Well, I know this is a bit late, but the chapter's decently long and reveals quite a bit, so hopefully it was worth it! And I can't say it enough but, thank you for all the support; you guys are awesome! I really hope you all are enjoying this tale thus far!

Day 7, Monday

"No way. You're lying."

"I'm not! I told you, that's not my style."

"Okay, so," Usopp was saying, sitting on a swivel bar stool and using his feet propped against the legs to turn it from side to side, "You expect me to believe you know Soul King. The Soul King."

Sanji nodded, pouring the milk into the cream-coated bowl. They had delved from cooking lessons to talking about his superstar friend, the topic spurred when Usopp started to hum a recognizable hit song of Brook's. Somewhere in the midst of it, the artist had decided to take an unannounced break, leaving him with the work.

"Yeah, not buying it Sanj'." The other denied.

Sanj'? He swooned for a moment over the nickname, glad his back was to Usopp so he couldn't see his dreamy smile. "Well I do."

"Okay, prove it."

"Fine." Sanji said, lifting up the mixing bowl and shoving it into Usopp's hands. "Stir this."

He blinked down at it for a moment like it were some alien concoction before setting it in his lap and taking the proffered spoon, sticking his tongue out cutely as he pushed the utensil in the sure-to-be sugary creation and started to mix the sour cream, pudding, milk and whipped cream together. Sanji couldn't help but watch, blindly pulling out his cellphone.

"Alright, see this is from high school." He said finally as he went through his digital photo album, pulling up a shot he thankfully still had. He'd taken it a few days before graduation with his old cell, but had almost lost it after he accidentally stepped on the fragile device during one of his ritual tussles with Zoro. Luckily, he spared that shitty swordsman's life (because undoubtedly it was all his fault the damn thing broke!) when Franky was able to save the data on it.

The younger student glanced up as the phone was held towards him, eyes scouring the unfamiliar faces a moment, before his eyes widened and he seemed to choke on air. "Oh my god!" The spoon clattered against the edge of the glass as he let it go in favor of snatching the cell, nearly shoving it into his long nose to get a better look. "Oh… wow. Wow! That's really him!"

"I told you." Sanji said, reaching out and taking the small bowl – and it was probably to satisfy a guilty pleasure that as he did so he allowed the tips of his fingers to brush one denim-clad thigh.

Usopp didn't even notice. "Sanji would you get his autograph for me?!"

"Why not ask him yourself?" He replied, stirring quickly. "Whenever he's back in town, you can meet him."

"M-M-Meet?!" That squeal could have broken fine china. "Oh god Sanji really?" He grinned widely, but then his eyes bulged in horror. "Wait, no! I'd just be a total spaz I'm sure and make a total fool of myself and he'd be thinking the entire time 'Who is this weirdo?'"

Sanji snorted at that, setting the bowl aside. "Ha! I doubt that considering Brook is weirder than you by far."

"Well, I couldn't – I can't – oh what if I did!?" Usopp held his blushing face in his hand, smile unbelievably wide as he laughed in delight. He peeked through his fingers to stare down at the photo, squirming in his chair. It was adorable and Sanji just couldn't stop watching even as he cut the bananas. Who knew he was such a fan?

By the time he was done layering the banana and pudding into a bowl and getting it into the fridge to chill while their lunch finished cooking, Usopp had calmed immensely, now staring down at the phone with a sense of fondness. "So everyone else in this picture – they're your friends too?"

"Yeah. Nami-san, Robin-chan, Vivi-chan, Luffy, Franky, Brook, Chopper and the Marimo."

He continued to scour over the shot, trying to match names and faces of people he didn't know. "I'm going to assume 'the Marimo' is the one with green hair?"

"Yeah, that's him alright."

"He's kind of scary." Usopp mumbled, than went about trying to guess the rest. Other than Nami-san, who he had already met, and Luffy, who he picked out immediately, he got everyone else wrong.

Some of his reasons were amusing.

"Is this blue-haired guy Chopper?"

"No, that's Franky."

"Oh. Huh, I thought it was like his gang name or something, since he's got on all those chains and leather. Although… Franky sounds sort of mobster-ish."

Others not so much.

"This one is Vivi, right?" He pointed to Robin.

"No, that's Robin-chan."

"Oh… Well damn. What with the V-shirt and all-"

"WHERE ARE YOU LOOKING SHITHEAD?!"

"N-N-Nowhere?!"

Lucky for Usopp that Sanji liked him so much or he might have kicked him into the wall. Instead he just fumed as he finished filling their plates, before pushing over a stool beside Usopp at one of the cooking stations and presenting their meals grandly. "Lunch is served."

"It smells great! Can't believe you managed to make all this that quick."

"It's just Shrimp and Orzo and some banana pudding. I've made it a thousand times." Sanji said as if it wasn't a big deal while watching with intense interest as Usopp took his first bite because it actually was.

"Mmm…. Sanji this is amazing!" He'd seen it a plenty of times before, the way the people who ate his cooking would get when they truly enjoyed what he had made. But it felt about a million times better to see that satisfied smile and bright-eyed look on Usopp's face as he dug in with gusto. He even asked for seconds when he was done.

It was when the artist was licking up the last of the banana pudding from his spoon that Sanji finally asked the question that had been knocking around his head for days now. "So," He said, maintaining an air of aloofness as if it was just any other topic. "How long have you and Kuro been a couple?"

"Ummm…" Usopp scraped at the remnants in his bowl – as if there was any. "It'll be… three years this August."

Shit. Sanji tried not to wince at that and instead braved the next question, "And how'd you get together?" The scraping continued, the only voice to be heard in the sudden silence with its nosy hiss of metal against glass, and Sanji could see the way his knuckles were turning white around the spoon. "…Usopp?"

Finally Usopp sighed, holding the bowl out towards him. "You're gonna have to give me more of this if you want that story."

He stared at the other, confounded, but got him a second serving all the same. When he handed it over, Usopp just poked at it with his spoon, mumbling, "You sure you want to hear this? It's depressing."

"Depressing?" Sanji echoed, completely lost now. How could getting together with anyone be depressing?

The dark-skinned male frowned deeply. "Yeah. Any story that starts off with 'My parents are both dead' is pretty damn sad don't you think?" A jolt rushed through Sanji as he sat up straighter, mind derailing and leaving him fumbling for a response that never made it to his throat. "So, you still sure you want to hear it?" Usopp muttered, eyeing him critically.

He had to mentally steady himself – it wasn't as if the younger would be the only person he knew without parents. Luffy was raised by his grandfather and Chopper, Zoro and Franky had all been abandoned and adopted for one reason or another. Nami and Robin had never met their fathers and he, contrarily, had never really known his mother.

But other than Vivi, who had lost her mom a few years back, Usopp would probably be the only other person he knew that actually had to experience the loss of them both when they had been raising him. "If… If you feel up to talking about it then yes."

"I'm not going to burst into tears if that's what you're worried about." Usopp said but his smile was weak, scooping out some pudding. "Mom died when I was ten. She went to the doctor because her back was really hurting her, just thinking that it was because she was stooped over her work too often. Told you before she had an antique shop, remember? She was always bringing stuff home to fix and her worktable was a little short and well… anyways, the next day while I'm outside playing with my toys, mom comes out and brings me inside and sits me down across from her and dad at the table and they just have these serious looks on their faces. I start getting scared thinking I'm in trouble and I-"

He sighed heavily, tipping the spoon with the uneaten dessert, watching it fold back into the bowl. "I think I just didn't know what to feel at first when instead mom's telling me she has pancreatic cancer and she's going to die. It just didn't make sense. Even my dad looking like he was about ready to cry didn't make sense. I was sure it was a dream. I don't even think I completely grasped it all before she was gone. It was only a few months after she found out that she passed away and it was just… I mean I cried a lot then but for the longest time it just felt so unreal too, you know?"

Usopp picked up another spoonful, this time shoving it into his mouth. Once he had swallowed, he continued, "So then it was just me and dad. There's a lot of stuff I probably didn't know because I was young and naïve, but I know it was probably hard on dad in many ways, trying to raise me and make sure we had money to live off of. He was a cop, so he worked long and random hours all the time. There were a lot of days back that I remember I didn't see much of him; sometimes for so long that I thought I had lost him too and would have to live in a train car like a hobo." He chuckled weakly. "But eventually, things worked out and we managed to make a living without mom, even if it was probably the hardest thing we ever had to do."

He ate another bite. When he spoke again his voice was even lower, more sorrowful, "And then dad died too just as suddenly as mom. I was at school when it happened and this campus sheriff came and pulled me out of class and they took me to the principal's office and again I had no idea what the hell was going on but I was pretty sure I was in some deep shit. I used to erm… graffiti a lot and the school was one of my personal canvases. Ehehe…" The student rubbed a finger under his nose with a proud grin, but the smile was short-lived. "I thought they finally found out it was me and I was going to get expelled or something. And then when I saw there was an actual police cop in the room I even asked if they were going to arrest me." Usopp rested the bowl on his knee, staring down at a chip in the tile flooring below.

"But the cop turned out to be the commissioner and he kneels down next to where I'm sitting and tells me this whole story about how my dad was on an emergency call at a liquor store that was being held up and things got a little crazy and… and he ended up getting shot." He worried his lip between his teeth. "He told me… dad didn't even make it to the hospital before he was gone."

"Usopp…" Sanji whispered painfully but the younger shook his head before he could say more, taking a few deep breathes to steady himself because even though he promised not to cry he looked pretty damn close.

"S-So," He started a little shakily, but gaining strength with every word, "So there I was, eighteen and a few months away from graduating and I was all alone. Everything went to hell in a matter of weeks. My dad did his best, but we were really only scraping by for years – he had racked up a lot of debt. And I'm of legal age and the only Dellator alive… so all that debt fell onto me."

He placed a hand on the side of his head, mussing his hair. "I… I still don't know what the hell happened. I was numb from the inside out and not paying attention – next thing I know, I've let some legal official convince me to sell the house and I'm out on the streets with only Merry in her carrier and forty bucks in my pocket. I had nothing else. I used my money to get a room at some motel in the ghetto and some hamburgers at McDonalds and then I just… I stayed up all night wondering what the fuck to do and, ha, it was the most hilarious thing, really!" Usopp swallowed hard, his voice raising to a slightly hysterical pitch, "I started getting so damn scared not because I was suddenly homeless and broke – but because I knew I'd have to give up Merry since I couldn't take care of her anymore and she was the last bit of family I had. I swear I wanted to lay down and just-just die!"

Usopp slowly rose his eyes to meet Sanji's, the brown orbs full of turmoil and grief. "And then the next morning after they kicked me out of the room… I don't know why I did it, but I walked all the way to the most expensive food store I could find and went inside and just ripped open a package of cat food and started pocketing it all. I guess I was going a little crazy. And that… that's how Kuro found me. He was out shopping and he spotted me going absolutely nuts as I tried to stuff cat foot down my underwear." He laughed a little wildly at the memory, rubbing the corner of his eye. "We hardly knew each other honestly. He was two years above me and a friend of a friend so we had talked only about a dozen times maybe. But he still… he stopped and he asked me if I was alright and I just… I lost it. I just fell to the floor and cried my heart out and told him everything that had happened and that now I was going to lose the last thing I loved because the world hated me so damn much."

He smiled then, the line of his lips a little wavy as he held back more tears. "And Kuro he just… he picks me up off the floor, grabs another bag of cat food and pays for it plus the stuff I stole and probably even more for all the trouble. And then he takes me to his home and tells me everything was going to be fine. And he was right." Usopp looked away, wringing his hands together. "I was able to finish high school and then he even moved up here with me so I could go to college here. He was so sweet about it, saying he'd take me anywhere I wanted to go. Us being a couple started right after the move; one minute we were talking, the next he's kissing me and telling me how much I mean to him and they were just the most wonderful words…" A small but tender smile was on his face now as he stared off into space dreamily. "I already owe him everything, owe him more than I feel like I could ever possibly pay back, and here he is, offering even more to me."

Usopp shook his head suddenly, snapping out of his trance and smiling embarrassedly at him. "And that's how it happened."

And Sanji, who felt like his heart had been diced up, salted, cooked and then salted again, could only respond with a weak, "That's amazing…" And he knew not even one syllable was sincere.

Somehow, Usopp didn't take notice of his pathetic response, just turned back to his pudding and eating it with more fervor. "Yeah. I mean my life has hit a lot of rough spots, but the way it's turned out now, I have nothing to complain about, right?" And then, Usopp shot him a look that was so odd. There was nothing in the smile or the muscles of his face that tipped him off; it was in his eyes.

For just that half-second he thought he saw Usopp pleading for him to tell him different.

It was gone in a flash though, leaving Sanji pretty sure he imagined it in his delirious pain of defeat and loss and broken heartedness. So all he said in return was a soft, "Right."

His smile widened as he finished up his bowl, eyes scouring the room, and then said, "Wow it's late. I'd better get going." His words prompted Sanji to look at the clock, seeing that he was right; Usopp only had ten minutes to get to his class. The artist started to stand, then looked down at the table and stopped. "Wait, no. How rude; you cook for me and I'm just running off. I should do the dishes."

"No, I can take care of that." Sanji offered dully. "It takes a minute."

"No it doesn't, with all those dishes it takes at least ten! Come on, we'll do them together and it'll be quicker." Usopp argued, starting to pick up some of the dishes.

"It's not a big deal Usopp, all I need to do is put them in the dishwasher. You can get going."

But the longnose was persistent as he stacked the dishes. "A dishwasher takes even longer though!"

"No, no. Not this one." Sanji said, pointing towards the commercial dishwasher. It wasn't like a washer that people had a home; this beast of an appliance was the shape of a fridge and could almost be mistaken for one when the top was closed if it wasn't half the size. And unlike home dishwashers that were opened by a swing-down door, this one was opened by pulling at the large bar handle in front that was similar in shape to a lap bar on a rollercoaster.

Pulling up the bar lifted up the top half of the washer, and if it were actually an old-styled refrigerator, it would be like lifting up the freezer and having it hover over the rest of the fridge. Except the 'freezer' had a hollowed out bottom. All a restaurant worker would need to do would be to place any used tableware on a dish rack underneath that empty area and then pull the top down. The washer did the rest. "It takes a minute. Really."

He wasn't sure what it was about what he said, but Usopp had stopped moving completely, staring at the machine in question with wide eyes. "You're kidding."

"No." Sanji said, heaving himself up, "So you can-"

"Show me."

"What?"

Usopp turned to him, excited. "Sanji, show me. Please!"

"It's… just a dishwasher." But he obliged, even if it didn't make sense to him, rinsing the dirty dishes down and then loading them onto a rack and pushing it under the dishwasher, before pulling the handle down so it fell over the dishes. The machine hummed as it came to life, speed cleaning the plates and pans within. And in exactly sixty seconds, the top popped back up, everything as clean as before it had ever been used.

"Whoa." Usopp breathed, looking like he had just found nirvana as a wide smile spread across his lips. He shoved the rack aside waving his hands to try and air out the steam before bending over the counter and twisting his head to look up inside the machine. "This is the coolest thing I've ever seen!" He started running his hands over, well, everything. Sanji got a little worried when he stuck his hand up inside of it though, irrationally thinking he'd cut off his hand or something. "Oh man what I wouldn't give to tear this thing apart and see what it looks like inside!"

Sanji wasn't sure how, but the other's enthusiasm managed to cleave through his depression and have his heart fill with warmth again. A chuckle bubbled past his lips, "What are you classes tomorrow?"

Distracted, Usopp took a few moments to find the words, "Uhhh….Calculus at ummm…. ten-thirty to twelve-thirty and then err…. History at one-twenty to three. Why, you wanna feed me again?"

"No, I have morning shift tomorrow. Meet me at Diable Jambe after class. I get off at three."

"Aaaah, I like the way you say it. That French accent sure comes in handy." Those words made happiness coil through him. "But why?"

"It's a surprise." Sanji grinned and before the other could even think to pry for more info, he added, "You better get going, you have like two minutes to get to class."

Usopp's eyes bulged. "WHAT?!" He jerked his head around to stare at the wall clock. "Oh shit! Okay, tomorrow! I'll see you then!" He snatched up his bag and went charging out the door, hazarding a wave back to him. It was the last image Sanji had of him that day; the door slowly closing while Usopp entered the crowded hall only to pause and turn, waving goodbye to him with a smile as large as the sea.