Work Text:
The ship was quiet.
Franky emerged from his workshop, wiping away the grease and frowning. He had spent the whole morning working on his latest invention. Usually, when he holed himself in his workshop, he was often interrupted - Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper excitedly bounding in to see what he was making, Zoro and Robin looking for a quiet place to relax, Sanji bringing snacks under the guise of getting rid of bad food, Brook looking for a (somewhat) musically inclined ear.
But today went by without a single interruption. At first, Franky had been grateful for the chance to fully focus on his work, but as the afternoon rolled around and still no one came down, he began to get worried. Come to think of it, everyone had been acting strange that morning too. Had something happened?
The deck was empty too, only the sound of the waves and the gentle rustle of Nami’s tangerine trees filling the air. Something smelled super good though, like well-cooked meat. Sanji must be cooking then, but the kitchen had been empty when he passed it on his way up. So where...?
A faint rustling caught his attention and he turned to see a piece of paper taped to the mast. He quirked an eyebrow and stepped forward to take a closer look.
FRANKY, the paper started at the top, in the blocky, near illegible handwriting of Luffy. The tail of the y trailed off the side like he’d been dragged off before he could continue. Underneath, in Robin’s neater script, it said:
Hello, Franky,
We have a lovely surprise for you. Please come to the lookout room at 3:00.
Below that, something had been scratched out, though Franky could just make out the word ‘die’. Next to it was ‘Ignore this!’ in Usopp’s curly style. And then, below that, once again in Robin’s handwriting, was ‘sincerely, the crew’. A bunch of stars and doodles of various qualities decorated the page.
Franky considered the page. A surprise, eh? Better than trouble, Franky thought, though he couldn’t think of an occasion-
He smacked his forehead. Of course! His birthday! He had been so caught up in planning his latest project, he had completely forgotten. He wiped away at the definitely not tears in his eyes. His crew were such saps!
He looked up to the lookout post. Luffy’s face was plastered against the glass, eyes and grin wide, though as soon as their eyes meet, he ducked away. Well, pulled away was probably more accurate. His hand appeared soon after, though, beckoning Franky up.
Well, Franky thought, grinning, it wasn’t three yet, but who was he to ignore his captain’s summon?
He scaled the ladder to the look post slowly. The others were surely aware that he was coming and he wanted to give them time to finish whatever it was that they were doing.
He pushed open the hatch to the room, and almost immediately there was a loud cry of “FRANKY!!” and Luffy body slammed into his face. Franky rocked backward and almost fell off, if not for his sudden death grip on the edge of the hatch. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!”
“Luffy!” Nami cried as she stormed up to them. “Don’t knock him off, that’s the last thing we need!”
“Oh, sorry, Franky.” Luffy patted his head, but his wide grin didn’t make him look very sorry. Franky patted him back.
“S’alright, captain-bro, it’ll take more than a fall to take me out!”
“Cuz you’re too super!”
“Hell yeah I am!”
“Alright you two,” Nami said, exasperated, though she couldn’t fight the fond grin off her face. She tugged on Franky’s hand. “At least come in so you’re not hanging off.”
Franky climbed the rest of the way up, Luffy clinging to his shoulders. The rest of the crew was gathered, as the note suggested, in various stages of party planning. Usopp, perched on Chopper’s heavy point shoulders, and Brook were stringing up paper strings and blue star-shaped lights (one of Usopp’s creation, Franky would guess). All three waved enthusiastically as he entered. Sanji was working the grill they had dragged up, several burgers sizzling away. Zoro was napping amongst several wrapped presents. And watching above them all and directing their movements was Robin.
“Ah,” She said, as the three of them moved into the room. “So much for a surprise.”
“I don’t mind,” Franky said, tugging on Luffy’s leg to get him to sit still. “This is amazing either way.” He sniffed, and surreptitiously wiped at his eyes. “You guys, doing all of this for me...!”
“Oi,” Nami said, wacking him lightly on the arm. “Don’t start the waterworks, we haven’t even started the party yet.”
“I suppose we can start, now that the guest of honor is here,” Robin said, crossing her arms. Hands bloomed in bursts of flower petals around the room, clearing away bits of paper and trash, waking Zoro from his nap, and accidentally startling Usopp from Chopper’s shoulders. Over the resulting chaos, she said, “Ready, everyone? On three...”
“Three!” Luffy shouted.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRANKY!!”