Work Text:
Stepping outside from the aquarium bar, you stretched your back. The sun was high in the sky, beaming down on the crew below. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were taking turns on the swing, squealing with glee as they soared through the air. Robin and Nami were in the library, Sanji just finished making some snacks, Franky was fiddling with a new contraption below deck, and Brook was sipping on some tea.
And then there was Zoro. He lazily sat on the grass, snoring away—chest rising and falling with every breath he took. Big smile on your face, you kicked off your shoes, reveling in the feeling of the grass between your toes. Sanji swirled over to you, offering a sweet parfait whipped up just for you.
"Thank you, Sanji!" You beamed, gently taking the snack from the tray.
"Anything for you, (Y/n) dearest!" With that, he spun away into the kitchen. Taking a seat on the lawn, you ate and watched the boys have fun with the swing. It was Chopper's turn, and with each swing he giggled and yelled to go higher.
"Usopp, he wants higher! You're not pushing enough, let me do it!" Luffy began to spin his arm, gaining momentum. "Gum Gum..."
"Wait, Luffy—" Usopp said, trying to intervene. In his efforts, he accidentally got hit and knocked out.
"...Push!" Luffy released his arm, hitting the swing and accidentally sending Chopper flying off the Sunny and into the water with a splash.
"CHOPPER!" Your parfait fell to the floor, long forgotten as you ran to the side of the boat closest to where he flew overboard. All you could see of him were some bubbles coming to the surface. Just as you were about to jump over the railing, Zoro dived into the water at lightning speed. Letting out a sigh of relief, you turned to Luffy, fire in your eyes. "What the hell were you thinking?!"
"Well, Chopper wanted to go higher and Usopp wasn't pushing hard enough, so I figured I'd help."
"So you sent him overboard?!"
"Well, I didn't mean to..." A splash behind you indicated that Zoro was back. Turning around, you saw him cradling Chopper, puddles of water already pooling at his feet. You gently took the shaggy reindeer from his arms, setting him on the floor and trying to force all the water out from his lungs. Sighing, Zoro sat down and pulled off his shirt, beginning to wring it out. Your eyes flitted up and followed his scar, starting near his shoulder and crawling down his chiseled—
"Not now!" You thought, face flushed as you continued expelling the last of the water out of Chopper. Zoro haphazardly tossed his shirt next to him in the sun, resuming his previous napping position against the side of the deck. Now finished, you propped Chopper sitting up next to Zoro.
"Can you watch him? He should be awake pretty soon, but I wanna make sure Luffy doesn't do something stupid again." Zoro acknowledged you with a hum, closing his eyes. You bit your lip in thought before leaving. "Zoro?" He cracked an eye open.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for getting Chopper."
"Don't mention it." A smile crept onto his face as you walked away to clean up your spilled snack.
Wiping the last of the food from the grass, you stood up and headed for the kitchen, dirty plate in hand. With a tune on your lips, you washed the residue off the dish and utensil, and set them aside to dry. You pat your hands on the nearby towel and took a peek outside, melting at the sight. An idea suddenly popped into your head, causing you to frantically run and grab your camera.
"(Y/n), something wrong?" Usopp asked when you came back out, an ice-filled bag strapped to his head. You promptly shushed him, standing a few feet in front of your subject matter. The Den Den Mushi let out a soft click as you took the picture. Catching it before it fell to the floor, you glanced at it, comparing it to the sight in front of you.
"Perfect." The grin on your face was the biggest Usopp had ever seen.
———————————————————
Zoro's eyebrows twitched as he regained consciousness from his nap. With a yawn, he groggily surveyed the deck around him. It seemed that Chopper had left at some point while he was sleeping.
"Oh! Zoro, you're up!" You said, perking up once you saw him. "I have something for you."
"Hmm?" The swordsman looked in curiosity as you ran to your room and back onto the deck. You approached him a little out of breath from your run, an enormous smile on your face as you handed him a photo. He took it, face turning red when he saw what it was a picture of.
Inside the white border of the photo was Zoro and Chopper snoozing the afternoon away. However, Chopper was slumped over, lying his head on Zoro's leg. One of Zoro's hands rested on Chopper's body, as if to keep him safe.
"What—When—" Zoro stammered.
"Earlier today, after you saved him. Don't worry about getting it ruined—I have copies!" You winked. Face thoroughly flushed, Zoro stormed off in a huff to the crow's nest, photo in hand. After climbing up, he stood in the middle of the room, staring down at the picture. A few minutes had passed before he grabbed a band-aid from the small first-aid kit in the corner of the room. Ripping the packet open with his teeth, Zoro peeled away the paper backing to expose the adhesive. Walking up to the wall, Zoro carefully used the bandage to stick the photo to the wooden boards. Proudly smirking to himself, Zoro picked up a nearby weight and began to train.
———————————————————
"Chopper?" You asked, poking your head into the infirmary. The reindeer paused his herb crushing to look at you.
"Yes, is something wrong?"
"Oh, no, I was just going to bake a cake and came to see if you wanted to help." Chopper silently looked back at his mortar and pestle, his large hat completely shadowing his face. "If you're busy, it's fine—"
"I would love to!" Chopper yelped, jumping to his feet, sparkles in his eyes as he smiled up at you. He ran out the door to the kitchen, nearly barreling through you on his way out. You shut off the lights, and closed the door behind you, lightheartedly shaking your head at his recklessness.
"What's with Chopper?" Zoro asked, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "Woke me up with all of his scrambling around."
"We're gonna bake a cake. Wanna watch?" A second passed before Zoro accepted your offer, slowly getting up and making his way to the kitchen behind you. Or at least he thought he was, until you grabbed his hand and led him to it. "You're really hopeless sometimes..."
"Hey!"
Once in the kitchen, you saw Sanji lugging out the last of the ingredients from the pantry for you.
"This should be everything, (Y/n) my sweet!" He proclaimed, setting the flour and sugar onto the countertop.
"Thank you for letting me use the kitchen, Sanji, I'll be sure to clean up afterwards!"
"I couldn't let such a beautiful lady like you clean, your hands are too delicate for work like that!"
"Just let her bake already, Chopper's dying to start," Zoro said flatly, nodding his head in the direction of Chopper, who was vibrating at a very unnatural speed with anticipation.
"YOU SHUT UP, MOSSHEAD!" Sanji's fury wilted into misery when he looked down. He fell to the floor, crumpled and limp. "Why do you get to hold her hand, you stupid asshole..." Forgetting you even grabbed Zoro's hand in the first place, you blushed, quickly releasing it.
"I—uh—Oh, is that Nami I hear?" You nervously laughed, trying to get the defeated and depressed Sanji off of the floor and out of the kitchen. "It sounds like she's calling for you." As if nothing had happened at all, Sanji leapt to his feet and twirled out the door, hearts in his eyes (you're assuming both of them, and not just the only visible one). With a sigh of relief, you closed the door.
Zoro, having no idea what the big deal was, rummaged through one of the cupboards, looking for a bottle of sake. Having found an acceptable bottle, he trudged over to the dining table and plopped into his seat.
"Careful not to spill that," you said, tying a Pandaman apron around your waist. "My camera is over there; I don't want it ruined."
"Got it," Zoro acknowledged, carefully setting his now open drink away from your beloved camera.
"Need help with that?" You asked Chopper, pointing to the apron he was struggling to tie. A little embarrassed, he nodded, allowing you to swiftly and deftly tie a perfect bow behind his back. Smoothing out the apron over his tummy, Chopper grinned.
"This is my first time baking a cake—what do we do first?"
"Well, first..." you said, proceeding to explain your process of baking. Chopper measured out the ingredients and mixed them together while you prepped the oven and the baking pans. Zoro watched with an uncharacteristic interest, occasionally taking a swig or two of his sake. He felt a sort of...pride and adoration watching the two of you work together in the kitchen that he couldn't quite explain.
"Be careful pouring the flour, you don't want it to—" you tried to warn Chopper, but it was too late. He had already dumped it into the mixing bowl, sending large puffs of white dust into the air and all over his face. The white powder clung to his fur, making him look more like a polar bear than a reindeer. "—get everywhere." Chopper looked down at his flour covered apron, and back to you, guilt painted all over his face.
"Sorry..."
"Don't worry, stay there, I'll help you clean it up," you said, grabbing a towel and running it under the sink. Squeezing out the excess water, you went back to Chopper and began to wipe the flour from his face. Chopper's face scrunched up every so often at the feeling of the cold, wet towel. Zoro didn't even try to fight the smile that was now spread across his face. Seeing you and Chopper like this seemed so natural to him. Slowly bringing the bottle to his lips, he wished he could keep this moment forever. His eyes fell on your Den Den Mushi. Luck had shone down on him yet again! He quietly took the camera, and steadily pointed it towards the two of you. A soft click told him that the picture was taken, and he set the camera back down on the table.
"Ah, Zoro, did you say something?" You said, finishing wiping up Chopper's face and setting the towel aside.
"Nope," he said as casually as possible, tucking the picture into his pocket.
"Hm, I thought I heard something. Guess it's my imagination." Zoro waited for you to turn around, pulled the photo out, and grinned.
A couple hours had passed rather smoothly, with you guiding Chopper on his baking journey. While waiting for the cake to bake and later cool off, you pulled out a set of cards and played a few games with Chopper to keep him busy. Much to your surprise, Zoro joined in, even winning a couple games himself.
"Alright, the cake's cool enough to frost. Ready?" You asked, taking out a couple of spatulas. Leaping out of his seat, Chopper sped to the counter and began hopping up and down on his step-stool. "I take that as a yes." As you grabbed the bowl of frosting, you swiped your finger on the side of the bowl and tasted it. "Ooh, this batch came out really nice."
"Lemme try!" Chopper urged, practically drooling as you scooped the creamy smooth frosting. He immediately licked up the small spoonful you gave him, stars in his eyes again. "It's so good!" Gently taking Chopper's spoon back, you laughed.
"Alright, no more, we gotta leave enough for the cake."
"But Zoro didn't have any!"
"Well, he doesn't like sweets—"
"I'll try some." One of your eyebrows quirked up in surprise at Zoro's response. Chopper scooped out some frosting for Zoro, who gladly took the spoon, taking in the mouthful of pure sugar.
"It tastes good, Chopper," he grinned, patting the reindeer on the head and giving him the spoon back.
Keeping a curious eye on Zoro, you handed Chopper a spatula, directing him on how to frost. Although it wasn't perfect, the two of you coated the cake in frosting, making a bit of a mess along the way.
"We finished!" The reindeer proudly squealed. After setting the cake down on the table, you reached for your Den Den Mushi.
"C'mon, let's take a picture! Zoro, would you do the honors?" You asked, handing the camera to him. He took it, and snapped the photo once you and Chopper were settled and posed. The camera spat the picture out, and you eagerly snatched it and showed Chopper. The two of you had bits of stray frosting littering your faces, as well as the biggest smiles as you posed in front of the cake.
"Why don't you go tell the others it's ready?" Chopper gave a mock salute before rushing out the door. You grinned at his enthusiasm, and began to clean up, tucking the photo away in your pocket. Zoro walked up to you, drinking the last of his sake.
"Do you need any help with anything?"
"Could you make sure Luffy doesn't eat all the cake when he gets here? I'm sure the rest of the crew would be much obliged," you teased. A smirk on his face, Zoro tossed his empty bottle in the bin by the door.
"Sure thing." You couldn't help but ask the nagging question in the back of your mind.
"Why'd you take the frosting? I know how much you don't like sweet stuff." Zoro thought for a bit, unsure of why he did it in the first place. Crossing his arms and tilting his head, Zoro mulled it over. The sound of your dishes clinking together filled the room.
"It just felt like the right thing to do," he eventually said, an air of finality about him. You set down the dirty bowls in the sink, pausing to look out the window. Chopper was excitedly jumping around the deck, yelling that the cake was finally finished, causing a smile to grow on your face.
"I think I know what you mean."
———————————————————
There was nothing to do.
And you were totally okay with that.
Peaceful times like these were far and few between, so you took the full opportunity of lounging about. It seemed that the rest of the crew had the same idea, all congregating on the grassy deck to relax. Relaxation, however, did not seem to equate to satisfaction, most prominently proven by Luffy.
"I'm booooored," he whined, face down on the grass. He turned his head so he wouldn't be muffled anymore. "Sanjiiiiiiii...Go make me some foooooooooood!"
"No, you just had breakfast! If you're so bored, go fish for lunch..." Sanji sighed, lighting the cigarette between his lips. Luffy sprang up, enormous grin on his face.
"Alright! Fishing for lunch!" Luffy hauled Usopp and Chopper along with him to the side of the ship, much to their dismay.
"Luffy, we were in the middle of something!" Usopp whined, attempting to push away the fishing poles Luffy thrust in his arms.
"Well, now you're in the middle of fishing!" He laughed, popping a few morsels of fish bait into his mouth.
"DON'T EAT THE BAIT!" Sanji yelled from across the deck, causing Luffy to laugh harder. Usopp and Chopper dejectedly began to hook the bait onto their poles.
Ten minutes pass. The deck was unusually silent, the only sounds being the repetitive clink of Zoro's weights.
"I'm booooooooooooooooored," Luffy droned. Robin glanced at her watch.
"That's a new record," she said to no one in particular. Nami pushed up her sunglasses, revealing a quizzical look.
"Record for what?"
"How long it takes for Luffy to complain about his boredom again. The previous record was 8 minutes and 19 seconds." Peeling your eyes away from your book, you glanced at the boys sitting on the edge of the Sunny. Each of them was cross-legged, fishing poles firmly in their grasp. The bucket of bait was placed farthest away from Luffy, but he still stretched behind the backs of Usopp and Chopper to get to it.
Which was completely unnecessary, since Usopp and Chopper were slowly being lulled to sleep by the combination of warm weather and soothing waves. Every so often one of them would jolt upright in an attempt to remain awake, only for their eyes to flutter shut again.
A yank on his fishing pole nearly sent Chopper overboard. He yelped in surprise, struggling to remain on board as well as pull the fish in. Resorting to transforming into his human form, Chopper jumped down onto the grass and dug his heels in, reeling the fish in with all his might. Luffy and Usopp cheered him on, and the rest of the crew watched in curiosity. Perching your sunglasses on your head, you shut your book and instinctively leaned forward onto the edge of your seat.
"Come on, Chopper, you can do it!" Usopp hollered, fists high in the sky. Chopper grit his teeth with determination, giving one last hearty tug on the pole, sending the hooked fish into the air. It landed on the grass and began to flop around helplessly.
"I...I did it!" Chopper cried, shrinking back to his normal form.
"HOLY CRAP IT'S HUGE!" Luffy gasped, drool already making its way down his chin. Standing up to get a closer look, you couldn't help but notice that the fish was freaking big. It was at least five feet long, and very hefty looking. Chopper was already running around the deck, telling the crew to look at his catch. He scrambled up to Zoro first, tugging excitedly on his pant leg.
"Look at the giant fish I caught, Dad!"
It was as if time stopped.
Everyone turned to Zoro and Chopper, eyes wide and mouths hanging open. The only indicator that time was flowing normally was the fish slapping against the deck with every frantic flop. Zoro froze halfway through his rep, replaying the sentence over and over in his head. He stood so perfectly still; you thought his brain had short-circuited (which it did).
"Did Chopper just call Zoro his dad?" Luffy asked.
"I—I—I—" Chopper stammered, hoof still gripping Zoro's pant leg. Both of their faces turned a fierce shade of red as the realization of what was said sunk in. Before Chopper could scream out his apologies, Luffy let out several loud guffaws.
"That's hilarious! I can't believe Chopper called Zoro his dad!" Luffy doubled over, tumbling around on the lawn next to the fish. He stopped abruptly, setting himself upright. "Wait, if Zoro's Chopper's dad, who's his mom?" Robin spoke up.
"(Y/n), of course."
You felt the heat crawl up your neck to your face, and you put your sunglasses back on, hoping it would help hide the blush.
It didn't.
"Oh yeah, I see it," Nami said, looking over at you. "She has that motherly instinct, especially with him." You buried your nose in your book, wishing they'd drop the subject already. Instead, the crew opted to bring up every instance in which you'd shown your softer side to Chopper.
"Yeah, and then there was that time—" Franky said, hand on his chin as he thought, although you didn't catch the rest of his sentence. You were too busy getting as far away as possible from the conversation.
"Ha ha, would you look at the time, I have to go...do the...thing...?" You said with a noticeable uncertainty in your voice. "Bye!" The only people who noticed your exit was Zoro and Chopper.
Zoro squatted down to Chopper's height, looking him in the eye.
"Zoro, I'm so sorry about calling you Dad!" Chopper wailed, although Zoro wasn't sure why the reindeer was crying in the first place.
"Let's talk about this somewhere else, okay?" Zoro muttered. Chopper nodded and sniffled as Zoro led him to the infirmary. Once again, no one took notice of their absence, too wrapped up in their conversations about you.
"Listen," Zoro said, closing the door. "It's no big deal that you called me...Dad." He could barely get the word out, still in disbelief about what happened. "I didn't mind, I was just surprised." Chopper still had crocodile tears welled in his eyes, but his mouth was open a bit in shock at Zoro's response.
"I thought you'd get mad at me—"
"I'm not gonna get mad at you unless you do something stupid." Zoro said bluntly. "So stop crying." Roughly wiping away the reindeer's tears, Zoro looked Chopper right in the eyes and gave a soft smile. "Feeling better?" Chopper nodded, speechless. "Good."
Your body led you up the rope ladder leading to the crow's nest. It had been a while since you'd been here on night watch. As usual, Zoro's weights littered the floor, leading you to watch your step while you navigated through the mess. Something on the wall caught your attention, and you tip-toed around dumbbells and towels to get to it. Two pictures were stuck to the wall with band-aids; one was the photo of Zoro and Chopper napping together and the other was one you hadn't seen before. It looked like it was taken when you were baking with Chopper—you were wiping his face clean of the flour that had gotten on it. A smile grew on your face as you imagined Zoro fumbling for the Den Den Mushi to take the picture before the moment passed.
Footsteps coming up the ladder alerted you of someone approaching, and you turned around to face the entrance. A tuft of green emerged first, followed by the rest of Zoro. Before walking to you, he flipped up one of the seats, revealing a stash of sake. He grabbed a bottle and popped it open, sauntering over to you.
"So." He said. You bounced on your toes a bit.
"So." Glancing back at the photos, you pointed at the one of you and Chopper. "Why'd you take that one?" Zoro followed your finger, a tint of red appearing on his face.
"Why'd you take the one of me and Chopper sleeping?" You snickered at his response.
"Good point." You took a seat on the bench, Zoro taking a seat next to you not long after. "Is Chopper doing okay?"
"Yeah, he's fine now. I had a talk with him." Zoro offered you some of his booze and took a sip when you politely declined.
"Really? About what?"
"Uh. Guy stuff." You hummed in amusement, making a mental note to ask Chopper about it later.
"How about you?" Zoro asked, gaze wandering to you.
"I'm better now, thanks for asking," you said, giving a reassuring smile. "I was just a little embarrassed, that's it."
"I know what you mean," Zoro mumbled without thought. You stared at Zoro in playful disbelief. "What?"
"Did the great Zoro just admit to being embarrassed?" Zoro's eyes widened.
"I—No—!" He denied, face turning red. You suppressed your laughs as you thought of a brilliant idea.
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think you'd make a great father," you said, leaning close to Zoro. Quickly, you pecked his cheek, giggling when his face and ears turned scarlet. He silently took a sip of his sake while you calmed down from your fit of giggles. The room got quiet again, and you wistfully sighed. Through the tall windows, you could see puffy white clouds drift across the rich azure sky, creating a blissful scene.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" You mused.
"It sure is," Zoro whispered, gazed fixed on you. Your eyes were sparkling with wonder, mouth curled into a petite smile. Glancing back to Zoro, you were surprised to see him staring back at you. All of a sudden, you became hyper aware of the small amount of space between the two of you. Despite this, you leaned in closer, nose nearly touching Zoro's before you gently pressed your lips to his. The kiss was short and sweet, with you pulling away before giving Zoro a chance to react. Pink dusted your face and you couldn't bring yourself to look Zoro in the eyes, instead opting to study the fabric of your shorts.
"Hey." He said, gently guiding your chin so you were facing him once again. "If you're gonna kiss me, at least let me kiss you back." Before you could process his words, Zoro had already brought his lips to yours in a gentle kiss. Your eyes fluttered close, melting at his touch. The kiss was over sooner than you would have hoped, but the grin on Zoro's face made up for it. Wearing a smile of your own, you snuggled into Zoro's side and he wrapped his arm around your form.
"I like you a lot, if you couldn't tell," you joked, face half buried in his chest.
"That's good, 'cuz I like you a lot too." A newfound peace had washed over you and you began to drift into a warm sleep.
Not long after, the sound of footsteps clambering up the ladder alerted you and Zoro that someone was coming. You sat yourself up and Zoro retracted his arm. A large pink hat poked up from the hole, then a white "X", then Chopper's large black eyes.
"Can I come up?" He asked. You looked at Zoro with a questioning look and he shrugged.
"Sure, what's up?" you asked. Chopper took a few tentative steps forward, twiddling his hooves together.
"I wanted to take a nap..." His sentence trailed off, unintelligible after a few words.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" You asked, leaning forward slightly.
"...I wanted to take a nap with you guys..." he mumbled, pulling the brim of his hat down to cover his eyes. You looked at Zoro, jutting your lip out and holding a hand over your heart.
"He's so cute!" You mouthed, eliciting a chuckle from Zoro. "Of course you can, come on over!" You grinned. Chopper climbed onto the bench a good three feet away from the two of you, attempting to make himself comfortable.
"You can come closer," you teased. "We don't mind." The reindeer stepped over to you, climbing over your legs to settle himself right in Zoro's lap. In a few seconds he was out like a light. Zoro glanced at Chopper and back to you, a pleading look on his face.
"Aw, see? You're already an amazing father," you said, snuggling into his side for warmth once again. Zoro put his arm around you like before, smile on his face. This was perfect.