A/N: A new story! This is mainly a collation of moments between crew members - not only between the Straw Hats, but also between crew members of other crews :) Hope you like it!
Some Chopper and Franky fluff, mainly because there's not enough of it. Don't expect regular updates, though I'm gonna try to update as often as possible!
Disclaimer: I do not, in ANY FUCKING WAY, own One Piece. I wish I owned a couple copies of One Piece manga though D:
Chopper wakes with a start, sweat matting his heavy fur against his forehead. Had someone screamed? On this boat? With this crew? No, he murmurs, glancing around nervously, no one would scream on this boat, not with all their nakama around them. Still, he decides, closing the thick medical volume on horrendous epidemics and their cures, it would be nice to go outside and escape the indelicate snoring and murmurs of the boys' cabin. Zoro grumbles challenges to imaginary opponents, Luffy calls sleepily for meat, Sanji recites recipes in his sleep, Franky lovingly (sleepily) assures the Thousand Sunny that they'll make it around the world, and Brook sings Bink's Sake with an almost – almost – forlorn expression (But he doesn't have any skin to pull off an expression – skull joke!). Usopp is the only one quiet, a silly grin plastered on his face. Quietly, Chopper grabs his medical textbook and climbs out onto the deck, intent on returning his book to the cabinet in his own – his very own! – medical bay. After he returns his book, he'll go back and curl up in his cot and try to sleep. As he steps onto the cool grass of the Thousand Sunny, a chilly wind howls through Nami's mikan trees, ruffling his fur and almost lifting his hat away.
On second thought, maybe he'll just stay out here and enjoy the beautiful, frigid weather.
As soon as he takes another step towards the medical bay, he feels something cold – but not quite wet – settle on his nose and melt.
Chopper nearly squeals in excitement as snow drifts lazily from the gray, stormy sky.
He makes a mad dash towards the medical bay, skidding through the door and almost throwing the textbook (not quite throwing it though, the medical textbook is Doctorine's and if he damages it she will kill him) onto his desk, almost sweeping off a few petri dishes in his frenzied excitement. Impatiently, he adjusts the petri dishes before dashing outside and diving into a heap of snow right outside the galley, popping up with almost explosive force, inhaling the crisp winter air.
The sudden change in weather wakes up the rest of the crew, who stumble around in the dim light and snatch and tug on any warm clothes they can find. Luffy and Usopp are the first to burst out of their room, yelling and screaming and scooping up snow to toss at each other. Zoro follows them at a slower pace, yawning and adjusting the swords at his hip while Sanji dashes up to the kitchen, declaring his need to cook something warm for "dear Nami-swan and Robin-chwan!~" Brook ducks under the doorway – it is not made for eight-foot-tall skeletons – and whips out his violin, promptly improvising a jig while Luffy and Usopp cheer for their musician. Franky looks straight at Chopper and grins.
"You enjoyin' this, Chopper?" he asks. Chopper knows that Franky already knows the answer but smiles brilliantly up at him anyway and nods fervently.
"It's just like on Drum Island!" he cries, giggling when Luffy tosses a snowball in his direction. "It reminds me of Doctor, and Doctorine, and when Luffy and Vivi and the others saved my home!"
"Home, huh," Franky says almost dreamily, and Chopper knows that Franky is thinking of his own home in the warm, tepid waters of Water 7. He's not wearing anything except his speedo and his open collared shirt; his sunglasses are propped up on his forehead. He's not shivering, though, and when Chopper asks him why, Franky just grins.
"It's hard to explain, bro," he says, watching as Luffy carefully crafts a dozen snowballs to chuck at Usopp. Franky chuckles when Usopp ducks an extra-large snowball, and laughs when it hits a dozing Zoro in the face. Zoro leaps up with a roar and lunges at Luffy, who laughs (Shishishishishi! Can't catch me, Zoro!) and sprints across the deck. Zoro is right behind him (Get your rubber ass back here!), snarling and shaking snow out of his moss-green hair.
Chopper stares up at Franky, a little confused. Franky is supposed to be silly and childish; this sentimental and fatherly Franky is a little different, but not entirely bad. Chopper stares at Nami, who is swathed in thick fleece blankets and peeking her head out of the gallery door to yell at Luffy to keep it down. He catches a glimpse of Sanji flipping something that looked suspiciously like pancakes in the frying pan and Robin as close to the heater in the kitchen as possible, cradling a cup of coffee in her hands and propping up a book with another set of her hands. Brook had ducked inside the gallery a long time ago, and was tuning his precious violin and rubbing the wood with a polishing cloth and a loving hand. A cup of tea sits next to him, steaming in the frigid air.
Chopper turns back to Franky and stares up at the cyborg. Though Franky is not entirely flesh and blood, he should be enough flesh and blood that the cold would elicit a shivering reaction – especially if Franky was in his normal open t-shirt and speedo.
But then a snowball slams into Chopper, breaking his concentration and leaving him squealing with indignation and delight. Across the deck, Luffy and Usopp are roaring with laughter - Zoro has abandoned chasing them and ducked into the gallery for a nice, warm, peaceful place to sleep.
Chopper is not entirely surprised to see Franky scoop up a bunch of snow, but then he sees Franky pack it down into hand, where it seemingly disappears – but then Franky swings his arm up, palm flat out, and launches the largest snowball ever. It strikes Luffy squarely in the face, knocking him over. Usopp blanches, edging away from Luffy.
Luffy has a mischievous sparkle in his eyes, and as he pops back up, Chopper notices that he has a snowball the size of a small cannonball cradled in his hands. Franky grins in reply and glances down at Chopper.
"You gonna help me?" he asks.
Chopper nods, and switches into Guard Point just as Luffy chucks that snowball at Franky. As it splatters against his fur, he catches Franky packing snow into his hands and grinning like a maniac. When Chopper switches back into Brain Point, Franky shots snowballs from his arms at Luffy and Usopp, who laugh and yelp and dive behind a huge drift of snow.
Chopper and Franky charge towards them, laughing and grinning.
Franky may not always be silly and childish, Chopper thinks, but when he acts so fatherly, Chopper likes Franky just as much.