Author's Note: It's been a long time since I wrote - and finished - a fic. Comments and con-crit are welcome, of course. I'm not sure how much I like it, to be honest, and I'd like some opinions on it, if anyone's up to it. The idea was too cute not to try and write. Admittedly, I am a bit of a Sannami and Zorobin fan, so my tendancies may have slipped through into the story.
A Christmas Wish
Night had fallen on Christmas Eve. Nothing was stirring aboard the deck of the pirate ship known as the Going Merry. Its crew was tucked away below, in beds or hammocks, save for one tiny, antlered form up in the crow's nest.
Tonytony Chopper was waiting up for Santa Claus.
This had all started after dinner, with an offhand remark made by one of his crewmates. The crew of the Going Merry had been sitting out on deck, idly talking and passing time as they often did during calm spells, with small tasks that needed doing or a little bit of leisure time. Chopper had been sitting on the railing with Usopp, listening eagerly to his friend's stories as Usopp fished over the side of the ship. Monkey D. Luffy was perched atop the ship's figurehead. Nico Robin and Nami were sitting on deck chairs, Robin reading a book and Nami writing something on a sheet of paper, while Sanji served them some after-dinner coffee and cake. Roronoa Zoro was sitting with his back against the mast, giving every appearance of being deep in sleep.
"Aaah," Luffy crowed, looking up at the sky. "I hope Santa Claus brings us lots of meat tonight."
"There's no such thing as Santa Claus."
Those words, said loudly in a rough and recognizable voice, had instantly hooked the little reindeer's attention. Chopper turned to look at Zoro, aghast. Of course, he knew that people bought presents for their friends on Christmas, but that didn't mean that there wasn't a Santa Claus!
"But then, who brings presents?" Luffy asked, a perplexed look upon his face.
Zoro shrugged. "Your friends and family, I guess."
Their captain nodded, as if this explained everything. "So Nami is Santa Claus?"
"Do I look like Santa Claus to you?!" Luffy and Sanji both stopped to consider this – or in Sanji's case, to imagine Nami in a little fur-lined red skirt and blouse. Nami slammed her fist down on Luffy's head, despite the fact that it would probably hurt her hand more than it hurt him. "Don't think about it, you idiot! I'm not Santa Claus!"
"Usopp?" Chopper asked quietly. "Is there really a Santa Claus?"
"Of course there's a Santa Claus," Usopp replied, his voice rising in pitch and volume as he got caught up in his own story. "I know Santa. He's an old friend of mine; we go way back!"
"Really?"
"Of course! Would the brave sea warrior Captain Usopp lie about Santa Claus?!"
Hmm.... This called for a second opinion. Chopper hopped down from the railing and made his way cautiously over to where Nami and Robin sat. Robin was a smart woman. She would know the truth. "Robin?" he asked cautiously.
She turned to look at him. Reflexively, he hid his hooves behind Nami's chair, staring up at the black-haired woman.
"Mister Doctor? Did you need something?" she asked.
"Is it true? Is there a Santa Claus?"
Robin's serious eyes gazed down at him. "I don't believe there is," she said gravely.
Chopper backed away from the chair. "Stupid humans!" he said loudly. "You don't know anything!"
Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at the little reindeer, even Luffy.
"I'm going to prove that Santa Claus exists! I'll wait up for him all night if I have to!"
Up in the crow's nest, beneath the clear full moon, Chopper pulled the blanket around himself more tightly. He had prepared a stimulant to help keep himself awake, and he had plenty of blankets, just in case his own fur wasn't sufficient to keep himself warm. He was certain he was going to see Santa Claus tonight. Doctor Kureha had never allowed him to stay up on Christmas Eve. She always insisted he needed to sleep, or else he wouldn't get any Christmas or birthday presents. But he knew his friends were wrong. There was a Santa Claus! There had to be. Who else would remember to bring him a little extra present for his birthday every year?
"Aaaah!" Chopper jumped up as a hand appeared, growing out of the wood of the crow's nest at his feet. Several more hands had popped out of the side of the mast, and they passed a steaming mug from one to the next, until finally the uppermost hand laid it at Chopper feet.
Robin's voice rose from the deck. "Mister Cook thought you might be cold."
"You stupid human!" Secretly pleased, the little reindeer took the mug, which turned out to contain hot cocoa. He took a careful sip. It was good, and he could feel the warmth.
The archaeologist smiled up at him before turning to go back to the room she shared with Nami. "Happy birthday, Mister Doctor. I hope you see your Santa Claus," she called over her shoulder.
"Aaaah, go away!" Despite himself, Chopper was smiling. He took another sip of hot cocoa, and looked down at the deck.
It took him a moment to register what he was seeing in the darkness. A lone figure stood in the prow of the ship – a large figure, larger than any of his crewmates. Chopper scrambled over to the ladder, hoping against hope that it wasn't an intruder but the very man he'd been hoping to see.
White beard. Red, fur-lined coat. It was him. It was really him! Chopper stared in amazement for a moment. He was holding a big bag, which he dropped in front of the little reindeer.
"Merry Christmas, Chopper," he said.
Chopper knew there were tears spilling down his cheeks but he didn't care. It was true. There really was a Santa Claus. He knew Chopper's name, and he had brought presents for the whole crew.
Santa gave him a smile, and then, placing a finger next to his nose, he hopped over the rail. No splash came, and when Chopper rushed to the rail to peer over the side, he didn't see any sign of their midnight visitor.
"I saw Santa!" He burst into the sleeping quarters, excited. "Everyone, come quick! I saw Santa Claus!" He ran past the closed door that lead to the girls' room, banging on it with a hoof as he did. "Nami! Robin! He's real! I saw him! Santa was here!"
Nami emerged from the room, blinking. Sanji came over and draped a jacket around her shoulders, and she nodded an absent thanks to him. It seemed that Chopper was right. Laying on the weathered planks was a large cloth bag. Chopper, Usopp, and Luffy pulled it open, excited, and Nami recognized the wrapped packages that spilled out as having been placed under their Christmas tree earlier that evening.
Robin came out of the room behind her, smiling ever so slightly. Nami looked at her suspiciously. "Did you do that?" she asked, waving a hand toward the bag.
The older woman didn't answer right away. "Is it me," Robin said mildly, standing with her arms crossed over her chest, "or is one of our company missing?"
Nami counted heads, and stifled a laugh. "You're kidding!"
Behind them, a pair of Robin's extra hands heaved Zoro up onto the deck. At some point, he'd shed his disguise – or most of it, anyway. "Well done, Mister Swordsman," she said, reaching over and taking the false beard from his face.