"Where is it?" You grumbled to yourself shuffling through drawers in your room.

The beat up black leather purse your father made you for the last birthday you shared together was missing. You frantically tore your room apart section by section. 

Bupkis.

Where was the last place you remembered having it?

"The bookstore." You whispered whipping out your phone and dialing Shanks.

"Hulloooo my beautiful angel!~" He called over the obnoxious Christmas music blaring in the background.

You rolled your eyes, "Shanks it's 2PM, how are you already drunk?"

"It's the holidays!" He cheered.

"Right. Well I guess that means you're not in town anymore?"

"I won't be back 'til next week...somethin' Wrong?"

"Ah no don't worry about it. I left something in my locker." You pinched the bridge of your nose.

"OK darlin' ... try to enjoy your break ~" He cooed.

"Yeah, thanks." You sighed hanging up the phone.

There went your project for the break. Killer had even taken you to get the leather working materials you needed to patch it up. In the meantime, you'd have to watch some tutorial videos so at least you'd have an idea of what you were in for. You weren't the least bit handy much less crafty. You'd either fix the purse or ruin one of the few things you had left from your dad.

You groaned and began cleaning up the mess you made. While picking up you came across one of Killer's note books and put it in your bag deciding you'd return it after meeting up with Law.

____________

Slinging the satchel across your chest you stalked out of your room. Halfway across the courtyard you heard a familiar voice shriek your name. You barely had time to turn before the adorable raven tackled you into a nearby snow drift. He wrapped his arms and legs around your torso nuzzling his scared cheek against yours.

"Luffy what are you doing here?" You huffed.

"We came to pick up Sabo!" He cheered sitting up still on top of you.

"We? Like every-"

"What are you doing to F/N? You'll break her yoi!" Marco yelled tromping through the snowy yard.

"She's stronger than she looks shishishi." Luffy chuckled pulling you to your feet as he stood. "Yeah I remember beating you up once." You snickered brushing yourself off.

"It was an unfair attack on my junk." The blond scoffed.

"That's what happens when you tell her it's no holds barred." Thatch laughed coming up behind Marco.

"So, the whole crew came out huh?" You asked hugging the brothers.

"Yeah Ace is helping Sabo get his stuff." Thatch smiled kissing your temple.

"If he doesn't spot a cute girl first yoi." Marco added.

"I missed you guys." You chuckled reaching up to ruffle Luffy's hair as he clung to you.

"Then come home with us." Luffy whined tugging on your arm.

"I can't I start my second job next week."

"You know if you need help, Pops will literally do anything for you." Marco gave you a worried look.

"You are the daughter he wishes he could replace us with." Thatch added.

"No everything is fine, promise. I just have to move into an apartment in May and start adulting." You palmed Marco's shoulder, "I gotta get going, Law is probably wondering where I am."

"I wanna see Traffy!" Luffy bounced.

"You will soon enough. He's coming over for New Year's yoi." Marco pulled his little brother away so he could hug you. 

"I'll come visit soon I promise." You hugged the boys again before starting off for the coffee shop.

"I could have picked you up." Law said standing, "It's too cold out, your cheeks are all red."

"I'm fine really. I like the cold remember?" You slipped into his side to give him a squeeze.

"Alright alright." He handed you your coffee as you took a seat.

He sighed tapping his index finger against the paper coffee cup.

"I'm not coming." You said before he could make a case.

"My parents pretty upset that you aren't coming this year."

"I'm glad they care enough to be upset. But I've got to start doing things on my own. I can probably visit during the summer. " You sipped your coffee, "Anyway... Let's stop being mopey. I brought something for you."

You pulled a long thin black box out of your bag and slid it over to him. His eyes widened a bit as he tugged at the small red ribbon holding it shut. They grew wider when he removed the contents.

A yellow and black stethoscope with a custom tribal design matching the tattoos that decorated his chest.

"You don't really need it yet but eventually." You smiled.

"How did you -" He turned it over rubbing his thumb over the design on the bell.

"Oh, my friend Usopp is an art major. I just had to get the stethoscope and draw an embarrassingly bad version of the design then left the rest to him. Uh... You like it right?"

He yanked you into his chest, "It's perfect. Thank you."

You flushed, "You're welcome."

"I guess I'll give you your gift as well. It isn't wrapped sorry." He set a brown paper bag in front of you.

Excitedly you reached in slipping the small worn hard cover book out of the bag. It was a very old copy of a book your father had read to you many times during your childhood.

"It's a first edition, the spine isn't in great shape so you probably won't really be able to read it. But I know you lost your copy when you had to move."

You sat quietly, fingers tracing over the faded picture on the front cover as a million bedtimes played over in your head.

Law reached up running his thumbs over your cheeks, "I didn't mean to make you cry."

"No...no, it's not sad. I just hadn't thought about it so long I can't believe you remembered."

"Of course." He chuckled, "I got to sit in on quite a few of those theatrical readings as well."

"This is the greatest thing I've ever gotten." You kissed his cheek and froze, "Sorry, you said no more of that."

He brushed your hair out of your face a slight blush on his cheeks, "I'll let it slide that one time."

You sat with your best friend for another half hour chatting before he realized he was going to be late for dinner if he didn't leave right now. You practically floated back to the dorms as the overcast day grew darker. How lucky were you to have such a sweet best friend?

Kid and Killer's room was on the third floor. You hadn't actually been there, they always came to your room to study since you had more space without the roommate. You knocked on the door.

"What." Kid called irritated.

"Hey it's F/N." You answered.

"I don't know anyone by that name." You could hear shuffling and drawers slamming.

"Ugh Mouse." You groaned rolling your eyes.

"Ooh mouse~" He chimed, "It's open."

You entered the surprisingly clean but dimly lit room to see him sitting at a makeshift workbench. A motorcycle seat sat in front of him, a pile of leather and tools to his right with a small metal lamp clamped to the wood edge that hung over the cinderblock support.

Two bobby pins clipped his hair out of his face. He dragged his sleeve across his brow as he turned to you.

You felt awkward as he seemed to avoid eye contact.

"It smells like burning." You scrunched your nose.

"Ah yeah I'm recovering this seat for a friend." He ran his hand over the half-covered piece of metal.

"Oh cool. I wish I was handy." You pouted.

"What's up? You never come up here." He stretched.

"Oh yeah." You shifted rummaging through your bag for the comp book, "Killer left this in my room. I was just dropping it off for him."

He stood, still not really looking at you and slipped the book out of your hands tossing it on Killer's desk "Thanks. I'll let him know you dropped it off." You watched him sit back down at the plywood bench, "Did you need something else?"

"Ah no. I guess I'll see you guys when you get back. Have a nice holiday." You started for the door.

"Yeah you too." He muttered turning back to his work.

The rest of the day was devoted to cleaning and going down a rabbit hole of youtube videos. It was 10PM when your stomach rumbled reminding you that you hadn't had dinner. You slouched into your jacket planning to walk to the convenience store across the street. When you opened your door you nearly tripped over what looked to be a shoebox wrapped in newspaper. A small piece of paper torn from a yellow legal pad rested on top. In messy red ink, it read:

Mouse - wait til Xmas.

You flushed glancing down the hall in either direction before scooping the box up and placing it on your bed.

After picking up enough food for the next two days you made your way back to your room kicking off your rain boots and hanging your jacket. You ignored the box to the best of your abilities while making the dinner you were now almost too nervous to eat. Why were you nervous? What would Kid possibly get you?

It's probably some sort of prank.

There it sat, calling you from atop your sheets. You rolled your bottom lip between your teeth and slowly approached the box. Gently you lifted the lid bracing yourself for something to jump out, but it was just a pile of more crumpled up newspapers. You frowned shifting the papers around revealing something very familiar. At the bottom of the box rested the soft handmade black leather purse your father had given you.

The scuffs had been rubbed off, the leather looked less worn and almost as supple as the day you'd received it. Quietly you ran your fingertips over the surface before removing it from the box. The bottom of the bag had been completely replaced. It was amazing how closely the new leather matched. You unzipped it peering in at the new fabric that lined the inside. The old torn heart patterned lining had been replaced with a simple deep red.

Why was everyone hell bent on making you cry today?

____________

"Did you do it?" Killer asked settling on the bed in Kid's room at his parent's house.

"Yeah." Kid replied pulling his buzzing phone out of his shirt pocket.

A small involuntary smile tugged at his lips.

Mouse: Wow.

Kid: It's not Christmas yet.

Mouse: After midnight... Christmas Eve...

Mouse: That counts right?

Kid: Not at all. -_-

Mouse: Semantics.

Mouse: Regardless. This is really amazing. I haven't done anything nice enough to deserve it.

Kid: I am the one who tore it. It's the least I could do.

Mouse: Ya know sometimes you're not so bad Eustass.

Kid: Hah. You too Mouse.