Cocoa

Characters: Law, Shachi. Rating: K. Warnings: None

From the first sip, fingers frozen and teeth chattering until the warm liquid flooded his body, Law had decided that hot chocolate was the best drink to ever be invented. Coffee was an important source of caffeine – and Law was well aware he drank too much of it, but allowed himself that one vice – but when it came down to it, hot chocolate was vastly superior.

Unfortunately, unlike coffee it wasn't something Law could whip up himself. While the Donquixote Family had often gone to tea a first preference, leaving Law forced to learn how to make a brew (and remember multiple ways different people enjoyed it), coffee had not been an uncommon drink, and no-one was watching the children carefully enough to regulate their intake of it. Thus, Law had quickly learnt how to create a mug of sweet caffeine as a child.

Unwilling to be reliant on Shachi whenever he wanted a hot chocolate in future, Law had coerced him into teaching him the recipe. The ginger had been more than willing to do so – likely because he didn't want to end up Law's personal hot chocolate maker, tied to his captain's whims – but even as he followed Shachi's instructions to the letter, something was never quite right.

Sometimes, it was too bitter, and attempting to rectify it with another spoonful of sugar did nothing but congeal the liquid. It did nothing to actually sweeten the taste, against all logic. Other times it ended up the opposite way, too sweet for even Law's sweet tooth to comfortably enjoy, but the additional cocoa he tried to add to repair that did nothing except create bitter pockets. And then there were the times when he just couldn't identify what was wrong; it just wasn't like Shachi's.

Wary of wasting their supplies, he eventually surrendered. Somewhat surprisingly, considering it left him with the role of hot chocolate maker permanently, Shachi didn't complain at that – then again, maybe he too had been concerned about their dwindling supplies at each of Law's failed attempts.

For something they had begun to drink on an almost regular basis – when it was cold, when one of them wasn't feeling well, when they simply felt like it – it was an expensive luxury. In some places, cocoa was extortionately priced – to the point where they'd started to buy it bulk if they ever saw it for a reasonable price, regardless of their current supply levels, in order to ensure they never ran out.

From then on, if it wasn't Shachi making it – usually if he was the one feeling under the weather – Penguin would take up the mantle. His never quite reached the perfect taste of Shachi's (he claimed that Shachi's mother had a secret trick, and she'd never shared it with anyone except her own son), but it was still a far cry from the attempts Law could make.

But then came that time Law remembered all too well, when Penguin lay sleeping in the infirmary after receiving a particularly nasty wound in battle, and Shachi was inconsolable. Words of reassurance that Penguin's life was in no danger and that he'd wake up soon did little to help, so with his resolve steeled Law left Shachi in the capable paws of Bepo and headed for the kitchen.

It was a risky move. Law's attempts at making the drink had never met his own high standards, but needing to find something to attempt to ground Shachi led him to the obvious comfort of the chocolatey drink. Running through the steps in his mind, and hoping that he wasn't forgetting any, he collected the correct amount of cocoa nibs from their sack and began to grind them down.

Unwilling to offer Shachi a drink that tasted foul, he sampled the concoction he ended up with, a mixture of ground cocoa, sugar, dried milk and water with barely a pinch of salt. His first three attempts were abandoned, left on the side for Law to consume later (or throw overboard), but the fourth was something passable as the drink it was supposed to be.

Mug in hand, he carefully picked his way back through the Tang to find Shachi still wrapped up in Bepo's solid grip. The mink had thankfully relocated them to the control room so he could keep an eye on the Tang's controls, although Law wondered how he'd managed to pry Shachi from Penguin's side. Eyes red rimmed behind his shades, the ginger looked less than pleased to be there, although Law had faith that if he had truly protested, Bepo would not have forced him to leave.

Silently he pressed the warm mug into Shachi's hands, and waited (holding a breath he would deny if asked) for the ginger to drink it. He did so, not even hesitating despite the fact that it was Law that had made it, and gave a small but genuine grin after the first sip.

"Thanks, Law," he said with a watery voice. He made no reference to the taste, but as he raised the mug back to his lips again, Law relaxed.

It wasn't a masterpiece like Shachi's, but at least it made him smile.

Technically they're making cocoa rather than hot chocolate here, but I don't imagine them being capable of storing large quantities of milk without the risk of it spoiling. I had a discussion with a reader some time ago about Law struggling to make it, so here's a chapter about it!

Thanks for reading!
Tsari