A/N: Hey kittens! Here's something a little different than usual. This was written for secret santa 2018. Kimunkur, if you read this, I hope you have a good holiday season and a happy winter! I hope you enjoy.
Zoro wanted to drink, party, and sleep. In that order. But of course, of course, that wasn't about to happen. The fight with the marines hadn't even been that big of a deal. He wouldn't have gotten any wounds if it wasn't for a coward sniper that had snuck behind him- and missed. It was with no small sense of pride that Zoro remembered that Usopp hadn't missed the flame star that sent the young marine into unconsciousness.
The bullet had barely grazed his arm, blood welling anyway. It was for that tiny, barely-a-scratch injury that Zoro was stuck in the infirmary while Chopper watched him with a predator's focus. Weren't reindeers a prey animal? Not with the way Chopper was looking at him. Perhaps that was the human in him, though.
Zoro fought the urge to snarl and walk away as Chopper finished his third examination of him. "It's nothing, Chopper."
"I'd believe you if you didn't have a habit of acting as if nothing is wrong even when you should be in a coma. What if you have other injuries you aren't telling me about? What if that bullet had poison or something on it?!" Only when he was in what Zoro had secretly dubbed his 'doctor mode' did Chopper have such fierceness in him. That and in battle. Snark tended to slide in too. Zoro liked it. Liked knowing that Chopper wasn't the meek, fearful kid that couldn't defend himself from Drum. Liked knowing that Zoro's little brother was getting stronger, finding the place he fit in the world.
Zoro froze, watching as Chopper padded quietly to where he kept the bandages and salves. Did Zoro really…? Yes, he supposed he did view Chopper like that. Had since long ago. An impressionable young kid had joined this crew, had gone through adventures and hells and so much more and come out the other side as a man. A strange, reindeer-human hybrid man, but that had never mattered to the Straw Hats. Never would when it came to their doctor.
Roronoa Zoro had never truly been the caring type. Always more of a loner. But, Luffy, the Straw Hats had changed that. Zoro found himself wanting to better himself for the sake of his crew, for the sake of the family that surrounded him. Because that is what they had become. A family. With Robin and Franky watching over them like overbearing parents, their ages lending to their wisdom. Brook, a silly grandfather that always laughed and sang for them all. Sanji, Luffy, Usopp, Nami, Chopper, all siblings to Zoro in a way that he would never have expected. Zoro found himself getting better and better to help Luffy on his way to be Pirate King, found himself protecting Usopp and Nami when they couldn't fight for themselves, found himself competing with Sanji on who could be better. He found himself being gentler, calmer, and yes, showing off a little bit when Chopper looked to him. He wanted to be a brother that could be idolized. Could anyone blame him for that?
By the time Zoro came out of his thoughts, Chopper was on his way out of the room, to the party that had started. He hadn't even noticed as the little reindeer had bandaged his arm. He got up and followed, stepping out of the infirmary to find his family sitting around the deck, celebrating their earlier victory over the idiotic marines. He joined them, losing himself in the light feeling in his chest.
The cook was an idiot. A goddamned idiot. Zoro had even met a "god" once, and was sure Enel would agree. Swaggering around, acting as if he was all that. Worshipping the girls as if they weren't people but rather delicate flowers. That was bad enough, but then he'd insulted Zoro's strength, that was the last card. If he wanted proof that Zoro was strong, he'd get it.
Zoro didn't bother pulling Shusui fully out of its sheath. Wouldn't want to kill the cook after all. Sanji read the movement though, and was prepared enough to bring his foot up in a block. The shit cook was strong, Zoro supposed. Just not strong enough. Zoro jumped back before Sanji's leg could start a counter attack, and he lunged, fainting to the right before striking for the left. The cook fell for it and he found his leg no longer able to hold him up.
Sanji was many things, but easy to defeat was not one of them. His body twisted, his hands falling to the ground to hold his weight as he began kicking for Zoro. Another thing Zoro would never understand. The cook refused to use his hands in a fight, but he would put them on the ground. As if the dirt and blood in the middle of a battle wouldn't damage his precious hands worse than a punch to someone's face.
It didn't matter, Zoro mused as he brought his sword up, swinging with his whole body only for Sanji to dance back. Even with his hands, the shit cook wouldn't be able to win. It was the work of a mere moment for Zoro to send the hilt of Shusui into Sanji's forehead, too fast for him to dodge. The cook crumpled to the ground.
"Wow Zoro!" Said man turned, large brown eyes looking up at him. "You finally beat him!" Despite himself, Zoro found his chest puffing out. Chopper had a big grin on his face, bouncing in place.
"Yeah, I guess I did."
"It was like pow! Bam! Then he was down. Were you even hit once?!" Chopper's eyes were shining, looking up at Zoro with such pride that he found something growing warm in his chest. This was what it was like to grow stronger for someone else. To have a little brother look up at you. It reminded him a little of how some of the other kids would look at him in the dojo. Like he wasn't some no name orphan or some loser. They would look at him like he was the greatest and he could do no wrong. Chopper was looking at him like that and Zoro found himself wanting it to never stop.
Zoro opened his mouth to tell Chopper that no, the shitty cook hadn't managed to land a hit-
Except he wasn't out on the deck, Chopper praising him for his fight. He was propped up against the wall of the galley, soft grass under him. Chopper stood above him, waving his hoof.
"Zoro, wake up. You and Sanji really went at it. I need to check you for a concussion and internal bleeding. Can you manage to move to the infirmary?" It took a few tries to stand, bruises and nothing more barking, but Zoro eventually made his way to sickbay. Turns out, he and the shit cook had fought each other until they were both unconscious.
Chopper padded around, gathering supplies. He kept mumbling about wasting supplies with idiotic fights but there was an undercurrent of affection, so he wasn't too mad. Staring up at the ceiling, replaying his dream- because that's what it was- Zoro found himself wanting that warm feeling again.
And if Zoro went about his day, trying to show off when Chopper was nearby, that was nobody's business but his own.
A/N: please review! I feed off of that stuff and I am hungry.