Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece.

Rating: K+

Summary: A month after their newest happy discovery, Sanji begins to notice a sharp decline in Usopp's mood. The cook's intuition is telling him it's not just their impending parenthood weighing on his husband's mind – but this time he knows all he can do is be patient if he wants to know the root of the problem.

Warnings: Sanuso (meaning two boys might just kiss), mpreg (meaning one boy knocked the other boy up), and there is probably language in there somewhere, knowing Sanji

Special Author's Notes: Well, I'm at it again – another fanfic of a fanfic has been written and for the same lovely author too. This story is based off of IchigoOtaku01's wonderful multi-chapter, Basil Chronicles. Timeline wise, this story of mine takes place in February, about a month after Chapter 5: Bubbles and Butterflies. I would say it's definitely required this time to read her story before mine – especially since this is spoilerific! (Besides why wouldn't you read it? Basil Chronicles is amazing).

Special Disclaimer: Once more, this story should probably not be viewed as full fact to Basil Chronicles. Though this time Ichigo and I had a lot more interaction regarding this story and I had her review it and changed details at her instruction. So this one definitely holds truer to the story than my previous giftfic for her. Even still, there might be certain things she might decide to change again in future chapters so the disclaimer is here anyways.

Once again, all my love and hugs go to you IchigoOtaku01! Fff, you are always amazing!

Usopp was having a bad day.

Well, Sanji corrected absentmindedly, ever since they had discovered the tiny little lives budding inside of him, Usopp never had a good day. Something was always popping up (sometimes, quite literally) and some days Usopp went through so many different moods and states of being that it made Sanji's head spin. He'd go from throwing up and complaining in the morning, to starving and needy in the afternoon, to testy and incorrigible by nightfall. Sometimes, it was all he could do to just read through the books or call Chopper (who had kindly provided him with a number he could always reach said doctor at) constantly reminding him that this was all entirely normal. And it gave him enough strength to stay sane to the next day.

And while he loved Usopp and thought he was putting up with the other's random mood swings with as much patience as he could muster, he knew a few times he had gotten a little out of line. One day he had been frustrated out of his mind at Usopp's constantly changing cravings; by the time he whipped up the requested dish, the male wanted something else instead and after the third failed attempt, the chef just snapped and ordered him to just eat it because he refused to make anything else. The disagreement was fairly mild considering their history, but with his husband's spiked emotions, somehow ended up in tears instead of just some blatant pouting and short-termed silent treatment.

But nothing compared to the day just shy of four weeks ago, barely days after they had discovered the second baby. He had found his husband, hair a mess around him and eyes wet, curled up against the base of the tub after a vicious bout of morning sickness and stutteringly telling him he wasn't sure he could do this anymore. Sanji had to admit, he didn't remember a lot of things he said that day because the discussion had turned into a heated argument within sentences, but as he looked back on it, most of it was just a blur of anger and mixed fears they were both feeling.

But, of what little he did remember, Sanji wasn't proud of at all. The worst was when he bitingly accused his lover of being a coward. The moment the words had left his mouth, he knew he never should have said them. It had been nothing more than a low blow; a strike right into his husband's wavering self-esteem that never should have been thrown but too late to take back as the words stung deep. He could picture it in his mind like a slideshow: the way Usopp's expression broke as if his heart was cracking into little splinters inside.

Initially, he had walked out of the fight with only a slight nag in his mind that he had done wrong; however, it wasn't long until guilt consumed him. Not only was it a terrible thing to say, it was a flagrant lie. No matter how the liar thought otherwise, Usopp never faced his challenges with anything less than his head held high (except maybe the ever odd and unimportant thing like worrying if the lions in the zoo cage could get out and eat him or if the suspiciously mushroom-shaped objects on his plate were really mushrooms). There were lesser men in the world than he – ones willing to pack up and leave at the first mention of the word 'baby' without ever learning their blood child's name or thinking of the many years he'd spend without a father figure. That could never be Usopp. The younger spent the better part of everyday worrying if he was eating right and helping his children develop nice and strong or rubbing at his stomach, mumbling adoringly about all the plans he had once they were born.

Yet despite knowing all of this, Sanji still needed to get it through his thick skull by Chopper, Nami-san, Kaya-chan and, most mortifyingly of all, the damn Marimo, that the fears Usopp was experiencing were completely normal. That women who had dreamed of being mothers all their lives often began worrying that they weren't actually cut out to be moms. And for his partner to have battled down his natural fears for as long as he had when he was already high maintenance in the anxiety department was nothing but a show of the true courage he held inside of him.

And, Zoro had contemptuously added, Sanji was being nothing more than a hypocrite because he'd bet both his balls and his most prized sword that the cook had felt the same pre-dad terrors at some point by now.

(It was unfortunate, but it was destined for there to be more Zoros born in the world – if all the Marimo's swimmers didn't get lost on their way to the goal that is.)

So there had been a lot of apologizing and talking after that awful fight; yet, Sanji could sense even after he was forgiven that the tension was still in the air around them as if the anxiety, now that it had been faced, was now relentlessly haunting the 'mother'-to-be like a spirit out for revenge. The moodiness Usopp would show now and again had been one thing, but Sanji knew this was a completely different beast he was dealing with. Unlike the earthquakes he had dealt with before, with Usopp's emotions changing more rapidly than the needle on a Richter scale, this was just a steady drop like the stock market charts in an economic downturn. No matter how bright the day seemed to start for his husband, by the end he was so absolutely dejected it seemed like nothing could lift his spirits.

And maybe it was only wishful thinking, but Sanji had an inkling it had nothing to do with him or what he had said during the fight.

Worried about just how extreme the depression seemed to be getting, Chopper offered plenty of helpful hints and even a psyche evaluation if it was necessary. Sanji wasn't quite ready to go that far yet. He also didn't think the solution was as simple as the long-nose worrying about feeling undesirable to him because he was getting so fat or the imminent pressure of his fatherly duties. He didn't know if it was experience from having known Usopp as long as he had or merely intuition, but he just knew that wasn't the problem.

But it wasn't until one particularly cold day in February that the answer finally appeared like the morning frost all over his car windows. And, like many things often were, it was such an obvious one that Sanji could have kicked himself for being so oblivious.

A little out of ideas on how to approach his miserable husband, he opted on keeping a bit of a distance with the other in hopes he would seek him out for comfort. He busied himself with chores that needed to get done; his kitchen might have been spotless, but the rest of the condo wasn't. There was laundry to be done, surfaces to be dusted, books to be put away and mail to be sorted. He even tidied up the kids' room some, their most recent buys for the children still in the shopping bags and left forgotten on the floor.

It was always rather joyful standing in that room, staring at the crib that Usopp and he (mostly Usopp) constructed and the walls that Usopp and he (mostly Usopp) had painted. He especially adored staring at the mural his husband had worked weeks on creating across the closet doors. It was of a rolling sea with an impressively decorated pirate ship riding atop the waves, an interesting Loch Ness-like creature swimming alongside it.

Sometimes, he stood there and imagined the time he would soon spend in this room, quelling sobbing infants and feeding them their bottles or tucking in toddlers while Usopp spun another creative tale that was even grander than the night's before. He imagined all the fort building and imaginary battles to rescue princesses (or princes) and the pillow fights and secrets their sons or daughters would share when they weren't around; all the treasures that would fill secret spots in the room like pretty rocks or beads or things children always found so majestic at that age. He thought of all this and more and never left the room without a smile.

And today was no different, reluctant to leave even when he heard the call of the dryer's ring. Eventually though he succumbed to his duties, heading down the hall and pulling the clothes into the basket before lifting it onto his hip and bringing it to the room he shared with his husband. Usopp hadn't left the room nearly all day. The morning had started off rough, with the black-haired male up before even the birds to lose his dinner and unable to keep down breakfast either. He hardly spoke more than a handful of words to him, face drawn long as he mumbled he just wanted to sleep.

And that was just what Sanji expected to find him doing as he quietly swung the ajar door open – but was surprised to find Usopp instead sitting with his back propped up comfortably against the headboard with no less than three pillows for support. And there was an open book in his lap that he was gazing at. Assuming at first it was just another baby book that one of them could so often be found reading he didn't think much of it as he came into the room, dropping the hamper by the closet door.

It was when he turned to say something, that he realized it was no book at all. It was a photo album – and one the blond recognized well. His husband would stare at it from time to time, seeming to just get lost in the images and the past. Sanji still remembered the first time he had ever been shown it, a few months into their relationship when they were younger and a much more insecure Usopp approached him, holding the item tight to his chest like it was his most precious treasure as he gazed at the ground, shyly asking in a voice no louder than a mumble if he'd like to see it.

The cover was even more worn and faded then when he had first seen it. The once sun yellow of the daisy-shaped album was now almost a pale straw-shade and the pseudo-leather covering was even more cracked than before, splitting open the edges of the petals and revealing the cardboard interior. While semi-thick it was pretty limited with space, only able to put one Polaroid per page; but it was alright, for the album had never been filled. Sanji had once suggested maybe getting a new one, but Usopp vehemently denied such a proposition, intending to keep it until it fell apart on him – and even then he'd probably just tape it back together again.

Now, as he studied the crumbling book and the look on his husband's face, he comprehended with the shock of ten-ton hammer to the gut what had really been going on through the other's head all this time.

"Usopp…?" Sanji broached carefully, toeing off his shoes to climb into the bed beside the other man. He went mostly unacknowledged besides a slight shifting, giving him a little extra room to slide more comfortably against him. The cook turned his head down, staring at the pages, and chuckled softly. "I remember these ones…"

He could hear Usopp's youthful, timid voice speaking to him even now, pointing first to the left photo, "T-This is where mom found me making my spider fighting ring in the garden. She wasn't too happy. I remember her telling me I shouldn't take them from their homes." And then the finger moved to the right side, "This is… This is bath time. I always thought it was fun to try and make a cowlick with the shampoo before mom washed it out so I could pretend I was a giant black-white shark that had a fin so sharp it could sink my toy boats."

"…First one still creeps me out." Sanji said, shuddering a little.

His husband's lips quirked up in a teeny smile as he placed his hand against the edge of the page. But he didn't turn it, just rubbed the page in-between his fingers as if the feeling of the coarse plastic was comforting. After several long, silent moments, he finally said, "You know what terrifies me more than anything else?"

"Mmm?" The elder hummed, curious.

"That we'll have a daughter." The words hurt at first because even though Sanji knew he'd love his kid no matter what, he really wanted a daughter. To have his own little princess to care for and dote on forever after would be like a dream come true. But he kept silent, staying patient for the explanation.

And he wasn't waiting long. Usopp ran his tongue over his dry lips. "Both you and me, we did nothing but grow up with male role models. You never knew your mom and I didn't have mine for long. And that was okay for us; it would be okay for a boy too even if not perfect. But a girl…" He sighed, sounding frustrated. "A girl needs a mom. So I worry all the time that we won't teach her the things she needs to know or that as she grows older, she can't talk to us because we're men and we won't be able to grasp the 'girl things'. What about when she gets her period? Or starts going through puberty? Liking boys? Make-up? Dresses? W-We don't know… n-none of it, w-we don't… and what about all the other stuff? G-Girl talk and being sensitive and open with your emotions and all that? I mean, women in general still feel like they're practically aliens to me – how am I supposed to teach a daughter how to be one?"

His lips trembled, "S-So I keep trying to picture my mom and see how she raised me, thinking maybe if I could act like a mother more than a father, it would be okay. B-But the more I try to remember, the more the memories seem to fade." He averted his eyes but Sanji still caught the suspicious sheen to them.

"You've been thinking about Banchina a lot, huh?" The chef said softly, watching his husband turn his head downward, inhaling shakily.

"I-I know it's beyond selfish because I have all of you; Kaya, my dad, your dad, all of our friends and especially you Sanji, But I… I-I," Usopp's breath hitched warningly as tears began to course down his face and he cried, "But I just wish so bad that my mom was here!"

The cook frowned. Oh Usopp…

The younger buried his head in his hands, the album slipping off his lap and into a heap at his hip as he wept. "I-I want her to be here! I want her to be right here, feeling my stomach too! I want to see how happy she'd be when I tell her I'll be having her grandsons or her granddaughters or maybe one of each. I want her to come over every day, giving me tips that not even the books know and spoiling us rotten with gifts for them." Usopp sniffled louder, his frame shuddering. "I-I just miss her so much. I feel like I'm seven and I've lost her all over again!"

Unable to think of what to say, Sanji could only reach over, enveloping his sobbing husband in a close embrace and rubbing soothing circles into the other's back as he let him cry himself out on his shoulder, wishing he could just rub out the pain. When the tears finally ran out, Usopp pulled away some, rubbing the snot off his nose and murmuring, "S-Sorry… it's the pregnancy talking."

The cook quickly pulled out a handkerchief for the other to clean himself up with, not really wanting to have to wash their bed sheets next. "No it's not." He insisted as he reached out, pulling up the album to close and rest it on Usopp's legs once more. "When you're asking me to put some shitty store-brand Italian dressing over cocktail shrimp, that's the pregnancy talking." A small laugh bubbled up from the other, leaning a little closer when Sanji brushed back some strands of his curly hair.

"Missing someone you loved though," The cook continued, "That's just human nature."

Besides looking down at the cover of the album and tracing the flower design with a finger, Usopp didn't respond, so Sanji took the opportunity to add, "And wanting to be the best role model you can be for our children, that's just being a parent. But even if you went and got a sex change or something crazy like that, you'll never be a woman inside. And neither will I Usopp. Our kids will never have a mom. But it's not like we're depriving them of female advice; they'll have friends at school, not to mention four very beautiful aunts - Kaya-chan, Robin-chan, Vivi-chan and Nami-san will always be here for us and them."

Usopp's finger stopped moving, partially because Sanji had reached out, caressing his hand adoringly over the growing stomach. "We won't be able to give them everything – but what's really important is that we give them love. If we can do that, then shit, we're doing better than practically half the world."

The dark-skinned male heaved a soft sigh, pressing the frayed ends of one the petals together so it almost looked whole again. "I know. I know that I just… Gosh Sanj' I don't know what the problem is. I-I just… I feel emotional and afraid."

He arched his curly brow at that. "Afraid of what?"

"I-I don't…" Usopp rolled his shoulders agitatedly. "A lot of things but mostly… f-forgetting her I guess."

"How about this then," Sanji said, an idea forming in his head, "Why don't you call your dad? Hell, have him come over even. I could make something nice for you both and you two can just sit around the living room all day looking at this." He gestured to the album. "I'm sure he has a lot of great stories he can share with you. How does that sound?"

Usopp's eyes flickered back and forth for a moment and though it was small, when he looked up, the tentative smile on his face was brighter than any one he had given all month. "It… It sounds nice."

"Good. Why don't you call him now while I finish the laundry?" Sanji said, tenderly kissing the other's brow. But as he moved to get out of bed, the liar reached out and pulled him back, wrapping him up in a hug and surprising him with a firmer kiss. Not that he was complaining.

"Thank you," He said when they pulled away, fidgeting a little in embarrassment. "For... for being here and putting up with me and… just everything."

The chef chuckled some, taking Usopp's left hand in his right. "If I wasn't willing to, I wouldn't have put this on your finger." He brushed his thumb over the wedding ring. "Besides, I'm sure you put up with a lot of me too."

"Ooooh yeah." His husband agreed exasperatedly. "Like your womanizing and your smoking and your strange obsession with needing to take a shower every day and-"

Sanji quickly raised a hand to stop him. "Oi, oi, no need to list them! And what's wrong with taking a shower every day?"

He wrinkled his nose. "It's weird. You don't get that dirty in a day."

"Hey," The cook argued, "If you spent the better part of your day with your hands buried in fish guts, you'd want to shower after that too."

"You know, I'm suddenly very glad I already don't have anything in my stomach right now or I'm pretty sure I'd be giving breakfast a second hello about now." Usopp said, shivering with disgust. "Put away the laundry before you make me sicker."

"I was trying to; you're the one who pulled me back!"

"Well if I knew you were going to talk about the lesser parts of fish, I never would have!"

"Shithead."

"Jackass."

Sanji snorted, unsure if it was more annoyed or amused, but for a second time when he tried to leave, Usopp pulled him back and kissed him. "But even though you are, I love you."

"Yeah. I love you too." He replied, bringing Usopp into a deeper kiss. "Call your dad."

"I will." Their lips smacked apart wetly, "If you stop kissing me."

He nibbled on his bottom lip. "Can't you do both at once?"

"Sanji!" Usopp smacked his arm, laughing. "Bad. Off."

He sighed woefully. "Fiiiiine." This time he was able to get out of bed. "But we will continue this."

"If you're lucky." His husband replied, unable to really promise anything better as he reached for his phone.

And as he started pulling down hangers while Usopp softly asked Yasopp if he'd like to come over for lunch, Sanji mused over just how much was different in his life since his wedding day. He had gained a husband and a nursery room. His hands were getting just as familiar with the feel of screwdrivers and drill bits as they were with his cooking knives or his lover's body. He spent more of his time filling his head with proper rocking techniques instead of recipes and had lists of names longer than grocery ones. His entire life felt like it had shifted and he knew only more things were bound to change as time went on.

But, Sanji thought as he heard soft laughter behind him, he knew one thing would always remain a constant in his life – something that hadn't changed since the day he had met the nervous yet inventive first-year art student.

No matter what it took to make it happen, being able to turn one of Usopp's bad days into a good one would always be rewarding.