A/N ~ Hello! Wow, two different updates in one day?!
This one was a request off tumblr, some Usopp and Chopper bonding. Of course I had to go and make it kinda sad because I'm a turd, but I hope you enjoy it regardless! As for any requests you guys may or may not have already put down, I shall get to them I promise! XD
I OWN NOTHING AT ALL AND THAT'S SAD XD
Enjoy!
That's What Nakama Do
"…sopp…ke up…Usopp…hear me?!"
Voices pierced through Usopp's semi-consciousness, sounding scared and helpless and a hell of a lot like Chopper, and Usopp wanted nothing more to soothe his fears, open his eyes and beat the living daylights out of the bastard who'd dared to scare their doctor, his best friend, make him close to tears –
"Usopp…get up…!"
Wait a second…why were his eyes closed in the first place? He didn't remember going to sleep in the middle of the day, and whatever he was lying on definitely wasn't his bed. The last thing he remembered was –
They were exploring a cave by the shore, Luffy leading the way with reckless abandon and joyous laughter bouncing off the walls. Usopp, Chopper, Nami, Zoro and Robin weren't far behind, leaving Sanji, Franky and Brook to guard the Sunny and prepare lunch for when they returned. They weren't the only ones exploring the cave, however, and when the other group of dangerous yet clearly idiotic pirates figured that out, they attacked them with guns and canons. The cave trembled violently, rocks showering down from above and Luffy was shouting at them to get the hell out, and Usopp had only a split second to grab Chopper before –
Oh crap.
Usopp groaned, both in irritation and in pain as he shifted where he lay on the cold hard stone floor of the cave. Awareness returned to him fully, and he finally felt the trembling cloth-covered hoof pressing against his forehead, felt droplets of water landing like rain on his cheek, and he finally cracked his eyes open to find the familiar and beloved face of his little reindeer friend staring down at him with impossibly wide eyes filled with tears.
"Usopp!" the doctor cried, applying more pressure to Usopp's bleeding temple. "Are you alright?! Tell me where it hurts!"
Everywhere, that's where, Usopp wanted to say, but he decided against it; he was still partly out of it, but he was coherent enough not to mess with the distressed reindeer, especially considering their current predicament…which was what, exactly? He couldn't remember much after he'd grabbed Chopper and pulled him underneath him, acting as a shield against the falling rocks…
"…where…where are we?" Usopp wheezed, finding it difficult to breathe for the first time; must've cracked a rib or something. And he was pretty sure he'd twisted his ankle and pulled something in his left arm because holy crap did it hurt like a mother –
Chopper sniffed loudly. "W-We were buried in the rocks when the cave started to collapse," he stammered, and through the dizzy haze Usopp could see the masses of stones piled over them like a dome, far too close for comfort and it was sheer luck that he and Chopper hadn't been crushed. "L-Luffy went after the other pirates, I think, I-I heard him y-yelling…Nami went to go g-get the others…I think Z-Zoro's buried, too, a-and I d-don't know where Robin is…"
Dammit all to hell. Just their luck; couldn't they have one day, just one freaking day, without some near-death disaster falling upon them? Why couldn't they have just stayed on the Sunny or even on the beach and had a picnic? Why did they have to give in to Luffy's god damn puppy eyes all the damn time –?
Chopper's sniffing had increased, and he'd lifted his hoof from Usopp's head to scrub at his eyes with his arm, shoulders trembling and teeth grinding together to bite back the sobs that wracked his throat. "…W-why…w-why did you do that?!" he wailed. "Why didn't you keep running, y-you would've made it out in one piece, y-you wouldn't be hurt –!"
"Ch-Chopper, Chopper stop," Usopp coughed, lifting a wavering dust caked to lay it atop the reindeer's hat. Chopper fell silent under his hand, and he moved his arm to stare down at Usopp with reddened eyes still overflowing with tears. Swallowing thickly, Usopp tried a smile, and though it hurt to even breathe he had to tell Chopper, make him understand why he'd freaking stayed, why he'd never turn his back on his nakama ever.
"...you were in trouble…gonna get crushed…had to get to you…don't regret it…" he huffed. "…w-we're nakama, remember? A-and…nakama don't abandon…each other…n-no matter what…"
He'd meant to make Chopper feel better, but all that happened was that the kid started bawling, throwing himself onto Usopp's chest (owwwwww!) and dampening his overalls with tears and snot. "Y-You stupid bastard! T-That doesn't make me h-happy, you could've died y-you big dumbass!" Chopper sobbed, little hooves grasping at Usopp's overalls as if he were afraid to let go ever again. With a tired smile, Usopp wrapped both muscular arms around his quivering little body and held him close, ignoring the throbbing pain.
Call me what you want. I might still be a coward even after two years, but I'd never run away if it meant leaving you behind. Never.
They stayed that way for a while, until Chopper's sobs finally ebbed into pitiful sniffles. Usopp almost lost consciousness twice, but he forced himself to stay awake; not only would Chopper freak the hell out, but the chances of waking up again were slim at best if he did succumb, even with the best doctor in the whole world by his side. They had to find a way out before that happened, or before the air ran out…
"Ch-Chopper," Usopp rasped, and Chopper twitched in his arms. "You…you can dig yourself out…right? Go…go get the o-others –"
"No!" Chopper cried vehemently, lifting his face from Usopp's chest to glare daggers at the sniper despite the tears still running down his furry face. "Y-You didn't leave me, and I-I'm not gonna leave you! W-We're nakama, remember?! Isn't that what you just told me?! Besides, Luffy a-and the others will find us no matter what! So in the m-meantime I'm gonna treat your injuries and you're gonna stay awake, y-you hear me?!"
Usopp stared at the little creature he held against him, and he smiled, scratching between the reindeer's antlers just the way he liked it. "…yeah…yeah, okay," he said quietly, because talking any louder made his everything ache. "I'll do my best, Doctor Chopper."
And he did try. He really did. But even with Chopper going from telling him stories of his time on the island full of giant birds to frantically slapping his face, Usopp slowly began to slip back into darkness; the air was getting thinner, his head growing lighter, and he just couldn't keep his eyes open anymore…
Sorry, Chopper.
Then he heard the sound of shifting rocks, Chopper crying out, and then Sanji's panicked shout –
"I found 'em!"
As the last fragments of consciousness slipped from his fingers, Usopp smiled, knowing that he and Chopper were safe, they were going to be fine, and when he woke up he'd be surrounded by their nakama; Luffy would be beaming wide and happy and relieved, Sanji would bitch at them for freaking them all out like that, Nami and Franky would probably cry, Robin would say something morbid about them almost getting squashed by rocks, Brook would make some dumb skull joke, Zoro would be a steady presence in the background, their gruff guardian angel…
And Chopper would be right at his bedside, treating his injuries like always, smiling and laughing and wriggling under the praise of their family –
Because that's what nakama do. And nakama don't abandon each other, no matter what.
A/N ~ There you have it! Kinda sad but kinda happy too...bittersweet! I hope you enjoyed that, and more are on the way! :)
