#thepilotsfic

[flimflamfranky]

my gift to @werelichen for @op-secret-santa!! i can never a good frobin prompt so here's some art and a fic! i hope you enjoy and happy holidays!!

The moon rose high in the sky, bright and alluring. Robin stared up at it through the window, upside down in her view from her pillow. Around her, the crew (her crew) slumbered soundly, beds pressed tight together. Robin couldn’t help a fond smile as she sat up, seeing Luffy half-slumped out of the top bunk, arms stretching down onto Sanji, who was gently kicking Zoro in his sleep, Chopper squished between them, while Nami spread out like a starfish on her other side, hand curled around Robin’s own.

Robin should be asleep with them, but this wasn’t the first time sleep eluded her, nor would it be the last. A restless energy settled into her, begging for the crisp, moonlit night. And while she knew none of them would mind if she woke them up to keep her company, they deserved the rest.

She slipped out silently from the sheets, gently to not disturb her friends. Yet, the moment her feet hit the ground, there was a rustle, and Zoro’s head popped up, eyes barely open. “R’bin?”

“I’m just going for a walk,” she whispered to him. “I”ll be back soon, I promise.”

Zoro yawned and then nodded, like she said a fact instead of a reassurance. “A’right.” His head flopped back down, and shuffled around, turning to curl around Chopper and smacking Sanji in the face, who sneered at the hand in his sleep.

Robin breathed out a light laugh, careful not to wake anyone else, and then stepped out the door into the night.

She didn’t have a destination in mind, yet her feet lead her to one anyway. She stopped at the top of the stairs, and looked down onto the island of scrap. The skeleton of a keel and hull was starting to form by the shore, bare now but full of promise. She was too far up to make out more, but she could just see a hint of movement and the smallest flash of blue, still hard at work.

She smiled to herself. Oh course.

She headed down into the flattened junk, keeping her eyes down and using her powers to guide her, until she could follow the sound of metal scraping on wood. It grew louder and louder as she picked her way past the sleeping bodies of the shipwrights and dismantlers. She rounded one last towering pile of wood, and finally set eyes on him properly.

Franky was working on a large hunk of wood, a circular shape starting to take form from the rough edges. Shavings littered his feet as he bent over, smoothing the wood down with even, practiced strokes. His stance was firm, his movements confident, completely in his element.

Robin paused for a moment to admire him. There was a lightness to him that hadn’t been there before, and she thought it suited him wonderfully. A smile stole across her face. It was almost startling how fond she had become of him in such a short time but she couldn’t imagine it any other way. She almost felt like she could spend the rest of the night just watching him, but his company would be much preferred, so she stepped forward.

“Franky,” she called out, as she approached.

Franky startled, the scrapper tumbling from his hands as he whipped around, valiantly trying to hide his work. “Nico Robin! What are you doing here?”

She covered her eyes with her hand. “I’m not looking,” she said, a smile in her voice.

There was a moment’s pause, and then Franky sighed in defeat. “Nah, it’s alright. Not much to look at right now.” Robin uncovered her eyes in time to see him wag a finger at her. “But don’t you go snooping! I want it to be a surprise for everyone.”

“I won’t,” she promised, coming to a stop near him. She bloomed a hand out of the wood, and handed the fallen tool back to Franky. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” Franky took the tool, but then set it down, giving her curious look. “What are you doing here?” He looked up at the moon like he was surprised it wasn’t the sun. “It’s late!”

“I couldn’t sleep,” she said. “I suppose I was looking for some company.”

“Aw, with me?” Franky chuckled, fiddling with the scrapper. “Did you miss me that much?”

Robin considered it. “Hmm. I suppose I did.”

Franky blinked, surprised at her genuine admission, then turned back to the wood, looking pleased. “Well, I’ll always welcome your company, Nico Robin.”

She crossed her hands, and brought over an unused stool for herself to sit on, settling a few feet away. Franky returned to his work, catching the tool on the wood and gliding it across its surface.

It was soothing, watching him. The repetitive rasp of metal cutting wood, the even wood shavings peeling up and falling gently to the ground. The crash of waves on the shore, the soft wind whistling through the abandoned ships. The movement of Franky’s arm, back and forth. It eased the restlessness inside her, bit by bit.

After a moment, Franky glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “So…how are you doing?”

That was a question Robin had become quite familiar with the past couple of days. One she still had trouble answering. Her crew had done so much for her - she owed it to them to be honest. But, at the same time, she didn’t want to worry them any further. But with Franky…it was different. He had been a steady rock during the worst day of her life.

“A little overwhelmed,” she admitted, drawing her knees closer. “So much has changed so quickly, I still don’t think it’s sunk in yet. But…” She looked up, towards the city, towards the Galley-La Company where her crew rested, safe and secure and hers. “I’m happier then I think I’ve ever been.”

Franky straightened slightly, glancing over at her as he brushed wood dust from his shoulders. “Well, that sounds like a good problem to have.”

She smiled, resting her check against her hand. “I suppose it is.”

Franky glanced at her again, looking almost…hesitant. Which seemed at odds with his brash, confident persona. She met his eyes, and raised an eyebrow. “Yes?”

Franky hesitated for another moment, and then asked, “What were they like? Those scholars of yours.”

That was a question Robin had not been expecting. She opened her mouth, then closed it, as she thought back, wondering where to even begin, when Franky waved his hand through the air.

“Never mind, actually, forget about it.” He cleared his throat, looking away from her. “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories, so just-”

“No! No,” Robin cut him off. “It’s aright. It’s just…been a long time since I’ve really talked about them with anyone, outside of yesterday. And, well.” She paused, and then sighed. “It’s been a while since I’ve thought about them in any context other than tragedy.”

Franky nodded, his eyes soft, tender. Understanding. He stayed silent, and Robin took a moment to look out at the ocean, the waves almost black and white under the moon, collecting herself before starting to speak.

“They were like a family to me. With my mother gone and my aunt, well. They were the only family I really had. They treated me like one of their own. They were such a caring, eccentric bunch.” She let out a soft laugh.

“Professor Clover always called them crazy old kooks when they acted up, even though he was probably the oldest, craziest kook of them all. He would make me tea with honey in between lessons and tell me about his adventures as an explorer. He saw so many wondrous things, made so many grand discoveries, and got in trouble with the Marines more times than he could count.”

“I’d bet he'd be pretty damn proud of you, then.”

“I think he would be, too. Rint would always tease him about being more of a pirate than explorer, but I don’t think he would have minded that. Not that Rint was much better. She never talked about it, but I’m pretty sure she was a pirate, when she was younger. Nothing seemed to phase her. She could drink everyone under the table and still win at poker.”

Franky glanced back into the scrapyard with an amused snort. “Heh, sounds like someone I know.”

“She would’ve liked you. She always had a taste for the wilder things. Oh, and Busshiri, you would’ve liked him. He was the carpenter of the scholars. Not a shipwright, but he knew his way around wood.”

“Sounds like my kinda guy.”

Robin nodded. “He always wore these shirts that would say bomb, boom, any explosive word you could think of. I asked him why once, and he said that he wore destruction to remember how to create. I think he made it up on the spot, though.”

Franky gasped, faux offended. “Dismissing his wise words like that! Nico Robin, you wound me, to let such a man go unappreciated in his time!”

Robin giggled at his teasing. “Roche said something like that at the time too. He was always teasing me when I got too serious. I thought it was so annoying at the time, but looking back, I think he just wanted me to enjoy being a kid. They all tried so hard to look after me…”

A surge of emotions swept through her, harsh and overwhelming, that familiar, complicated mix of grief and anger and hopelessness that plagued her for so long. She curled inward, instinctively. She forgot herself, and was that scared little girl again, forced to face the world alone, alone, alone-

“Nico Robin?”

And she was back here again, on the shore of the scrap island, the ocean heavy in the air, breathing uneven, body shivering. Franky hovered over her, hands outreached but not touching, face so openly worried, and something inside her loosened.

“Are you okay?” He asked, voice low and soft. His hand hovered closer and she leaned in, resting herself against his palm, arms looped around his wrist in the semblance of a hug.

“I’m fine,” she mumbled without thinking, so used to ignoring her hurt. Franky leveled her an unconvinced look, and Robin paused. Was she fine? Her body still shuddered slightly, but the emotions had dulled, softened, and there was a…lightness. Relief. Grief tempered by nostalgia and joy, by the reminder that she was no longer alone.

“I think I’m better than fine, actually,” she said, a smile blooming across her face. She squeezed Franky’s hand. “Thank you.”

Franky relaxed, and though she didn’t want to, she let his hand fall away, and he stepped back to lean back against the uncarved wood. She did follow him though, moving to stand next to him, crossing her arms to rest against the wood.

“You scared me there, Nico Robin,” he said, half serious, half teasing. “I get it, though. The past can be complicated.”

She tilted her head in a silent question. Franky shrugged, and then looked away, almost bashful.

“Me ‘n Iceburg…we used to be close. We fought almost all the time, but he was like a brother, ya know? And then I went and messed it all up. But when I came back, Iceburg, he was…still so mad but he missed me. He was happy to see me again, despite it all.”

Franky paused, looking back towards the partial built hull. “I’ve got a lot of good memories from back then. And they’re still good, but…they hurt now. And doin’ this now, like back then, with him…” He trailed off.

“You used to be a shipwright,” she said. That had been obvious but she can see the complicated emotions mixed up in it now - the grief and anger and almost hatred of something you still love and need so much.

“Not anymore,” Franky said, a touch defensively. “This is an exception.”

“...it suits you.”

Franky didn’t meet her gaze, eyes fixed past the shore of the small island. “Doesn’t matter. This’ll be the last one.”

She recognized what the lightness she had seen earlier was - he was happy, building ships. And that happiness scared him, like he didn’t deserve to feel it at all. That made a protective indignation rise up in her, a fierce desire to protect that precious happiness of his.

She realized that's what Luffy and the others had felt, standing on that government building, flag burning above them.

“You should come with us.”

Franky startled, whipping around to stare at her with wide eyes. “What?

Robin was startled herself. She hadn’t meant to say that aloud, but she had meant it. “Luffy is planning on asking you. To be our shipwright, that is.”

She saw it again - that mix of grief and longing and joy. He wanted that - wanted to say yes, to join them, to live his dream.

But still, he turned away. “I-I can’t,” he said, voice raw. “I owe this place too much.”

Robin felt that sharp protectiveness again, to take him anyway and make him hers, part of her crew, but she tucked that away for now.

Franky glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head, “It’s your choice.”

Silence stretched between them, heavy longing and regret, but she savored it anyway. Part of her wanted to make it last forever, but her crew pulled her back just as strong. She couldn’t stay.

“If this is goodbye, then,” she started, turning toward Franky, leaning a bit forward to look up him through her lashes. “May I have a kiss to remember you by?”

Franky softened, expression incredibly fond, and he reached out, wrapping his hand around her waist and pulling her close. “For you, Nico Robin, of course.”

She smiled, and rose up on her toes, hand resting on his chest, his head dipping down until their lips met. It was soft and tender, passion nipping at the edges. The waves crashed behind them, matching their push and pull. He fit against her so perfectly, and she could imagine how perfectly he’d fit into her family too.

But that was a desire that would have to wait. She relaxed back onto her heels, pulling away just slightly, still close. She looked up at Franky, meeting his fond gaze, sad and sweet. Her hand lingered on his chest, machinery thrumming warm under her fingertips before finally pulling away, already chilled again by the night.

“I’m glad I got to know you, Nico Robin,” he said, his voice a low rumble.

“Me too, Franky,” she said. She couldn’t bring herself to say good-bye, so she ran her hand down his arm one final time, then stepped out of his embrace and walked back into the night.

~

As she slipped back into bed, next to Chopper and Zoro this time, arms wrapped around her and Luffy slipped down to snuggled into her side, still half-asleep. She ran her fingers through his hair, at his relaxed, open face, and decided she deserved to be selfish. She bent over to whisper to him.

“Franky looked so happy, building our ship.”

Luffy grinned, and she slipped her hand down to thumb at his dimples, just under his scar. “Good.”

“You won’t take no for an answer.” It was more a statement than question, because she already knew what he would say, but Luffy still huffed a laugh.

“Nope!”

Robin grinned. “Good. Now go back to sleep.”

Luffy dozed off again almost instantly. Robin settled down, wrapping her arms around him, safe and warm amongst her crew, and she slept.

[flimflamfranky]

LOVED your secret Santa frobin fic. Do you have any other writing?

aw thank you <3 and yeah! you can check out the thepilotsfic tag on my blog, it has pretty much all my writing!

i'm also on ao3 under PilotStudios! not all of my work is there (yet, i will get around to crossposting eventually), but what's there is a little more edited/polished.

i'd recommend an in-between thing (au where franky is a klabautermann spirit) and exploding bottles (franky and iceburg reconciling and hugging)

[flimflamfranky]

on trust and ships

“You’re a strange one, Franky.” Franky grinned, lifting up his sunglasses, as Jinbe approached the railing he was leaning against. “I get that a lot.” “And I mean it warmly,” Jinbe clarified, as he joined the other. “Your...unique tastes are to be admired.” “Well, shucks, you flatter me,” Franky said, preening. “But, ah...” Jinbe paused, unsure how to continue. He wasn’t worried about offending the cyborg, but it was something...difficult to explain. “There’s something different about you. Different from the others.” “You mean, besides the obvious?” Franky asked, flexing his mechanical muscles. “Yes, besides the obvious,” Jinbe said with a chuckle. “It’s hard to explain, I’m afraid.” Franky tilted his head, looking at Jinbe patiently. “It’s...hm.” Jinbe rapped his knuckles in the rail, looking out to the sea, trying to get his thoughts in order. “You feel familiar to me. Not in the sense that’s we met before but...it’s the same feeling I get whenever I return to the sea.” He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “Again, it’s hard to explain.” “No, I get it,” Franky said. He looked out over the sea with a sly grin. “I was wondering if you would notice.” Jinbe blinked, surprised. “Ah, so, there is something?” Franky leaned further against the rail, with an almost coy look. “Have you ever heard of the klabautermann?” “Ah, yes, the spirits of ships. I’m familiar.” Jinbe cocked his head, a number of things falling into place. “So, you are..?” “I was,” Franky confirmed. “It was a long time ago. But some things...still linger.” “Like a connection to the sea? Like us fishmen have?” Franky nodded. “And to ships, too.” He patted the rail fondly. “Ah, so the Sunny is your ship, in that sense?” “Yeah,” Franky said. He looked back to Jinbe, and winked. “So, be good to her, yeah?” Jinbe nodded, almost absently, as he thought. If Franky was a ship spirit, and the Sunny was his ship... The full gravity of what he was being entrusted with pressed upon him all at once, and he straightened sharply, looking at Franky with surprise. Was he really willing...? Jinbe clasped his hands together and bowed, as he felt the situation demand. “I will treat her with all of the care she deserves and more. I will be a helmsman you can depend on no matter what, I swear.” Franky laughed, looking pleased. “Hey, there’s no need to be that serious! I trust you.” Jinbe felt a warmth surge through him. Franky trusted him. Trusted him to helm an extension of Franky’s self, to sail her to her end and fulfill his dream, to keep her safe on the dangerous see. It was a lot, encompassed in those three simple words, and it was humbling, for Jinbe to realize the extent of Franky’s trust. He nodded, almost at a lost for words. “Ah, well, thank you. I will...ensure your trust is not misplaced.” Franky grinned, and clapped Jinbe on the shoulder. “I know you will, helmsman!” And with that, he left, off to go entertain the boys, no doubt. Jinbe stayed by the railing, reflecting on what had passed, and maybe, selfishly, feeling a little bit proud of the trust he had received.

[flimflamfranky]

There are gaps in his memory.

They don’t usually bother him too much, but then, sometimes, Kokoro brings up a time when and he can only stare at her blankly as she tries to jog his memory. It’s during those moments, when Kokoro looks at him with those pitying eyes, that he feels the weight of his missing memories most.

It makes sense. He got hit hard, by the train, it’s only natural that his brain got mixed up, battering around in his skull. He’s just glad he’s not missing more. He still remembers Water 7. He still remembers how to build ships. He still remembers Mr. Tom.

He doesn’t remember getting hit by the train, or the days (weeks?) after. He doesn’t really remember entire week before it, either. It’s foggy and hazy - he only remembers bit, flashes, feelings more than anything concrete.

He doesn’t remember Mr. Tom’s last words.

Kokoro recounts everything for him, when he tells her that. Despite her drinking, her memory is sharp and detailed. She tells him about the attack (he remembers his ships, being used to hurt) and she tells him about the trial (he remembers a punch, maybe two) and she fills in all the missing details that had been washed away.

She tells him, word for word, what Tom had said to him, and Franky commits them to memory, and feels terrible for ever had forgotten.

Sometimes he sits in the warehouse under the bridge, surrounded by memories, and he feels out of place. Like a stranger in his own home. It’s weird, because he still remembers it. He remembers his time here, more or less. But looking around and seeing it in disrepair, looking unfamiliar against his memories, makes him worry about the things he might be missing.

What memories has he lost? What treasure moments will he never get back?

He doesn’t know.

And he hates worrying. There’s nothing he can about it. Even listening to Kokoro will only get him an abridged version, a second-hand account that can never be his. He’s just going to have to make his peace with that.

And so he boards up the home of Tom’s Workers, and mourns everything that he has lost.

Day 30 - Memory Loss

[flimflamfranky]

franky and luffy - strength

“Hey, who- whoa, Captain-bro, what’s wrong?”

Luffy sniffed, and furiously scrubbed his face. He wasn’t crying, yet, but he was close - eyes red-rimmed and watery - and it was enough to make Franky’s heart clench.

“It’s nothing, I’m fine-” Luffy’s voice cracked, and he made a frustrated, wobbly noise. “Gah, I hate crying! I hate being weak!”

“Woah, hey,” Franky said, trying to cram himself into the small space Luffy had hidden away in. He didn’t fit nearly as well as the rubber boy, and he had to contort into an odd shape, but he made it work.

And it did get a watery chuckle our of Luffy. “You look funny.”

“Thanks,” Franky said, grateful that he couldn’t get cricks in his neck anymore. “But what’s this about being weak? You’re the strongest person I know!”

But Luffy was already shaking his head, pouting down at his hands. “But I’m not strong enough. I need to be able to protect you guys better.”

“We don’t need protecting. We’re the crew of the future Pirate King, remember?”

Luffy didn’t look convinced, and Franky sighed. This was a problem that was going to take more than a few nice words in a dark hide-away to fix. But there was another problem he could help with.

“Besides,” Franky continued. “Crying doesn’t make you weak. I mean, I cry all the time, bro. And you don’t think I’m weak, right?”

“Course not!” Luffy said, indignant. But then he frowned, frustrated. “But this is different.”

“It’s really not,” Franky said. “Cuz I used to be the same way.”

Luffy looked up at him. “Eh? Really?”

“It’s true. I used to think crying made me weak. Made me less of a man. So, I never did it, I just shoved it down and replaced it with anger, and that seemed to work, for a while.”

Luffy nodded, looking lost in thought.

“But,” Franky continued. “It just made it hurt worse, keeping it all bottled in like that. It didn’t make me strong - it just make me weaker. You see what I’m saying?” Franky looked down, meeting Luffy’s wide eyes. “It takes a lot of strength, to cry.”

Franky paused to give Luffy’s shoulder a nudge. “So, let it out, bro. You’ll be stronger for it, I promise.”

Luffy’s face wobbled, and then, finally, he collapsed into tears. Franky reached out, as best as he could, and pulled him closed, letting the boy sob into his shirt. And he just held his captain, and let Luffy cry as long as he needed.

[flimflamfranky]

Day 28 - Accidents

There’s an accident and Usopp gets hurt

(warnings: descriptions of a panic attack)

~

Franky sat in the small plastic chair in the infirmary. It was meant for someone much smaller than him, but he sat in it anyway, cramped and uncomfortable. His hand clenched and unclenched in his lap, digging into his palm, but he tried to keep it unnoticeable. This wasn’t about him, after all. “I’m fine, really!” Usopp said, sitting on the medical bed. “It looks worse than it is.”

“It is as worse as it looks!” Chopper snapped, carefully wrapping Usopp’s arm in bandages, over a thick layer of healing goo. “Burns are serious! If this gets infected, it could get really bad!” There had been accident. Franky had been showing Usopp his latest weapon, taking it apart to teach him how it worked, when something slipped, something jammed, and the whole thing exploded. He had come out unscathed, of course. Metal hands and all that. Usopp, though, hadn’t been as lucky. And now they were here, in the infirmary, with Chopper. Franky had rushed over here in a panic that he could barely remember. The adrenaline was still working through his system, leaving him shaky and wound up. And Franky was staying, because Usopp wanted him to. Holding Usopp’s hand, as gently as possible, because Usopp wanted him too. Talking and distracting Usopp, because Usopp wanted him to. Usopp wasn’t holding anything against him. It had been an accident, after all. But Franky just couldn’t agree with that. The door opened, just a crack, and Robin peeked her head in. “How’s it going?” “Going good!” Usopp replied, smiling as bright as always. “Really, there’s nothing to worry about.” “Stop understating it, you idiot!” Chopper snapped. “Why can’t you guys take any injury seriously!?” Usopp laughed. “Okay, okay, it stings like hell. But Chopper’s got me covered. The cream he used worked wonders!” Chopper continued to scowl, but a blush spread across his cheeks and he wiggled. “That doesn’t make me happy, you jerk.” “Ah, is that what you made from that plant we found at the last island?” Robin asked, peering over Chopper’s shoulder. Franky’s hand began to tremble, and he pressed it into his thigh. “It is!” Chopper said, eyes shining. “It relieves pain and promotes skin repair, so it’s good for burns. Though, I wasn’t expecting to use it so soon.” Franky could feel his heart pounding, loud and fast. He felt hyper-aware of himself and yet detached at the same time, and he struggled to keep himself grounded. “Yeah, sorry,” Usopp said, sheepishly. “Such is the risk of inventing. I’ll wear longer sleeves next time.” Franky couldn’t breath right - his throat felt too tight. He tried to keep his breathing measured and even, but he felt like he was losing control of his body. He had to keep it together. He had to. “Franky?” Franky nearly jumped, but he clamped it down. Robin was looking up at him. “You’re being unusually quiet. Are you alright?” “Uh, y-yeah-“ Franky’s voice wavered, and he quickly swallowed it down and cleared his throat. “I’m fine.” “Are you sure?” Usopp asked, gently squeezing his hand. “You look tense.” What was Usopp doing, asking him a question like that? Usopp was the one who got hurt. He should be focusing on himself, not worrying about Franky. Because all it did was make him feel worse. Franky swallowed again, thickly, and forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m sure. You don’t need to worry about me.” Chopper looked up as he began taping Usopp’s bandages down. “I’m almost done, so I can take a look-“ “No!” Franky snapped, and then he flinched at his own volume. “No, really, I’m fine-!” Robin straightened up and stared at him, with those sharp, discerning eyes of hers. It was times like these that he remembered that she used to be an assassin, with a talent for reading people like books, and he tried his best to appear like his usual self. A full body tremor wracked his body. Shit. “Franky,” Robin said. “I think you’re having a panic attack.” Franky blinked at her. “What.” Usopp looked up, concerned. “What?” Chopper looked up, incensed. “What!?” “I-I’m- I’m-!” Franky gritted his teeth, and said, in a measured tone and definitely not a wheeze, “I’m fine, really.” Robin hummed, clearly not convinced, and she held our her hand. Franky took it, instinctively, and she tugged him out of his seat. “I’ll take this one,” Robin said to the boys, and began leading him out. Franky let her, knowing that this was a losing battle, both against her and himself. And soon as they cleared the infirmary and Usopp and Chopper’s concerned looks, Franky’s tenuous control slipped, and he broke. It was much worse than it was before. His body shook violently, and it felt like he couldn’t breathe. His heart pounded in his ears. He couldn’t focus on what was happening. It felt like he was dying. When Robin finally lead him to another (empty) room, he had to grab onto the door frame. “Okay,” He wheezed out. “You might be right.” “Of course I’m right,” Robin said, still holding his hand. “Now, come sit down and breath with me.” He sat across from her, hands clasped together, and he focused on that, letting it ground him. He followed her instructions, taking deep, measure breaths, taking stock on his surroundings and his feelings, until the shaking subsided and heart stopped pounding and he felt a little bit more like himself again. “Better?” Robin asked. Now that he wasn’t falling apart, he could see the concern on her face. “Yeah,” He sighed out. He felt exhausted now. “Sorry.” “There’s no need to apologize.” “No, no,” Franky said. “I should’ve-“ He sighed again, and he scrubbed at his face. “I should’ve been more honest earlier, instead’a trying to hide it.” Robin patted his knee and smiled at him. “I’ll let it slide this time. You weren’t thinking rationally, after all.” She cocked her head. “What brought it on? If you’re willing to share.” “Usopp got hurt. It was my fault.” He grimaced and shook his head. “No, no, it was an accident. But still. I should’a been more careful.” “Ah,” Robin said. Of all of them, she would understand best. “You feel guilty.” Franky leaned back, bracing himself on his arms. “Yeah, I do.” Robin stood up and sat beside him. “Has something like this happened before?” “In a way, yeah,” Franky said. Different circumstances, but same feeling. “But last time...it got someone close to me killed.” Robin paced her hands on his arm. “I’m sorry to hear that.” “It was a long time ago,” Franky said. “It still hurts, but it doesn’t bother me as much, anymore. I guess this just...reminded me of that.” “Trauma has a way of lurking like that, I’ve noticed,” Robin said. She squeezed his arm. “I know I can’t do anything to make that go away, but promise me you’ll be more open next time? I don’t want you to suffer alone.” Franky huffed out a laugh. “Will do, ma’am.” He held out his hand for his shake. “Shipwright’s honor.” “I don’t think that a thing,” Robin said, but she took his hand anyway. And then she stood up, bringing him up with her. “You should get some rest.” “Yeah, yeah,” Franky said, stretching. “Lemme just check in on Usopp and Chopper. They’re probably still worried.” He headed toward the door, but then turned back to look at her over his shoulder, fluttering his lashes. “And then, you could join me?” “I’ll think about it,” Robin said, and then laughed at his dejected look. “Of course I will. As long as you actually get some rest.” Franky grinned back. “I always sleep better next to you.” Hands sprouted from the floor and began pushing him out. “Get going, you flirt,” Robin said, with barely suppressed grin. “I’ll be waiting.” Franky let himself be pushed out of the room, still grinning as he meandered back down to the infirmary. He did feel better, despite the lingering symptoms. Because last time, he’d been alone. He had to deal with what happened on his own. But now, he had a family, people that he looked out for, and who looked out for him in turn. Who would see him struggling, and would help him let go. It was a hell of a thing. And it made it easier, to deal with the guilt and the hurt. They couldn’t deal with it entirely, but it made it easier. This guilt wouldn’t go away quite yet, but he knew it would. And that made it all the easier to let it go.

[flimflamfranky]

Day 9 - Sacrifice

Summary: Franky and Robin talking about sacrifice, and living anyway. Post Enies Lobby.

~

Franky should be celebrating.

They had made it, all of the them. The Straw Hats, the Galley-La foremen, his family - they went against the World Government, and they won, and they all, every last one of them, had made it out alive.

Himself included.

He should be happy. Hell, he should be fucking ecstatic! Everyone else was - even the Straw Hats were in bright spirits, even though they just said a tear-jerking good-bye to their ship (not that he had been crying). They certainly deserved to celebrate - they had done what Franky had thought was impossible.

And he had been right there with them. He had done the impossible too. So, why the hell was he feeling so un-super?

He hated it. And he hated introspection more (too much of a coward to see what he might find), so he did what he did best - he found some other problem to fix.

And there was one person who could use a little more fixin’.

“Nico Robin,” Franky greeted, as he joined her against the rail. She had been looking over the prow of the ship, staring out at the ocean. The rest of the Straw Hats were clustered nearby, no doubt keeping a close eye on her, but far enough to give them some privacy.

“Ah, hello,” Robin said in return, with a faint smile. “I’m surprised to see you over here. Shouldn’t you be with your family?”

Franky nearly winced at that - it hadn’t been accusing, but he still felt a pang of guilt. He should be with his family, they had come all this way for him, risking their lives for him, and yet...

He didn’t want to examine that too closely. Instead, he shrugged, as casually as he could. “Aw, they can handle a few minutes without me. I just wanted to see how you were holdin’ up.”

“Ah,” Robin said, looking back out to sea. “I’m doing alright. Not quite good, yet, but I think I’ll get there.” She leaned out more, elbows digging into the wood. Franky watched the worn wood splinter slightly, but it didn’t catch in her skin. “It’s a little weird, I’ll be honest.”

“Heh, I know what you mean,” Franky said, without thinking.

Robin’s head instantly snapped around, pining him with her sharp eyes. “Oh?”

Franky shrank back. “Er, don’t read too much into that.”

Robin narrowed her eyes, studying him. “Hm. I haven’t had the chance to ask yet, but are you alright?”

“Hey, no,” Franky said pointing his finger at her. “I came over to comfort you, not the other way around.”

Robin raised an eyebrow at him, nonplussed.

“Listen,” Franky said, feeling the need to explain himself. “You’ve been through a lot today. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“You’ve been through a lot today too,” Robin pointed out.

“Yeah, but-”

“You were captured, same as me,” Robin continued. “And you had a history with Spandam, and those blueprints. You were hurt. You thought no one was coming for you. And you were willing to give your life to save us. You were in the same position as I was. Don’t you deserve comfort too?”

“It’s not-” Franky spluttered, trying and failing to think of a lie besides the resounding no his heart was telling him. "It’s just different,” he finally mumbled, shoulders hiked up to his ears.

Robin stared at him for a moment, brow creased, before she finally looked away, turning back to the horizon. “Alright. I won’t press.”

Silence stretched between them. Franky gazed down at the sea as it splashed against the boat. He considered leaving - he didn’t feel like he was helping much here - but he didn’t really want to leave. He didn’t want to face those un-super feelings. And, maybe a little selfishly, he didn’t want to leave Robin’s side.

He was busy trying to categorize the different shades of blues in the water in an effort to distract himself, when Robin spoke up.

“May I tell you something?”

“Yeah, anything.”

“I really was ready to sacrifice myself for them,” She said. “I wasn’t sure what was going to happen to me, just that my life would be over. Maybe not death, but close enough. I didn’t have a plan beyond that. I didn’t think about what I would do if I lived anyway. Does that sound familiar?”

Franky didn’t say anything. He kept his gaze fixed on the rolling sea, fingers digging into the wood rail.

“And it’s...a little overwhelming, now. Thinking about the future,” Robin said. “All those feelings from before, all that guilt and trauma...they’re still there. I have to figure out how to live with that, now. And it’s going to be hard, I know. But...” She looked over at the Straw Hats, and her eyes softened. “I have friends to make it easier.”

She gave his arm a light pat. “Just something to consider.”

And then, she turned away and joined the Straw Hats. They roped her in immediately, cheering and laughing, loud and bright, and she let herself be dragged into their lively celebration. He watched Robin lean over and say something to Luffy, and Luffy swung around towards him.

“Franky!!” Luffy yelled, waving his arms wildly. “Come join us!! Oh, and bring those other weird guys too!! Let’s have a party!!!”

Franky blinked, and then smiled, and waved back. “Sure thing, bro!”

He could think about what Robin said later. But right now, he was gonna do what he did best, and show the Straw Hats’ the best partying they’ve ever seen.

[flimflamfranky]

Zoro and Killer with the topic being either “ first mate” or “ stabbing people”.

“Roronoa, you can’t just stab people.” From the other side of the table, in disguise, Roronoa shrugged. “Why not?” He said. “We’re swordsmen. That’s what we do.” “Well, yes,” Killer said, fiddling with his mask. It was different than his usual one, and it felt weird. “But you can’t solve every problem with stabbing.” Roronoa sniffed, casually looking over the town square. “Sounds like you’re not stabbing hard enough.” “I don’t think that’s how that works.” “Sure it is,” Roronoa said, grinning. “Either stabbing solves the problem, or it creates a new problem. Either way, the original problem is solved.” Killer had a lot of experience with reckless and unruly people who tended to act first and think later (Kidd), and he was prepared for that, with the Straw Hat Pirates. Luffy had a reputation for a reason. But he was hoping there would be a few reasonable heads on the crew. He was beginning to lose that hope. Killer dropped his head into his hands. “How are you the first mate,” He bemoaned, more to himself than anything. “I’m not, technically,” Roronoa said. “I’m just the swordsman.” ‘Just the swordsman’ seemed far to casual to convey the role Roronoa played on that ship, even from Killer’s limited experience, but he was not about to argue the semantics on inter-crew roles with a man who considered stabbing a solution that could solve any problem. There was silence for a moment. Killer tried to focus on their job, and kept a sharp eye about the square. “Actually,” Roronoa spoke up. “There are some things stabbing can’t solve.” Killer perked up. Finally, he thought, some reason? “Sometimes,” Roronoa continued. “You have to slice.” Killer buried his head in his hands with a groan. At the same time, In the distance, there was an explosion. Killer didn’t even look up. “Do I wanna know what that was?” Roronoa laughed. “Luffy, if I had to guess.” Killer heard him stand up, swords clinking by his side. “Come on, let’s go join the fun.” Killer sighed, and stood up as well. He should’ve know that things weren’t gonna go to plan with this crew in the mix. He should’ve listen to Law.

[flimflamfranky]

Day 24 - Sensory Deprivation

After a fight, Franky loses his sight.

~

Zoro sat on the deck of the Sunny, arm held out so that Chopper could fuss over his injuries, and he breathed. In, out. Focused on the grass beneath him, and the mummer of conservation around him. Post-battle was always a weird time. With the adrenaline fading, leaving shaky limbs and sore muscles, and the exhaustion hitting hard. Zoro always found it a good time to mediate - to take stock of himself and his abilities, and to reflect on what he did and figure out how to be better. This last battle hadn’t been so bad - their swordsman, some stuck-up guy who focused too much flashy tricks, hadn’t been much a challenge. No, their enemies had been more annoying than anything. One of them had a devil that let her shrink, and she had gone around, making a real nuisance of herself, messing with them in the fights and striking at random. But even she had been easy to handle, once they figured her out. She had been responsible for most of the injuries, though. Mostly minors one, thankfully, that just needed a quick disinfection and a patch. Which was why they were all gathered on the deck for Chopper to treat them - they wouldn’t all fit in the infirmary, and none of their injuries really needed them to be there. Only he and Franky had been really battered. Zoro had taken a shot to the arm, thanks to Tiny’s interference. And Franky had been grabbed by some big guy and used as a bludgeon. Thankfully, the guy had terrible aim, and even worse endurance, and Franky didn’t seem too worse for wear.

All in all, it had been kind of a boring fight. Zoro was annoyed that he’d gotten hit at all. But there was no use regretting it now, so instead, he cast his eyes around the crew, watchful as ever.

Luffy was chatting a mile a minute to Sanji, wound up as ever, as the shit-cook struggled to apply bandages to their captain’s small cuts. Robin was sitting next to Chopper and reading, occasionally passing around bandages and wipes, and Jinbe sat next to her, mediating as well. Brook was leaning against Jinbe’s back, playing a soft, soothing melody. And Nami was leaning against Franky, drifting off, as he and Usopp chatted, tools scattered around them, repairs temporarily forgotten. And that was when he saw Franky freeze. Zoro straightened up immediately, getting a squeak of confusion from Chopper. Franky had cut off mid-sentence, mouth snapping shut and going stiff as a board. He was blinking now, brow furrowing, and he looked around, but his eyes didn’t catch on anything. Almost like...almost like he couldn’t see anything.

Something was very wrong.

Usopp, looking just as baffled as Zoro felt, waved a hand in front of Franky. “Uh, Franky? Hey, man, are you okay?” That attracted everyone else’s attention, a sudden and tense silence falling - especially when Franky didn’t respond.  Nami sat up, looking equally concerned. “Franky?” Franky looked down at the deck, eyes wide. “Uh, guys?” He finally said. “Not to freak you guys out or anythin’ but I can’t see.” They freaked out. Chopper rushed over immediately, babbling question after question in a panic. Luffy nearly did too, by launching himself at Franky, but Sanji restrained him at the last second. “Also,” Franky continued, despite the noise. “I can’t hear anythin’ either, so if you’re talking-“ The rest of his sentence was drowned out by them all scrambling to be around him, trying too see if he was okay. Chopper tugged at his ears, breathing fast. “Oh no, what do we do?! I’m a doctor, not an mechanic!!” “Wait!” Usopp said. “He knows morse code!” He reached forward and tapped Franky’s knuckle. Franky flinched, but he gave a breathy chuckle, and flipped his hand over to grab Usopp’s. “Oh, hey,” He said, relief plain in his voice. “Yeah, I can feel that. That you, Usopp?” Zoro watched as Usopp began tapping out a code on the palm of Franky’s behind. Next to him, Luffy stretched his neck out to look. “Usopp,” he whined, face drawn into a worried pout. “What are you saying?” “Yeah, what are you saying?” Chopper parroted, peaking over Franky’s finger to see. “I’m just asking if he’s okay, hold on,” Usopp said, brow burrowed in concentration as he finished his question. As he did, Franky nodded along. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine, aside from the, er, obvious. I’m not in pain, or anything. Wait, shit, you guys can hear me, right?” “Yeah,” Usopp said aloud as he tapped out a new message. “What’s wrong?” Franky let out a frustrated sigh. “That big bastard must’ve knocked something loose when he was tossing me around. At least it only seems to be affectin’ my sight and hearing.” “But it’s fixable, right?” Chopper asked, looking up a Franky. Usopp translated what he said. “Yea, it’s fixable,” Franky said. He frowned, serious. “But...it’s gonna be delicate work. And I won’t be able to do it like this.” Luffy turned to Usopp. “You can help, right, Usopp?” Usopp bit his lip, looking stressed. “I mean, Franky’s been teaching me a few things but-!” Usopp shook his head, cutting himself off. “No, no, I can do this. If he needs me too, I can help.” “Franky’s been teaching me a few things too,” Nami said from Franky’s other side. “A second pair of eyes couldn’t hurt. I’ll help.” “I can help too!” Chopper said. “I don’t know much about machines, but he’s still human. I might be able to figure where the broken part is.” Usopp nodded, looking a little more confident. “Okay, okay, yeah, we can do this.” He began telling that all to Franky, in firm, measured, taps. He didn’t even finished before Franky began to relax. “Yeah, that sounds like a plan,” Franky said. “I can guide you guys through it.” And then, he grinned, relieved. “Thanks, guys. I wouldn’t be able to do this without you. Literally.” As they continued to talk, Zoro stepped back, grinning to himself, and began fiddling with his bandages. Sanji shot him a look. “What’re you grinning for?” Zoro shrugged. “They’ve got this. I’m not worried.” Not anymore was implied, but Zoro knew Sanji would pick up on it. Sanji huffed, and then light up a new cigarette, as the tension bled away and the loud chatter resume. He watched as the others began helping Franky to his workshop. “Yeah,” he said, with a fond grin. “I’m not worried either.”

[flimflamfranky]

Whumptober2020 Masterpost

well...i did it, lads.

Day 1 - Shackled (Comic, page 1)

Day 2 - In the Hands of the Enemy (Comic, page 2); kidnapped; ft. Lucci;

Day 3 - Manhandled (Comic, page 3); ft. Lucci;

Day 4 - Running Out of Time (Comic, page 4); ft. Lucci;

Day 5 - Where Do You Think You’re Going? (Comic, page 5-7); failed escape, electrocution; ft. Lucci, Vegapunk

Day 6 - Please... (Comic, page 8-9); implied experimentation; ft. Vegapunk

Day 7 - I’ve Got You (Art/Comic, page 10); ft. Straw Hat Pirates; first end to the comic series (good end)

Day 8 - Where Did Everybody Go? (Art); isolation, blood

Day 9 - Sacrifice (Fic, 1000 words); discussion of self-sacrifice attempts, implied suicide ideation; ft. Robin

Day 10 - They Look So Pretty When They Bleed (Art); blood

Day 11 - Psych 101 (Fic, 500 words); crying, struggling, self-harm

Day 12 - Broken Down (Fic, 1100 words); death/dying, contemplating mortality

Day 13 - Water (Art); blood, drowning

Day 14 - Heat Exhaustion (Fic, 2100 words); fainting, disorientation; ft. Nami, Chopper

Day 15 - Science Gone Wrong (Comic, page 11); mind control, betrayal; ft. Luffy, Usopp, Nami; second end to the comic series (bad end)

Day 16 - A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Graphics/Manip); blood; ft. Tom, Iceburg

Day 17 - Wrongfully Accused (Fic, 1600 words); alternate universe; ft. Tom, Spandam, Iceburg, Kokoro

Day 18 - Paranoia & Dirty Secret (Art); ft. CP9

Day 19 - Broken Hearts (Fic, 1300 words); grief, mourning a loved one, survivor’s guilt, self-loathing

Day 20 - Lost (Art)

Day 21 - Hypothermia (Art); ft. Usopp

Day 22 - Do These Tacos Taste Funny To You? (Art); poisoned/drugged food, implied nausea

Day 23 - Exhaustion & Sleep Deprivation (Fic, 700 words); descriptions of injuries, sleep deprivation and hallucinations, self-loathing

Day 24 - Sensory Deprivation (Fic, 1200 words); ft. Straw Hat Pirates (mostly Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Nami, Luffy)

Day 25 - I Think I’ll Just Collapse Right Here, Thanks (Fic, 600 words); disorientation, ringing ears, blurred vision, nausea; ft. Tom

Day 26 - Concussion (Fic, 1300 words); ft. Nami

Day 27 - Extreme Weather (Fic, 700 words); ft. Tom, Kokoro

Day 28 - Accidents (Fic, 1700 words); panic attacks; ft. Usopp, Chopper, Robin

Day 29 - Shot (Fic, 300 words); mild description of injuries

Day 30 - Memory Loss (Art+Fic, 400 words); ft. Kokoro

Day 31 - Experiment (Fic, 700 words); dissection, gore (mechanical), dehumanization; ft. Vegapunk

[flimflamfranky]

franky and jinbe, topic is humanity?

“You must be Franky,” Jinbe said, holding out his hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you, especially.” “I could say the same to you, bro!” Franky said as he vigorously shook Jinbe’s hand. “But me, especially? Why?” “Your reputation precedes you, of course,” Jinbe said, and then he winked. “But I’ve heard quite a bit from Den about you too.” “Ya did?” Franky scratched the back of his neck. “Hope he didn’t share anythin’ too embarrassing.” “Nothing you haven’t already blown out of the water. I’ve been keeping up with you escapades,” Jinbe said. He then nodded toward the ship. “He was very excited to meet you, you know.” “Me too,” Franky said. “It went a lot better than I was expectin’.” “Oh?” “Well.” Franky winced. “I was half-expectin’ I’s have to tell him his brother died. Kokoro was sendin’ letters, but I still...” Franky shook his head. “It was worrying me.” “I never met Tom,” Jinbe said, after a moment. “What was he like?” “Oh, he was the best.” Franky said, fond. “Loud, boisterous, larger-than-life. A man that lived life with a DON!” Franky shouted the last bit, shaking his fist for emphasis. Jinbe chuckled. “You certainly take after him, then.” “Ah, I suppose I do,” Franky said, looking pleased. “I looked up to him a lot. If there’s any man I wanna be like, it’s him.” “He sounds like a great man.” “He was,” Franky agreed. He glanced away, up toward the bubbled sky on the island, and his smile slipped away. “His death still bothers me. It’s was just...unfair, all what happened to him. I know it’s naive but...” “No, I agree,” Jinbe said. “We shouldn’t have to expect life to be awful.” He looked up to the sky as well, watching the light dapple through the underwater forest. “I didn’t hear about his death until I after I became a Warlord. I didn’t know him personally, but it still infuriated me, how vicious they were, regarding the Pirate King.”

He went silent for a moment, thinking of another who suffered similarly, a freckled frown in dark prison cell. “I want to uphold our queen’s goal, and make peace with the surface, but it’s still frustrating, humans own lack of humanity.” “Yeah, I hear ya, brother,” Franky said. “I’m not entirely human anymore, but sometimes, I really don’t miss it.” “You say that,”  Jinbe said, giving Franky a side-long glance. “But you’re one of the most human person I’ve ever met.” Jinbe didn’t know much about cybernetics, but he figured making a cyborg blush could be considered an achievement. “Well,” Franky said, sounding pleased as he fiddled with his sunglasses. “When you say it, it makes me glad I’ve still got some human left.” “You’re welcome,” Jinbe said, smiling. “Now, let’s move on to lighter topics. What can you tell me about that grand ship of yours?” “Man, what can’t I tell you? Strap in, Jim-bro, I’ll give you the full SUPER tour!! “

[flimflamfranky]

Day 14 - Heat Exhaustion

Franky discovers a drawback to his cybernetics.

~

It was so hot.

Franky tugged at his shirt, trying to fan some air in there, as he followed Nami through the town. They had just landed on a new island, some small fishing village on the way Sabaody, for a quick pit spot. He and Nami both needed more ink and paper, so they had set out together.

(Nami also claimed it was to “curb his horrendous spending habits”, which, rude. He wasn’t that bad - he only barely went over the limit last time! But still, he didn’t mind the company.) It was supposed to a fun little outing - get out, stretch the legs, see the sights, pick up some supplies. Franky had been looking forward to it. It was nice to have quiet trips to land between all the adventuring. But apparently, this was also a summer island, and summer islands were hot. Too hot. How could everyone else stand it? His back felt it was drenched in sweat, and everyone else was walking around like it was a perfectly pleasant day! A fun outing, Franky bemoaned to himself. This was miserable.

Eventually, they got to what seemed to be a town square - it was a plaza, with benches and trimmed bushes, and a small fountain. Nami stopped to ask some locals where a stationary store would be and Franky immediately narrowed on the fountain. Water! Cool, refreshing water! He rushed over, and sprawl out as much as possible, leaning back into the faint spray of water with a relieved sigh. He briefly considered just jumping in, but he’d definitely get chewed out by Nami. He did stick a foot in there, though, and ignored the weird looks he got from the locals. “Wow, tired already?” Nami teased as she joined him. “You’re such an old man.” “I ain’t that old!” Franky protested. And then he looked at her, confused. “Aren’t you hot, too?” He asked, waving to her outfit. It was a smart outfit - colorful buttoned up shirt and khakis - but Franky broke out into another sweat just looking at it. “No?” Nami said, looking down at herself. “It feels fine to me.” “That ain’t fair. I’m over here sufferin’, and you’re fine and dandy.” Franky wiped at the sweat on his brow. “I swear, Water 7 never got this hot.” “Yeah, because of all the water,” Nami said, smirking. “You’re just not used to this kinda heat.” Franky grumbled a vague protest, and glared up at the sun. Well, squinted vaguely in its direction, but still. “If it’s bothering you,” Nami said. “I can go by myself-“ “No, no!” Franky forced himself up. “It’s fine. I can handle it.” “Well, alright,” Nami said, and she pointed down one of the streets. “That lady said there was a shop down this way that sold ink and papers.” Franky gestured for her to lead the way, and followed her at a brisk pace. He wasn’t about to let some measly heat get the best of him! He’d just tough it out. Maybe he’d even get use to it, after some exposure. Either way, he could totally handle it. Everything was going to be fine. ~ Everything was not fine. If anything, it got worse. It felt like his cola was boiling inside of him. The store hadn’t helped matters - it had been stifling inside without the light breeze. He had to leave the whole transaction up to Nami. Not that she would’ve allowed otherwise, but he had barely been able to focus on even picking out some paper. He was having a lot of trouble with that, focusing. It was like he was in haze, like his brain was melting into a puddle of goo. He felt heavy. Lethargic. It super sucked. At least they were heading back to the Sunny, now. He can handle that, no problem. “Franky?” “Huh?” Franky looked down to see Nami peering up at him. The look on her face made hin suspect she’d been calling him for a while. Oops. She squinted at him, face drawn into a frown. “Are you sure you’re alright?” Franky waved her off. “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Honest.” “You don’t look fine,” Nami said, unimpressed. “Come on, we can go sit somewhere until-“ “No!” Franky said, stubbornly. He wasn’t gonna give up because of a little heat! “I can...make to back to the Sunny.” “Ugh, why are you guys always so stubborn? You don’t have to push yourself like this!” “I’m not-“ Franky cut off as he stumbled over his feet, just barely catching himself before he ate dirt. “Woah, hey!” Nami was sounded panicked now. Crap. He didn’t want to worry her. “It’s fine.” Franky tried say. He felt strangely breathless. “I must’ve just...tripped over somethin’...” “No, that excuse won’t work on me,” Nami snapped as she reached out to steady him. “You should really- Ah!” Her hands had rested on his arm, but she immediately withdrew, shaking her hands. “Jeez, you’re burning up!” Franky blinked at the ground, hard. Something was beginning to feel wrong. Wrong with his cybernetics, wrong. He thought it was just the heat, but there was something else, he could feel it. He...needed to get back to the Sunny. Now. He opened his mouth to tell Nami that, but his tongue felt heavy and he couldn’t get his breathing right. He...he needed to get up. He forced himself up, hands out to steady himself. His eyes snapped to the horizon, and for a moment everything was good, but then, almost in slow motion, everything began tilting, going all sideways, and that was weird- “Franky!” Oh, he was on the ground again. That wasn’t right. He needed to get up. To...the Sunny. That’s right. He tried to get up, but his limbs wouldn’t respond right. It was like he was moving through oil. Someone was standing over. Hands hovering. Orange hair. Nami. He couldn’t worry her. He needed to get up. He needed- ~ Franky woke to a headache. The dull throb almost shocked him awake, pulling him from a hazy half-asleep state. Then he became uncomfortably aware of other things - a scratchy throat, clammy skin, cramping muscles. He winced. “Franky?” Franky cracked on eye open. The glaring light hurt, but he was able to make out Chopper hovering over him, holding something. He tried to say something but his mouth was too dry and his throat was too sore so all that came out was a pathetic wheeze. “Can you sit up? You need to drink this water.” Franky scowled at the thought of moving, but he did shuffled up into a vaguely vertical position, helped by Chopper’s gentle hands. Then, a glass of water was pushed into his hand. “Drink. Slowly, please.” Franky nodded absently, and took a small sip. The cool relief was almost instantaneous, and Franky found himself draining the whole thing in one go. “I said slowly!” Chopper yelled, wacking him lightly on the arm. “Sorry,” Franky mumbled, weakly, handing the glass back. Chopper refilled it, and passed it back. Franky drank, slowly this time, taking measured sip under Chopper’s stern watch, until Chopper deemed him hydrated enough. Once he handed the glass back, Franky slumped back down, feeling exhausted. Had just drinking water drained him that much? Yeesh. Chopper hovering over him. “Do you remember what happened?” Franky furrowed his brow in thought. “Yeah, I went shopping with Nami, and is was super hot. Too hot. And I...fainted?” At Chopper’s confirming nod, Franky groaned. “That’s embarrassing.” “It’s concerning, that’s what it is!” Chopper said, his voice going even more squeaky. “You almost had a heatstroke!” “Oh.” Franky blinked. “Is that bad?” “Yes!!!” Chopper wailed. “You could’ve died!” “Oh.” Franky winced, and sunk down further into the pillow. “I...I didn’t think it was that bad...” Chopper wiped at his nose with a sniffle, and gave him a glare. “Nami said you were being stubborn.” Ah, and there was that guilt. He’d gone and sacred everyone, hadn’t he? “I’m sorry,” He said. Then, he remembered, vaguely, Nami panicking over him, and...burning herself? “Is Nami alright?” “She’s fine,” Chopper said. “A little shaken, but fine. She got Luffy to bring you back here.” Franky sighed in relief, and he grimaced. “Ugh. She’s gonna super chew me out later, isn’t she?” “Yes. And you’ll deserve it,” Chopper said. “And I’ll deserve it,” Franky repeated, resigned.  He settled further down into the pillow with a deep sigh. There was a moment of silence before Chopper spoke up again. “You know you don’t have to prove anything to us, right?” Chopper said, worrying his hooves together. “We wouldn’t think any less of you.” “Yeah, I know,” Franky said, reaching out to give Chopper a pat on the hand. “It just seemed like such a little thing to brought low by, ya know? And honestly,” Franky chuckled sheepishly. “I thought, being a cyborg n all, I wouldn’t be effected by these sorts of things as much.” “I suppose that makes sense.” Chopper said, reaching up to grab Franky’s hand. Franky let his hand slide down so Chopper could hold it easier. “I have a theory, actually.” “Yeah?” “Yeah!” Chopper nodded. “You were really hot to the touch, earlier, your metal. And, I’ve noticed, you tend to run hotter than everyone else. I think, maybe; your cybernetics caused you to overheat faster than normal.” “Yeah,” Franky sighed. “That’s my theory, too. Means I gotta lot of work ahead of me.” Chopper titled his head, confused. “Eh?”

“I’ve already got a coolant for my fridge, so I just need to beef up that system and rewire it through my body.” Franky chewed at his lip, pensive. “This’ll probably happen in cold weather too, so I should probably add a heating system as well...Gotta figure out how to make it automatic, but manual wouldn’t hurt either...”

He trailed off when he felt Chopper grip his hand tighter, and he looked to down to see Chopper getting teary-eyed again.

“You can fix this?” Chopper asked, blinking up at him.

“Well, yeah, bro,” Franky said, patting Chopper’s check. “Wouldn’t even be that hard, really.”

Chopper slumped against his hand, letting out a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear!”

“I really worried you, huh?”

“It was hard not to be,” Chopper said. “I’m not exactly a mechanic, ya know.”

“Oh. Yeah, I could see that being a problem.” Franky let his hand relax, held up by Chopper’s grip, as he yawned. “I can teach ya a few things. If ya want.” “I’d like that,” Chopper said, with a wobbly grin. Then he sniffled, and put on his stern doctor face. “But first! You need to rest more! I shouldn’t have kept you up so much!”

“I don’t mind,” Franky said, grinning, even though he did feel exhausted. “I’m not taking medical opinion from you, Mister-Ignore-My-Symptoms.” Chopper bopped him gently on the head. “Now rest!”

Franky chuckled, but he settled further into the bed, making himself comfortable. “Aye, aye, Doctor.”  

[flimflamfranky]

Day 19 - Broken Hearts

Franky takes the time to mourn.

~

Franky had missed the funeral. Which-- of course he had. He had been lost at sea, on an abandoned ship, turning himself into a cyborg so he wouldn’t die. And he only ended up there because he had been trying to stop them from taking Mr. Tom, and he definitely didn’t regret that. He regretted a lot from that day, but not that. Still. He felt bad for missing it.

Kokoro had told him what they had done, she and Iceburg. It had been a small thing, of course, the traditional funeral by boat, but still. Iceburg hadn’t mentioned it, but then, Franky hadn’t even seen him since their only talk o his first night back. Which, was for the best, he knew - they both had to be careful, with the blueprints at stake. Kokoro, at least, told him where the memorial was. It was on Scrap Island, of course. The company building had been their home, but they all had spent most of their time on that island. Collecting material, building ships - Franky’s fondest memories were on that island. He meandered his way through, taking a look around. It was different, of course -- that was the nature of Scrap Island -- but it feels familiar regardless. It was almost nostalgic, and he had to swallow down a thick well of emotions. He pushed on, making his way to the coast, where Kokoro had said the memorial was. It didn’t take him long to find it -- a model of the sea train, a-fixed with a plaque. It stuck out like a sore thumb, refined and polished amongst the trash. The wood was high quality, and Franky worried, for a moment, that someone would want to take it. But then he laughed - that was exactly what Mr. Tom would want. He made his way over, and that was when he noticed the other memorial, right next to it and-- it was for him. He came to a grinding halt when he read his name, surprise socking a gasp right out of him. He supposed, numbly, that it shouldn’t be surprising -- everyone thought he had died, after all -- but he didn’t think that anyone would-- no, he didn’t want to finish that thought. Kokoro hadn’t mentioned it, in any case. It was a model of his first Battle Franky, expertly carved and detailed, with a plaque that said ‘Cutty Flam’. Beneath his name was ‘Tom’s Workers’ and beneath that, in precise and neat letters, ‘Beloved Brother and Son.’ Franky had to clench his fists to stop himself from destroying it. He ignored it, instead, trying to get a grip on his twisting emotions, and turned to Tom’s memorial. The sea train was just as expertly carved. He reached out a hand, and ran his finger along its wheels, taking in the decorations on the windows, the detailed cogs and gears. Each detail brought back the memory of building it, the blood, sweats, and laughs -- the way Tom looked so happy, even after failure after failure, because he was building his dream. His dream ship... Franky snapped his hand back, and looked down to the plaque, feeling shaken. The plaque has Tom written on it, of course, and the company name, but it also had a lengthy description -- who Tom was, and how he and his workers built the train that saved Water 7. It made no mention of the last trial, or that he built Roger’s ship. Franky frowned when he noticed that -- Tom had been damn proud of that! His memorial should absolutely mention that! But he, reluctantly, understood -- better to be safe than sorry. Man, he hated being cautious. And there was nothing he could do about it, unless he wanted to vandalize the thing, which felt-- wrong. He couldn’t do that. Instead, he sat down in front of it, legs crossed. He sighed. “Hey...Mr. Tom.” Franky scratched his chin awkwardly. It felt weird, but this was why people visit graves, right? To talk, get some closure, or whatever. It was why he came down here. So, he powered through. “Sorry it took me so long to get here. Becoming a cyborg, ain’t easy, I’ll tell ya that. Wish I could show ya what I’ve done, I bet you’d be real impressed.” He picked at the metal beneath, easily making small grooves with his enhanced strength. “I’m...sorry for a lot of things, actually. I’m sure you don’t need me to list everything, but...yeah.” Franky shook his head, scowling. “Man, that’s depressing. Focus on the happy. Uh, I’m thinkin’ about starting a gang, or something. There’re still a lotta down-trodden folks around here. Figured I could help ‘em out, maybe give ‘em a job, get ‘em on their feet. Haven’t thought out what, yet, exactly, but I figured that’s what you’d want me to do. Make this a better place, and whatnot.” Franky looked up at the sky. “I’m thinkin’...dismantlers, maybe. I’m good at that and it’s not build-“ Franky cut himself, and frowned. Tom wouldn’t want to hear him say that. “It’s easy to teach,” he said instead, swallowing. “Or maybe even bounty hunting. There’re still loads of pirates around here, causing trouble. And I’m super strong now, too. Not as strong as you were, of course, but...” Franky trailed off, gazing up at the sky. He closed his eyes, and sighed, drawing up his legs to rest his chin on his knees. “I’m just...tryin’ to be like you, I guess. It’d be better if it was you. You did so much for this town, and for m-me,” his voices stuttered and he had to take a deep breath. He buried his head in his arms. “I’m such a fraud. I’m no good at this fixin’ stuff. I’ll just destroy everything, like always.” He was silent for a moment. Then, “I jus’...wanna carry on your dream a-and,” his voice wavered again, and this time, he let it break. “I- I can’t jus’ let it die with you...” He was crying, now, tears and snot running down his face as his breathing shuddered in his chest. He couldn’t stop it either - he tried but it’ was just too much, and he had to let it run its course. He felt pathetic, curled up and sobbing like this in broad day-light, but...Tom never judged him for it, not like his no-good parents had. He never shouted or told him to be a man - Tom had only ever been gentle and understanding. And Franky did feel better, by the time his tears finally dried. Huh. Maybe there was something to this whole crying thing. He wiped at his eyes and cleaned off his sunglasses, and then stood up. He faced the memorial one last time. It shined in the sun, almost gleaming, like a treasure. Behind it, the ocean lapped against the metal shore, and in the distance, the sea train chugged on, doing what it had been built to do. “I’m...I’m gonna do my best for this place. Make sure your dream comes true,” Franky said to the model train. “And hopefully...that’ll be enough. I’ll talk to you later, I guess.” And then, he turned, and left.

[flimflamfranky]

Day 17 - Wrongfully Accused

Franky makes a decision. AU

~

The crowd is laughing at him.

Those stupid idiots don’t believe him. They don’t even consider the possibility of the government playing fowl. Neither do the marines, or the judge, and Franky realizes, for the first time, how hopeless of their situation was. 

They were going to take Mr. Tom away. Iceburg was right. They were going to use the attacks to arrest Mr. Tom and take him away, and it was going to be all Franky’s fault.

He has to do something.

Spandam laughs too. “We caught you and your associates on the ships, red-handed!!” A lie. Franky seethes.

Spandam continues, pointing his finger at them, accusatory and smug, acting like he’s already won. “And those rogue ships were built by your company, were they not?”

And Franky realizes what he can do.

He shoots to his feet, and screams. “I BUILT THOSE SHIPS!!!”

“Franky, don’t-!”

Franky ignores Tom’s protest and steps forward, standing alone between the government and his mentor. Iceburg was right. They were his ships. He has to take responsibility. “It was me,” He says, glaring at the judge. “I built those ships, not them.”

There’s a snap of metal behind him, and then the crowd is screaming and Mr. Tom is grabbing him, and yelling, “Franky, you can’t-!”

Franky knows what Mr. Tom will do. There are two crimes to consider - his and Tom’s - and only one pardon. And he knows the choice Mr. Tom will make, and Franky can’t let him make it.

So, he screws his eyes close, and he screams.

He screams as loud as he can, drowning out Tom’s protests, and crowd’s panic, and Spandam’s stupid lies, until all he can hear is the pounding of his heart. He doesn’t hear Tom and Iceburg’s desperate begging, or the click and fire of the guns, or the thud of Tom’s body as the tranquilizer take hold. He just screams and screams and screams.

It’s the government goons that finally shut him up. They dog-pile him, holding him down, as one clamps a hand over his mouth. Franky strains against them, panicked, because he can’t let Mr. Tom take the blame for him-!

“Stop!”

Franky stops. The judge is standing, leaning over his makeshift desk and staring down at Franky. Franky stares back, meeting his gaze with a determined glare. He had to keep the judge’s attention on him, and no one else.

The judge motions to the marines. “Release him.”

“But, sir-!”

“I said, release him!”

They do, but Franky remains quiet. He glances over at Mr. Tom. He’s down, unconscious, but still breathing. Franky feels guilty, but he’s glad - Mr. Tom won’t try to stop him, now. Iceburg is being held down, just like he had been, and he’s staring at Franky with wide-eyes. Franky looks away.

What is that idiot doing, looking all scared like that? Franky is trying to do the right thing, here.

The judge clears his throat. Franky looks up at him.

“Cutty Flam, was it?”

“I go by Franky,” he says, roughly. His throat hurts.

“Franky,” The judge amends. “Are you confessing to the attack on the judicial boat with those battleships?”

“Yes,” Franky says.

“See?” Spandam says, with a smug grin. Franky glares at him. “A confession! I told you they were the attackers! Now, arrest them all and-!”

“NO!” Franky lunges forward on instinct, but he’s held back by the marines. “It was just me! I’m the one responsible, not them!!”

“Like we’re going to believe that,” Spandam says. “We found them on the ships, so they’re obviously involved-!”

“Can’t you see their injuries?!!” Franky cuts him off, desperately. “They were trying to stop me!

“Ah, but there’s no way one person could steer all those ships,” Spandam says, sneering. “Maybe you all got into an argument afterwards? Who knows with criminals.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Franky shouts. “I built those ships! I know them better than anyone! If anyone could handle all those ships, it’d be me!!!”

“And why would we take the word of a criminal-!”

“Stand down, CP5!” The judge snaps. Spandam flinches back in shock. The judge turns back to Franky. “So, you are claiming sole responsibility for this attack?”

Franky nods. “Yes.”

The judge studies him, for a moment. “I have one last question. Why? Why did you do it? Tom was going to be pardoned, why carry out this attack?”

This question he doesn’t even have to lie for.

“Because he never should’a been arrested in the first place,” Franky says. “I was so angry about it, and seeing the ship brought that all back. I just…it wasn’t fair.”

“...The world often isn’t,” The judge says. He bangs his gavel. “I have made my verdict. Cutty Flam, and only Cutty Flam, is to be convicted for attacking the judicial ship. Tom, for building the sea train, will be pardoned of his original crime.”

“What?” Spandam splutters. “He’s obviously lying to protect his accomplices!! We need to arrest them all!”

“Based on what evidence?” The judge asks. “We have the creator of the ships, and the one who would know how to use them. The injuries on the others indicate they were victims, not perpetrator.” The judge stands. “If you have any other concerns, you can address them at Enies Lobby. We’re done here.”

Spandam splutters some more, falling into a silent rage as his cronies surround him, trying to calm him down before he hurt himself.

“Er, your honor?” Franky calls out. The judge turns back, one eyebrow raised. “Can I…say goodbye, before I go?”

“Absolutely not-!” Spandam screams.

“Sure,” The judge says, before turning back to the other government suits.

The marines lead him over to where Tom is. He is still unconscious but Kokoro and Iceburg are still there. As soon as he gets close, Kokoro grabs him into a tight hug, sobbing into his shoulder, until the marines push her back.

“Oh, Franky,” She says, voice wobbling. “What have you done?”

“I’m sorry,” is all he can think to say. He drops his gaze to the ground, because he can’t stand to see her cry.

“You idiot,” Iceburg says. “Why...? Why would you…?” His voice his strained, and Franky can’t tell if it’s with anger or despair. He doesn’t really want to know which.

“I’m sorry,” he says again. “I’m just…fixin’ my own mistake, that’s all.”

Iceburg doesn’t say anything to that. Franky can’t look at him.

He looks down at Mr. Tom instead. He’s bang up and still bleeding, from the hole in his chest, but he’s a fish-man. He’ll fine, Franky is sure of that. He knows that what he did will hurt him, but it’s better than Tom taking the fall for him.

Franky doesn’t want to leave. He’s scared. But there was no other choice he could make. It doesn’t stop his throat from closing up or his eyes from stinging.

He swallows, thickly, and tries to keep his voice steady as he says, “Say good-bye to him, for me, yea?”

He doesn’t wait for a respond, and instead turns around and lets the marines take him away. He doesn’t look back. He knows it would hurt too much.

They take him back to Spandam, who is waiting, seething with rage. If there’s any silver lining to this, Franky thinks, it’s ruining that bastard’s plans. When they near, Spandam grabs him by the shoulder, roughly, and leans into his face.

“Don’t think that you’ve won this,” he hisses to Franky. “I will get those blueprints, and bring down your whole little company, and all this will have been for nothing.”

Franky glares up at him. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Spandam makes a strangled noise of frustration, and his cronies have to grab him before his lunges. “Take him to the train!” Spandam shouts over them. “And don’t let him out of your sight!!”

This is for the best, Franky thinks, as he’s being lead away. Whatever they do to me will be a thousand times better than letting them take Mr. Tom. This way, I’m the only one who suffer from my part in this.

At least, he could take comfort in that.

[flimflamfranky]

Day 27 - Extreme Weather

Franky’s first Aqua Laguna.

~

It was storming outside. It was a big one too. Tom had told him about it, as they boarded up the windows of the warehouse, Franky holding the planks as Tom nailed then up. Aqua Laguna, he had called it. A big wave that hit once a year. It was why the island’s got so little land - the wave was causing it to sink. Tom didn’t tell him more than that, because then Kokoro shouted at him to “Stop scaring the poor boy!” Franky bristled at that but Tom just laughed, and told him that the island could handle a few more storms. This was a place of stubborn people, after all. Nothing to worry about. Not that Franky had been worried.

And he wasn’t worried now, as he listened to the storm rage outside. The windows rattled, and the wind howled, and rain lashed at the walls in violent waves. But Franky has been through worst. Being on a ship in a storm had been scarier. The sea would toss the ship like a plaything and swamp its deck with water. Everyone had to work constantly, pulling the sails and the rope, to keep them from going under. And sometimes, after the seas calmed down, they would find someone missing, someone gone. Those had been much scarier than this. Franky sat in bed, knees drawn up to his chest. He had been tinkering with a new invention but that now lay abandoned beside him, as he stared at the window. On the other side of him, Iceburg lay sprawled, snoring away. Franky glared at him. How could Idiot-burg sleep through all this noise? What if something went wrong and-! Franky shook that thought from his head. Nothing was going to go wrong. He was safe. He frowned at his(invention, debating on picking it up again, but instead he got up and wandered out into the main room. Kokoro and Tom were both still up, sitting around the table, several candles casting a soft light around them. Tom was carving something out of wood while Kokoro read the newspaper, occasionally circling things with a drafting pencil. Kokoro looked up when he entered. “Oh, Franky! You’re still up, then? Couldn’t sleep?” “Ice-for-brains’s snoring,” He said. Tom laughed. “That boy’s almost as bad as the storm! Well, come join us, then.” “There’s some leftover soup, if you want,” Kokoro said, as Franky wandered over. “M’good,” Franky said, as he climbed into the seat next to Tom, and peered over his arm to watch him whittle away at the wood. Outside, lightning struck, and there was a loud boom of thunder. Franky flinched. “Goodness, that was a loud one,” Kokoro said. “You alright, Franky?” Franky crossed his arms and scowled at the table. “I’m fine. I ain’t scared of some storm.” Tom laughed as he brushed off some wood shaving. “Ta ha! The first Laguna is always the roughest, don’t worry.” “And it’s alright to be scared,” Kokoro said, pointing her pencil at him. “These storms are scary even for us!” Franky frowned. The thunder boomed. He flinched. “I’m not scared,” He insisted, hunching over. “I’ve been through worse storms than this. I shouldn’t-- I’m not scared.” Tom laughed. “Ta ha! That’s probably it, then!” When Franky looked up at him, confused, Tom tapped him on the forehead. “The body never forgets. Your brain knows otherwise, but your body thinks this is one of those storms. It’s just confused, is all.” “Huh,” Franky said. The thunder boomed, and he flinched. “Then how’d I make it stop?” Tom pulled Franky into a one-sided embrace, nestling Franky into his side. Tom was always warm and cozy and sturdy, and Franky relaxed against him. “With time,” Tom said, picking his carving back up. “Your body will learn eventually. Ya just gotta be patient.” That wasn’t what Franky wanted to hear, but it was hard to get riled up when he squished against Tom’s side. He didn’t stop flinching, but he did watched Tom carve away, the figure of a ship slowly emerging, until Franky finally lulled off to sleep.

[flimflamfranky]

Day 12 - Broken Down

Franky contemplates his own death as his body breaks down.

(yeah, this one gets kinda dark and im not sure how to tag it, so uh proceed with caution).

~

Franky could feel himself breaking down. The last remains of his cola slugged through his system, in slow, torturous drips, and he could feel his insides shutter and fail as they ran out of fuel. Not a big deal for his cybernetics parts - but for his squishy, all-tall-human bits that needed those parts to stay alive?  

He was dying. Slowly. Completely aware of each moment bringing him closer and closer to a total shut, forced to contemplate his own morality until his body kicked the bucket.

It was terrifying.

And the worst part? He could do nothing but experience it.

His legs had given out first, sending him crashing down to the forest floor. He had then tried crawling, pulling himself over bushes and tree roots with his arms until those gave out too. And now, he was stuck here, half-paralyzed, unable to move an inch as his body drained of cola.

He wasn’t even stuck on his back, where he could at least look up at the sky and watch the clouds pass by. No, he had fallen face first into the dirt. All he could watch were the ants and beetles that passed, showing off their ability to move as they crawled over his fingers.

He knew he had sunk low when he started feeling jealous of bugs. He was really starting to hate them.

He had back up systems installed, of course. When he ran out, he wasn’t out out. Cola would still be running through his body, and if he didn’t refuel immediately, it would get recycled and reused as much as possible.

Problem was, he had been running on fumes way before this, when he first got separated from the others and blasted into this damned forest. Had been for a while, as they got chased over hell and high water by those ant worshiping freaks. Or maybe they had been ants? Really big, really weird ants? He couldn’t remember.

But whatever they had been, there were a lot of them. They had been everywhere, and he had no time to refuel, forced to flee and fight on empty. He didn’t want to know how much that drained him.

He never tested his back-up systems before - never had to. Wasn’t exactly something he wanted to test. He wasn’t sure how long they would last, even without the extra stress.

With his body already shutting down, he was worried he wouldn’t last much longer.

He really hoped the others would find him soon. He couldn’t have gone that far, right? And his crew was smart, clever, when they wanted to be. They’d find him. He just hoped it was before his cola ran out, not after. He didn’t want them discovering just his body and not him. That’d suck.

At least this time, he wasn’t in pain. The sea train had nearly killed him too, and that had hurt, hurt like no other. Hurt so much that he still felt it sometimes, a heavy ache in nerves he no longer had. But not now, though.

He couldn’t feel anything right now.

It was probably for the best. Even if he could feel the leaves and ants tickling his skin, he wouldn’t be able to scratch it. That’d drive him crazy. And no pain was a big bonus. He could handle feeling disconnected but trapped from his own body. He really could.

Man, he hoped the others found him soon.

He had so many plans for the day, when they first landed on the island, before they were overwhelmed by those ant jerks. He was gonna show Usopp and Luffy and Chopper his latest invention, and help Nami scout for her new map, and go with Robin to collect some flowers, and try that new spice rub Sanji came up with, and show Brook that song he’d been working on, and have that swimming competition with Jinbe.

He- He needed to see Sunny to the end of her journey. He needed to see everyone accomplish their dreams. He needed to make Luffy the King of the Pirates. He couldn’t just leave this far in. He couldn’t.

Panic and desperation and fears began to well up again, stronger as he thought of the friends he didn’t want to miss, but his body didn’t respond. His breathing didn’t pick up, his arms didn’t shake, his eyes didn’t even tear up. He just kept still, staring forward and watching the leaves rustle in the breeze.

Oh, and there went his vision. Perfect. Just what he needed. Complete darkness to make things better.

This sucked.

He couldn’t even think of a harsher way to put it, he hated it so much. He’d work hard to be able to cry! Installing tear ducts, rerouting nerves, working past his issues to cry freely and openly. And now, when he needed it the most, he couldn’t fucking do it.

He really hoped the others would find him already. He didn’t want to die - not like this. He thought he go during a fight, giving his all with a don! Or maybe of old age, after he passed his skills to someone bright and young and full of potential. Hell, even by accident, an explosion by one of his own inventions or something, would be better than this!

Dying face down in the dirt, in some random forest, on some random island, just because he ran out of fuel? It was pathetic. It was terrifying.

He didn’t want to die alone.

“Franky!”

He really really didn’t want to die alone.

“Franky!!”

What was that? He thought he heard something over the rustle of the wind. It was getting hard to focus. His heart was pounding. It felt like he was floating.

“FRANKY!!!”

Luffy.

Franky wanted to cry and jump up and scream I’m here, I’m here, come find me. He couldn’t but it didn’t matter. He knew they’d find him anyway.

And find him they did.

“Look, over there!”

“Is that-?”

“Franky!!”

The relief Franky felt was nearly overwhelming. Was overwhelming, because his hearing started to fade. He was fading too, his consciousness dragging down into nothingness.

But that was okay. His friends had found him. He wasn’t alone anymore.

Everything was going to be okay.