Wish I Was A Bear
Dec. 6th, 2006 06:47 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dethoratsTitle: When It's Cold
Rating: PG
Pairing: NaChoRo
Word Count: 949
Note: Furry. If you don't like Chopper relationships, don't read.
Ice rimed Merry’s decks, made the usually sun-warmed surface into a hazard zone once the sun was down. Sailing through frigid waters, the only consolation was that there weren’t any icebergs nor any other apparent dangers to be wary of. Chopper and, surprisingly, Sanji, were the only ones who felt remotely comfortable out in the freezing air, although Zoro stubbornly insisted on taking his fair turn at watch too. The frostbite and hypothermia he’d suffered in Drum had not been significantly far enough behind him for his body to be ready to face the cold, though, and the reindeer more than once had barred the way to the outside bodily until the swordsman put on whatever extra clothing the young doctor chose to insist on. Luffy had been much the same but two slips and near-falls overboard on the first day of below-freezing temperatures had confined the captain to the indoors for his safety and that of his would-be rescuers.
For Chopper, the weather brought mixed feelings. On the one hand, it was the most comfortable he’d physically felt since he’d left his home. While none of the other islands the Straw Hat crew had visited had been as taxing on him as Alabasta, neither were they exactly the sort of climate he was adapted for. The cold couldn’t touch him through the dense layer of fur that covered his reindeer and normal form. And his human form was well protected by dense musculature and a comparatively thick abundance of hair. Everything felt crisp and comfortable to him, right down to the air in his lungs that seemed to rob his nakama of their breath.
He could understand, though, the repeated mutterings of the rest of the crew, the wishes to be out of the wintry weather and back to the more moderate temperatures that were the default on the Grand Line. Having suffered through the desert island, he knew there was nothing worse than being confronted with something the body just wasn’t equipped to handle.
Chopper tried to make himself useful as much as he could, gratitude for the helping hands that had hauled across burning sands and brought him the water he desperately had needed. He took extra watch shifts and ran errands whenever anyone needed something that would take them outside across the deck. He took care to make sure his nakama stayed warm and protected, lecturing in his high voice with authority about the dangers of frostbite, hypothermia, broken limbs, all the perils of ice and freezing temperatures. It was in the land of winter that he was an expert, knowing better than the rest of them just what they faced. And getting to play living heater was just another part of that role.
Bulked up into his human form, he spent most of his time indoors with one or more nakama cuddled against him and leeching warmth. It was no bother. He enjoyed playing the part, actually. The contact was everything he always yearned for and that it provided his crewmates with something they needed only made the job that much better. Zoro liked to lean up against his back, using it for support when he took his naps. Usopp tended to settle facing outward from his side as he spun tales and worked on various experiments. The sniper stopped his stream of chatter every so often to turn and bump against a thick arm with his face, surreptitiously trying to warm his often-chilly nose. Luffy bounced all over the place, a ball of pent-up rubber energy. He didn’t need the warmth but he liked to bestow hugs when the mood struck him and the doctor was always glad to receive them. As for the two women of the ship, they took turns sharing a spot on Chopper’s lap or occasionally both would tuck themselves beneath his arms. Sanji, the bearer of all things delicious and wonderful, danced attendance with only a tiny bit of jealousy, evident in the smaller amount of marshmallows he dropped into the doctor's hot chocolate. The reindeer didn't mind for soft, feminine, clean smells washed through his senses and he read easily over the tops of mikan and raven colored heads.
Nights, after he had come in from watch, he ducked into the boys’ cabin to straighten blankets and add a few coals to the charcoal brazier. His male nakama slept in a pile, heaped together for warmth just like a bunch of hibernating animals. The room was full with quiet snores and murmurings and he stayed sometimes, tempted by the comradeship or by a sleepy whisper. Usually, though, he made his way down the dark and chilly narrow hallway beneath the deck. The girls’ room was smaller, warmer as a result. But Robin seemed particularly vulnerable to the cold and Nami never turned aside his help.
He always made sure he was warm to the touch before he crawled beneath the pile of quilts, not being so impolite as to carry the whisper of winter in with him from the crow’s nest. Slender arms, four usually although occasionally there were more, found their way about him, fingers burying in fur or hair and seeking out the furnace heat of his skin. They soaked it up, all of his warmth, and Chopper was glad to give it to them. Nestled there between them was the one of the few places where his own heart felt fully melted. And sometimes, in the mornings before they all braved the slippery dash across the deck to the bakery smells and needed coffee of the galley, Robin and Nami made sure to remind him that being overheated wasn’t always a bad thing either.
Rating: PG
Pairing: NaChoRo
Word Count: 949
Note: Furry. If you don't like Chopper relationships, don't read.
Ice rimed Merry’s decks, made the usually sun-warmed surface into a hazard zone once the sun was down. Sailing through frigid waters, the only consolation was that there weren’t any icebergs nor any other apparent dangers to be wary of. Chopper and, surprisingly, Sanji, were the only ones who felt remotely comfortable out in the freezing air, although Zoro stubbornly insisted on taking his fair turn at watch too. The frostbite and hypothermia he’d suffered in Drum had not been significantly far enough behind him for his body to be ready to face the cold, though, and the reindeer more than once had barred the way to the outside bodily until the swordsman put on whatever extra clothing the young doctor chose to insist on. Luffy had been much the same but two slips and near-falls overboard on the first day of below-freezing temperatures had confined the captain to the indoors for his safety and that of his would-be rescuers.
For Chopper, the weather brought mixed feelings. On the one hand, it was the most comfortable he’d physically felt since he’d left his home. While none of the other islands the Straw Hat crew had visited had been as taxing on him as Alabasta, neither were they exactly the sort of climate he was adapted for. The cold couldn’t touch him through the dense layer of fur that covered his reindeer and normal form. And his human form was well protected by dense musculature and a comparatively thick abundance of hair. Everything felt crisp and comfortable to him, right down to the air in his lungs that seemed to rob his nakama of their breath.
He could understand, though, the repeated mutterings of the rest of the crew, the wishes to be out of the wintry weather and back to the more moderate temperatures that were the default on the Grand Line. Having suffered through the desert island, he knew there was nothing worse than being confronted with something the body just wasn’t equipped to handle.
Chopper tried to make himself useful as much as he could, gratitude for the helping hands that had hauled across burning sands and brought him the water he desperately had needed. He took extra watch shifts and ran errands whenever anyone needed something that would take them outside across the deck. He took care to make sure his nakama stayed warm and protected, lecturing in his high voice with authority about the dangers of frostbite, hypothermia, broken limbs, all the perils of ice and freezing temperatures. It was in the land of winter that he was an expert, knowing better than the rest of them just what they faced. And getting to play living heater was just another part of that role.
Bulked up into his human form, he spent most of his time indoors with one or more nakama cuddled against him and leeching warmth. It was no bother. He enjoyed playing the part, actually. The contact was everything he always yearned for and that it provided his crewmates with something they needed only made the job that much better. Zoro liked to lean up against his back, using it for support when he took his naps. Usopp tended to settle facing outward from his side as he spun tales and worked on various experiments. The sniper stopped his stream of chatter every so often to turn and bump against a thick arm with his face, surreptitiously trying to warm his often-chilly nose. Luffy bounced all over the place, a ball of pent-up rubber energy. He didn’t need the warmth but he liked to bestow hugs when the mood struck him and the doctor was always glad to receive them. As for the two women of the ship, they took turns sharing a spot on Chopper’s lap or occasionally both would tuck themselves beneath his arms. Sanji, the bearer of all things delicious and wonderful, danced attendance with only a tiny bit of jealousy, evident in the smaller amount of marshmallows he dropped into the doctor's hot chocolate. The reindeer didn't mind for soft, feminine, clean smells washed through his senses and he read easily over the tops of mikan and raven colored heads.
Nights, after he had come in from watch, he ducked into the boys’ cabin to straighten blankets and add a few coals to the charcoal brazier. His male nakama slept in a pile, heaped together for warmth just like a bunch of hibernating animals. The room was full with quiet snores and murmurings and he stayed sometimes, tempted by the comradeship or by a sleepy whisper. Usually, though, he made his way down the dark and chilly narrow hallway beneath the deck. The girls’ room was smaller, warmer as a result. But Robin seemed particularly vulnerable to the cold and Nami never turned aside his help.
He always made sure he was warm to the touch before he crawled beneath the pile of quilts, not being so impolite as to carry the whisper of winter in with him from the crow’s nest. Slender arms, four usually although occasionally there were more, found their way about him, fingers burying in fur or hair and seeking out the furnace heat of his skin. They soaked it up, all of his warmth, and Chopper was glad to give it to them. Nestled there between them was the one of the few places where his own heart felt fully melted. And sometimes, in the mornings before they all braved the slippery dash across the deck to the bakery smells and needed coffee of the galley, Robin and Nami made sure to remind him that being overheated wasn’t always a bad thing either.
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no subject
Date: 2006-12-06 12:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-06 04:49 pm (UTC)This fic made it sooooooo worth it. I could truly feel myself warming up as I read, and apparently squeeing vigorously is a good way to get the blood circulating. ^_^
Aaaaannnnd...memoried. Thanks hon. ^_^
no subject
Date: 2006-12-07 11:22 am (UTC)I'm glad you enjoyed it, despite the NaChoRo! I love me some Chopper!cuddle fic.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-07 01:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-07 07:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-27 06:47 am (UTC)