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“Oh my god, it’s cold,” You groan, wrapping the blanket tighter around yourself. You’re sitting on the couch in Law’s office, bored of sitting in bed alone but not ready to break from the comfort of your blanket.
Law sighs, nodding as he looks up from his work, “I know. Do you want another blanket? Sweater? Jacket?”
“No,” You whine, pouting, “I want you to come cuddle me.”
He drops his gaze, pressing his lips together to fight a smile, “10 more minutes.”
“That’s what you said 5 minutes ago! Why hasn’t the time gone down?” You exclaim, slumping dramatically in defeat.
“That was two minutes ago, and I was rounding up. So sure, 8 more minutes, not 10. Happy?”
“No.” You’re lying on your side now, blanket pulled over your head and tightly around your body. You’re curled up into a ball, only the skin of your face exposed.
You were used to it being chilly when you were under water, but it was never this cold. Law didn’t seem to care, which you summed up to his childhood in the North Blue. You were not so stoic, pouting like a baby as your fingers and toes grew numb. The heat was on full blast, but it still wasn’t enough to warm your frigid bones.
“I’m going to freeze to death,” You sigh, talking more to yourself than him. He fights a smile, pretending to focus on his papers but actually listening to your complaints. “I’m going to turn into an ice sculpture, and my boyfriend doesn’t even care. I always knew he hated me. I bet he planned this. He’s banking on my death being ruled an accident so that he can marry his true love…”
“And who is my 'true love?'” He asks in amusement as he gives up the pretense of working.
“Um…” You think for a moment, nose scrunching in concentration. “Oh! Penguin!”
He tips his head back, laughing. You can’t hide your matching grin at the sound. It was rare, but always delightful, to hear him laugh.
“You’re so right, my love. I planned this so that I could cleanly dispose of you and marry Penguin. However did you figure me out?”
“It wasn’t hard. I mean, your longing glances, whispered words, and lingering touches leave little to the imagination.” You struggle to keep your voice serious, the teasing momentarily putting your chill on the back burner.
“And here I thought I hid it well.” He smirks, rising from his desk chair to come crouch in front of you. His smile widens as he comes face to face with you. “Are you seriously freezing?”
“Yes,” You pout.
“Very well. Sit up,” He urges, patting your shoulder to encourage you to move. You obey, but not without sighing dramatically. He ignores your theatrics, as per usual. “How many layers are you wearing?”
“Two socks, two pants, two shirts and a sweater, a hat, and even,” You stick your hands out from under the blanket to show him, “Mittens!”
He chuckles, capturing one of your hands in his own to press a chaste kiss to the back of it before allowing you to retract it into the comfort of your blanket.
“I’ll run a bath for you, okay? That will help warm you up properly. Maybe a drink, too. What would you like? Coffee, tea?” His tone is more serious now as he slips into a bit of his doctor persona, now wholly focused on caring for you.
“Hot chocolate?” You ask hopefully.
“Hot chocolate it is, then,” He grins, leaning in to kiss your nose before he pushes himself to his feet to make good on his promises.
He returns shortly, empty handed. Before you can say anything he’s already holding his hands up in a surrender position. “Bath is running, and Bepo bought four different hot chocolates so I thought it was better to bring you with me so that you could decide which one you want.”
Your face splits into a grin as you push yourself to your feet, rushing forward to wrap your arms tightly around him. You can hear his little grunt of surprise before his arms come out to hug you back. Your blanket had fallen off somewhere between the couch and him, but he was warm enough to make up for it.
He steps away just enough to change his hold on you, picking you up in a bridal style position. You giggle, cheeks flushing at his sudden movements. Your arms instinctively come up to wrap around his neck.
He drops his face, pressing his lips to yours in a welcome kiss. You can just barely see the pink tinge on the tip of his ears under his hat as he pulls away, clearing his throat before he pushes out of his office.
You drop you face into his chest, relaxing in his arms as he walks the familiar path to the kitchen. You sigh sadly as he sets you down on the counter, stepping out of your hold as he gets to work heating the milk up on the stove.
You can see him smiling as he makes his way around the kitchen, and the sight brings a smile to your face as well. As much as you loved the fast-paced life of a pirate, it was domestic moments like these with Law that motivated you to stay at sea, no matter how hard things got. You knew you could always trust that he would be there for you when you needed him, and that the two of you could always lean on each other for support. He made you feel loved, safe, cherished, and so much more.
You’re pulled from your thoughts when Law looks over his shoulder, meeting your gaze as he continues stirring the milk on the stove. “Pick which one you want,” His chin jerks in the direction of the hot chocolate powders, and you hop off of the counter to do as you’re told.
You choose the simple option, knowing it’s the one Law will want as well without having to ask. You bring it to him, sighing contently as the heat of the stove warms your chill. He looks at you knowingly, waving you forward to stand between him and the stove, arms reaching around you to mix the powder in.
He frowns, looking over his shoulder at the bathroom. You can faintly hear the sound of running bathwater as you lean into his chest. He drops a kiss to the top of your head before passing you the spoon.
“Keep stirring this for me, I’m gonna go check on the water, okay?”
“Okay,” You whisper, stirring the mixture constantly so that it doesn’t burn. You mourn the loss of his warmth at your back as he steps away.
You hear the water turn off before he returns, resuming his place at your back and taking the spoon from your hands. He grabs the mugs he’d laid aside, carefully pouring the liquid evenly between the two. He places one in your hands, grabbing his own mug and gathering the dishes to drop them in the sink for later.
You lean into his warmth as he guides you to the bathroom, arm wrapped snuggly around your waist. You’re silently happy that at this time of evening almost everyone had dispersed into their rooms, leaving the common areas free for you and Law. You knew that he wouldn’t be nearly as physical with you if there were people around, so you cherished the contact.
You take a sip of your drink, wincing as you burn your tongue. You don’t care though, taking another sip shortly after. The rich liquid coats your tongue, and you savour the taste. The combination of Law pressed against you as he shuts the bathroom door, the warm drink in your hand, and the natural flush that comes from having his undivided attention work wonders in heating you up. You’d all but forgotten about your chill, but you hold your tongue as you take in the sight of the bubble bath he’d prepared for you.
You could almost cry, so you take another sip of your drink to hide your expression.
“Ready, love?” His voice is soft as he sets his mug down on the shelf next to the tub. He takes his hat off, hanging it carefully on the hook on the back of the door. He raises an eyebrow at you expectantly, waiting for you to get in.
“Yeah, I’m ready,” You reply, quickly setting your mug down next to his and stripping before stepping into the tub. You moan as the hot water soaks into your bones, sinking into it gleefully.
Law is quick to follow, nudging you forwards so that he can slip in behind you. He grabs your mugs from the shelf, passing you yours first before taking a sip of his own.
“Hey, Law?” You ask softly.
“Hm?”
“Thank you. For taking care of me. I really appreciate it. I– yeah. It means a lot to me.” You’re careful to keep your gaze forward, shy as you speak.
His grip on you tightens, “Always, love. You know I’ll always be here for you.”
You nod, smiling. You sink fully into his embrace, warmed from the inside out.