By a fan for fans. Not my usually funny-funny ha-ha, or super sweet like last night. Actually, it kinda just... is, I guess.
Tagline: Usopp was acting weird...-er than normal, anyway. It didn't matter, Chopper just couldn't see why he wasn't being allowed in on the... whatever it was...
Enjoy!
Surprise
Chopper lay, discouraged, on his bed, and allowed himself to wallow in self-pity. At a time like this he would have preferred to be in his office. Would have liked to be sitting in his favorite swivelly chair, at his desk, where he could think. And if that didn't work, he would have gone and talked to Usopp, and if the older boy hadn't been available he would have gone into the galley and sat down at the counter or table or on the couch and talked to Sanji until he could sort out what he was feeling, all the while enjoying cookies or cocoa, or both. Surely those three options were preferable to laying there, all alone, staring up at swirls in the wood paneling above him. He wanted to go running to one of these three, familiar, comforting situations.
But he couldn't. He couldn't, because he had been barred from his office—his office!—by Sanji and Usopp, ("under pain of death", according to what the marksman had growled as he ushered Chopper thought the door and slammed it closed) who had locked the doors behind him! No one was allowed into the galley, not even the girls, and both cook and sharpshooter swore that if anyone was caught lurking outside, "there'll be hell to pay, you shitheads".
So his personal room was unavailable. Usopp was unavailable, and Sanji was too. The two had been acting strangely since everyone walked into the galley for breakfast that morning: they had been standing, heads together and speaking quietly, looking down at something spread across the bar. The door opened and they had, according to Nami, who'd walked in first, "jumped apart and started running around like chickens with their heads cut off", Usopp shooting her a dark look as he hastily rolled up the papers, and apparently even Sanji had taken a moment, merely lighting a cigarette and bringing it to his lips, before turning around to welcome the woman in what seemed almost like an attempt to distract her from the marksman stowing the papers in his bag. Then there was the matter of breakfast itself to consider; the whole affair had been somewhat tense, as the cook had not bothered with the usual, table-groaning-under-the-weight meal. Rather, Sanji had up a buffet-type... thing... on the table, where they were to go up one side and then down the other, collecting the food they wanted before being directed out to the deck—it had no less tasty of course, but... different enough to be unsettling.
And after most of them had filed out, it seemed that not only had Sanji and Usopp shut themselves off from the world again, but that they had called Franky back to stay with them. With the odd instructions to send the dirty dishes up via the dumbwaiter in the Aquarium Bar and the warning against nearing the galley. Which was all good and well, but Chopper had never imagined that they would go so far as to mean he couldn't use his own private space, just because of the proximity...! And yet, when he had gone to make some new medicine, as soon as the three men had heard him scooting his chair where he needed it... Chopper frowned at the memory; the men had pulled open the door and all stood there, staring down at him with shadowed eyes. Franky had cracked his huge knuckles and asked if Chopper had somehow missed hearing what had been said to the crew earlier, which of course he had and... and he had been almost literally thrown out.
With a sigh, the reindeer sat up and hopped off the bed, picking up his hat and pulling it down over his head as he moved to the door. Maybe by now every would have gone back to normal? That hope firmly in mind, Chopper made his way out to the lawn deck, expecting to find Luffy and Usopp running around or fishing. But... No. What he saw, was, in fact, a great disappointment: Luffy, sitting on the swing, kicking his feet without managing to actually go anywhere, Robin sitting on the stairs reading, Nami leaning back against the bulwark to yell up at Zoro, who was sticking his head out of the hatch in the floor of the crows nest. They, too, were all forbidden from going within a meter of the galley.
No Usopp.
No Sanji.
No Franky.
And now no Brook! Had they caught him up in their little... whatever it was that was making them ignore everybody? How was that fair? Now everyone out here couldn't even listen to music! Chopper had really thought that spending so much time—'coz it was easily four hours—on the lower floors would have given everybody time to get back to normal. Four hours wandering around the Soldier Dock System, peeking into Franky and Usopp's workshops (which had proved pointless: he'd only risked their anger to look because he'd thought that maybe there was a clue in one of the rooms about what they were doing now), then the Aquarium Bar where he had sat down and drawn on some extra paper Nami had given him a few days ago, and then he'd gotten bored of that so he turned over and watched the fish swimming around... but that had scared him a little because after a while it started looking like he was underwater, too, so then he'd gone to the bedroom he shared with the other guys and gotten on his bed and maybe fallen asleep for a little while... He'd even skipped lunch just so he wouldn't get in their way! Just in case it was his fault...
But now he was back on deck and they were still inside and they'd taken one more person. Let one more person other than Chopper into their little meeting-thingy... Maybe they really didn't want a blue-nose—No! that's not it, there's gotta be something else. I'm a man, too! Despite this assurance, he couldn't come up with anything to explain the actions of his friends. His shoulders slumped, and he was just about to turn slouch back inside when Zoro called for him.
"Oi, Chopper! I could use some help up here."
Today had not been a happy day. It wasn't a bad one, just... un-fun. Just as he opened his mouth to give a response, the galley door slammed open, revealing a widely grinning Usopp, looking triumphant with his hand on his hips.
"Alright you jerks," he declared loudly. "Close your eyes and prepare yourself for the greatest spectacle your eyes will ever behold—!"
Immediately, the reindeer did as ordered, but judging by the arguments erupting around him, he had been the only one to follow the directive. Tired of all the trouble and honestly just wanting to know what the hell the bastards had been doing all day—because now that they were done he realized he just should have been mad the whole time, so now he would make up for it—he decided to shut them up.
Growing to his highest height, he bellowed. "Just shut up already!"
"Thank you Chopper! Now, like I said—you too, Robin! Yes, like that, thank you—we have a surprise for you! Sanji! Franky! Brook!"
There was a bit of noise, like something of a scuffle, and then something flapped in the wind.
"Now, feast your eyes upon this!"
"Look, Nami-swan~! Robin-chwan~! Look what I did today~!"
"Oi, Nii-chan, you sure this was a good idea? We did kind of ignore them all day..."
"Hmm. Yes, Franky-san has made a rather valid point. They may not want to celebrate with us, or partake of the feast that Sanji-san here—"
"Did you say FOOD?" Chopper's eyes flew open just in time to see Luffy jump off the swing and somehow twist in mid-air so he landed facing Sanji, Franky and Usopp, along with Brook—who were holding a banner, a cake, and violin respectively.
"Well, yeah... But the ladies get their food first!"
Chopper just stood there, staring as his mind raced and he strung together facts that had been eluding him all day. He had actually forgotten. How, he wasn't sure, but he'd forgotten that today was Usopp's birthday! And... And Sanji's, Brook's and Franky's were either coming up or had just past too, come to think of it.
"This is a surprise birthday party?" he squeaked, and the four had the sense to look a bit sheepish—after all, from his understanding, other people usually planned your surprise birthday, not you.
Various nods and murmured agreements.
"Well, kinda..."
"Yes, somewhat."
"Err..."
Usopp said the most, and it was the best thing to hear, too. "Obviously! And I know you've never been to a birthday party, Chopper! So we couldn't let you now what we were planning!"
Tears of happiness gathered in Chopper's eyes, and he suddenly found himself small, running across the deck and us the stairs, and then launching himself at Usopp's waist, bawling, but just sensible enough to think I really need to look into this. People's bodies aren't supposed to move without their permission...
"Habby Birfay!" he sobbed, and Usopp laughed, then patted Chopper's head.
"Thanks, Chopper—" he began, but was cut off by Luffy.
"Now that you guys are being all mystery-people, we can eat, right?" Sanji made a sound of agreement, but Chopper heard him take a few steps back. "Great. Sanji, FOOD! Brook, MUSIC!" This was met with no resistance, and soon the familiar strains of Binks no Sake were floating warmly over the ship. "Now let's PARTY!"
Pulling back and wiping his eyes, Chopper gathered himself just enough to shout with everyone else, punching one hand in the air. "AYE!"
AN:
Yeah, yeah, whatever. It's couple minutes past, but today was hella busy. I feel fortunate to have finished at all. I'll edit this tomorrow to put in more AN stuff, like what I've normally got, maybe fix up anything I don't like in the story when I've got my senses about me, and answers to any anon. reviews, mmkay? Mmkay. Glad we agree. 'Til then, try and bear with it...
*yawns, walking off, and waves over shoulder*
Edit, a week later:
"I could use some help up here."
Zoro didn't actually need help with anything, but he didn't want Chopper to be lonely anymore. Isn't that cute? I think it's cute.
Ja na! And Usopp, happy birthday!
