Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda. I make nothing from writing this fic.

Summary: It's cold on the Merry and the crew-minus Zoro-thinks Chopper would make the perfect space heater.

A/N: All stories dedicated to my sister, since she loves this pairing. 'Nuff said.

Deep Freeze

The weather on the Grand Line had always been unpredictable, no matter how much Nami thought she could predict it. Today was a good example of that. A few hours ago, the weather had been warm and sunny, with no signs of a cloud in sight. But now, snow was falling slowly from the sky, which was dark and thick with clouds. Although the Mugiwaras had coats for just this situation, the wind blowing through the ship was freezing. No one was safe from the cold.

Well, maybe Chopper, since he had fur and everything. Currently, the little reindeer was running circles around the mast because Usopp and Luffy decided it would be a good idea to use their fellow nakama as a space heater, like they'd done in the desert at Alabasta. Zoro could hear their laughter and the sound of Chopper's hooves on the deck as the little doctor came running towards him.

"Zoro! Hide me!" Chopper dived between his legs, hiding behind one with almost all of his body facing the wrong way. The green haired swordsman smirked to himself as he watched Usopp and Luffy from his spot on deck, both teens looking frantically for the furry one holding onto his leg. Actually, Chopper was really warm now that he thought about it. And he hadn't realized how cold he was until now.

"Found you, Chopper!" Luffy's hands grabbed at the doctor, Chopper squealing in fright as he was forcefully snuggled into the captain's chest. Soon, there were four pairs of arms around the little reindeer, smothering the life out of him. Zoro wanted to help the little guy, he really did, but he felt that Chopper was too important to his nakama at the moment. He understood Usopp and Luffy being idiots, but for the love cook and the witch to join in was a little unusual.

Zoro's smirk widened when Chopper changed into his human form, throwing his nakama off of him before shrinking back and running like hell towards the kitchen. The troublesome four chased after him without a second thought, although a fight in Sanji's kitchen was probably a stupid idea. The swordsman merely shrugged and went back to lifting weights, starting over at one because the others had interrupted him.

"Chopper! Come back!" Luffy's yell echoed out of the kitchen and onto the deck, followed by the sound of plates being broken.

"Not in my kitchen, dammit!" Sanji's voice rose above the others, before the kitchen door swung open and Chopper came running out, his eyes wide and filled with tears. He threw himself at Zoro again, climbing up his legs and latching himself onto the swordsman's back with a whispered plea of 'hide me'. A few seconds later Luffy came flying out, probably because Sanji had decided to kick him for breaking some of his dishes. The dark haired boy skidded to a stop directly in front of him, mumbling something about it being cold.

"Oi, Luffy, where's Chopper?" Zoro nudged the boy with the toe of his boot, snorting when his captain jumped back up and wiped his jacket and shorts down, completely unfazed by Sanji's kick. The doctor twitched on his back, and Zoro could feel the poor guy trembling.

"He didn't come out here?" The younger boy scratched his head and looked around, seeing no one but his first mate on deck with him. Zoro was careful to make sure that he was standing so his back wasn't visible from where his captain was standing next to him.

"You should check below deck." The green haired man suggested, lifting his weights nonchalantly. Luffy's eyes instantly lit up, and he called Usopp's name as he burst into the kitchen again. When the younger boy was out of sight, Chopper finally relaxed against him. "You okay?" Zoro tilted his head slightly to glance at the reindeer, concern evident in his voice.

"Your concern doesn't make me happy at all, asshole." Chopper went through his clap-wriggle-clap routine against his nakama's back, and to Zoro it was a weird sensation, having the younger crewmember move against him like that. "What if they find me back here?" The little doctor mumbled, rubbing his cheek against the soft felt fabric of Zoro's coat. He jumped slightly when the green hared man unbuttoned his own coat, pulled Chopper off his back, and tucked the small reindeer into his chest.

"I'm tired from all of the training I did today. You can hide from them on the coach with me if you want." Zoro said softly, not waiting for an answer as he headed towards the mens' quarters, folding his coat closed so the other's wouldn't see the little reindeer. He tiptoed down the stairs and went over to the couch, slipping his coat off and throwing it off to the side.

Chopper was stuttering as Zoro crawled onto the couch and pulled the doctor into his arms at the same tine as he pulled the blanket over them. He snuggled into the other's warmth, burying his nose in soft fur and letting the gentle rocking of the ship lull him to sleep.

Later, when Usopp and Luffy came looking for him, they didn't bother pulling him away from the sleeping swordsman. Zoro would cut them both if they even dared to touch Chopper while he had a tight hold on the little reindeer. Zoro got extremely possessive-and vindictive-when one of his favorite things in the world was taken away from him.

~Owari~