OOC LOG: GEORGE AND USOPP

[deadgirldropout]

Who: George and Usopp
What: Dinner and ~Dessert~
Where: The galley, the aquarium bar, and then Usopp's factory, all on Thousand Sunny
When: Valentine's Day
Notes: Rated NC-17

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George adjusted her skirt, feeling a little uncomfortable in Robin's clothes, and opened the door to the galley, just peeking in. "Usopp?" she called. "I'm sorry I'm late...Robin was helping me get dressed, and...it smells really good in here!"

Usopp turned and grinned, feeling relieved. He'd been starting to worry a little after the time had ticked by and George still wasn't there. "Hi, George! Uh. I'm almost done. Sorry, I thought I should get started, and...well, come in!" He gestured her in with the spoon in his hand. So far, so good; the chicken and the Alfredo sauce seemed to have turned out well, and the noodles were almost done. "Uh, I still have to set the table, but that won't take long..."

"I can set the table," George said, stepping into the room, still self-conscious about what she was wearing. She opened up one of the cabinets and took out two plates.

After taking a moment to stir the boiling water, Usopp then turned back to George and did a double-take at what she was wearing. "I--uh. Wow. You look...really nice. Is that Robin's?"

George flushed as she set the plates on the counter and opened the silverware drawer. "Yeah," she said. "I asked her if I could borrow something and she...went a little overboard. Do I really look okay?"

Usopp set the spoon down, beckoning her over.

George's blush darkened and she took a few step toward him, adjusting the corset.

Usopp gave the galley a quick once-over, as if was afraid someone might be watching them, then slipped his arms around George's waist and pulled her close. "You look gorgeous," he murmured close to her ear. Blushing, he kissed her quickly and then took a step back, afraid he'd get too preoccupied and let the food burn.

George shivered a little at that and grinned, going back to the silverware drawer. "Thank you," she said as she pulled out two knives, two forks, two spoons.

Usopp turned his attention back to the stove, determined not to ruin their dinner when it was nearly done. He was proud of himself for how well it was turning out, even without George's help. Besides, he knew Sanji would kill him if he made a mess or allowed something to burn to the bottom of a pot. He prodded the noodles with the end of his wooden spoon. They seemed done to him. They could boil a few more seconds while he found the strainer, anyway. "I'm almost done!" he called over his shoulder to George, starting to feel a little nervous now. It wasn't like he cooked a lot or anything, and this needed to be good.

"Awesome!" George said, collecting napkins and wine glasses. "Where are we eating?"

Usopp paused. "Oh. Uh..." He hadn't thought about that. He quickly glanced around the galley. Not exactly romantic. "M-maybe...do you want to eat by the aquarium? If we turn off the main lights, I think it would be kinda..." He trailed off, draining the noodles and depositing them in a bowl, then giving a yelp when he remembered the garlic toast in the oven.

"Romantic?" George asked, smiling. "I think that sounds perfect. I love the aquarium. I'll bring this stuff in there and then come back to help you with the rest, okay?"

Usopp nodded, blushing a little again, then pulled open the oven door to check the toast. Not burned, thankfully. "Okay," he said, "I'll just. I'll get the rest of this stuff ready."

George took a few steps to him and pulled him toward her, kissing him quickly before she picked all the table settings up off the counter and headed out the door and toward the aquarium bar.

Watching her as she left, Usopp felt a stupid smile come on to his face. He'd been a little worried about a lot of things, honestly, but when he'd asked her for a date today, he thought he would do his best to just ignore the worries and the doubts and just do his best to have a nice time with George. He was a little surprised at how easy it seemed to be going, though. The part of him that was still upset and hurt seemed quieter tonight. He pulled the garlic toast from the oven and put it into a small bread basket, then got the chicken and Alfredo sauce ready too. He loaded it all into the dumbwaiter and went back to get the simple salad he'd thrown together, as well as the bottle of champagne that was chilling in a bucket of ice.

George set the table in the aquarium bar, and was about to head back to the galley, when Usopp sent the dumbwaiter up. She'd completely forgotten about it. She opened the door and carefully took out a few things, setting them on the table.

Usopp gathered the rest of the things he thought they'd need: salt, pepper, grated Parmesan, some salad dressings, and a few other things, then paused. George had said she'd take care of the dessert, and she'd been in here earlier with Sanji, but Usopp wasn't sure what she'd actually made. As he waited for her to return, he remembered to get some tongs and a ladle for the sauce, then double-checked that he'd turned all the stove burners and the oven off. He knew Sanji was serious about the kitchen and he didn't really want to die before he and George had even finished their date.

George emptied the dumbwaiter and then headed back to the Galley for Usopp. "Need help with anything else?" she asked, starting to feel a little more comfortable in her borrowed clothes.

Usopp loaded the rest of the things onto the dumbwaiter and thought for a moment. "You got all the stuff to set the table, right? Oh. The dessert. I wasn't really sure what it was, so..." His eyes were drawn to George's outfit, where there was a tantalizing flash of belly visible between where the borrowed corset ended and the skirt began.

"The table is set," George said, smiling. "And I'll grab the dessert when we're done with dinner, I think it should stay in the fridge until we're ready to eat them." She flushed lightly when she noticed Usopp staring.

"Okay," Usopp said with a nod. He sent the dumbwaiter down and walked over to join George, taking her hand. He felt a little embarrassed she'd noticed him staring. He hadn't meant to stare, but he wanted to reassure her that it was only because she looked so good. He leaned in close as they began to head for the aquarium bar. "You really do look great," he murmured as they walked. "Really, uh. Sexy." He could feel himself flushing a little at saying that out loud, but it was true.

George squeezed his hand. "Thank you," she said, really noticing for the first time what he was wearing. Nice slacks, a button-down shirt, a tie... George burst out laughing. He'd forgotten to take off his apron.

"...what? What is it?" Usopp's eyes widened for a moment at her sudden outburst, then he worried his lip a little, feeling self-conscious.

"Apron," George said, squeezing his hand comfortingly. "You look really nice other than that, though!"

"...oh!" Usopp looked down at himself and started laughing too. "I didn't want to get my clothes dirty," he explained, reaching back to untie the apron strings with his free hand. He ducked his head, pulling it off, and wadded it up into a ball. He could stash it somewhere when they got to the aquarium bar.

"There we go," George said, admiring his clothes now that the offending apron was gone. "You really do look nice, Usopp," she said. "I don't think I've ever seen you wear a tie before.

Usopp blushed a little deeper. "I wear them sometimes," he said. "There just has to be a reason, that's all."

"Well I'm flattered that dinner with me is apparently tie-worthy," George said as they entered the aquarium bar.

"It's a Valentine's date," Usopp said, tossing the apron aside and giving the table a quick once-over. George had already set the table and put out most of the food. He went to the dumbwaiter for the rest of the things and brought them over.

"Valentine's Day is a silly holiday," George said, sitting down at the table. "But I guess I appreciate the tie. And all of this. You're amazing."

"Why's it silly?" Usopp placed everything on the table and sat down as well, pulling the bottle of champagne out of the ice and peeling the foil off the cork.

"Because it's nice for people who have someone, but it's kind of a kick in the face to people who don't," George said, shrugging. "I mean...this year mine has been amazing, but it's really shitty to be reminded that you're alone when everyone else is flaunting how in love they are."

"Hm." Usopp shrugged, then began working at the cork, trying to loosen it so it would pop out easily and hopefully without too much of a mess. "I never saw it like that, I guess. Flaunting, I mean. I never had anyone before you, you know, and it never bothered me..." He looked up to George, smiling shyly. "But since this year I do have you, I wanted to... I thought it would be nice. Since we are in love, there's nothing wrong with having a day for that, is there?" The champagne cork popped out, and he hastily wiped the bottle with the towel he had for that purpose. Once the fizzing had calmed enough, he poured out for both of them.

"No, I agree. This is...really nice. And I'm glad that we're here and that we're together and that everything is okay." She picked up her champagne flute. "We deserve a celebration like this."

Usopp gave a small sigh of relief and nodded, lifting his own glass as well.

"We should make a toast," George said, smiling softly. "To us, obviously."

"Yeah," Usopp agreed, holding up his glass. "To us."

George clinked her glass against Usopp's and took a sip of the champagne before setting down the flute. "Happy Valentine's Day, baby," she said, reaching across the table for his hand. "Now. We should eat."

"Happy Valentine's Day, George." Usopp took a sip too, and interlaced his fingers with her as she took his hand, feeling a little nervous again. "...I hope it tastes okay."

George squeezed Usopp's hand before letting go to serve herself some pasta. "It smells amazing," she said, giving herself a generous portion, "so I bet it tastes even better."

Usopp held up his own plate so she could dish some up for him too. "Sanji gave me a recipe," he said, "and I think it should have turned out okay, but I don't really cook a lot, so..." He set down his plate once she'd filled it with pasta, and lifted the bread basket so George could take a piece of garlic toast. The food did smell pretty good, and it had seemed fine when he sampled the sauce earlier, but it wasn't impossible that he'd done something since then to mess it up.

"Thanks," George said, taking a piece of the bread. "Well there's only one way to find out, right?" she said, grinning as the twirled the pasta around on her fork.

Usopp leaned forward a little as he awaited her reaction.

George took a bite. "Mmm," she said, chewing, a big smile on her face. It was delicious.

"It's good?" Usopp visibly relaxed, leaning back in his chair a little, and took a bite of his own. It definitely wasn't bad. Probably not as good as it would have been if Sanji made it, but the taste even surprised him a little. He grinned, feeling proud of himself, and took another, bigger bite, then a bite of garlic toast. It seemed like that had turned out okay, too. Maybe he should have used a little more garlic, but he hadn't wanted it to be too strong.

George nodded enthusiastically, taking another big bite. Once she'd swallowed, she grinned at him. "Yeah, Usopp," she said, taking a small sip of her champagne, "it's delicious."

"I'm glad," he said, his worry melting away again. "I didn't want to accidentally mess it up. That was a...sacred recipe. Handed down to me from the king of Pastafari himself, after I rescued their kingdom from the invading Atkinsians," he fabricated, forgetting he'd just told George he'd gotten the recipe from Sanji. Usopp took another drink of his champagne, the bubbles tickling his mouth a little.

George laughed. "I didn't know that Sanji was the king of Pastafari," she said, twirling another large bite around her fork.

"Uh. He's a....direct descendant in line to the throne. He doesn't talk about it much. Actually, I think it embarrasses him, so you probably better not mention it." Usopp quickly took another big bite, chewing slowly so she couldn't ask him any more about that.

George laughed. "Oh, of course," she said, taking her nice big bite and kicking Usopp playfully underneath the table.

Usopp gave a small squeak, half just in surprise, though he played it off as if it were solely theatrical and on purpose. He snaked out one leg and hooked his foot behind her ankle, tugging a little before releasing her and putting his foot back near his chair. He twirled more noodles around his fork and speared a piece of chicken, chewing thoughtfully. "...maybe another time we can try cooking together," he said, a little sheepish. "I think it would have been kind of fun, but..." His eyes slid to her bare shoulders and dipped lower for just a moment. Amazing the effect a corset had on cleavage... "Well. You had to get dressed. Another time though? Maybe?"

George frowned. "I'm sorry," she said, "I wanted to cook together too. Maybe I should have just worn something normal..."

Usopp shook his head a bit too emphatically in response. "No! ...I mean," he amended, coloring a bit, "You look really nice. I like it."

George colored lightly too. "Thanks," she said, smiling and twirling some more pasta on her fork. "But we should definitely cook together another time."

Smiling, Usopp reached across the table to lightly touch her hand. "Definitely," he agreed. "So," he began carefully, wetting his lips, "was the outfit, uh. Your idea? Or Robin's?" He was trying not to stare, so ended up focusing on his plate, as if it took all his concentration to load his fork with more pasta.

George's cheeks darkened. "Um. Well. Ace and I were talking about our plans for tonight and I mentioned that I hadn't decided what to wear. So he suggested I borrow something of Michiko's, but what she wears isn't really my style, so he suggested Robin. And I asked her if I could borrow a corsety top or something and she picked me out a whole outfit," George said, remembering her salad and poking at a cherry tomato.

"Well. I like it," Usopp repeated. "I wasn't sure you'd even dress up, I guess, but I figured maybe you'd wear your Halloween dress or something. I mean. You don't really have a lot of fancy clothes, do you?" He smiled, thinking about the memories associated with the dress George had worn on Halloween. "I like that dress a lot too. But this is..." He flicked his gaze up to her and gave her another smile, a little sheepish. "..you look really great."

"Yeah, not really," George said, shrugging and taking a bite of her salad, chewing and swallowing before continuing. "And I forgot that Valentine's was coming up while we were still at an island so I couldn't really get something new."

Usopp raised an eyebrow slightly. "Would you have? Uh. Gotten something new?"

"Maybe?" George said, feeling a little self-conscious. "Why?"

"Just wondering," Usopp said, taking another small bite before he continued. "I didn't know if Valentine's Day was that important to you that you'd buy a whole new outfit. ...well. It's probably kind of different for girls, right?" He touched her hand again from across the table, sensing her slight worry and seeking to reassure her.

"Well. I never had a reason to dress up on Valentine's Day before," George said, shrugging. "I guess I didn't really think about it much beforehand this year because I just...forgot. But...this has been such a nice day so far."

Usopp smiled. "That's good! I mostly was just in it for the chocolate before," he said with a laugh. "Sanji made a ton last year too. And that was pretty nice, but I definitely prefer this year." He smiled shyly at her again before going back to his pasta. Maybe it was because it was Valentine's Day, or maybe it was the clothes she was wearing, so different from her usual jeans and t-shirt, but Usopp felt a little giddy when he looked at her, almost like he was falling in love with her all over again. It felt new, but also familiar. It was a good feeling.

"Well the chocolate was part of the reason it was so great. I love chocolate," George said, smiling. "But this is pretty nice too," she teased, touching her foot to his under the table.

Usopp chuckled, bumping his foot lightly back against hers. "There's still a ton of chocolate up in the galley if you get sick of me," he said, shrugging.

"I'll keep that in mind." George stabbed a piece of chicken and chewed on it thoughtfully. "But right now I'm having a pretty good time."

"That's good. ...oh!" Usopp sighed as he remembered something. "I forgot the candles upstairs. I was gonna light candles." He looked around the dim room; with all the main lights switched off, there was just a soft glow coming from the aquarium, the light shifted slightly as the water rippled. "...maybe this is better, though." He looked back at George, feeling an urge to kiss her, but it wasn't really the best time. He settled for softly rubbing his toe against her ankle in as close to a caress as he could manage in his shoes.

"Yeah," George said, smiling, "I like this." She bumped her foot back against his, taking another bite of her salad.

Usopp smiled back at her. "So, are you gonna tell me what you made for dessert? I bet it's chocolate, right? You were in there when Sanji was making all that chocolate." He took another bite of his pasta, completely ignoring his salad.

"Well there's chocolate involved, yes," George said, grinning and mopping up some of the sauce with her garlic bread.

"Hmm..." He pondered for a moment, then decided it wasn't really a big deal; he'd find out what she'd made soon enough. He put another small helping of pasta onto his plate, since it was nearly gone already and he was still sort of hungry, and...really, he'd kind of made a lot. "Want any more?" he asked George.

"Yes," she said, holding out her plate for more. "This is really good, Usopp. Thanks again."

"No problem, George. Okay! Say 'when'." Usopp began scooping more pasta onto George's plate, getting mildly distracted by the lines of her bare shoulders above the corset top of Robin's she had on. The black corset was offset by the red lacings, which made it all the more striking. Usopp's fingers flexed slightly as he imagines undoing those laces...

"When!" George shouted suddenly, laughing. "You're spilling!"

"Ah!" Usopp stopped, looking back to the plate and seeing he'd slopped over the edge a bit. "...sorry! I didn't--I just--!" He sighed, ducking his head. "Sorry," he mumbled.

George used her fork to scoop the pasta back onto her plate, still laughing. "It's okay. What happened?"

"I guess I just...uh. Got distracted." Usopp was thankful for the low light, because then maybe she wouldn't notice him blushing again.

"By what?" George asked, looking around the room, but no, it really was just the two of them. "The fish?"

Usopp didn't look up yet. "Uh. Y-yeah. Maybe a little." He fidgeted in his chair, finally flicking his gaze back up to George's bemused face. "Uhm. And partly because...well. You look really good in that. Like. Really good."

George flushed, looking down at her clothes again. "Thanks," she said, twirling pasta around her fork. "I'm...I'm glad you like it."

Usopp nodded emphatically. "I do. I...it's a little surprising, really. I didn't think you'd want to wear something like...well. Uh. I mean, you usually don't. M-maybe that's part of why it's so nice, though. Because it's like...special. You know?" It was true. Robin wore this sort of thing all the time and he never even noticed, but on George...

"Valentine's Day is supposed to be special," George said, cheeks darkening further. "That's why I decided to wear something...different." She took another bite of her pasta.

Usopp reached across the table and touched her hand again, letting his fingers linger against her knuckles. "It's really special," he said with a smile. "I love you."

George turned her hand over to wrap her fingers around his palm. "I love you too, Usopp," she said, smiling softly.

Usopp gave her hand a small squeeze before finally drawing his hand back to pick up his toast and mop up some of the Alfredo sauce on his plate. "So...what do you want to do after we eat?" he said conversationally.

"Well there's still dessert...but I was thinking that maybe we could bring it, and another bottle of champagne, maybe, to your factory?" George suggested, blushing.

"Oh." Usopp thought he might be blushing a little too, as he nodded--hopefully not too eagerly. He thought maybe she'd want to do...well, he wasn't really sure anymore, something romantic or that kind of thing, but he had no problems with skipping ahead to...well, he was pretty confident he could assume what she had in mind. "Yes. That. We should...do that."

"Unless you had any other ideas?" George finished off her pasta, mopping up the rest of the sauce with another slice of garlic bread.

Giving a carefully nonchalant shrug, Usopp dabbed at the corner of his mouth with the cloth napkin. "Oh. N-no, nothing in particular."

George drank the rest of her champagne in one swallow. "Okay, then. Are you almost done eating?"

Usopp looked down at his plate, which was nearly empty again. "Yeah, just a sec, let me finish the rest of this..." He began eating the last few bites of pasta, mopping the sauce with the rest of his garlic bread. He glanced to the bowl of pasta, which was still about half-full. "Looks like I made way too much," he said, looking a little sheepish. "We can just put that in the fridge, I guess."

"We can eat it later," George said, smiling. "Like as a midnight snack or something."

"Yeah, that works." Usopp finished the last off his plate and drained the rest of his champagne, putting the bottle back in the bucket of ice. Pushing back his chair, he stood and began gather the stuff from the table to load back in the dumbwaiter.

George stood and helped him clear the table, quickly pouring herself another glass of champagne as she did so. "Do you think Sanji will kill us if we wait until tomorrow to do the dishes?"

"...I think if we stack them in the sink it should be okay," Usopp said. "I mean...it's Valentine's Day. He'll understand." Probably.

George nodded, sipping her champagne and then setting it down to help Usopp load the dumbwaiter with all their dishes and leftovers. "Well I hope so, because I really don't feel like doing dishes right now."

Usopp chuckled. "Yeah, me either. If he gets mad, well..." The prospect of a foot upside the head was never a pleasant one, but Usopp felt like it would be a sacrifice worth making if it meant keeping this evening going. "If he gets mad, I can handle it," he finished bravely.

George smiled in thanks and leaned over to put the dishes in her hands into the dumbwaiter, not realizing that since the skirt was so short...

Usopp sucked in a sharp breath at the flash of thigh above the silk stockings George was wearing, and the sight of her panties, lacy and black--was she wearing garters? He supposed he shouldn't be surprised by that, considering her stockings, but he was. He wet his lips, not trusting himself to speak just then.

George set the things in her hands down and turned back to Usopp, confused for a moment at the look on his face. "Usopp...?"

Usopp was aware his cheeks must be bright red, but maybe she wouldn't notice in the dim light. He wasn't sure if he should actually explain, since that would mean admitting he was looking in the first place. ...then again, she had told him that was okay... "Uh. J-just. Your skirt. It's...kinda. Really. Short," he managed, looking up at the ceiling before back down to George. "...did I mention that it looks really good on you? Jeez, you're even wearing..." He plucked at the thigh of his slacks to indicate the garter strings.

George flushed, tugging at her skirt as if that would make it longer. "Oh. I. Yeah. That was Robin's idea."

Usopp took a step closer to her and put his arm around her loosely, letting his hand rest on the small of her back. "...I think it was a good idea," he murmured, a little embarrassed to be saying it out loud at all.

George smiled, wrapping her arms easily around his shoulders. "I'm glad you like them," she said, pulling him down a little bit so she could kiss him softly.

The kiss was nice, soft and loving, but it also made Usopp eager for...more. After a moment when the kiss ended, he took George's hand and glanced back to the table--already cleared, thank god--then send the dumbwaiter up to the galley and tugged George's hand gently but insistently. "Let's go, okay?" He grabbed the bucket of ice with the champagne bottle in his free hand as they passed it.

George didn't protest, nodding and following his lead easily. "We can't forget the dessert!" she said as they left the aquarium bar.

"Oh yeah..." Usopp actually had forgotten the dessert, but now that she'd reminded him, he headed for the galley. He should probably at least empty the dumbwaiter, too; he could do that quick while George got her dessert. The dishes could go in the sink, the leftovers in the fridge--it wouldn't take long.

They made their way to the galley, and George grabbed the leftovers to stick in the fridge from the dumbwaiter, exchanging them for the chocolate-covered strawberries she'd made earlier, under Sanji's supervision.

Usopp quickly stacked the dirty dishes and brought them over to the sink, grabbing the champagne flutes to bring down to his factory, as well as two more cloth napkins...just in case. He wasn't really sure what dessert George had made--at least not until he went over to join her as she was closing the refrigerator and double-checking that it had locked properly. "Oh!" he said, breaking out into a grin at the sight of the chocolate-dipped strawberries. "Those will be...they look really good! Uh. We need anything else?"

"Not if you have the champagne," George said, grinning. "Ready?"

"I do!" Usopp nodded and linked arms with her as they headed down to his factory.

They walked together to the factory, arm in arm, not saying a whole lot, but leaning into each other as they walked.

Usopp closed the door behind them as they entered, locking it as well. He set down the champagne and pulled down their bed. He taken a little time earlier in the day to tidy up in his factory, organizing and clearing up his usual half-finished projects. It looked less cluttered, at least, though maybe not the ideal romantic setting. He switched on a lamp, and turned off the main light, leaving the room a bit dimmer, but still well-lit. "...so," he said, smiling at George.

George immediately went for the bed, pulling off the shoes Michiko had lent her and sitting down carefully in a way where she wouldn't be flashing everything. She set the plate of chocolate-covered strawberries down in front of her, and beckoned for Usopp to join her with a wry smile.

Taking a moment to loosen his tie just slightly--he wasn't used to wearing them, and it was starting to feel a little restricting--Usopp grabbed the champagne bottle and the flutes and went to sit next to George on the bed. He poured out a glass for her without asking, and offered it, his eyes trailing over her legs, which looked impossibly long and smooth in those black stockings.

George took the flute and held it up. "We should make another toast," she said, scooting a little closer to him.

"Okay," Usopp said, hastily filling up his own flute and mimicking George's action. "What are we toasting to?"

"I don't know," George said, her smile widening. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Hm..." Usopp pretended to think hard, scrunching his eyebrows together and frowning in concentration. Finally he shrugged. "I'm coming up blank," he said, smiling fondly at her while leaning a little closer.

"Well maybe we should just toast to us again, then," George said, clinking her glass against his.

"Works for me," Usopp said as their glasses clinked softly. "To us!" He took a large sip of the champagne, crinkling up his nose a little as the bubbles tickled him.

George took a large sip of her own champagne and then picked up a strawberry and held it out for Usopp to take a bite.

Usopp leaned forward and slowly sunk his teeth into the strawberry, closing his eyes as the slightly tangy juice flooded his tongue. "Mmm," he said, then chewed carefully, enjoying the interplay of the sweet chocolate with the mildly sour strawberry. "It's really good," he said when he'd finally swallowed. He reached down and plucked a strawberry from the plate and held it up for George.

George smiled, leaning in to take a bite of the strawberry Usopp held up. "Mmm," she said too, because it's kind of impossible to take a bite of something someone's offered to you without making that noise. "It is good!" she said happily once she'd swallowed. Sanji really was the best cook ever.

Usopp took another, smaller sip of champagne and leaned in to kiss George, tasting a hint of chocolate and strawberry juice on her lips. "Thanks, George."

George kissed back, a little disappointed when he pulled away. "For what?" she asked, smiling and grabbing another strawberry for herself.

"For the dessert and...for everything." Usopp caught her hand before she could get the strawberry to her mouth and wrapped his fingers around hers, stilling her hand for a moment to lean in and kiss her again. The fingers of his free hand clenched slightly, already eager to move to undo the laces of her borrowed corset, but they could take a little more time. Really, they had all night.

George made a small, surprised, but pleased sound and kissed him back, leaning into him and forgetting about her strawberry for the time being.

Usopp brought his free hand to her upper arm, near her shoulder, his thumb softly brushing the line of her clavicle. He parted his lips slightly, feeling George respond in kind. The taste of strawberry was strong, as well as the hints of champagne and chocolate. He scooted a little closer to her, his hip bumping the tray of chocolate-dipped strawberries between them.

George laughed softly into the kiss and broke it, biting into her strawberry. "Maybe we should set these on the floor," she said, moving the tray and downing the rest of her flute of champagne.

"Oh. Yeah, maybe," Usopp said absently, not really thinking about the dessert anymore. He followed George's lead and drained the rest of his champagne glass, setting it down on the floor to free his hand. George's lips were stained lightly red with strawberry juice. Usopp's heartbeat increased just a little, and he abruptly turned away, reaching down to remove the pair of nice black shoes he'd worn for the night.

George grabbed one more strawberry while Usopp undid his shoes and ate it slowly. They really were delicious.

Usopp grabbed another strawberry too before straightening again, holding it in his mouth while he repositioned himself to better face George. He finally took a bite, musing over something as he chewed. "Hmm." Finally he swallowed and leaned forward again, bringing both hands to George's shoulders as he kissed her.

George kissed him back, a little harder, and tugged lightly at his tie.

That surprised him, not unpleasantly, and he gave a small laugh into the kiss. One hand moved to her waist, the pad of his thumb brushing absently over the lacings of the corset she was wearing. That reminded him again about the idea of undoing them, and he pressed a little closer, deepening the kiss. Maybe...after a little more kissing, he could see to that, but he didn't want to rush it. The prospect seemed a little like unwrapping a present to him, and he wanted to make it last and burn the whole experience into his memory. Who knew when George would ever dress up like this again?

George made a soft noise into the kiss, pulling him even closer by his tie. The corset restricted her movement a little, and she was starting to get a little annoyed with it, but now that she knew how much Usopp liked it, she wasn't going to complain.

Usopp laughed against her lips, pulling away a little to murmur, "...hm. Maybe I get why Sanji likes to wear ties all the time now." He pressed his lips back to hers, still tasting of strawberry and champagne, the hint of chocolate fading behind the other flavors. Abruptly, he shifted his head, kissing the place where her neck met her jaw, working downward a little. He could lightly feel the flutter of her pulse beneath his lips. Usopp applied a little suction, feeling more worked up than usual in this situation, and even let his teeth scrape against the delicate skin.

Now that was unexpected. But really nice. George could feel her heartbeat speed up and her breathing get a little heavier almost immediately.

Usopp pulled back a little, licking his lips. "Can I...?" He stopped himself from asking, and changed tactics. "Um. Lay back on the bed, okay?" He moved enough so she would have room to scoot herself away from the edge of the bed, bending to grab the tray of strawberries again and set them on a corner of the mattress.

George followed his instructions without question, propping herself up just a little on the pillows, and carefully smoothing out her skirt so she wasn't flashing him.

Usopp took a moment to look at her, lying there in that outfit--he couldn't help it, he was incredibly turned on. Part of it was just the juxtaposition of the clothes--which had never struck him as particularly fascinating when Robin wore similar outfits--and George, and the way she looked slightly shy and nervous while still looking incredibly sexy. He noticed her cheeks coloring under his gaze and realized he'd probably been staring again. "Sorry," he whispered, leaning over her to smooth back a strand of hair from her face and kiss her cheek. "You just look really amazing, that's all. I just wanted to...memorize it."

George's flush darkened and she took a hold of his tie again, pulling him down to her. "I had no idea you'd like this so much," she said, brushing her lips against his lightly.

Usopp blushed a little in return, giving her a soft kiss and then nuzzling her neck again a little before sitting back up. He repositioned himself a bit, moving closer to her and kneeling next to George on the bed, reached back to grab another strawberry. He held it by the stem and moved it to her lips.

George smiled, opening her mouth and closing her lips around it before biting down. "Mmm," she hummed.

Usopp tossed the stem and bent to kiss her again, the juice fresh on her lips.

George hummed into the kiss, tilting her head back a little to get a better angle, taking a hold of his tie again.

The gentle pressure of George tugging at his tie was barely felt as Usopp deepened the kiss, his tongue suddenly bombarded with the lingering flavor of the strawberry as he moved it against hers. He let the kiss continue for a long moment, then when it ended naturally, moved lower to kiss a line down her neck again. It was those bare shoulders over the tight binding of the corset; he felt drawn to that area. He kissed near her collarbone, applying suction again, and let one of his hands wander to the bindings of her corset, going by touch as he searched for the place he could begin to untie them.

George shivered as he kissed her neck and tightened her hold on the tie, her whole body already tingling in anticipation. Maybe part of that was the champagne.

Usopp noticed he was already starting to breath a little heavily, and pulled back, ready to focus his attention on undoing the laces of her corset now. "Oh...s-sorry!" he abruptly breathed with a slight wince, as he noticed that in his eagerness, he'd left a small mark on her neck where he'd kissed her. But it was already starting to fade. Fascinated, he reached to lightly touch it, and saw it get smaller and lighter before his eyes.

"What?" George said, looking a little alarmed, as she couldn't see what he was looking at.

"Uh, I..." Usopp felt his cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "I left a mark. But...it's okay! It's--you can barely see it anymore!"

George laughed. "You can leave marks if you want. Even if they'd stay I wouldn't mind."

Usopp nodded slowly, still feeling a little embarrassed about it. He bent and pressed another kiss to her lips before sitting back up. "I'm gonna..." He let his hands finish that sentence for him, trailing them along her sides and finally stopping at the tie of her laces, taking one end in each hand and gently tugging to undo the knot.

The laces were pretty tight, so untying the knot didn't do a whole lot to loosen the corset. George decided to let Usopp figure out how to take it off for himself.

Usopp had expected that...actually, it was one of the things he had kind of been looking forward to. With the knot untied, he could begin to loosen the laces further, but first he took a moment to brush his fingertips over the swell of her breasts, feeling the contrast between his own somewhat calloused hands and George's soft skin.

George shivered, pulling him down to her by his tie to kiss her again, softly at first.

Usopp chuckled, his hands between them moving by touch to the laces and beginning to loosen them as they kissed. They were tight and at first it was hard to get them started while distracted by George's kiss, but slowly he began making progress.

George deepened the kiss, nipping at Usopp's lower lip as she felt the corset loosen, little by little.

Usopp kept his hands moving as he kissed her, finally breaking away when he needed to pull back and check on the progress of the corset laces. The thing was a lot looser now, at least near the top, so her cleavage wasn't quite so epic anymore, but it still looked amazing on her. He bent and quickly kissed the exposed swell of her breast, then sat back up to begin pulling the laces from their grommets. His hands moved deftly, not rushing, but not going slowly either, working their way to the bottom.

George lay back and watched him work, and reached out to place her hand on his leg, just to touch him.

The tip of Usopp's tongue poked out between his lips as he concentrated. He shifted a little under her hand, wanting to acknowledge her touch, but not wanting to stop undoing the laces now, when he was getting to close to removing the thing completely. The rosy peaks of her breasts were exposed now, with just a few more grommets near the bottom to to go before she would be completely freed of the corset.

George smiled. Usopp always stuck his tongue out when he was concentrating, usually on making something at the desk in his factory. She was struck with a sudden surge of affection for him and tightened the hand on his leg, urging him to hurry.

The laces came free of the last of the grommets with a slithering sound, and Usopp made a small noise of triumph as the corset fell open. He bent over and kissed her again, hard.

George laughed softly into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him to her.

Usopp let himself be pulled close, bracing himself up with hands on either side of George's shoulders so he wouldn't crush her. It occurred to him that, really, they were both still mostly dressed; somehow the effort of taking off the corset made it seem as though a lot more had been accomplished in the clothing-removal department. He reached down with one hand, bringing it to her hip and trying to figure out by touch how the skirt came off. There: his fingers brushed the teeth of a zipper on the side, and a button. He was able to undo the button easily with one hand, and the zipper was no challenge at all; he managed it without ever breaking their kiss.

George kissed him harder, tugging at his tie to loosen it and starting to work on the buttons of his shirt.

Usopp tugged George's skirt lower, his fingertips brushing against her thigh in the process: first soft skin, then the smoothness of the silk stockings she was wearing. Oh. He'd almost forgotten about the stockings. And the garter belt...he nearly sat back just then, because he wanted to see it, but he restrained himself and prolonged their kiss. After all, there was no rush, he reminded himself.

George continued working on his buttons, pulling at the shirt to untuck it from his pants and nipping at his lower lip.

Usopp tipped his chin, slightly changing the angle of their kiss and making a soft noise as George's teeth scraped against his lip. He reached back with one hand and tugged the back of his shirt free of his slacks, pressing his body close against hers for a moment before he remembered she was still working on his buttons.

George laughed softly into the kiss again and made quick work of the rest of his buttons, pushing the fabric off of his shoulders.

Usopp sat back as their kiss ended, pulling one arm free of his shirt, then the other, then tugging George's skirt the rest of the way off. He swallowed at the sight of her lying there in only the lacy black boyshort panties she was wearing, and the garter belt and stockings. He placed one hand on her thigh, smoothing up the silk stocking until it ended and left his fingers caressing the pale flesh of her thigh. He toyed for a moment with the idea of unfastening the the garter string holding up the stocking, but decided for now it might be better to leave them on. Something about those stockings was really...exciting. He smiled down at George, fingers lightly brushing the skin of her thigh. "Did you borrow these from Robin too?"

George shivered at the way he was touching her. It was way more intense than she was used to from him, and for some reason that left George feeling as though there were an electric current running through her. "Michiko," she said, cheeks flushing at the way he was looking at her. "I don't think she'd ever worn them, though."

"Well," he began, bending to kiss her lips once, softly. "I like them. A lot." He gently urged her thighs apart and touched her lightly through her underwear, more teasingly that anything else. He wanted to take some more time, first. Usopp moved to kissing her neck again, working his way lower.

George made a soft sound, a little taken aback by how...sexy the way Usopp was acting was. He was so...confident. She let her head loll to one side, her fingers finding their way into his hair.

Usopp felt her fingers twining in his hair and smiled before pressing another kiss near the hollow of her throat.

George sighed happily, wrapping one arm around his shoulders and pulling him to her.

Usopp gave a small laugh against her skin, realizing he still had the tie around his neck. He moved up again, feeling George's breasts slide against his bare chest as he did so. He gave her another kiss, slow, but building in intensity as it continued, and let his fingers brush across her thigh and the top of her stocking, enjoying the contrasting sensation of the smooth silk and the warm skin. He finally pulled back again, to smile down at her and give a fond chuckle, before once again moving lower, kissing the swell of one breast. He continued kissing, traveling along the curved swell of her breast, until he reached the nipple. It was already stiff, and he traced the shape of it with his tongue, exhaling something between a gasp and a sigh as he did so.

George shivered, making a little noise at the slide of his tongue over extra-sensitive skin. She felt her breathing start to get heavier, her heart nearly racing.

The fingers of his hand crept higher on her thigh again, and Usopp pressed his thumb against her through her panties as he continued lavishing attention on her breast with his mouth. He'd never tried something exactly like this before, though he thought she should still be sensitive enough to his touch through the thin layer of material. He intended to remove them soon enough, but something about her not being completely naked was incredibly exciting, and besides...he wanted to take a little time to get up close and personal with her breasts. It wasn't the kind of thing he thought about when he could help it, because when he admitted thinking about it, even just to himself, he tended to get really embarrassed, but the simple fact of the matter was, Usopp liked boobs. Especially George's.

George moaned, moving the arm around his shoulders to his upper arm, gripping it tightly. She was a little overwhelmed by the way Usopp was touching her, especially since she hadn't been expecting it, and she was having a little trouble forming any kind of a rational thought.

Usopp felt George's grip tighten, and could tell from the sound she made that this was already feeling good for her. Encouraged, he continued the movement of his thumb against her, then repositioned his hand to press his first two fingers against her instead. Meanwhile, he felt a bit bolder, and delicately captured the stiff tip of her nipple between his teeth. Usopp applied the slightest bit of pressure, testing, as he continued exploring the puckered skin with his tongue. Beneath his fingers, he could feel the material of her panties growing damp.

George shuddered, moaning a little louder, her legs shifting impatiently.

Usopp continued the movement of his fingers against her, a little firmer and slightly faster, and abruptly lifted his head from George's breast. He only moved to the other, however, sucking lightly at first, then repeating his action from before, applying slightly more pressure with his teeth this time to gauge her reaction.

George moaned Usopp's name at that, gripping his arm so tightly that it might bruise.

...definitely encouraging. Usopp continued, determined to get her to a climax like this first before moving on to...other things. He could feel his own body starting to react to all the stimulation, but it was at a point where he could easily ignore it while concentrating on George. Somhow, it had become something of a personal challenge now to make this as memorable for her as it already was for him. Experimentally, he varied the pressure of his teeth, first lessening it, then pressing them more firmly shut around the nipple--not an actual bite, of course, but something that was closer to it than what he'd done before.

Whining, George shook her head from side to side. That felt so good.

Well. That was a new sound. Not one he was used to hearing from her like this, at least. Usopp flicked up eyes up to her, making sure it was a good sound. It certainly looked that way. He increased the speed and pressure of his fingers, and flicked his tongue against the stiff peak of her nipple.

George bit her lip, trying to keep from moaning too loudly, but it was hard to stay quiet with the way he was touching her.

Usopp could hear the way her moan was stifled, and glanced up at her, seeing the way she was trying to keep quiet. He shifted a little, moving the arm he was supporting himself with a little higher, so he could reach up and lightly touch the side of her face, not stilling the motion of his fingers, nor his mouth at her breast.

George leaned her cheek into Usopp's hand and slid her hand up and down his arm, shivering at his touch.

Usopp kept going, rolling his body against hers where his chest rested just above her stomach. He gasped a little himself at the electrifying touch of her hand on his arm.

That light gasp against the moistened skin of her nipple sent another shiver through her. She whined again, needing more contact.

Usopp let his tongue trace a path along the George's areola, tightening the circle and finally pressing his lips close to suck lightly, once again tamping his teeth against her, trying various combinations of timing and pressure to try and elicit the best reaction. He let the fingers touching her through her panties slow for a moment, let the pressure grow more teasing, then rallied, working them faster than before.

Usopp was straight up driving George crazy. The unpredictable patterns of his teeth and tongue, along with the varying pressure and speed of his fingers was melting her into a puddle of goo. She made soft noises whenever he did something particularly pleasurable.

Usopp listened, trying to determine how close she was by the way she reacted, and trying to figure out what seemed to be giving the best results. His own breathing was growing a bit ragged, but he focused on George, moving back to her other breast as he continued touching her through the damp material of her panties, trying his best to tip her over the edge.

George's orgasm snuck up on her, and she came with a shuddering gasp and a moan, gripping Usopp's arm tightly.

Usopp was taken by surprise, not realizing she'd been so close. He gave her a moment, slowly moving his hand back to her thigh and sliding himself up to kiss George, not too deeply as she was still gasping a little. He couldn't help but feel a little accomplished.

George wrapped her arms around his shoulders tightly, and pulled him to her, deepening the kiss as she caught her breath.

The kiss went on for a long time, and Usopp cupped the side of George's face with the hand there, the other still absently stroking her thigh.

"I love you," George said softly when the kiss broke naturally.

"Mmm, I love you too," Usopp murmured, leaning in for another kiss.

George made a soft noise into the kiss, tilting her head back to kiss him harder.

Usopp shifted his hips a bit, kissing her back with fervor. He let the hand on her thigh trail a little higher, and began tugging at the waist of her panties, finally ready to remove them. He tried to accomplish this without breaking their kiss, one-handed, tugging down first one side, then the other. Upon moving back to the first side, he realized the strings of the garter where it attached to the stockings was in the way, and he'd have to undo those as well. Still, he didn't want to interrupt their kiss, nor the one that started immediately after the first one ended, so he felt with his fingers, trying to figure out how they were fastened by touch alone.

George laughed softly into the kiss as he struggled with her undergarments, but didn't move to help him.

His fingers found a clasp attaching one of the garters to her stockings, and he made a small sound of triumph, muffled by their kiss. Of course, finding it and figuring out how to undo it were two completely different things; he thought he'd had it, but instead felt the stocking snag and rip a little. Usopp's eyes widened slightly and he groaned, reluctantly breaking their kiss to sit back and figure out what was going on with those things. "Sorry," he sighed. "I didn't mean to...uh. I don't think it's ripped too bad. Will Michiko mind?" As he spoke he quickly undid the garters; amazing how simple it was when he could see what he was doing. He hoped that hadn't ruined the mood too badly.

George shrugged, pushing herself up on her elbows to watch him undo the garters. "I don't know if she'll want them back."

Usopp gave her a sheepish grin. "Then there's no problem, right?" He leaned forward to kiss her, grabbing both sides of her panties and tugging them down off her hips and over the stockings in a decisive movement.

George laughed into the kiss, nipping at his lower lip and lifting her butt to make sliding the panties off easier. "I didn't say there was," she said when the kiss broke naturally. She brought her hands to Usopp's belt buckle, kissing him again as she undid it.

Now that she was undoing his belt, Usopp suddenly felt a lot more eager, having to resist the urge to reach down and help her along with getting his pants off. But...he resisted; she'd been patient with him while he'd undressed her, and it wasn't as if a belt and the fly of his slacks were anywhere near as complicated as her outfit had been. Instead, he concentrated on kissing George, trying to see if he could even distract her with it a little. Usopp was surprised by how bold he was feeling tonight. Maybe it was because it was Valentine's Day, or maybe it was her outfit, or--probably most likely--a combination of the two.

George made a soft sound into the kiss, struggling a little with the button of his fly for a moment, but eventually, she successfully undid it with a little triumphant sound, quickly pulling down the zipper and letting his pants fall as far as they would go.

Usopp shifted his hips so the slacks could fall to his knees. He laughed a little into their kiss as it began to end naturally; he was still wearing the tie and for some reason he found this mildly hilarious.

George took hold of the tie and tugged in it lightly, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss.

Usopp obliged readily, kicking off his pants as he leaned over George, toeing off his socks as well, leaving himself in just his boxers and the tie still around his neck. He slipped his hands beneath her back, curling his fingers around the backs of her shoulders and pressing his chest close against hers.

George made a pleased sound into the kiss, shifting so he sat between her legs.

Usopp shifted his hips slightly in anticipation, not sure if he could bear waiting much longer. Abruptly he reached down with one hand to tug down the waistband of his boxers, then likewise kicked them off, taking himself in his hand. "Are you ready?" he murmured against her lips, beginning to line himself up, letting the head of his cock slide along her entrance.

George made a soft sound as he slid against her. "Yeah," she said, huskily.

Usopp chuckled and kissed her again as he pushed inside her, slowly at first. He moved his hand to cup the side of her ass.

George groaned, hiking her leg up higher on his hip. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him harder.

Oh. When George moved her leg like that, it changed the way things felt. Usopp continued to rock against her, still building up slowly and savoring the experience. He wanted to try something, though. He moved the hand from her hip, threading it under her leg and propping it up a bit higher, hand going to cup her ass again. "Does that feel okay?" he asked in a break between kisses. He didn't want to push things too hard if it wasn't comfortable for her, but the change in the angle of her leg was making things feel a lot different for him. He liked it.

George moaned. "Yes," she said, letting her fingers wander into his hair, "that's good."

"Good," he breathed, moving to kiss along her jawline as he began pushing deeper. The fingers around her shoulder curled around her a bit tighter; the hand on her ass gave a light squeeze. He just wanted to touch her, as much as he could. For a moment he wished he could sprout extra arms like Robin, though the idea of that made him chuckle a little self-consciously before he interrupted the laughter with another kiss.

George let her head fall back, tightening her fingers in his hair, all her concentration focused on everywhere he touched her, the movement of his hips already driving her crazy.

George's fingers tugged at his hair, curling so tight they pulled a little sharply in places, but Usopp didn't mind. It split his focus just enough to make the other sensations more intense; everywhere he and George were skin to skin seemed to tingle with mild electricity, including his lips as he kissed her.

George deepened this kiss, making soft noises as he moved. She untangled one hand from his hair to run it lightly down his spine, feeling an urge to touch him similar to the one he'd had before.

Usopp arched his back slightly into her touch, letting his tongue slide against hers as they kissed. The way he was holding up her leg was forcing him to go a bit more slowly than he might have otherwise, but...it was nice like this. He rocked into her at a steady, almost leisurely, pace for now, enjoying the new sensation of the way she tightened around him when he pressed forward and forced her leg slightly higher and then back again with each thrust . Her hand on his back felt strangely cool in contrast to his skin, which felt almost too warm to him right now.

George whined. "Faster, please, Usopp," she mumbled against his lips, sliding her nails back up his back.

Usopp hissed as she scraped his back with her nails, not breaking the skin, but leaving faint marks in their wake. He began rocking against her faster, not a frenetic pace, but a quicker one, though still taking care to push in deeply with each thrust, because she felt amazing. He moved forward a bit, adjusting his angle slightly, and gave a choked-off gasp that turned into a moan at the new sensation. He bent his head to kiss her neck, sucking against the pulse point, feeling her blood rushing faintly beneath his lips and tongue.

George tightened her arms around Usopp's shoulders, the sounds she made with every thrust increasing in volume as he moved with her. The way he was being so bold, accompanied by the noises he was making, was driving her crazy, and she lifted her hips to meet his, almost impatiently.

Usopp answered the unspoken invitation in her hips, increasing his pace further, and clutching her closer with the hand at her back. The fingers on her ass flexed as he continued, almost kneading the flesh beneath them. He broke off the kiss on her neck and began to pepper her throat and shoulder with kisses, his lips buzzing faintly as he began to speak as well, in between kisses, not really paying attention to the words or expecting her to be able to decipher them. "You're amazing. I love you I love you I love you..." Lost in the moment, he nipped lightly at the skin above her collarbone, his own hips beginning to move even faster.

George felt another surge of affection for him, and tightened her arms further, wishing she could pull him into her further. "I love you too," she mumbled, almost cut off by a loud sound that sounded almost like a sob.

Encouraged, Usopp hiked George's leg up a little further, trying to get more contact as he continued. He couldn't push all the way inside her, and he was worried he might hurt her if he tried, but he tested the limits, going a little more deeply as he continued to rock into her, enjoying the way her breasts slid against his chest as he moved. He was beginning to pant lightly now, and moved back up to kiss her lips again, though it was a bit fumbling and breathless to be very deep.

George groaned into the kiss, the fingers still in his hair tightening further. She was close now.

Usopp gave another small gasp at the way she pulled his hair a little--just sharp for that first instant, and still not painful, just diverting. He tried to deepen the kiss, but they were both too preoccupied with other things for it to work well, and he gave up, concentrating instead on the movement of his lower half. He could tell by the way George's muscles were beginning to clench that she was already very close, so he tried his best to push her over the edge as quickly as possible, wondering if he could get her to come more than once. He still felt like he'd be able to go for a while.

George buried her face in Usopp's neck, holding him tightly as he wound her tighter and tighter and she came with a loud moan.

Usopp hissed in a breath. He'd figured George was close, but he was still taken by surprise at the way she began to spasm and clench around him, bringing him closer as well. Still he kept up his rocking movement, not slowly his pace. He wasn't there yet anyway, and he wanted to see if he could get her there again, too. It didn't seem impossible...

George kept a tight hold around him and pressed soft kisses against his throat, moaning his name as he quickly brought her close again.

The way George's voice sounded, soft and breathy, along with the way she'd tightened around him earlier, had a powerful effect on him. Usopp felt that familiar feeling of heat building, of feeling like there was something coiled tight, low in his belly, and he knew he wouldn't last much longer before he'd find his release as well. He leaned forward a bit more, balancing on his elbow, and kept his hips moving, increasing the pace a bit as he continued.

George groaned, as she sucked lightly at Usopp's pulse point. She could tell he was getting close and the knowledge of that sent her over the edge again with a hard shudder.

George's lips on him send a shiver through his body. Then she was clenching around him again, and he gave a surprised gasp, then a shuddering moan as he came as well, pushed over the edge by the feeling of her so close around him.

George relaxed her hold, but stayed close as she fought to catch her breath.

Usopp took a moment to compose himself, then lowered George's leg, bringing that hand up to cup the side of her face. He chuckled, but he was still breathing hard and it came out sounding funny. "Good Valentine's Day?" he asked, grinning at her.

George grinned back. "Yeah," she said. "Best one I've ever had."

"Me too." He leaned forward a little, bumping his nose against her cheek lightly. "Happy Valentine's Day, George."

George tilted her head back so he'd kiss her. "Happy Valentine's Day, Usopp."

Usopp took the invitation, kissing her, still a little breathless. He finally moved as well, letting himself slip from inside her as he moved to his right a bit, resting on his side next to her on the bed. He let the hand at her cheek slide up to her hair, letting his fingers weave their way into the silky strands.

George turned towards him and moved closer. wrapping an arm around his middle. "Thank you for tonight, Usopp. It was perfect."

Usopp blushed faintly, but beamed. "I didn't do all of it, you know. You definitely helped. So. Thanks, George." He took her hand in his and threaded their fingers together. "I love you."

George smiled back. "I love you too, Usopp."

Usopp held her close, the worries he'd been feeling the past few weeks fading into the background for the time being. Maybe things weren't perfect yet, but...right now in this moment, with just him and George, it felt like they were.