Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Setting: Strawhats are sailing with the Hearts to an unspecified destination. Law and Robin have been getting closer, but have yet to define their relationship.

Please Note: There's an extreme amount of narration in this. I'm brushing up on my descriptive skills.

The snowstorm caught them both by surprise.

Law had decided to accompany Robin through the forest, where no less than three poneglyphs were hidden away by some old pirate crew—or so the villagers in this backwater island that their ships landed upon claimed—that he scarcely remembered the name of. They weren't supposed to make any stops, but nothing ever went according to plan when Strawhat Luffy was involved. Although the Strawhats were perfectly content to let Robin wander on her own, Law wasn't so lenient. Never mind that she wasn't a part of his crew… he just wasn't comfortable with letting her explore a strange place by herself, especially not after the last few weeks they'd spent together. Then again, who would be? They had yet to label their relationship, and he'd be damned if something happened to her before they could. So, using the fact that he was actually interested in the poneglyphs as an excuse, he tagged along.

Some of the men in his crew gave him knowing glances, while the first mate of the Strawhats threw him the most heated warning look he'd ever seen from a man. A feat, considering how long he'd known Doflamingo. But Law wasn't so easily intimidated. He shot the swordsman a smirk, before trailing after an eager Robin, who seemed to care less for his presence than she did the rocks they passed.

The forest was beautiful, although he'd wandered in enough of them to tell at a glance that there was nothing particularly remarkable about this one. There were no strangely shaped trees or glowing plants. Even the animals they came across looked tame. Robin, for the most part, was silent as she used her powers here and there to figure out where to go. He followed after her almost obediently; almost because he refused to consider himself as such. Sometimes, he'd feel her eyes trail across his form. Her gaze never lingered, so he knew that she was only making sure that he was still there.

Law's gaze, on the other hand, remained on her. Only some celibate monk could blame him for not taking this chance to stare at the way her hips swayed beneath her purple, tight-fitting coat. How her long legs stepped over raised tree roots; how her breasts bounced with each subtle movement because her bra clearly wasn't doing its job properly. He savored simple moments when she'd point towards uphill paths, and he'd help lift her before jumping up himself. Law could've used his powers, but he hid behind the excuse that he didn't want to waste his energy. He could only make so many rooms. There was no need to waste one on something as banal as this.

They spoke here and there, although nothing that required more than half of his attention. Perhaps that was why he was able to so clearly spot the slight hollow in the distance. Because although the sky had been clear when they set out, snow fell bit-by-bit, and before they knew it, steel-gray clouds had dominated the space above their heads, and they were suddenly in the middle of one of the worst blizzards Law had ever found himself in.

As soon as they reached the hollow, they realized that it was actually a tunnel. A very short one with one mouth opened to a cliff with nothing but the ocean at the bottom, and the other, to the icy slope of the forest. It was a peculiar place. A bridge between realities; a buffer that kept two edges of the world from colliding. Law wouldn't have been surprised if someone told him that some form of magic ran deep underground here, working as an anchor to keep this path untouched.

Icicles gleamed along the outer edges closest to where the weather took a sudden turn for the frosty. The landscape beyond disappeared underneath the snow. All he saw was a scattered mess of trees and large bushes that were hardy enough to stand the weather. Law knew from experience that even those would disappear in a few more minutes, but for now, there they stood under a miserable dusting of snow as white as dye.

Law was no stranger to snowstorms; he was from the North Blue after all. But he didn't have to be from there to know that blizzards were dangerous. Common sense dictated that, which was why so many people did their best to avoid them. But to be trapped in a small tunnel at the heart of it and to witness it from the safety of a fortified building beside a hearth were two different experiences entirely.

The blizzard was unforgiving in its intensity. Law turned whenever the walls of the cavern rumbled. He watched an old pine tree, fifteen feet tall and twice his width, twist like twine under the might of the wind. It didn't break at the core, no, it bent like a pliant pole made of rubber. All of its leaves shifted sideways, twisted over themselves, and then, all at once, the winds had uprooted it. A lattice of wood, soil, and root tore loose and splattered dirt high into the sky. Robin stepped back in uncertainty at the sight. She didn't seem to care that she'd accidentally bumped into him or that he could plainly see the worry in her eyes. Law wasn't kind enough to reassure her with words, but he did place a hand on her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

"We'll have to stay here until it passes, Nico-ya," he told her.

She sighed. It was small and hardly hearable under the howling wind, but he saw her breath as it escaped her lips. Somehow, that small physical appearance of her disappointment made it seem heavier.

"I was looking forward to seeing the ruins," Robin said, although she didn't attempt to refute his statement. Neither did she ask him to use his powers, perhaps already knowing that it would be useless. He liked that about her. Robin always thought before she spoke. It was a quality that he appreciated in any person, but especially in her.

"This blizzard is unnaturally strong… as expected of the New World."

"I thought you were used to trudging through snow. Why don't you return to the ship?"

… And that was something he liked a lot less. She was good at word games, and he didn't doubt that she knew what she was doing to him by suggesting that.

"You don't have to wait this out with me," she went on.

Do I look like such a failure of a man that I'd leave you here? he thought, but what came out instead was a resounding, "No."

"Are you sure? Luffy will find me soon enough," she said. Her voice was so fond and so certain that he couldn't help the twinge of envy that pierced his chest.

"I said I was interested in the glyphs. I don't plan to leave you until I see you translate them."

"If you hope to figure out how to read them, then watching me won't give you any clues. I copy the ancient language. I don't write their translations."

He figured. Writing that down would be too risky.

Nevertheless, Law ignored her remark. Even if they did have something going on between them, she had every right to be suspicious.

"The blizzard doesn't look like it's going to stop anytime soon," he said as way of an answer. "So, I suggest you get comfortable."

Despite the seriousness of their conversation, she shot him a smile that made his heart skip forward—hard. There was something mischievous about that look. He returned it with his signature smirk that she didn't at all shy away from.

Law made no move to touch her, and she didn't ask to be touched. Neither of them bridged the scant gap between them. They spoke instead. Law found that each word that left her lips was accompanied by a warm glance and a honeyed grin that made his chest heat in a strange mix of affection and the anticipation of it.

Right now, he felt like a smitten fool. He hated it. But he wasn't masochistic enough to deny himself the feeling.

So, time passed like that.

Every so often, Law heard the distant, pitiable whine of an unknown predator lost to the cold. With his Kenbunshoku Haki, he knew that there were none particularly close to them. In fact, there were no souls but their own. It was odd—this solitary wild, where the evening chill continuously chased the hour. Only when Law saw Robin shivering under her jacket did he notice the bundles of gathered leaves and branches neatly stacked near the edge of the tunnel; either a remnant from the tunnel's previous occupants or an emergency supply for villagers caught unaware like they had been. The stack was hidden under a pile of rocks likely used to keep them from blowing right off the cliff's brink.

By the time he had a fire going, night had arrived in earnest. True dark fell over them like a cloak to freeze their bones clean through. The wind had gotten stronger, bringing the cold touches of snow further inside. A particularly powerful gust managed to cover them in enough that it soaked their clothes. Robin made a net of hands with her powers not long after. Wind still managed to whistle between the gaps, but it helped.

They took off their wet shirts and laid them out on the floor. Law used the heaviest rocks he could find to keep their clothes from getting blown away. It wasn't the best way to dry them, but there were no lines for them to use as hangers here.

As the hours wore on, Law watched the leaves hiss in their tiny hearth. It was a riot of gold and scarlet that swirled up and around, spreading echoes of warmth that weren't enough for his chattering teeth. They made eerie shadows dance along the walls. Law tore his gaze away from them in fear of seeing something he didn't want to.

He settled for examining Robin instead. She sat beside him with her semi-dry sari skirt cocooned around her shoulders. Her coat had gotten too sodden for her liking, so she had laid it out with her shirt.

Robin frowned at a damp journal as she set it open before the waning fire. It was a worn little thing, but he could easily tell that she treasured it. Law had never considered a journal precious before, so he wasn't exactly sure what to say.

Do I even need to say anything? he thought.

Law tugged at the cloth wrapped around her instead.

Robin turned when he thoughtlessly fisted his hand into it, and that was when he noticed just how slight it was. It was too thin for the weather; thin enough that he was sure that he could tear right through it if he tried.

She couldn't be warm. There was no way.

Law took her hands in his.

Just as he thought, they were cold. Freezing, even. He probably should've paid more attention to stoking the fire, but there was something oddly comforting about the feeling of his entire body turning numb from the cold. He felt blissful. Torpid. Like a blanket of peace obscured him from the horrors of the rest of the world.

Law didn't rub her hands, not wanting them to swell. Instead, he brought them to his lips and breathed, hot and heavy, over her curled fingers. She didn't move away. Robin only looked up at him through lowered lashes, then sighed in content.

It had been like this for the past few weeks between them. He was loath to admit that it was mostly his fault. Law had always been a firm believer in actions speaking louder than words, and his mind wasn't something so easily changed. Not even someone that dominated it as much as she did could penetrate his stubbornness.

Suddenly, Robin's words from two weeks ago echoed in his mind then.

Actions exist to prove words, not sit in place of them.

She was an experienced woman—in life, in love, in everything—and she knew just how to deal with him. That is, by speaking in such a way that it sounded like advice, rather than criticism. Or perhaps she only said it that way because she didn't want to plead with him to say something that he might not be ready to say. Either way, she had handled the situation splendidly.

Law's eyes met hers. They were bright, but made more so by the shadows that flickered sharply across her face because of the fire. He tried to say something to her then. Really, he did. But the words got trapped in his throat when her lips tilted upward in gratitude.

What's wrong with me? he thought. Law was no greenhorn when it came to dealing with the fairer sex, but one appreciative smile from her made every thought he had disappear like a flock of startled birds. What am I doing? Our crews won't travel together forever. If this continues, I—

Just then, a narrow wind picked up, whispering winter. It slipped through the tunnel to make it moan like a drowsy beast. Law turned his head so that its chilled edges wouldn't catch the tips of his ears, only to shudder when the wind slid into the empty spaces between them to grope at their bodies. They'd both be covered in frost if he allowed this to continue.

So, he didn't.

It was as simple as that.

Law didn't exactly know how to be gentle. He wasn't sure he wanted to be. But when he drew her closer; when Robin buried her cold nose into his neck and wrapped her arms around his waist; when she closed her eyes, leaning into him, chest to chest, until there was hardly any space left for breath between them—

He tried to be.

"You're warm," was all she said.

"Warmer than you."

Just as he said it, another wind picked up. He shuddered as the ice-touched air pinched his nose and cheeks. It blew particularly cool at his back, just above his shoulders, where there was nothing to guard him. His coat, which he'd wrapped around himself was still wet, and the cool air reminded him just how bad the feeling of damp cotton was.

Robin slid one hand from his waist to wrap around the back of his neck. Her palm spread cozy heat that untangled the knots there, before she slid it down even further. She stopped between his shoulder blades. Her plush lips were pressed tantalizingly against his neck. It made heat pool in the pit of his stomach. He tightened his hold around her even more.

"Not warm enough," she added after a moment.

He felt, rather than saw her smile. Law laughed. It was low, but strong enough to stir her hair.

This was it. This was what he'd been longing to do for so long.

I want to hold her just like this—then, like lightning—but I doubt our crews will be allied for much longer. I'm going to be the Pirate King. Can I really be with a woman that doesn't believe in my dream? Can I be with a woman that would sooner stab me in the back, than see that title given to anyone but her Captain?

He knew the answer to that already.

What the hell am I doing?

But something else dawned upon him then. In that precise moment, they weren't from opposing crews. They weren't rival pirates that could very well become enemies the next day. They were simply a man and a woman seeking respite from nature's mercurial fury.

Right now, Robin was warm and soft and his.

He reveled in the realization.

"What are you thinking?" she asked.

Law only closed his eyes in response; a tacit indication that she wasn't going to get an answer out of him. A hum of amusement left her lips at that. Her voice was a delicate peal of silver that made his ears tingle.

"It makes me more curious when you don't answer."

"Go to sleep," he murmured, while tapping an absent tune on her skin. "You still want to find those ruins, don't you? They'll be buried under a mountain of snow tomorrow."

She had a few more comments to make, but eventually obliged. It wasn't long before she slipped into a light doze.

Because there were no threats in sight and because the sound of the stormy sea beyond was so utterly soothing to his tired mind, he permitted himself to follow. Law's pulse slowed, safe and silent inside of a wild tunnel that had, against all odds, managed to grow warm.

A/N: Regarding Robin's Devil Fruit hands in this chapter... I wasn't 100% sure if she could feel what they felt, so I decided to go with nope when I thought up the chapter. But while I was writing, I remembered that there were times when she was in pain when her appendages got hit. By then, it was too much of a pain for me to change. Sorry for any confusion, and please don't hesitate to point out things that are weird! They help me a lot! :D

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