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Running Up That Hill
By : yinneko23
Category: +M to R > One Piece
Views: 11948 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or make any money from this fic.
Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
It was hot. Way too hot for Chopper, with his thick fur and thicker blood; he had taken refuge in the relative darkness of Sunny�s aquarium, huddled far from the sunlight that still managed to stream through the curtains. Fish with sparkling rainbow fins swam close to the place Chopper had his face pressed against the thin glass separating him and them. At that moment, Chopper wished he was a fish and not a reindeer so he too could float through their lovely, temperature controlled water. There were plenty of fans on the ship, but not a single one powerful enough to keep him cool. Maybe he should ask Franky to build a super fan with blades the size of elephants, or something else sufficiently enormous.
The heat was making him sleepy. Giving up on the remote solace of fish watching, Chopper wandered out on deck. It�d been abandoned by his nakama. Everyone was sequestered elsewhere, windows propped open in silent entreaty for even the tiniest breath of sea wind to sweep away the stifling air. He gave half a thought to trying the shower, but when he passed by the bathroom door he heard the faint patter of running water. Zoro had claimed the room some time ago, taking Luffy with him. Apparently they were still inside. He considered joining them, then remember this was Zoro and Luffy and quickly changed his mind.
Unable to think of anywhere else to go, Chopper ended up in the men�s cabin. One bunk was occupied; a brown, gunpowder stained hand hung listlessly over the side. He trotted passed the snoozing Usopp and climbed into his own bed. Now, if only he could sleep through the day and wake to a pleasantly cold evening.
His dreams were full of snow covered mountains, sakura and crossbones, the sweet warmth of fragrant bread -
Chopper opened his eyes, the old doctor�s welcoming laughter receding, but the scent of freshly baked bread lingered, growing stronger as the reindeer pulled his nose from beneath his hoof to sniff deeply.
A symphony of muffled noise and flickering light crept through the crack under the door. Usopp�s bunk was empty. A female voice rose above rushing footsteps. Afraid he�d napped through an attack, Chopper sprung from his mattress and shifted to heavy point, ready for the fight.
Except there was no fight. He stepped outside, immediately caught by the lack of gunshots, explosions, or the viscous tang of blood. A quick glance around confirmed that Sunny was alone among the waves.
But his nakama continued to dart around deck, arms loaded with heaping platters of food - Sanji set several loaves of bread out on a folding table Chopper hadn�t known they�d owned, simultaneous warding Luffy off with careful feet - which explained the smell. Yet it wasn�t the food that held his attention: scattered across every available space were lithe white candles, casting a soft glow over the feast being laid out, and then there were the lights - twinkling bulbs of all colors, hundreds of them, strung high in the riggings and twined through the branches of Nami�s orange trees. They reflected off wreaths of pine and shimmering silver tinsel.
Sitting underneath the trees, almost lost to the stunning decorations, was a pile of brightly wrapped gifts.
�Luffy, stop trying to eat everything! And hurry. We want to finish before Chopper wakes up,� Nami commanded, clearly having taken the reins again. Chopper still found it strange, sometimes, that Luffy let herself be so easily ordered around despite being their captain.
Franky must have seen Chopper from the corner of his eye, because he suddenly pointed in the reindeer�s direction and said, �Bit too late for that.�
Following his finger, Nami saw their doctor for herself and gave an aggravated sighed. �Nevermind.�
�You�re finally up! I�ve been waiting forever.� Chopper startled when Luffy appeared next to him; he hadn�t noticed her concede her battle for the food laden table.
�Sorry. It was just so hot earlier, I wanted to sleep until the sun went down.� He tilted his head to better see the multitude of stars spotting the black sky. �Think I overdid it.�
�Eh, doesn�t matter. Now that you�re here we can start celebrating! And eating,� Luffy said, rubbing her forehead against Chopper�s fuzzy chest in an effort to ignore her grumbling stomach. Chopper hugged her in apology - he�d hated being the reason Luffy was hungry. Punch her in the face and she would barely flinch, but leaving the constantly starving Luffy without food was just plain cruel.
�Let�s force Sanji to feed us,� he said, taking her by the hand so they approached the table together. �Though I don�t understand why you waited for me. Leftovers would�ve been fine.�
Luffy blinked in confusion. �But this is all for you. Happy birthday, Chopper!�
The reindeer couldn�t even being to imagine what sort of expression he was making. He finally worked his jaw shut as Sanji came striding from the kitchen, giant cake balanced precariously on his head, hands supporting two other trays overburdened with a variety of desserts.
�Isn�t this Christmas dinner?� He�d hidden the gifts for his nakama in Franky�s workshop, convinced it was the one place Luffy wouldn�t go poking around.
�Of course not. It�s Christmas Eve, idiot.� Sanji put the cake in the last open spot available and grinned at the awestruck doctor. �Why celebrate the night before?�
�I...I,� Chopper stuttered, shrinking to brain point in defense against the tight feeling beneath his ribs. He�d completely forgotten his own birthday. Mixed tears of happiness and shock matted his fur. �I�m not grateful at all, you bastards!�
Everyone came forward, hugging him or kissing him or patting him on the back and wishing him well until Luffy started whining about her empty stomach, and they fell on the food like vultures, trying to grab as much as possible before Luffy began shoveling it down her throat.
Sanji had really gone all out; there was brown sugar glazed turkey, pineapple baked ham, mashed potatoes swimming in mushroom gravy and a huge bowl of leafy vegetables, exactly what the animal part of Chopper sometimes craved. He counted at least four different kinds of pies - cherry, apple, peach, rhubarb - an assortment of holiday themed petits fours, white chocolate and macadamia nut cookies, and even, he discovered with much delight, small puffs of cotton candy.
When the plates were cleared and the entire crew fit to burst, Sanji passed out cups of coffee and hot cocoa sprinkled with nutmeg and marshmallows that melted on Chopper�s tongue. One by one his nakama came forward to present their gifts, first the girls, Usopp, Franky, then Luffy and Zoro with a joint offering Chopper assumed had been picked by Nami but he appreciated nonetheless. Sanji was last, having taken advantage of the distraction Chopper provided to pin sprigs of mistletoe in every doorway and low hanging piece of ship he could.
He spent the rest of the evening standing hopefully under his little twigs, trailing Robin and Nami from place to place. They eventually took pity on Sanji and kissed his cheeks, both at once so the chef was half passed in a mountain of hearts. When Zoro made the mistake of walking beneath one, he got tackled by an eager Luffy, who locked her arms around his neck and refused to let go until she�d been thoroughly kissed. Zoro somehow got away, and in short order Nami, Usopp, and Franky all fell prey to their spirited captain, who seemed to determined to steal a kiss from everyone.
Even Chopper found himself sitting under the mistletoe, Robin leaning against the railing beside him as they chatted. She smiled warmly when she noticed the vivid berries, bent forward and pressed a short kiss to his blue nose.
The stars faded as dawn approached and, drowsy and swollen from their banquet, the crew bid each other goodnight. Only Chopper was left to watch the sun break brilliant and shining over the distant horizon.
It was Christmas morning.
-
Luffy lay spread-eagled on the Sunny�s lawn, one hand woven through short, prickly grass, the other fisted loosely in her wind mused hair. Zoro gave a exceptionally forceful swing of his weights and Luffy tilted her face further in his direction, urging him on with a jumbled murmur of sound and the inviting curve of her mouth.
Even though December was nearing its end, the heat was incredible. Sweat ran in rivulets across Zoro�s chest only to get snagged by the jagged bump of his scar or diverted in the deeply incised lines of his abdominals, where they lingered until the next flex shook them free. He could see an uncomfortable sheen slicking Luffy�s forehead, limbs, bare stomach. Her slack bandages were damp with it.
She had taken off everything but her boxers and the chest binding, wrapped so negligently it wasn�t flattening anything. There was sweat gathering beneath the lower curve of her breasts.
Zoro gritted his teeth against the smothering sun, determined to finish his full set. Weather this abominable made him think longingly of the mild winters he�d enjoyed back at the dojo.
With one final sweep of his arms and a leisurely stretch of muscle, Zoro settled the weights on his shoulder and went to put them away. When he passed Luffy on his way to the shower, Zoro noticed she was napping fitfully, miserable without her living fan to keep the blistering heat at bay. Zoro nudged at her ribs with a foot.
�Oi, I�m going to shower,� he said.
The bathroom was empty; a lucky coincidence, as Zoro barged in without knocking. He let the door swing shut but left it unlocked.
Turning the temperature knob to just this side of ball shriveling, Zoro stripped off his pants and haramaki, swords set neatly in a corner.
The cool water felt like a slice of heaven on earth - Zoro braced his hands against the tile and simply stood under the refreshing spray, letting the heat and sweat swirl down the drain. He relaxed in increments, the soreness that came with training slowly easing its grip on his body.
His soap was hidden behind a bottle of the love cook�s girly shampoo, shit that supposedly smelled of strawberries or plums or some other dumb fruit. He preferred to keep it simple - the one bar of (unscented) soap washed both his hair and skin and got the job done without the millions of bottles his nakama seemed to need. Except for Luffy; sometimes they had to force her in the bath with the help of Robin�s superb tickling skills and a copious amount of rope.
The door opened, the clap of sandals echoing in the small room.
Zoro smirked. Sometimes she came willingly.
There was a quiet rustle as Luffy�s boxers hit the floor, and then she drew aside the curtain to step in behind him. She must have been groggy - her bandages slipped and clung as they became drenched with water. Rolling his eyes, Zoro propped his pliant captain up against the wall worked his fingers through layers of cloth, trying to find the edge. When more than half a minute passed with no luck, he tugged harder in frustration and was left staring guiltily at a handful of torn, useless bindings. Whatever. There were more.
He dropped the wad of fabric and maneuvered Luffy so that the spray would wet her hair. She hummed softly in response to the cool water streaming across her reddened shoulders and the lazy arch of her spine, head lolling forward so her nose nuzzled into the dip of Zoro�s collarbone.
Since Zoro couldn�t convince her to stay upright long enough for any washing to get done, he twisted the knob to a suitable level of warmth and eased them to sit cross-legged on the floor, Luffy resting comfortably in the cradle of his thighs.
Rubbing the bar of soap between his palms to get a lather going, he worked his fingers in slow circles across her scalp, making the motions a gentle massage that had Luffy purring at the pressure; Zoro rumbled a laugh as he imagined what her enemies would think if they were witness to the fearsome Straw Hat Luffy so completely blissed she couldn�t sit up straight - when Zoro dug his fingers in harder, Luffy drooped down his chest, utterly languid.
Lathering up once more, Zoro ran his hands over the parts of Luffy he could reach with her pressed so tightly against him. Her shoulders were hot with oncoming sunburn. Zoro took care not to scrub too harshly, worried the sword calluses on his fingers would abrade the sensitive skin, but Luffy remained slumped and sleepy in his arms.
He was rougher with her arms, occasionally encountering smudges of dirt that turned out to be bruises or shallow scrapes - Zoro couldn�t understand how Luffy was almost indestructible and yet always managed to injure herself without realizing.
They were the minor, insignificant wounds any exuberant child bore after a long day of play, but the sight of them nagged; there were only a few people aboard their ship capable of bruising Luffy�s tough rubber skin, and none of them played with her often enough to explain the cuts away. Zoro certainly left his mark on her - fingertips brutal on her hips and thighs and back, vibrant patches of color from clamping teeth - but they�d been carrying on for so long he could tell the difference between what he left behind�and the damage Luffy must have done to herself. It was disconcerting how carelessly she treated her own body.
Zoro picked at the dirt beneath her nails before giving it up as a hopeless cause and cupping water in his palms to splash away the suds caught in the crook of her elbow. He shifted his hands to Luffy�s chest, down her stomach to dip briefly inside her bellybutton, smoothing across the tender expanse of her inner thighs. Sneaking over a ticklish area on her knee, he was no longer washing so much as indulging his desire to enjoy what was his to touch whenever, however he wanted.
Luffy shook with silent laughter as Zoro�s exploring fingers meandered over all her weak spots, even that oddly responsive gap between the second and third toes of her right foot; he�d rinsed Luffy everywhere he could reach without dislodging her from his lap, Zoro leaned back to rest against the cool tiles, arms hold Luffy securely as she drifted off into tranquil slumber.
He nosed damp tendrils of hair from her forehead and, having found himself a new pillow in the black strands, let his eyes close to the steady drumming of cascading water.
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- 5
- 6
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Running Up That Hill	By : yinneko23 Category: +M to R > One Piece Views: 11948 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or make any money from this fic.

Running Up That Hill