For the second day of Mamo Chiba Week the prompt was "Father". Hopefully this one gives you a few chuckles - a definite change in mood from the first story.

Father

Usagi Tsukino awoke to the sound of floorboards creaking, and a cold indentation beside her in bed. She rubbed her eyes, waiting for the blurry digits on the clock to focus; it was 4:36am. With a heavy groan, she rolled onto her side, fighting her enlarged belly as she struggled to stand.

She opened the door and padded down the hallway, finding her husband at the kitchen table with books strewn around him. Small pieces of paper were scattered across the surface and spilled on the floor, and she watched bemused as he flipped pages and scribbled notes.

"Mamo-chan," she called, and he looked up startled, glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. "It's four in the morning. Come back to bed."

"In a bit," he said, rolling his shoulders before diving back into his work. Usagi shook her head, a smile tugging on the corners of her lips. She moved towards him, hand pressed firmly against her aching back, and inspected the contents of the table.

"There are like seven cups of coffee here," she said, counting them as she sorted through the mess.

"I know." He nodded, eyes still focused on the book in his hands. "I couldn't sleep."

"I wonder why," she mumbled, moving the mugs to the kitchen counter before taking a seat. "What are these?" she asked, picking up a precariously stacked pile of papers and leafing through the sheets one by one.

"Flashcards," he answered, without a moment's break in his concentration. Usagi shook her head; she hadn't seen him this dedicated since he was preparing for the med school entrance exams.

Her gaze meandered over the colorful covers, mouthing each title from The Expectant Father: The Ultimate Guide for Dads-to-Be to Dude, You're Gonna Be a Dad. "Where did you get all these books?" she wondered, forehead crinkled, and head tilted.

"From the library." He cursed as his pencil broke, and rapidly pressed the push button to release more lead.

"When?"

"Earlier tonight." He paused, searching the workspace for the right utensil. A puff of victory escaped his mouth when he found a yellow highlighter, and pulled off the cap to hastily mark up keywords in his notes.

"When earlier tonight?" She raised a single brow – he wasn't telling her the entire story.

"After you went to bed." His succinct replies were beginning to wear on Usagi's patience.

"I'm pretty sure the library was closed by then." She reached across the table, and placed her hand on his wrist. "Mamo-chan."

"Fine," he conceded, removing his glasses, and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I may have transformed into Tuxedo Kamen."

"You broke into the library to steal parenting books?" she asked, eyes wide with amusement as she hid a grin behind her palm.

"I didn't steal them," he bit – was his wife laughing at him? "I'm just borrowing them. There's a lot to learn."

"What's really going on?" Usagi's face swelled with concern, her voice soft and unassuming.

Mamoru sighed, set down his highlighter and straightened his posture. "In less than month, I'm going to be a father."

"Yes, I know," she said, golden tendrils swaying around her face. "That's what happens when you have a child." Usagi sat back in her chair, and gently rubbed her swollen stomach.

"No, you don't understand." He shook his head, and ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "I don't know how to be a father."

"So you're studying." It made sense to her now, in a Mamoru-type of way.

"I've never raised child." His shoulders slumped, and his arm fell to the table with a thud. Panic crawled up his spine and settled in his chest, his thoughts a raging fire unable to control. He had no business being a father – he didn't even really know what a father was.

"You've taken care of children before," she said, "I mean we've babysat together, and you helped the kids at the or– " she stopped when she saw the pain flare up in is eyes. "You helped take care of the younger kids," she reworded, and Mamoru's expression eased.

"That's different," he insisted, unable to find the words to express his thoughts.

"You've looked after Chibi-Usa before," she reminded, though the short months she spent with them seemed like a lifetime ago.

"It's not the same." He licked his lips, and took a breath in an attempt to calm his nerves. "We have to start from the beginning – what if I mess her up?"

"You won't mess her up."

"What do we do if we have to go somewhere and she can't come?"

"She has grandparents, an uncle, and at least eight aunts. I think someone can watch her for a night or two," she answered with a flick of her wrist.

"Well what if something happens?" he asked, eyebrows drawn, and knee bouncing of its own accord. "What are we going to do if… if… she gets smallpox?"

"Is that even still a thing?" she gawked, witnessing the unraveling of Mamoru Chiba for the second time in her life.

"It could come back," he huffed.

"Mamoru—"

"Okay," he held up his index finger, "but what if she gets a new disease that no one has ever heard of before?" He knew he was being irrational, yet couldn't stop the questions spilling from his mouth.

"We'll find a cure."

"Or what if something evil comes back, and takes her?" he croaked, memories filled with flashbacks of a future that was no longer his.

"Then we'll defeat it."

"What if a boy breaks her heart?"

Usagi hoisted herself to her feet, and walked around to stand beside her husband. "Mamo-chan," she said, tracing soothing patterns on his back, "whatever happens, we'll get through it." She placed a comforting kiss on his cheek. "Together."

"I'll kill him, you know," he muttered, the frenzy starting to dissipate.

"I know." She patted his arm, and he grabbed her hand, not ready for her to leave his side.

There was one final thought weighing on Mamoru's mind – one question that had been on the edge of his lips for months. One that he fought back, afraid to utter in case saying it aloud made it true. But now, more than ever, he needed to know. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he wove his fingers through hers and asked, "What if it's not her?"

"It's her." Usagi took his palm and placed it on her stomach. "Close your eyes," she instructed, "and take a deep breath." Mamoru did as he was told, and tears pricked the corners of his eyes as a familiar warmth spread through his soul. "See?"

Usagi planted her hands on his cheeks, and leaned forward. "You're going to be an amazing dad, okay?" she said, tone calm and words genuine. Mamoru smiled, brimming with love and appreciation for the sprite of a woman that had become his wife.

"What did I do to deserve you?"

"Guess you just got lucky." She winked, and Mamoru chuckled, completely unable to resist her charm. "Since we're up, how about we take a stroll down to the convenience store and get some ice cream?" she suggested, pangs of hunger starting to awaken.

"For breakfast?"

"Your daughter really wants it," Usagi said, shrugging her shoulders and throwing her arms in the air." She also wants some fried chicken."

"Well, if it's for Chibi-Usa…"

"Yes!" she cheered. "I'll go get dressed." She paused in the doorway, watching him gather the myriad of books into an organized pile. "And Mamo-chan?"

"Hmm?"

"She already knows how much you love her."