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“...and then, the wicked king was slain and his head thrown to the abyssal horrors to appease their thirst for blood in place of the disgusting man's political enemies and prisoners. The heroine and her nakama gave their approval to the dead king's eldest child, a woman most cunning and wise who possessed no little love for her father's suffering people, to rule after him and left the kingdom to continue their adventures. To this day, the glass cage that the heroine was imprisoned in still stands, the shards of the broken door removed, and children and adults alike fill it blankets and watch the stars from inside of it.”
“Is that the end?” Chopper mumbles, twisting around to look up at Robin and crinkling his blue nose. “Did they all live happily ever after?”
“Well, we'll have to read another story tomorrow night and find out, right?” Robin says, smiling down at him and tapping the book with a finger.
“Maa, why can't you read it now Robin,” Luffy asks, pouting and waving his feet in the air. He reaches up and idly twines a long strand of black hair around his finger, tugging at it gently. “I wanna hear more.”
“Wait, Luffy. One story per night, that's the rule. We'd go through too many of them otherwise. You wouldn't want to run out now would you?” the archeologist asks, petals drifting through the air as a line of conjured hands blossoms and puts the book away. The three of them remain seated on the bed, Robin sitting with her long muscled legs dangling over the side and the doctor and captain laying with their heads in her lap. The hands that are attached to her body in the usual fashion are resting on their backs, the book being held up by another pair of devil fruit ones, and as Luffy answers she lifts them and sets them on her nakama's respectively furry and hairy heads.
Luffy pouts even harder, which is only possible through use of his own devil fruit. His face looks more than a little ridiculous, as it often does. "Nnnnooooo, but you'd never run out of stories. And if you do then we'll just get Usopp to tell us some, ne Chopper?"
"Yeah!" Chopper cries happily, "Usopp tells the best stories!" He looks up at Robin again quickly, "Not that Robin doesn't tell the best stories too. Robin tells really good bedtime stories."
"I'm glad you appreciate them," Robin says, and then calls across the room, "do you like my stories Nami?"
Nami's voice is muffled slightly from behind the almost shut closet door, until she opens it and comes out dressed in her night clothes.
"Of course I like your stories Robin. Now, you two, story's over. Time for bed."
Luffy and Chopper groan and bury their faces in Robin's lap, and then start as Nami comes over and raps them both on the head sharply (much more sharply to Luffy than to Chopper).
"I'm serious, it's time to go sleep. You can't stay in our room all night, don't look at me like that. Shoo."
"We're going Nami, we're going" Chopper reassures the navigator. "Thank you for the story Robin."
"You're welcome." Robin tells him, and gives the little human zoan a quick hug. "I'm glad to tell them."
As she does so Luffy throws himself off the bed onto Nami for his own hug and gets a relatively light punch for his trouble. Nami kicks the rubberman as she gets up (her captain is a heavy bastard, he has to be with all that muscle) and then makes a gesture towards the door.
"I don't see you going." she says and Luffy recognizes that tone by dint of many, many lumps to the head. It's a very effective sort of voice, and he doesn't like the lumps much, so he gets up.
As he does he puts his hands on Nami's shoulders, even though his balance is fine, and she stares at him with a familiar look of slightly exasperated affection. Luffy smiles at his navigator brightly and leans in, planting a sloppy smooch on her forehead.
"Good night Nami." He tells her, and she grins at him briefly before wiping a quick hand over her forehead.
"Good night Luffy, now get the hell out of our bedroom."
He waves at her as he turns, and quickly steps over to his other female nakama. Robin actually stands up, and has to bend down for him to reach without stretching.
"Good night Robin." Luffy tells his archeologist as he repeats the gesture, hands on either side of her head and cracked lips on her skin. Robin covers his hands with hers and catches his eyes for a few seconds.
"Good night, Luffy. Sleep well." She gives him one final smile before pulling away and heading over to the bookshelf, looking for another (no doubt much more serious and boring) book to wile away the long night with.
Luffy swoops in and sweeps up his doctor in his arms, to the reindeer's delighted quiet shriek.
"Good night Robin! Good night Nami!" Chopper says as he and Luffy bounce (and when you're being carried by someone who is made of rubber, you actually bounce a little) out of the girls' room and out into the night.
It's a quiet, dark night. The clouds in the sky obscure the half-full moon, and it's just chilly enough for Chopper to tell under his layer of fur. Not that he minds, of course, and Luffy doesn't even notice as he peers up at the crow's nest.
"Wanna say good night to Sanji with me?" Luffy asks, and he grins as Chopper nods rapidly. The captain throws a rubber hand aaaaaaaall the way up the mast, and his other arm shifts to hold Chopper more securely as they rocket through the air. Chopper suppresses a rush of animal terror at flying when one is not made to fly and instead focuses on Luffy's arm wrapped around him and the coolness of the air that reminds him of Drum until they land with a thud.
Clambering into the crow's nest, they find Sanji there on watch with a book entitled "55 Ways to Prepare Sea King: A Comprehensive Guide". Sanji notices Chopper looking at the cover.
"The author was a piece of shit cook who couldn't find a good dish if one popped out of their ass, but whoever they got to write the columns on sauces has some good ideas."
Chopper looks up and gently pushes Luffy's mouth shut before he gets drooled on, just in case. He's not quite sure where Luffy gets the liquid to produce saliva like he does, and resolves to remind his captain to drink more water. More fresh water perhaps, however, yesterday Luffy (through a series of events Chopper still isn't quite sure of) jumped into the sea again and Sanji yelled at him for ten minutes for interrupting the ladies' snacks and everyone had to wait for their own food while he was distracted trying to kick Luffy's face through the deck. Then they had to wait another five minutes after Zoro and Sanji started fighting, but only five because Nami got upset and broke up the fight with her fists. Nami was scary, but the snacks were delicious and afterward they played tag.
Sanji sees the captain's single-minded stare at the cooked sea king dish on the cover however and narrows his eyes.
"Don't even fucking think about it you walking void of a stomach," he tells Luffy, setting the book down and getting up glare down at the eternally-hungry rubberman, "you've already had your after-dinner snack, I watched as you shoveled down, go the fuck to bed already and don't even think of putting your greasy mitts anywhere near my kitchen until I tell you you damn well can."
Luffy smiles at his cook and nods a "Yeah" even though Chopper puts good odds on there being an attempted break-in in the kitchen sometime tonight. Then again Sanji has started just putting out small (in Luffy sizes) bentos for the captain to lessen the chances of him trying too hard to get into the refrigerator or the pantry. He's also started muttering vaguely mutinous things under his breath as he makes them, but that's rather normal on this ship.
Then Luffy grabs Sanji's tie and ignores the protest at messing up Sanji's clothes as he pulls Sanji down to kiss his forehead, pressing Chopper into Sanji's chest as he does. Chopper wriggles an arm out to clutch at Sanji in a sloppy hug before the cook shoves at Luffy and looks affronted at the kiss. He doesn't manage to completely cover up the affection leaking through, though, and he gives Chopper a crooked grin as the tiny doctor beams at him.
"Good night Sanji!" Luffy says, and Chopper echoes him before Luffy jumps straight down towards the deck again. This time Chopper gives a squeak and holds on very very tightly, but Luffy throws a hand back to grab onto the mast and soften their fall, and the paramecia keeps smiling as rubber snaps into place a little too loudly in the quiet.
Other than the gentle noise of the waves around them and the creak of the ship sailing through the night, it's a silent night on the world's most dangerous sea. Luffy's bare feet smack confidently on the planks, then swish through the grass on the ship's lawn. Through midnight storms and afternoon adventures, Chopper has come to find Sunny's features as familiar as the old drafty castle he shared with Doctorine, even in the dark.
When they get to the figurehead, Luffy slings Chopper across his back. The tiny zoan hangs onto the older pirate's neck tightly, scared of falling off. Even when it's calm, the sea is so dark and deep...what if he were lost beneath the waves, and his nakama could never find him again?
Not knowing his friend's thoughts, the rubberman flops down reckless to give the inanimate lion's head a quick smooch.
“Good night Sunny!” Luffy says, as Chopper tries to press himself into his captain's back. As the doctor is shifted to rest against a muscled chest again, he reassures himself that his nakama can always find him, and that Sunny wouldn't let him drown.
Scant minutes later, Luffy pads happily into the boys' cabin with a silly-sounding, off-key little hum tumbling from his grinning mouth. Chopper can't help but smile along, and finds himself trying to make up words as Luffy stops at the first occupied bunk.
It's Brook's, and both Chopper and Luffy giggle a little at the snot bubble growing and shrinking in time to the skeleton's breathing. It seems the musician is already sleep, and Luffy reaches out and wakes him by popping the snot bubble with a finger.
"Ah! My goodness, is it morning already?" Brook asks, his melodious voice tinged with the faint confusion of the recently unconscious.
"No, it's still night," Luffy confirms with a wide grin as if it's a secret he's sharing with them, cuddling Chopper in his arms as the third devil fruit member shifts his bony body over to blink up at them. Chopper puts his hooves over his mouth to stifle laughter. After all, as Brook would say, "how he can blink without any eyes, yohohoho~"
"Well then," Brook says gesturing at himself with a fascinatingly animated hand (Chopper still longs to study his skeletal friend from the perspective of a doctor), "if you would?" He may be the newest crewmember, but he's already well familiar with this particular Strawhat tradition.
The musician's eternal grin seems to soften as Luffy presses a kiss onto hard white bone, and Luffy stays bent over so Chopper can hug Brook around the neck as well.
"Good night Brook." Luffy says.
“Good night Luffy-san, good night Chopper-san. Thank you." Brook replies, and shuffles back into his blankets to drop off back to sleep.
"Oh, me next, me next." Usopp stage whispers, and as Luffy turns Chopper can see the sniper hanging dangerously out of his own bunk to gesture furiously at them to come over. They do, and Usopp almost falls out before a strong rubber arm pushes him back in. "I'm going to have the best dreams tonight, because I'm Usopp-sama the Lord of Dreams! Did I tell you about the time that I drove back the nightmare hounds of North Blue before they consumed another dozen, no, three dozen islands in their hunt to steal innocent peoples' sweet dreams?"
"Wow, really? That's amazing Usopp!" Chopper gasps and stares at his crewmate, wide-eyed. He never knew that about the sharpshooter. "How'd you defeat a nightmare?"
"Oh, it was nothing really, but with my genius powers of chemistry I whipped up a quick–" Usopp stops as Luffy ducks in and gives the sniper a quick smooch to the forehead, almost missing and landing in the man's ridiculously curly hair (he'd missed before, though, and then Usopp had yelled when Luffy got interested by the taste and started to nibble. Usopp had demanded that his hair was not for grazing and ouch, dammit, Luffy spit it out already!).
“Robin said we only get one story a night." Luffy explains, and Chopper nods vigorously as he remembers. "Besides, that'll chase away any bad dream a dog could make. Good night Usopp."
“Good night Luffy! Good night Chopper! I'll see you guys tonight for round two with the nightmare hounds." Usopp tells them with a serious look, and Chopper can't help but gulp slightly because nightmare hounds sound tough. Maybe he can ask them to not be so mean and stop fighting? Chopper hopes that Luffy's unique method of protecting the crew from bad dreams works especially well tonight.
As he was thinking, though, Luffy has already moved onto the next nakama, and it's Franky. The shipwright is still awake and is intently staring at one of his metal hands as he moves the fingers back and forth again and again. He looks over and grins at the two of them.
“Hey bros, I think it's time for a bit of a tune-up. My fingers are feeling just a tiny bit off after punching that sea king back into the water, think they need some recalibrating. Maybe some oil? I've have them doing just suuuper straight after breakfast tomorrow morning!"
"Maaaaaah," Luffy peers at the cyborg's hands, "I can't see nothing wrong with them. Chopper?" he asks with a glance down at his doctor.
The human-reindeer hybrid can't find anything that looks out of place either. "Sorry, Franky, I don't know anything about metal limbs, just flesh ones. They look fine to me."
"That's cool little bro, you're awesome enough with the flesh bits already!"
Luffy chuckles as Chopper wriggles and blushes and insults Franky and then gives his shipwright a peck that's half open-mouthed. Franky doesn't seem to mind, though, and smiles right back at them before turning his attention back to his now closed fist.
"Good night Franky." Luffy says and the cyborg bids them good night back as they move on, almost done.
As expected, Zoro is already fast asleep, much deeper than Brook was. Chopper hardly even noticed the swordsman's snores, so accustomed he is to them, and as they lean over the green-haired man Luffy covers his mouth with a finger like they could possibly accidentally startle Zoro awake. He moves his hand to rest on Zoro's chest when he gives Zoro his good night kiss on the forehead, however, his hand over the wicked scar bisecting the Santoryu user's torso. Chopper wonders if Luffy can feel his swordsman's heart beat under rubber fingers, a rhythm steady enough to set the clock in the kitchen by.
Though they both pause there for a second, Zoro doesn't wake up. Chopper imagines that perhaps his rumbling snores sound a tiny bit happier, however. What kind of good dreams would the green-haired weapons master even be having anyway? Something with...katana? Liquor? Slicing up a million zillion enemies while drinking some of the really good alcohol that Sanji always shouts at Zoro the loudest for taking? That's probably it. Wow, Zoro's dreams sound the coolest!
Chopper is shaken from his intent thoughts about the nature of his favorite swordsman's (sorry, Brook) night time imaginings when he is suddenly set down on one of the bunks. His bunk. The little doctor blinks up at Luffy and, after a quick mental count, realizes that they've been to everyone else.
The rubberman waits, rocking on his bare heels slightly, as Chopper pulls back the covers and arranges them around himself. He looks up at his captain, who is smiling down at his final nakama with such a perfectly content expression that Chopper has to smile back. He's part of the reason for that expression, and it makes something in Chopper's tiny chest ache.
Luffy is happy because all of his crew is here, safe and happy—even if tomorrow they might not be—and right now they're going to sleep and have very sweet dreams. Because who wouldn't have good dreams after being kissed good night by their very favorite, most beloved captain?
Chopper closes his eyes as Luffy moves in and smiles very widely as rough lips brush against the fur on his forehead. He giggles a little, so pleased he can't contain himself, and the lips break their pucker to join him as Luffy laughs softly against his doctor's little skull.
"Good night Chopper." Luffy murmurs, a smile caught in his voice like one might catch a brilliant star and cradle it to their heart.
"Good night Luffy." Chopper whispers. Then, with his eyes still closed, the youngest Strawhat pirate starts to fall asleep at last, wondering what kind of dream he'll have tonight while his nakama dream all around him.