I had a nightmare last night and needed to distract myself so I drabbled a thing.
"Cora-san, why is the sky white?"
"Hm?" Blue eyes flickered up to the colourless expanse that had engulfed them, searching it with mute curiosity, before a grin stretched on painted lips. "Clouds. Nothing special about that."
Golden irises followed them and he stared up with a furrowed brow at the blankness of it all. He didn't see any clouds… but the focus shifted quickly to the vast landscape below, and he couldn't shake the feeling of something being wrong. "But the sea is grey."
Waves rolled off the rocks lurking in the shallows before them, their crashing the only sound loud enough to feel real, and that realisation made him uneasy. But his caretaker went unperturbed, a cigarette pressed between his lips as he fought with his lighter, failing to produce a spark.
"You're imagining things. More importantly, look!" A large smile crossed his face as he twisted his torso around, gesturing broadly to the dull-green foliage sprouting past the white sand beaches where they currently resided. He found himself staring, not quite understanding just what his companion wanted him to see. "We're safe now, Law! You're going to be okay!"
His jaw went slack and he pressed his fingers to his patchy skin as he watched the still images of trees and brush, no wind there to rustle the leaves, nothing for the grasses to dance along. "But… what now?" he asked with a frown. This wasn't right. They weren't safe, they were stuck. Washed ashore along some colourless beach until they could somehow find their way off, and… wouldn't Corazon want to return to the marines? Shouldn't he?
"We live here," came the simple, soft answer as he shoved his now useless lighter into his pocket, "together."
His head snapped to Corazon and he stared, his eyes wide and a strange feeling bubbling in his chest. "...Together?"
"Together."
"Me and you?"
"Yep."
"Just-"
"Law," the blond interrupted with a laugh, a large hand coming to ruffle the boy's hair and earning a long string of displeased groans. "Stop asking questions. Yes, I mean it."
And as he heard those words his concerns fell away, left forgotten in the sand as he hurried to the treeline. Because Cora-san was with him, and it was alright.
Cora-san wouldn't leave him. He promised.
He wouldn't be alone.
"Wake up."
Law stirred at the voice, tired eyes peering out onto the brightly coloured landscape. The sun was warm. At least... he thought it was the sun. He could never quite locate it in the sky… or the clouds. Clouds that Corazon adamantly claimed that he saw. With a big yawn he pushed himself upright, watching his caretaker blearily. "...What?"
"Hm?" Cora blinked, shifting atop the rock he was perched on, trying once more to light his cigarette. He always tried, and always failed, but it seemed his addiction had firm hold of him and he wouldn't be ceasing his attempts anytime soon. "I didn't say anything."
The boy's face scrunched up in confusion. He could have sworn… but he shrugged it off, and instead of wasting his time pondering something that could prove inconsequential, he clambered up onto the stone alongside the blond. Looking back, he smiled at the island. It was so pretty, vivid as it was. Plants he'd never seen before, never even thought possible, lied hidden away in the brush, the forest brimming with exotic life for him to discover. And no matter how much he saw, there was always something new. New plants, new animals, even though the island itself remained a fixed point in the world. The excitement withered and died on that beach, though, the gloomy, colourless sea always there to greet them, making those same violent waves it had since the moment they arrived. Yet still, that was where his friend liked to hang around, always so tied to that beach. It was his idea to stay there and make it their home, yet he'd never stepped foot into the deep foliage, never ventured too far from the white sands and grey ocean.
Somehow he felt something had… changed. He couldn't place it, though.
With a smile, Law tugged on the blond's hand, not-so-subtly prodding him back towards the lush greeneries he'd come to love. "Come on, Cora-san. You don't want to stay here all day." But his nudges went ignored, words falling on deaf ears as half-lidded blue orbs continued to watch the ocean waves. "...Cora-san?"
"...Am I really here?"
The tugging stopped, his arms falling to his sides as the world started to dull. He stared at the blond, his mouth twitching as he tried to form words, to find words, before his shook his head and grabbed the man's hand. "Of course you are! Honestly, Cora-san…"
Corazon turned to him and smiled, ruffling his hair. "Sorry. I'm being weird, aren't I?"
Law nodded, "Very."
"Could'a lied, brat…" He shook his head and slipped off the rock, allowing the child to tug him towards the treeline only to find the frown back again, his expression hard. "Law?"
"Yeah?" the child answered with a blink, pausing to stare up at the towering man dragging behind.
"When will you wake up?"
...But I am awake.
Law huffed, glancing past the rocks at his caretaker before fixing his gaze on his own tiny, weak hands. Most of the white spots had long since faded, his ability to thank for that, he supposed, but still he just felt… stuck. He wasn't sure how long they had been there, be it weeks or months… years. But however long it was, he still remained small, fixed to that point, as though not a second passed since arriving on that island. Time had passed. He'd explored the island again and again and yet there was always more to be found. Yet despite all of the wonder and intrigue he always found himself back at that beach, back with Cora, sitting there on the rocks and listening to the waves. And somehow it left him… unsatisfied. It shouldn't have, that island was practically a paradise, sheltering them away from the world. They were together, and Corazon was… like a father to him, or a brother. Family.
"Law," the blond's voice pulled him away from those thoughts, and his eyes settled on his companion. Darkly coloured lips were set in a stern frown, and he had to wonder what was wrong, offering the other his full, undivided attention.
"...Yes, Cora-san?"
A moment of silence, and the blond let out a large exhale, rubbing the back of his neck before digging into his pocket for his rather useless lighter.
This time it sparked.
The cigarette was lit and Corazon took a deep, savoury inhale before turning a smile to the child. "How long are you going to sit around here waiting? What are you waiting for?"
He furrowed his brows, his confusion growing even still. Sometimes… Cora would act strange. "...What?"
The blond took another long drag as he stepped over, the familiar crunch of sand beneath his feet as he pushed himself to lean against the rock. "You don't belong here," he stated bluntly. "You've gotten so big… But you can't stay here like this. You've gotta keep moving."
He stared at the blond a long while, his body starting to quiver with unease, and he pulled his focus back down to his hands, to the stark black ink reading 'DEATH' on his knuckles and the familiar symbols on the backs of his hands and forearms. He pressed his lips together, the shaking growing, a dull thud at the back of his mind, and he realised...
He was twenty-six.
Pressing the heels of his palms to his eyes, Law let out a shuddering breath. This was all wrong…
A firm hand gripped his shoulder, and he had to wonder if he was feeling that, or if it was all just figments of a fevered mind. But he leaned into it anyway, hiding his face with the brim of his hat as he felt his eyes sting. Memories flooded back, thoughts and feelings that he'd pushed away resurfacing, and he started to realise…
None of this was real, was it?
He chanced a glance up to see that nostalgic smile beaming back at him. "You remembered me." Of course he did. "You're all grown up now... I'm proud!"
Law shuddered and looked away, biting his lip. He allowed it as he was pulled into a tight hug, his body lying limp against the other. "Hey, Law…"
He could hear the smile in his friend's voice.
"Wake up."
Adieu~