Warmth

Characters: Law, Shachi, Penguin, Bepo. Rating: K. Warnings: none

It was cold.

Law wasn't a stranger to the cold, but there was cold and there was cold. Winters in Flevance had never reached such low temperatures, and even in the years since then, he had rarely ventured north for any long period of time, and certainly not in winter.

Bepo appeared to be coping, his fur thick enough to keep the unwelcome chill away, but he was a mink. Law wasn't at all surprised that his fur could insulate him. More irritating was Penguin and Shachi. Logically, it made sense. He'd met them on Swallow Island, which had been covered in snow. Of course they were more used to it than him, and it wasn't like they too weren't wrapped up in several layers of clothes.

But they didn't look cold. Even bundled in so many layers Law felt unable to move, the chill of the air still sank through to his bones, his icy breath a constant reminder. Penguin and Shachi didn't seem cold at all as they watched their breath fog up in front of them with laughter, pretending to smoke invisible cigarettes.

Law's heart panged at the site.

"Stop messing around," he snapped, his teeth chattering. The pair looked at him, mouths open as if they were about to complain at his 'no fun allowed' (it wouldn't be the first time), before they shut them with an audible clack and approached him.

"You're cold," Shachi said, unnecessarily. Law glowered at him then yelped as Penguin picked him up.

"Put me down!" he ordered, kicking at the taller teen as he carried him inside. Penguin gritted his teeth and continued walking until they reached the kitchen. Shachi was somehow already there, banging around with a saucepan and some strange brown powder that looked far too fine to be coffee. Penguin put him down at a table near the hob, sliding into the seat next to him and putting an arm around his shoulder. Bepo settled down the other side, snuggling up to Law.

Law appreciated the warmth, belatedly realising that his fingers inside their gloves had been starting to shake.

A mug was placed heavily in front of him, the contents sloshing around with the movement. It looked completely unappetising, the liquid a brown too pale to be anything more than weak coffee, and Law eyed it disdainfully.

"What?" Shachi demanded, hands on his hips (Law was reminded of an angry mother and wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry). "Drink up." Well, the liquid was steaming, so it had to be hot. At the very least, it should warm him up. Law wrapped his gloved hands around the mug, appreciating the heat soaking through the fabric.

"Before it gets cold," Penguin added, wrapping his own hands around the mug Shachi had placed in front of him – Law noticed he'd taken his gloves off and felt a faint flash of jealousy that his hands weren't visible ice blocks – before taking a large gulp of the liquid.

"What is this?" Law asked, unwilling to touch anything he didn't recognise. "Some Swallow Island recipe?"

Penguin and Shachi looked downright scandalised.

"You've never had hot chocolate before?" the ginger exclaimed. "How?"

Hot chocolate? Chocolate was a solid foodstuff, not a drink. Sometimes it could be drunk, if it was chocolate ice cream and melted before they finished it, but hot?

"Nothing better on a cold day," Penguin informed him, taking another large sip of his drink.

"It's good!" Law turned his head to see Bepo nursing his own mug, the fur around his mouth dyed brown from the liquid.

Feeling outnumbered, and recalling the other humans' cold homeland, Law caved, lifting the mug to his lips.

It was sweet. There was a subtle tang of something more bitter in the drink, but the main thing Law could taste was the unmistakable influence of sugar. He hadn't had anything so sweet since the festivals back in Flevance and was surprised to find his taste buds still appreciated it.

There was only so much he could let himself reminisce on those days, so he took a large gulp of the drink, scalding the tender insides of his mouth to pull himself back into the present. It was just in time to notice the way the sudden warmth spread through his body, not following the route of the liquid down his oesophagus but rather making its own path across his nerves as he shuddered involuntarily.

"Good?" Shachi asked, drinking from his own mug. Law hummed noncommittedly but took another gulp. Then another, and another, until his mug was empty. Feeling warmer, and less like a human icicle, he wordlessly pushed the empty mug towards Shachi expectantly.

The older boy laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said, a large grin on his face. "But seconds wait until after I've finished my firsts."

Hot chocolate is the best thing ever. I don't know if Flevance would or wouldn't have had it, so I went for not to give it another cultural difference compared to Swallow Island. As for Law liking it even though it's sweet, we see him eating ice cream as a kid, so at least as a kid he was happy to eat sweet things.

Thanks for reading!
Tsari