You should have anticipated he'd be late. Foolish of you to hope that he wouldn't be. Not that it was his fault...but still. Perhaps you'd been too optimistic. Your phone buzzed on the counter, and part of you already knew what his text would say before you'd read the message.
Lots of nurses sick tonight. Had to pull a double. I'm sorry. I'll be home as soon as I can.
Damn. You sighed, typing a reply before setting your phone down on the kitchen counter beside your freshly-poured mug of hot chocolate.
I'll wait up for you.
Making plans was no small task. Law tried his best to work around the ever-shifting schedule at the hospital, but it didn't always happen like the both of you wanted it to. Staffing issues were a constant headache, leading him to have to work longer hours to cover all of the patients they saw on a daily basis. Sickness and injury never took a vacation for holidays, you supposed. And in a big city like this one, even more so...
The tile flooring was ice-cold on your bare feet, your toes going numb against the chill, and so you move to the couch in the loft to bundle up. You tried dialing the thermostat up a few more degrees as you passed by, but the building's heating system wasn't all that great. There were benefits to having the top floor apartment--a spectacular floor-to-ceiling window with a view of the streets below and the sky above--but consistent heating during the colder months wasn't one of them.
On your way, you grab the tv remote and click the power button to distract yourself. The first thing to come on, unsurprisingly, was the weather channel you'd been watching a few hours ago. They were saying the same thing they had all week.
"...and remember to bundle up this evening as this cold front brings with it the first snowfall of the year! Parents, don't be surprised if schools call a late start tomorrow, as we're facing at least 8 to 10 accumulated inches. It'll stick around all evening and into the morning. Road conditions won't be great, with limited visibility as the fog rolls in. So, slow down and stay alert. You may want to leave a little earlier for work, just to clear the congestion."
You felt a little thrill of excitement. Snow. Nothing compared to seeing the city blanketed in white, soft and dampened down by the cloudy skies. Law had poked fun at your anticipation of something so small, but even he was looking forward to it in his own restrained way.
The storm wasn't expected until 6 pm, and you still had hours to go. They ticked by at a snail's pace, which admittedly, wasn't helped by the fact that you instinctively checked the clock every 10 minutes or so. Better to just distract yourself until the evening...
You tossed around the idea of texting Law, just to do something, but decided against it. He was busy, and likely unable to respond until much later in the night. You didn't want to bother, especially on such a hectic day by the sound of it. So much for that...
After a cursory glance around the apartment, you don't find anything other than the numerous festive decorations that really brought a bit of life to the drab, gray living space. Curse the landlords for not letting you paint the walls a nicer color. At least the reds and greens of the decor helped quite a bit.
There was nothing to clean. Nothing to watch--you idly flicked through channels but all you could find were those blasé Hallmark movies filled with predictable cliches and even more boring romance plots. You didn't feel hungry or interested in leaving the house. Traffic would be a pain at this time of day.
So with a click, you turn off the tv again and flop your head down onto the couch cushion. Maybe a nap would help the time pass by quicker.
You're not sure what roused you from sleep. With a shift and a groan as you stretched your muscles, arms extended upwards above you, you're brought aware of the fact that you were now awake. The relative warmth under the thin blanket you'd slept beneath was countered by the room's overall chill. It was much dimmer than you'd remembered it being when you'd first laid down for a nap, once your eyes opened a crack.
A quick glance behind you out the giant window gives you a sight that has you sitting up in a rush.
Fat, white flakes of snow drifted down en masse from the sky onto the city streets below. You stand, entranced by the view, and press your face against the window to see it in full. It fogs for a moment, but you pull back and wipe your arm across, clearing the view.
The storm had surely just started, as the sidewalks and tops of balconies and the streets were only lightly dusted with the stuff. People milled about below, conditions not bad enough yet to send them scurrying for cover. The inches the weathermen had said to expect were still to come.
The sky was a painting of blue-gray clouds, opaque and yet fluffy enough not to be able to focus on one spot for very long. It sprinkles flakes like sugar down onto the city, and you can feel the smile on your face widening. Beautiful, just as you'd imagined it would be.
Having Law there to cherish it with would have made it all the better, and his absence does leave a little hole of disappointment, but there was nothing to be done.
You set aside the coffee table and side tables to the edges of the room, pushing at the back of the couch to move it closer to the window. Inch by inch, it slowly goes where you will it to, though the going is slow. The constant double-checking to make sure you're not putting scratches in the wood floors saw to that.
But after several minutes of pushing and worrying over the flooring, you'd successfully propped it right up against the window to see the view below in comfort. You grab your blanket and hop over the back, landing on the cushion with a rumpled thump. It's a bit of wriggling around before you're comfortable, but you do manage it, propping up one of the cushions with the end of your blanket to act as a makeshift pillow.
Snuggled up in the blankets, warm and content, you watch with wonderment as the snow continues to fall. And matched with the view from down below, you're entranced for another half hour or so before your eyes lull themselves shut, and you fall asleep once more.
A gentle shake of your shoulder is what stirs you, and you release a groan as you shift in place. "Hmm?" You mutter, eyes blinking open wide enough to see an equally-tired Law gazing at you from the armrest you'd been using as a sort-of pillow. It's dark, but the lamp he'd turned on in the corner gave you enough light to see him by.
"Hey." His voice is quiet, but amused. "What happened to waiting up for me?"
"Sorry, I..." You're cut-off with a hard yawn. "I didn't realize I fell asleep." You start to sit up as Law steps away to put his work things back in their places. Without a clock visible in the dim lighting, you're left wondering. "What time is it?"
"A little after 12:30." He admits, the jangle of his keys being set into the bowl by the door sharp in the silence of the apartment. "I got off around midnight, but had to drive slower on the roads. They weren't plowed very well, no surprise, really."
He goes about his ritual of coming home from the hospital, scrubs stained and rumpled in places. You wait patiently on the couch when he disappears into the other to undress from his work attire into something more comfortable. And when he returns, he's wearing a loose, comfortable t-shirt and some lounge pants, feet bare, and hair mussed from running his hands through it, you assume.
When he comes closer, he flashes you a half-smile, too tired to give anything else.
"Hungry?" You ask, about to get up and check the fridge for something to make. His head shakes and he gestures for you to scoot over.
"Nah. Had something from the cafeteria before leaving work. Move over."
Still wrapped in your blankets, you shift and shimmy back and forth until Law has enough room to step over the back of the couch and ease himself into the space behind you. Not for the first time, you're thankful for a wide couch and his more slim build. It made for perfect cuddling opportunities such as this one.
It's quiet as the two of you settle into a comfortable position. From behind you, his arm comes around to rest on your hip, hand dangling down but fingers just within reach to trail ghostly touches beneath the hem of your shirt. It makes you shudder, at first, but it simmers down into an intimacy that you relished in. That domestic quiet, fatigue and a lack of responsibility for the rest of the day...absolute perfection.
He sighs as the stress from work begins to wash away, warm breath fanning your cheek. You feel the gentle press of his lips on the bottom of your jaw, sweet and simple. You smile, warmth radiating between you despite the chill of the apartment.
"Glad I didn't miss the snow." He says quietly, and you nod slowly.
"Me too. It's always better with you here."
"It'll be terrible to drive through tomorrow-"
"But at least it looks beautiful right now. Just focus on that." You say, shifting your arm to reach for the hand he's resting on your hip. Your fingers interlock softly. "Work is done for the day. Now you rest."
"...yeah." He accepts after a few beats of silence.
The night makes it more difficult to see the snow still coming down, harder now than it had been earlier, but the street lamps and stop lights provide enough illumination to see the piling white blankets upon the ground.
You can never really completely block out the noise of the city--there was simply too much of it, and the ambient white noise was ever-present--but it's muted with the falling snow, less grating and obvious. Enough so that Law's even breathing sounds louder and clearer than usual.
Once more, in the warmth and comfort of Law's arms and the softly falling snow beyond the window, your eyes grow heavy and your mind clouds with the promise of sleep. You think you hear a soft 'I love you' from him just before you give into it's embrace, but you can't be certain.
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