#this will be an usove alphabet one shot in the future

[brainyxbat]

UsoVe- Birthday Disaster

Summary: Venus' special surprise for her beloved boyfriend doesn't go as planned. Happy Birthday, Usopp!

A soft, angelic humming floated from the kitchen, alongside a hint of a wafting, chocolatey scent. Tempeste G. Venus, the spellcaster of the Straw Hat Crew, was busy at work in the Thousand Sunny's downstairs kitchen. The calendar read April 1st. A very special day; specifically, her boyfriend Usopp's birthday! And she had a surprise planned for him; one that involved the risk of sneaking into the kitchen, without the crew's chef, Sanji, knowing about it. But it was a risk she was willing to take.

He was too busy celebrating with the others anyway to notice her. She was surprised he didn't have anything already; then again, he always prioritized the girls over the boys anyway. Even her, despite the fact that she was in a relationship with one of said boys.

"Done!" She beamed after pouring the chocolate cake mix into the cupcake liners in the pan. "Now for the moment of truth!" Once the oven was ready, she slid the pan inside, and eagerly shut the door. "And now, I wait."

"Hey, Venus-san~!" Brook called out. "The birthday boy's looking for you~!"

"Coming!" She called back, and glanced at the oven on her way to the stairs. 'I should only be a few minutes,' She thought, as she emerged out on the deck. An excuse could come later.

She spotted the man of the hour, smoothed out her skirt, and ran straight over, her gogo boots padding through the soft grass. He looked so handsome in his grey puffy pants, and black, red, green, and yellow tank top. His bee-striped cap was adorable under his goggles. "Heeey~!" She practically sang out, as her adorably messy, wrapped ponytail flew behind her.

Usopp turned, and brightened up at seeing his girlfriend joining them. "Hey, V! I was getting worried!"

She quickly pulled him into a firm hug of ecstasy. "Happy birthday!" She giggled.

"Thanks!" He held her close, and kissed the top of her head. "What held you up? Is everything okay?"

"Um... I couldn't decide what to wear," She replied with her pre-planned excuse.

"Ah. Well, you look perfect in everything."

"Thanks," She blushed, as he tucked her short, loose hair strands behind her ears. "So uh, what're we doing right now?"

As she joined in the festivities with the crew, things began to happen.

Bad things. Her "few minutes" turned into a few hours.

And had it not been for Chopper's keen nose, as they were sitting around chatting, she would have never known. "Hey, you guys smell something?" He asked around, and they all began sniffing the air.

"Hm?" Venus perked up with them. "Yeah, it's..." It smelled like something... burning. Her eye widened. Wait, burning?! The cupcakes! "Oh my God!" She scrambled to her feet, tore herself out of her boyfriend's arms, and made a hasty beeline, not noticing the others reacting.

"Venus?" Usopp ran after her with concern, his worry only increasing with her frantically muttering "No!" a hundred miles a minute. "Is everything okay?" She almost flew down into the kitchen, obliviously slamming the door shut behind her; before he could try following her down, he lunged back to avoid getting smacked in his long nose. "Venus?!"

Robin turned to Sanji, as the sniper disappeared after the young witch. "Did you start on something?"

"No I haven't, Robin-chwan. Not yet, anyway; it's a little too early for lunch."

"Whoa, it's smoking!" Luffy's eyes widened at the smoke billowing out of the open door, and the crew gathered outside, after Zoro whipped it away with a few slashes of his swords.

In the kitchen, Venus threw the oven open, coughing at the thick smoke, and thrusted the pan out of the heat. Panting heavily, she slammed it down on the table, and investigated her attempted creations. They were burnt to a crisp; hard as rocks, stuck in the now indistinctive liners, and far beyond edible. Tears welled up, and spilled out of her eye, turning into full-on sobs, as she dropped to her knees on the floor, and buried her face in her hands. Her plan had fallen into shambles; because she got distracted, her special surprise was completely ruined.

"Venus?" Shit! He knows! She heard him gasp, and quickly kneel down in front of her. "Venus! Oh my God, are you hurt?! Did you burn yourself?!"

"N-no," She choked out, "I..."

"What's that smell, V?" Usopp looked to the table, and saw the pan. "What are these?" After prodding at one of the burnt mounds, he looked down at his sobbing girlfriend in curiosity, and concern. "Venus? What were you doing in here?" He knelt down again, and held her shoulders. "What are those?"

"I..." She tried to respond, but her sobs overpowered her words, "I-I-I was... I-"

"Come here, V, come here." Usopp hugged her firmly, and rubbed her back. "Just calm down, and tell me what happened, okay? I got you, baby." As she cried in his shoulder, he gently shushed in her ear, and soothingly stroked her hair.

After almost a minute, Venus was calm enough to clearly explain. "Well," She sniffled, and wiped her eye. Thank goodness she had no makeup on. "I... I wanted to d-do something special f-for your birthday, so I, I wanted to bake some ch-chocolate cupcakes. I thought I would only b-be a few minutes, but... I lost track of the time, and it had b-been a few hours." More tears fell, and Usopp wiped them away, listening intently, as her cries started to worsen again. "I, I had something great planned, and I wrecked it!"

"Sweetie, it's-"

"I'M SUCH AN IDIOT!!!" She almost screamed.

"Venus, stop, please!" A heartbroken Usopp held her hands down from her face, as she sobbed harshly. If there was one thing he hated, it was his girlfriend putting herself down. "You're not an idiot, darling. Please don't talk about yourself like that. I-"

"Usopp!" Sanji raged, now fast-stomping down the stairs with Nami trying to hold him back. "What did you do?! How dare you make Venus-chwan cry!"

"Sanji, I didn't-"

"It was me!" Venus shouted through her tears. "He didn't do anything; it was me!"

Franky squeezed himself in. "What happened, little sis?"

"I, I was trying to make cupcakes for Usopp's b-birthday, and... th-they got burned, b-because I accidentally left them for hours!"

"What?! You used the kitchen by yourself?!" Nami exclaimed in shock. "Sanji-kun, did you know about this?"

"No."

The navigator turned back to the young witch, towering over her, and put her hands on her hips. "What were you thinking?!" She scolded, oblivious to Venus sobbing her heart out all over again. "Why would you use the kitchen alone, when you clearly weren't ready?! Now the kitchen's gonna smell like burnt chocolate for-!"

"NAMI, STOP!!!" Usopp screamed furiously, holding his girlfriend tightly. "JUST STOP IT!!!" His outburst turned the room completely silent, aside from Venus' heart-wrenching sobs, before he took a deep breath. "She gets it! It went wrong! She doesn't need you, or anyone yelling at her for it! Just back off, and leave her alone already!"

"Why don't we all wait outside?" Robin suggested, as Sanji escorted Nami to the stairs. "Let them talk alone." They all filed outside, with Robin helping Franky out in particular.

Usopp sighed, and cupped her head as she cried. "Don't let Nami get to you, baby. It's alright."

"B-but I-"

"Sweetheart, just the fact that you worked this hard to do something special for me..." His hand moved to her damp cheek. "I appreciate it so much. I appreciate you, always." She sniffled, though to his relief, she was more calm. "You're the best girlfriend anyone can ask for. It's okay to mess up; we all do it. But V..." He stayed as gentle as he could to avoid more sobs. "You should've asked Sanji to help you, if you wanted to do this. It could've been much worse; you could've hurt yourself."

"I know," She almost whispered, "I just wanted to do something myself."

"I understand, but there's nothing wrong with getting help. We're all a team, no matter what. If you want to try this again, ask Sanji for help; I know he'll be happy to do it. Maybe a little too happy." He smiled when she giggled at his last statement. That was what he hoped for. "There's that smile."

She blushed when he swept her long bangs back and kissed her cheek, where her old scar marked her skin. "I won't get swept up," She added on to his joke, making him chuckle. "But yeah, I'll ask Sanji for help."

"Good." He leaned in for a short kiss, his hand rested over her soft hair. "I look forward to it; take your time with it, V."

"Will do," She promised, and stood up with him, "Let's go back outside."

"Okay." Hand-in-hand, they exited the pungent kitchen, and emerged to the deck, where the others waited.

Venus noticed that Nami had a guilty look on her face, and shyly approached her. "Sorry I snapped at you."

"It's okay," She assured with a smile, then turned to the chef. "Hey, Sanji? I was, uh... hoping to try that again. Will you help me, please?"

"Of course, Venus-chwan~!" He practically glided over. "It would be my pleasure!" Usopp rolled his eyes with a smirk; he trusted him to not steal his girlfriend, but he still went a little overboard.

"Thanks." She turned to Usopp, pivoted on her toes, and they shared another kiss. "We'll just be 20 minutes, half hour tops."

"Okay, V. Like I said, take your time with it."

"Yep," She nodded.

"And thanks again; you really are the best." He kissed her forehead over her bangs.

She blushed bashfully, as her gaze fell to her shoes. "O-only the best for you." She looked back up when he stroked her cheek for a moment, wiping the last of her tears away, before joining the rest of the crew. "Just you wait, Soppi; it'll be the best treat ever!" She giggled, and eagerly bounded back to the kitchen. "Come on, Sanji!"

"Yes, Venus-chwan~!"

Usopp laughed, as the chef floated after her. "She really is the best. Now, where were we?"

"So what do we do about the smell?" Venus asked, waving her hand by her nose after catching the scent again.

"No worries; we'll keep the door open today, so it airs out. Would you like to make a cake this time around?"

"That'd be great," She replied, "The cupcake liners are totaled now."

"That's alright," He beamed, "Sit down, I'll clean off the spoon and mixing bowl."

"Oh, I'll clean one of-"

"Nonsense, Venus-chwan~! A lady shouldn't have to clean up! Here, look for my recipe while I clean them. I'll make our lunches while you frost later."

"Okay," She giggled, then sat at the table, and flipped through his cookbook, as he started scrubbing. She gingerly nudged the cupcake pan away out of embarrassment; she decided it'd be best to not cry anymore, or this redo would take even longer.

-

A little over a half hour later, they were waiting for the chef, and the witch to come out. "I hope everything's okay," Usopp remarked worriedly, "You guys don't think she's upset again, do you?"

"I doubt it," Zoro replied, "If she was, that idiot would be flipping out more than her. That can be spotted a mile away."

"True."

A few minutes later, he perked up at some footsteps leaving the kitchen. "Hey, birthday boy~!" Venus called out cheerfully. "It's done!"

He rushed over, and smiled brightly; as the crew readied the picnic blanket, she proudly held a flawless, sweet-smelling chocolate cake topped with chocolate frosting, and "Happy Birthday Usopp!" was written on the center in yellow icing. The writing was a bit sloppy, but he loved it that way a lot more than if it was like typewritten work. "Venus, it's perfect! Thank you!" After Sanji took the pan for her, carrying it and their lunches simultaneously, he pulled her into a firm hug. "I absolutely love it!"

"I'm glad you like it!" She happily returned the gesture. "I couldn't have done it without Sanji!"

"Always happy to help a sweet, lovely lady like you, Venus-chwan~."

"Chill out, Perv Cook," Zoro snarked.

"Huh?!"

"Don't start anything!" Nami ordered.

"Yes, Nami-swan~!"

Venus took the cake back, so the crew brought out plates, drinks, and silverware. "Sorry the first thing didn't work out."

"It's okay, baby. This looks amazing; you both did great."

"Thanks," She blushed, as he kissed her temple.

After a few minutes, everyone sat around the cake, as Sanji used his lighter on the two number candles. "There we go, birthday boy."

"Thanks!" Usopp leaned in, everyone watching in participation; when he blew them out, they all cheered enthusiastically, Venus hugging him from the side and kissing his cheek. "Let's eat!" Once the candles were out, Zoro cut the cake into perfectly even pieces. Before Sanji could prioritize the girls over the birthday boy, Venus quickly took over, and handed her boyfriend the first piece. "Thanks, V." She took a plate next, and while the rest were handed out, she snuggled up to him. She smiled wider when he moaned in delight. "Venus, it's so amazing."

"I'm glad," She giggled, and started on her own, "Sanji took care of getting it in the oven, but I did everything else myself."

"I'm very proud of you." He nuzzled his temple on hers, as Sanji argued with Zoro over whose piece was bigger. "You did great."

"Thanks, babe." She sipped her cola, and had another bite, "I think it turned out really good. Though the writing-"

"No nitpicking," He playfully scolded, "It's perfect. Also, I like the little bit of crunch inside there."

"Oh, it's chocolate chips. That was my idea; Sanji said he hadn't tried that before, but was willing to give it a go."

"You're a genius, V."

"Thanks," She blushed again. Feeling mischievous, she smothered frosting on her lips, and planted a large, chocolatey kiss on his cheek. "Mwah~!"

"Hey!" He laughed, with the others joining in. "Venus!"

"You got a little something there!" Luffy pointed to his own cheek with a wide grin.

Usopp's eyes widened when the captain's head was leering towards him, tongue out. "No-no-no-no-no!" He covered the spot, and shoved him away.

"I'll get it!" His girlfriend leaned in next.

"Venus! V! No!" Usopp tipped over on his side from her playful advancement, and held onto her waist. He laughed even harder when she began sucking on his cheek, and licking the frosting off. "Th-that tickles!" His laughter turned into cackles when she tickled his neck, back, and armpits with both hands.

Everyone was besides themselves by now at her silly attack, as she soon let him breathe. "Tickle the birthday boy!" Luffy shouted, and at his command, they all began clamoring.

"NOOOOO!!!"

-

Later on, Usopp was on night watch, as appointed. Great way to end his birthday... sorta. He yawned, as he fought off his fatigue from the exciting day. He smiled at the memories; Venus actually had another gift for him, in the form of a ram figurine with a face strongly resembling the prow of the Going Merry. He almost cried, but kept it together, as everyone admired it.

He vaguely heard the sound of whispered arguing, but paid no mind. Following it was footsteps; he looked over, and perked up at Venus approaching, now in shorts and a crop top, along with her robe and slippers. Her hair was down, and flowing to her waist. "Hey, you."

"Hey yourself," She flirted, and sat next to him.

"I didn't know you were set to go on night watch tonight."

"I'm not," She shook her head, "I just decided to join you."

"Oh, you don't have to-"

"I want to," She insisted, and snuggled up to him, "I want to keep you company."

"Thanks, sweetheart." He held her close, and kissed her forehead, before nestling his cheek on her scalp.

"So um, did you have a good birthday?"

"Absolutely. It was really great."

"I'm glad. Um, again, I'm sorry about-"

"No apologies, V," He cut her off, "There's nothing to be sorry about. You didn't mean to lose track of time; it happens to all of us. Besides, the cake was amazing."

"Thanks. Sanji was a good help. I didn't let him flirt with me, though."

"Good," He snickered.

She smiled, and kissed his cheek, then snuggled her head in his shoulder. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you." He smiled warmly, and brushed her bangs from her face when she yawned largely. "Um, you can sleep if you want."

"No, no. I'm doing night watch with you; gotta stay awake for that."

A few, short minutes later, she was out like a log on his shoulder. Usopp chuckled under his breath, and kept her close. "No need to apologize for this, sweetheart," He whispered, "You being here is enough. Goodnight, darling; I love you." He kissed her hair, and continued his night-watching duties, as she slept peacefully.

Good way to end his birthday.