Chopper was finding it more and more difficult by the day to stay focused. More often than not his mind found itself drifting further and further away from itself deeper into his subconscious. He would try to study his medical textbooks or attempt to sort through what he could forge into medicine should the need for it arise, but each time he lost focus after only a few minutes.

Zoro's smell clung to the inside of his medical cabin. It smelled of metal and sweat. It was an odor familiar to Chopper, as were the scents of the rest of his crewmates. Zoro's hadn't changed in all the time he knew him, but this was the first time it had become a problem. Chopper hadn't been able to stop focusing on it. He was alway aware that it lingered around both his medical bay and throughout the entire ship.

It had only become a problem the morning after Chopper had woken up after falling asleep in Zoro's lap. He remembered warmth and the safety of Zoro's arms calmly keeping him contained. He remembered the smell then, and how it made him feel warm. Zoro must have carried him to the medical bay because he woke up in his bed, still with that bubbly feeling in his chest. When he first awoke the smell was still lingering and like a pleasant memory. The longer Chopper noticed it, however, the longer his warm feelings melded into ones of anxiety.

Chopper's nose was more sensitive than anybody's on the ship. He could tell who was near only by their smell before he even heard footsteps or the sound of their voice. It was usually a blessing, but at times like this it became a curse. It felt trapped in his nose in a way that even when he covered it with both hooves he could still smell it.

At first Chopper thought it was trapped in his fur. He had taken nearly a dozen baths without any progress in getting rid of it. Then he realized just how much of his office was coated in Zoro. The bed, the sheets, the walls, and even the floor. Zoro probably had spent more time in this medical bedroom than any of the others combined. It was just as much his bed now as it was Chopper's own.

"Ugh," Chopper whined and pressed his face down to the open book on his desk. The smell of paper only served as a blanket for the smell of Zoro still lingering in the room.

The scent had never made him feel bad. In fact, perhaps it was because it stood out so much in his mind without a negative association that it caused him grief. It made him feel light headed, and recall how he felt that night. It made him remember the warmth. He couldn't stop thinking about it if he allowed his mind to wander too much. It scared him, and he had no idea why.

"Dammit," Chopper groaned.

Something was wrong with him. Whatever it was had been wrong with him since that night.

"Maybe I'm sick," Chopper mumbled under his breath.

Chopper decided at that moment that he needed air. He couldn't stand for even a second longer to stay put, so he closed his medical books and put away all of his supplies. When he was out the door the strong smell of saltwater filled his nose. It felt like his first breath of fresh air in hours. Zoro's scent was still there, but it was so overwhelmed by all the other smells of his crewmates and the ocean at large that Chopper hardly noticed without concentrating.

"This is dummmmb," Chopper heard the whining, annoyed voice of his captain call from halfway across the ship. "Stupid fish never bite!"

Chopper walked over toward where Luffy's voice was. Soon he spotted both the captain and Usopp sitting on the railing of the ship, each with fishing rods in hand. Luffy's head was dropped, and he looked more gloomy than usual as he impatiently reeled in the wishing wire.

"You can't just reel it in without waiting for a bite," Usopp said with a disapproving tone. "I'm not just gonna do all the work for you, you know!"

Luffy cast another line. Before Chopper even heard the hook hit the water he was reeling it in once more.

"KNOCK IT OFF!" Usopp snapped and hit the back of Luffy's head.

"What's going on?" Chopper asked when he got close to the two of them.

"Oh, hey Chopper," Usopp said as he turned to see the reindeer. "Nothing. We're just trying to catch some fish for dinner tonight."

"Didn't we just stock up on a bunch of food from that last island?" Chopper questioned.

"We did," Usopp said before turning to glare toward Luffy. "But somebody decided it was a good idea to eat half of that food we just bought in the middle of the night! Sanji's royally pissed and not letting Luffy eat till he catches a fish for each of us."

"It's not my fault Sanji forgot to lock the fridge!" Luffy snapped. He reeled in his line again after yet another unsuccessful cast. "ARRRRGH! I hate this hook!"

"Look will you just let the damn thing settle for a bit before reeling it in?" Usopp asked.

"I know how to fish," Luffy grumbled. "These stupid fish just don't know how to bite."

Luffy cast his line out once more, and before he could begin to reel it in again Usopp snapped out his hand and grabbed it. He looked Luffy dead in the eyes, and Luffy responded with a groan and then lowered his head to sit there gloomily with his hook peacefully in the water.

"Have you caught anything yet?" Chopper questioned.

"Three fish," Usopp said. "Sanji took them to the freezer already. All caught by me, thankfully. Y'know, one of them was so big I had to wrestle it once I finally got it on the ship! That sucker couldn't stay down! Luckily, I—"

Chopper's attention span was instantly cut off. A familiar scent entered his nose and his head turned almost on instinct. He was able to spot Zoro instantly climbing down from the ladder of his dojo. It made his heart beat faster, and a bit of anger rise that his body had reacted so instinctively to that smell.

"Mmm," Chopper whined and covered his nose with both hooves before forcing himself to turn away from Zoro. Even the scent of everything else on the ship wasn't strong enough if Zoro was actually on the deck, it seemed.

"Hey, you alright?" Usopp questioned upon noticing Chopper's expression and posture. "We don't reek of fish that bad, do we?"

Before Chopper could think of a suitable response without sounding insane for the true reason, Luffy started shouting.

"HEY!" Luffy cried out. It was sudden enough to startle both Chopper and Usopp. "I-I have something!"

"Reel it in you idiot!" Usopp snapped.

Chopper saw that Luffy's fishing rod was bending extremely fast. Whatever was on the other end of the line must have been strong, for Luffy looked as though he were struggling just to pull at it.

"Come on you dumb fish!" Luffy shouted. "Just come on so I can eat you!"

With one powerful swing of his arms Luffy yanked up the fishing rod. A streak of red three times the size of Chopper's small body flew upward right above their heads and slammed down directly behind them onto the grassy deck. It was heavy enough for the weight of it to pull Luffy right off of the rail and fall backward onto the deck.

"Holy crap!" Usopp shouted.

Chopper turned to look at the monster Luffy had caught. The sight of it made his entire body tingle and he jumped away with a squeak of fear as seven large tendrils began flailing wildly about.

"You caught a freaking squid?" Usopp snapped. "Holy crap that thing is huge!"

"Aweeeesome!" Luffy yelled. He rolled himself upright onto all fours and began crawling towards the flailing animal.

"Luffy!" Chopper yelled. "Don't…!"

But it was too late. Luffy had reached out and grabbed one of the massive, slimy tendrils on the monster squid. Before any of the three could move a massive burst of blank ink shot out. It was wide and thick. Chopper felt it hit his body and instantly soak his fur. He heard Usopp scream and Luffy begin to laugh hysterically. Chopper couldn't see, but he heard a clack of metal. When he finally managed to crack open one of his eyes he spotted a sword lodged directly into the head of the once flailing, now very dead, squid.

"Do you always have to make a mess?" Zoro groaned once he pulled his sword free of the squid's head.

Chopper rubbed away the ink from one of his eyes. He looked down at his body to realize most of it was dripping in black ink. The same went for Usopp and Luffy. Zoro had suffered a bit of damage when he had run up to kill it, though being on the opposite side it had been mostly contained to his pants and shoes.

"Gross gross gross gross," Usopp whined as he desperately tried get the ink off his body by shaking his arms.

"Oooh, it's sticky!" Luffy said as he scraped a large glob of the stuff off his shoulder. He outstretched his hand to Usopp. "Usopp, look! Touch it!"

"I AM TOUCHING IT!" Usopp yelled. "EVERY PART OF ME IS TOUCHING IT!"

"Will you two stop yelling and wash yourselves off?" Zoro said.

After a bit of more bickering Usopp had managed to convince Luffy to follow him toward the bath. Chopper had attempted to follow, but due to his height the ink had hit him directly in the face. Even though he tried to wipe it from his eyes it was still difficult to keep them open.

"Hey," Zoro said. "You need help, Chopper?"

Chopper bit the inside of his cheek. He supposed the one good thing about this mess was it had suddenly become impossible to smell Zoro.

"Please," Chopper replied.

"Luffy really is an idiot," Zoro grumbled under his breath as he continued to scrub the soapy water into Chopper's fluffy back. The bathwater had once been piping hot, but it had been refilled a total of three times given that each time the ink covering the boys bodies seemed to turn it black within minutes. The water was now a murky color, and lukewarm at best. "That better be a damn good squid to be this annoying."

"Mmm," Chopper replied. His tone seemed distant as though he were deep in thought.

Both Luffy and Usopp had managed to get the ink off their bodies with a single rinse through the bath. Chopper on the other hand was stuck with it clinging to and ruining his fur. Even after a good thirty minutes of nonstop washing the light brown tufts of fur on his body still had bits of black ink covering them.

"I might have to go ask Nami for one of her more expensive soaps," Zoro said with an irritated tone once he had run water down Chopper's back and still bits of blank ink remained. "I don't think this stuff is cutting it."

"I told you that you don't have to help me get it off," Chopper said. His voice was small. Without his hat several tufts of fur stood at the top of his head. It was one of the few places on his body not soaked in ink. "I know you probably want to train or something."

"I do things other than train, you know," Zoro said.

"Right," Chopper replied. "Sometimes you nap."

"I'm not above drowning a reindeer," Zoro threatened with a tone that made Chopper's body tense. Once he softened up again Zoro sighed and grabbed at the soap again and began to work yet again at the tougher to clean spots on Chopper's ink covered fur. The water the two of them sat in was growing darker.

"I'm just saying," Chopper tried to press on as Zoro began to run his fingers through the thick fur on the reindeer's back. "I can take care of myself. I'm sure you have better things to do."

"Will you stop trying to get rid of me?" Zoro asked. His tone came off a bit more lighthearted but deep down he was beginning to grow irritated. Chopper had said that same line about a dozen times in one way or another. "Believe it or not I actually enjoy spending time with you. You're not trying to get rid of me, are you?"

Chopper grew silent after that, which made Zoro pause in his washing. Chopper must have noticed that he had done something wrong because instantly his body tensed and he stared down into the murky water.

"Chopper?" Zoro questioned.

"Of course I'm… No, why would I?" Chopper said quickly. He stumbled over his words and began to gently swish the water back and forth with his hooves. It rippled outward to the opposite side of the large bath.

Zoro frowned. It was becoming increasingly easy for him lately to know when Chopper wasn't feeling his best. He wasn't sure how it made him feel to be able to pick up on those things so easily. It wasn't a negative feeling, but to say it was positive would be a stretch.

"I didn't do something to piss you off, did I?" Zoro asked.

"No," Chopper said. His tone was quick, but sounded honest enough. "Nothing's wrong, Zoro. I mean it."

"Cause you can talk to me if you want," Zoro pressed. "I'm not saying I can do much but listen, but…"

Zoro lifted a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose and let his words trail off. He was irritated now. It irritated him that he was probably doing everything wrong to try and make Chopper feel better. It irritated that Chopper wasn't smiling and laughing like usual. But most of all, it irritated him because every time Chopper had been down lately it affected Zoro's mood and plagued his mind.

"It's just that I," Chopper began, but then he closed his mouth for several seconds. He squirmed a bit in place and made a noise of discomfort.

"Just that you what?" Zoro asked.

"I really like spending time with you," Chopper said. His words came out sheepishly and he seemed to sink deeper into the water. Soap bubbles went outward in a ring around his body. "I like spending time with all the others, too. With you, though, it feels different. I tell you things I don't tell anybody else and that's kind of scary."

"Hmm," Zoro ran his soapy hands over the top of Chopper head. The reindeer was still tense. Chopper's words might have been a bit sappy, but there was something Zoro heard in them that he admired. There was an honesty stronger than usual. The barrier that Chopper had, that everybody in the world had, had slipped for just a moment. Just for a moment Zoro understood Chopper perfectly. In a way it comforted the swordsman.

"Well," Zoro said. He cupped some of the murky water in his hands and let it run down Chopper's back. The reindeer shivered. "I don't exactly let Luffy or Brook sit in my lap and take a nap, do I?"

"I-I'm sorry about that," Chopper said quickly. "I didn't mean to fall asleep the other night, I just felt so comfortable and it was already late an— "

Zoro chuckled, and cut Chopper off. From this angle he could make out a faint blush on the reindeer's cheeks. It made him smile to see that, and he wasn't sure why.

"I just mean that I feel the same way," Zoro said. "Hell if I know why. If you start to worry about every little thing like that you'll just stress yourself out, Chopper. I don't really give a shit if you like spending time with me."

"I uh," Chopper started, but then paused.

"Spit it out already," Zoro said.

"I-I uh," Chopper said in a panicked tone. "I just… if you feel like that, then maybe… we could spend more time together. Doing… something."

"Something?" Zoro asked, and then chuckled.

"Don't tease me!" Chopper whined, but then was quickly silenced when Zoro rubbed his hand on top of the reindeer's head and ruffled his damp fur.

"That might be nice," Zoro said. "Doing something together."

That seemed to quiet Chopper down. He settled into the water and finally allowed his body to relax. One final soak of water in the reindeer's fur revealed Chopper's soft brown coat once more. Zoro smiled with a sense of satisfaction and clasped his hands together.

"I think I finally got all that crap out," Zoro said.

"Really?" Chopper asked. He stood up in the water and examined his body. Zoro saw no more traces of the squid's ink. The smile Chopper had on his face was something that made Zoro's chest feel awfully warm. He didn't hate the feeling, so he allowed it to linger as he smiled back at Chopper.

"You should go back to whatever you were doing," Zoro said. "I'm gonna drain all this ink crap out of the tub."

"Are you sure?" Chopper asked. "could help if you want."

"A few minutes ago you were dying to get rid of me," Zoro teased.

Chopper blushed, but it was followed by a sheepish giggle.

"Just go. I'll catch up with you later, alright?"

Chopper smiled, and nodded his head in agreement. Just as he began to climb out of the tub and Zoro sunk deeper into the water he felt a sudden pull on his body. He looked down to see Chopper clinging to his side with both of his small arms wrapped around Zoro's body the best he could do. They were short enough where he couldn't give the swordsman a proper hug.

"Thanks, Zoro," Chopper said. "For helping get the stuff out and… the other thing."

"Jeez," Zoro grumbled, but still settled his hand on Chopper's back and gave him a quick squeeze. "You're such a softie sometimes."

Chopper giggled and didn't bother to argue. Once he had said goodbye and exited the bath Zoro was left alone. He let out a long sigh and hunched over to stare at his reflection in the gaps of bubbly, murky water. Chopper's smile stuck in his mind for an uncomfortably long time. That same feeling he had been unable to process before hit him again. Thinking about it too long made his head hurt, so he forced it out of his mind and got to work at draining the tub.

The water left quickly. Soon the white tiles of the bath were visible once more and all the dirty, soapy water was gone. Zoro got up with a stretch and began to walk toward the exit to grab a towel. As he was drying himself off he gathered up his clothes which he had thrown just outside the door. His pants were stained with ink. He began to grab for his shirt before he realized it wasn't there.

"The hell?" Zoro asked. He pushed his shoes aside along with his swords but he didn't see any sight of his white shirt. He thought that maybe Luffy or Usopp took it so it could be washed to get the ink out, but it didn't make sense why they would leave his pants which had actually been dirty behind.

"Whatever," Zoro grumbled under his breath. He didn't have time to waste thinking about small matters. It wasn't like it was his only shirt.

Chopper knew it was wrong, but he had done it regardless. He had stopped at least three times on the walk back to his medical cabin. He considered undoing what he had done, but each time he convinced himself to keep walking. When he finally had gotten back into his cabin he made sure the door was shut behind him and locked it tightly.

"What's wrong with me?" Chopper grumbled under his breath as he reached under his hat and pulled out the white cloth. The smell of it was overwhelming to his animal nose and made his entire body tingle. Zoro's shirt was actually in his hands, and now that he wasn't covered in ink and soap the scent of the swordsman was flooding his system once more.

Chopper hesitated as he crawled to his bed and laid out the shirt. His heart was pounding, and he didn't know why. He didn't know why he had taken the shirt, only that he stuffed it under his hat before he could think. He picked it up slowly with both hooves as though it were delicate. His arms felt like they might start trembling, so he laid down on his side.

Finally, he brought the shirt directly to his face and buried his nose in it. The smell of Zoro was strong and he started to giggle helplessly. He felt bubbly and embarrassed and strangely happy all at the same time. He pushed away the anxiety of the strange, alien feelings he had earlier that day and tried to allow himself to simply enjoy what he knew he wanted.

"Mhmhm," Chopper giggled through muffled breaths.

Chopper knew he was being weird. He knew that if Zoro caught him he wouldn't ever be able to explain why he had done it. Chopper couldn't even explain it to himself. But… it made him happy. He was so happy to give into temptation and allow his animal instincts to bury Zoro's scent deep into his memory. He curled up in the bed as best he could and wrapped the shirt in his arms. He began to wonder what him and Zoro would do for the unspecific plans they had made together. He wondered if Zoro would hate him if he saw what he was doing right now.

Chopper told himself he wasn't going to keep the shirt for long, and that he would return it by putting it in the wash with the rest of the ships clothes. He just wanted it for a few minutes, or even for the night. He wanted to stop worrying why he enjoyed it so much and simply indulge his animalistic desire.

Despite his worries; Chopper had never been happier.