Looking for balance

9. You should talk too...

Thanks to KumaZura for proof reading this chapter.

***

"Zoro, does your tummy hurt?"

The swordsman sleepily looked up at his captain who was waiting for his answer, leaning a few centimeters over his face. He straightened up, grumbling. He could forget his nap at the foot of the mast now. "No," He replied without trying to understand the incongruity of the question.

"It's weird. My stomach hurts sometimes," The dark-haired young man continued.

"You're hungry, Luffy," The fencer assured him, ready to go back to sleep.

"Yeah. But it's not that."

"How do you know?"

"It's not the same."

"Well, you may have caught a cold," The swordsman suggested without conviction.

"You think? I've never been sick before so maybe you're right!" Luffy exclaimed. He was delighted to explore this new adventure even though it was an illness.

"Dunno," His first mate said, shrugging, "If you just have a stomach ache, it'll pass..."

"No, I have other symptoms!" His captain cried out, overjoyed.

"Oh?" Zoro wondered.

"My hands are wet, my breathing speeds up on its own... I feel like I'm gonna plunge into a gigantic fight even if there are none, can you imagine?!"

Luffy was now laughing out loud and the swordsman straightened up, definitely worried. "It's not normal, Luffy, you should talk to Chopper."

"Really?" He asked, surprised by his seriousness. "I don't feel that bad, it's funny!"

"We never know with all the crap we can get on the Grand Line. Remember when Nami got sick after Little Garden, she almost died."

"Okay, I'll go see Chopper!" He promised with a big smile.

***

The straw hat boy kept his promise and gladly made his way to the sick bay a few moments later.

"What can I do for you, Luffy?" The little reindeer asked when he saw him pushing the door.

"Chopper, I'm sick!" He declared with a grin from ear to ear.

The doctor jumped out of his chair, panicked, and started running in every direction. Luffy was never sick, he had to see a doctor! Oh yes, he was the doctor here... "What symptoms do you have?" He asked, rushing by his side to listen to his chest.

"Well... I have a stomach ache. Hands get slippery. My breathing is going faster."

"Since when?"

"A few weeks," The captain remembered.

"A few weeks?! Why didn't you tell me earlier?!"

The reindeer moved frantically and rummaged in a drawer to pull out his stethoscope. "I will listen to your heart first."

"Okay."

There was silence for a few moments while the doctor was studying his patient from head to toe. "Everything looks fine," He said afterwards with relief, "Do you have a fever? A headache?"

"No."

"I'm going to draw some blood to be sure."

The captain nodded and let himself be stung before leaving so that Chopper could study his sample.

***

In the middle of the afternoon, the little reindeer called out to his captain as he was walking past the infirmary and let him into the room. Luffy had already forgotten why Chopper wanted to talk to him and he stared at him curiously.