Work Text:
23.12.2022
The evening was quite quiet and empty. There was less than a week left until the new year, but there was absolutely no mood. I just wanted to lie down under an old wool blanket and lie still, preferably for about a month.
Usually, Luffy brought New Year's mood and strength to live with his aggressive desire to decorate everything around him within a radius of five kilometers. To bring a huge pine-scented Christmas tree into their small apartment, along with snow. Decorate it with old toys found on the mezzanine, and then drink hot tea and inhale the smell of spruce, tired and satisfied with their decorating work.
But the problem is that he is now preparing for the session.
And no one dragged Law to visit every food fair in the city, because “where else will we find so much varied food!” Except for Sanji's cafe, of course, but he now had a lot of work before the holidays.
The first new year in Vinsmoke's dream is a small restaurant that opened only six months ago, but was already in quite high demand. It was difficult, everyone who could helped, with great perseverance and desire.
Therefore, Sanji didn't want to be bothered and touched once again. Even Zoro was afraid to come closer than a meter without a coffee offering.
It seemed that soon there would be a sign on Vinsmoke saying “Do not approach - it will kill.”
Although Luo himself did not lag behind, being in a similar state. The specialist completed all planned operations and documentation two weeks before the new year. I wanted to relax quickly and forget about work. Didn't he deserve it? Yes, he deserved it most of all. But here is their head. The Kurehe department had their own thoughts on this. To be free? In the hospital? It is impossible in any way, therefore, with her light there is no at all, heavy as adamantium hands Law works in trauma. Well, but next to Shachi, although this is a plus or minus, we still need to think about it.
Now he worked for two departments at once. Instead of Law, only bags under his eyes were visible, which already resembled coffee from a local hospital vending machine, which tasted pretty lousy.
He leaned against the cold metal of the refrigerator, which buzzed pleasantly. It was late in the evening, and Law had come home from work thirty minutes ago. It was quite dark in the kitchen, only one of the two bulbs in the hood was on, for which she was proudly called “Cyclops” and refused to change the lamp. It was freezing and icy outside the window, but there was no smell of snow even close - instead of snow, dust flew, gases from cars, and tired people sat in traffic jams, cursing the evening rush hour. The streets have turned into a creepy post-apocalyptic future. It seems that this new year will be gray.
Leaning on the refrigerator, Trafalgar watched the turkey in which coffee was brewed. It would not be overlooked, otherwise you will have to wash the stove for the third time in a day; if you do not wash it in time, then the fumes will not be wiped off.
In the silence of the apartment, only the hum of the refrigerator and the quiet noise of some Marvel movie coming from their room could be heard. Law listened: it seemed like X-Men, where Wolverine returned to the past to try to save everyone, and against the background Charles and Eric were sorting out their relationship, like ex-husbands and two drama queens. Mugiwara knows it by heart by the minute, but still reviews it.
He's sitting there writing his notes for the whole half year at once. By some great magic outside of Hogwarts, he was forced to hand over all his college debts and try to close the winter session.
At first, Garp persuaded with adult instructions “how-are-you-going-to-be-kicked-out-of-there-and-who-are-you-going-to-be-in-life.“ Then Ace and Sabo joined him - then Luffy tensed up, because usually the three of them were always against their grandfather, and then something went wrong. Even Zoro started hinting that something had to be done, and maybe it wasn't even Luffy's academic performance or his absences.…
Law was completely sure that it wasn't about his boyfriend's attendance, but that a month ago he didn't seem to have intentionally (the key word here seems to be) terribly offended the headmistress of sharagi. She was an adult woman, portly, with a disgusting character, she painted her eyes following the great post-Soviet tradition with huge blue shiny circles around the eyelid, and thin lips with flashy red lipstick, and decorated her head with a magnificent hairstyle with a solemn comb. Her hobby was to knock down students in exams and intimidate them with expulsion.
Introduced? Horrified? But she paired up with Luffy's group almost every day. She loved to tell life stories about her ex-husbands. There were almost ten of them, these are only official ones.
Law met her once, it would have been better if he had passed by.
The endurance of the students could be envied.
But not Luffy's temper. It simply does not exist as a phenomenon.
To her lamentations that her fourth ex-husband was wrong to leave her with five children and call her a witch on a broomstick, Lou stubbornly and fervently objected that the man was right and did the right thing. Well, I couldn't stand it, the straight-as-a-stick character made itself felt.
Therefore, due to the circumstances, they both looked like zombies. Both of them were in a bad mood, and they had the energy to just discuss how each other's day had gone. Lou's loud conversations were replaced by a tired look and long hugs for the night without words.
The hissing and the smell of gas brought him out of his thoughts. Well, take a rag in your hands, wash the stove again.
***
With the condition of the most fucked up person in the world, he returned to the room and settled down on the bed.
Law squinted at the guy: his gaze does not express signs of vital activity in his head from the word at all, while he moves a pen back and forth across the notebook.
Apparently his brain began to malfunction. We should feed him in a good way, otherwise he will remain stuck with his grandfather's computer from the nineties. He didn't have the strength to cook, now he is able to burn a simple fried egg to the coals, coffee proved it, he won't come to the stove anymore today. The KFS was still open, in principle, a lot of meat could be bought, even there Shachi was talking about bonuses thanks.... We should try it.
I looked out the window.
And it started snowing there.
Abnormally huge flakes fell on the gray frozen ground, covering all the dirt. The scary world of Metro was disappearing.
- Hey Luffy?
- Mmmm.....
- It's snowing there
Huge black eyes stared at him in disbelief. Then at the window, then back at Trafalgar, and out the window again. A furious smile appeared on his face, he jumped up and ran to open the doors. He pulled his palms out into the street, exposing them to snowflakes, and yelled:
“Hoora for the snow!”
It turns out that Law missed Luffy's usual, slightly insane state to the point of horror.
- Let's go outside!
- We have to go out there!!! This is the first snow this winter, let's go, let's go, let's go!!! I'm already putting on my shoes!!
The guy looked at the ceiling and thought how cold it was there, and how he wanted to sit in the warmth of the house
But Luffy asks…
- Will we take three buckets of hot baskets to the KFS and coffee on the way?
Okay, the idea of a hot meal pleased Law himself.
If you put a choice in front of Luffy: meat or Law, I wonder what he will choose ....?
- Yes!
Mugiwara rushed around the apartment like a hurricane, looking for his sweatpants and a warm Olympic jacket.
Half of his things went to the laundry at high degrees with flea powder. He hasn't been out of the animal shelter lately, torn between him and the couples in the charade. Therefore, only one suit remained pristine from parasites, which his brothers had once given him. It was a red and black tracksuit from Adidas, in which he looked more like a Kupchinsky gopnik than a student firefighter.
Trafalgar looked sadly at his coffee, took a resounding sip, and put down a clay mug with the inscription “Heart Stealer. To the best cardiologist” on the bedside table. I went back to pull on my jeans, which I had recently taken off.
While they were packing, quite a lot of fucking snow had already fallen outside, so to speak. It fell well and a lot. Luffy was running around and catching huge snowflakes with his tongue. Well, he loved winter madly. For the guy himself, winter was associated with the worst times of his life, but the joy of his beloved overcame the dull pain of resentment inside.
They walked slowly across the bridges and courtyards of Petrogradka to their favorite point of the KFS. The snow fell in huge chunks, they could be caught on the move and made into snowballs. The wind on the bridge surprisingly did not blow like it was out of control, you could go and watch the view of the broken ice floes. They grew on top of each other and were covered with snow, its bright whiteness contrasting strongly with the black waters of the Neva.
It was ten o'clock in the evening, even the traffic jams had cleared up, so there should be few people in the cafe. At least the guy hoped so, because he wouldn't survive the queue.
When they reached the island, it was quite quiet in the courtyards, only sometimes there were children who forced tired parents to go out with them to look at the snow. They seem to be the same as these families, only instead of a child he has Luffy.
Or as his sister said: the first hundred years are the most difficult and fun for men.
At some point, Luffy slowed down, looked towards the nearest neighboring yard, where already in the dark, illuminated only by the yellow light of lanterns, a couple of children were making snow angels.
And then enthusiastic eyes looked at him, in which, as in the night sky, snow was reflected.
Oh no.
He knows that look.
- Torao, let's make angels too
- Mugiwara-me, it's cold, minus ten, which angels?
- Snowy.
- And then there will be SARS.
- But we will make angels.
- An argument.
Trafalgar sighed eloquently. Angels, he only knows from Doctor Who. They weren't the nicest creatures there.
- Okay, fine.
- Come on, but... Can't I do it?
They looked at him with terrible eyes.
-You're twenty-six and you've never made snow angels????
Trafalgar grumbled that this was not a crime, and age had nothing to do with it. Just lying in the snow is dangerous for your health.
- No, it's a crime, so you'll be fined. An additional bucket of wings.
Apparently it's time for him to stop looking for logic in Luffy. Because all logic leads to food.
- Look, you first spread your legs, gently land on your ass, then lie completely on your back, spreading your arms out to the sides like a bird.
Luffy stands in front of me and smiles warmly, trying to explain how angels are made.
- You do it with your hands like this, like this, like this, back and forth up and down, and you look at the sky how beautifully the snow is falling.
His nose and cheeks are red, his hair sticking out of his hat is covered with white cold flakes, tomorrow he will definitely sneeze. But now his embodiment of life, his sun, is shining. He is ready to do anything for this.
- Now let's do them together, side by side, like they're holding hands.
Trafalgar gathered his courage, turned around, squeezed his eyes shut and flew first into the snow, spread his arms to the sides and only then opened his eyes. Snow was falling on my face. Snowflakes melted on the skin, wet footprints tingled slightly, freezing. But it was pleasant and eerily beautiful. A lantern shone above them, brightly shading the flakes, it seemed that the huge snowflakes glowed with gold and warmth. He was wearing a long insulated raincoat with a hood, it was not cold at all and very quiet. Peaceful.
For the first time in a month.
It turns out that he lost a lot by not making these very angels.
There was a muffled “bang” nearby and they took his hand, cold fingers getting into his mitt.
- Impudent, where with icy hands.
As he spoke, huge clouds of steam billowed from his mouth, flying into the sky towards the snowflakes. Despite his words, he intertwined their fingers.
- It's beautiful, isn't it? My grandfather taught us little ones how to make them. And watch the snow.
Law turned his head towards Luffy, who was looking at the sky with his impossible eyes, and the yellow light of the lantern softly illuminated his features. At that moment, he was all glowing, soft as gold.
He was terribly native. The minutes slowed down, I wanted to lie next to him all my life.
Mugiwara abruptly turned around, smiled, said that he was very hungry and was starting to freeze. But you still need to get up very carefully so that the angels remain beautiful and even.
Echoing his words, Trafalgar tried to rise as gently as possible. His sore back was extremely unhappy with this. But he courageously straightened up and didn't even wince! True, he fell back once, but really, it doesn't happen to anyone.
They turned around to look at their winged beauties.
- It doesn't seem like angels to me.…
-Yah, more like a circled corpse
Luffy drawled, turning his head left and right, trying to figure out if they were snow angels
- You've seen enough of the investigation again, haven't you?
- Notes are an extremely boring thing, you know.
Perhaps this is truly the first happy snowfall in his life in many years.
With the appearance of his Luffy, everything became brighter
- And now let's go for the wings! I'm hungry!