she said.
Usopp took a small, careful step forward, holding out one hand in an invitation for one last hug. She'd have to go soon, he knew that, and no amount of stalling was going to make it easier; on the contrary, it seemed to be getting harder the more time passed by. But he couldn't--he needed one last embrace. He was pretty sure he'd be able to let go this time. At least, he hoped so.
George stepped toward him as well, wrapping her arms around him tightly. "Goodbye," she said softly.
Usopp held her tightly in return, feeling his eyes start to spill over. "Goodbye," he whispered. He couldn't let go until he repeated just once more, in an even softer whisper, "I love you, George. Just, when you're gone...remember that I do, okay? M-more than just about anything." Then, he finally loosened his arms and started to step back, ducking his head away so she wouldn't see his tears.
George let him go, guilty tears spilling down her own cheeks. She turned away from him before she could see the look on his face, or he could see the tears on hers. She climbed down the ladder, and into the waiting sub below, whispering a goodbye to Sunny.