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“Look Law! It’s snowing again!” Corazon spread out his long arms, palms up to catch snowflakes. His big feet crunched on the day old frozen snow on the ground.
“Yeah and it’s also cold Cora-san. Shouldn’t we find a place to camp tonight?” Law huffed, shifting closer to the giant of a man until the fluffy black coat covered him. He tugged his hat down low until the brim covered his ears and the back of his neck.
“C’mon, kids are supposed to be excited by snow,” Corazon groused, letting his arms flop back to his sides. Law shifted closer to stay out of the snow. He wondered if he could get away with standing on Corazon’s foot to escape the cold for a while and save energy in the process. Law immediately dismissed the idea, if he tried to stand on Corazon’s foot without warning him, they would both go down instantly. “I could beat you in a snowball fight.”
“You’re too clumsy for a snowball fight Cora-san! I’m surprised Doflamingo even let you have a gun.” Law shot back with a small smile as he tucked his face into the collar of his jacket.
Eventually he had brought himself to call the formerly scary if clumsy Corazon ‘Cora-san’. Once he realised the giant man was actually very kind, the illusion of the cruel child hater dispersed quickly. Using Doflamingo’s real name had been harder after calling him ‘young master’ for so long. The man terrified him. Every time he uttered Doflamingo’s name, he felt like he would summon the man to them where he would ruin the small peace he had with Corazon.
“I told you that was all an act! I am a very capable, very skilled commander of the Marines!” Corazon protested loudly and continued at length, his footfalls growing heavier as they walked to their next destination.
They had been walking for so long, trying and failing to find a hospital to treat him. Neither of them spoke about the increasing disappointment they both felt every time they were told he could not be treated.
“…and another thing-” Corazon continued on from before, abruptly cut off by face planting in the snow.
“You okay, Cora-san?” Law asked as he carried on walking. His tall clumsy friend always got up and brushed himself off. If he stopped, he would have to work up the energy to get moving again in this cold.
“Ha! I got you now!”
Law looked over his shoulder at Corazon now in a crouch, snowball in hand.
“Did you like my feint, Law?”
“You’re such a clumsy liar, Cora-san!” Law laughed as Corazon grinned at him, pulling back to throw that snowball at him.
Law bent down to scoop snow to make his own snowball just in time for Corazon’s shot to fly over his head.
“Haha! You missed me!” Law yelled, standing up with his own, albeit tiny, snowball, ready to throw at Corazon. Only the giant man wasn’t there. “Cora-san?”
“Laa-aa—aw-aaaaaaaw-aw!” A terrifying yell rang across the open, slopping field.
“Co-ra-saan?” Law called out, peering down the hill where he guessed Corazon had inevitably fallen down.
Left and right. Corazon must have fallen a long way to disappear like this. All he could see were a few trees, snow, a few rocks and- And a very large snowball rocking about with two large boots flailing helplessly at the air.
Law laughed at the sight, unable to hold back as he clutched his stomach in fits of laughter. Giggles carried on leaving him as he stumbled down the hill. The day had grown darker and the snow fell in heavy flakes by the time he got to Corazon.
“Maybe you shouldn’t try doing anything if you’re going to get yourself in a mess like this,” Law called to the still rocking snowball that was Corazon. He could hear muffled shouting and curses. No matter how tired he might be, Law couldn’t help but laugh again.
Corazon must’ve been able to hear him since the muffled sounds grew louder and the flailing feet grew wilder. Law moved in to shove at the giant thing, making the ball roll about more and Corazon to curse up a storm. A last giggle left him as he decided to help his friend.
“You okay in there?” Law asked, patting the snowball.
A big hand busted out from the snowball clutching his hand in a tight grip making him yell.
“Cora-san! Let go!” Law shouted, kicking the giant snowball. The thing rolled. With his hand still gripped tight he went with it until Corazon’s feet touched the floor. “I should make you into a real snowman. At least that way you’d stop falling over all the time.”
The snow encasing Corazon in a giant ball exploded outwards, pelting Law with snow. Corazon teetered standing still, shivering and near blue.
“And that’s how you win a snowball fight,” Corazon said smoothly with a grin.
“That was not on purpose!” Law yelled from where he hung. The moment Corazon dropped his wrist, Law scooped up balls of snow and hurled them at his friend.
Corazon ran away, falling over rocks and twigs and snow and his own feet along the way.
Maybe the last hospital couldn’t help. Maybe the next one could. Maybe Doflamingo will show up. Maybe he won’t. For that moment, Law didn’t think about it much as he successfully nailed Corazon in the centre of his forehead with a snowball.