"I, uh…want to take you somewhere."
Summer cocked her head, frowning as she listened to Law on the line. He sounded unsure and slightly nervous, but without seeing his face, it was difficult to really tell. Although, getting an early morning call from him on a Sunday was unusual to begin with. In fact, this whole morning was a bit off.
"Ok…sounds a little important. Where to?" She questioned with a tad bit of hesitation, folding the last few pieces of her laundry that needed doing. The neat stacks that sat around her on the floor were a testament to the amount of clothes she'd had to do this time, considering she kept forgetting to do it and the amount just grew each day that passed.
He paused, and Summer stood from the floor to gather the stacks of clothing, holding her phone between her cheek and shoulder. "It's a surprise…of sorts."
"That doesn't make a whole lot of sense."
"I know, but just bear with me. You'll know when we get there." He conceded, and Summer let up with all the questions. She honestly had no idea what he was talking about or referring to, but it sounded important enough to cause him a bit of reluctance. He didn't sound all that amused or mischievous over the phone, but nothing came to mind as far as to what he could be talking about.
A brief feeling of panic that she'd done something to upset him flashed through her, but she brushed off the anxiety. There was no reason for her to worry. And so, she shrugged, walking her way to her bedroom, clothes in hand.
"Alright, what time did you want to go?"
"Does 1 work for you?"
A quick glance at the clock displayed it was 11:30. Good, she still had time to shower and get ready for the day. "Mhmm, that's fine. Do I need to dress up fancy or anything?" She toed the door to her bedroom open enough to squeeze inside, arms loaded with folded clothes.
"No, casual is fine. I'll pick you up."
"Ok, I'll be ready by then." She promised, stuffing her drawers full of the clothes, organizing them how she liked. Then, feeling like it would be good to ask, she finished putting away the first half of her clothes, grabbing her phone with a free hand as she walked back to the living room. "Is…everything ok? You sound a little off this morning."
Again, there was a slight pause. Summer couldn't explain why. "Yeah, sorry. Just not feeling all there right now. But it's nothing."
The blonde frowned in worry, tucking her phone once again against her shoulder as she stooped to pick up more clothes. Straightening, she started towards the bedroom again. "Law, if you aren't feeling well, we don't have to go anywhere today. Just stay home and get some rest."
"No, no…this is something I want to do. And I'm not sick or anything. Just…" His sentence faintly drifted off, as if he was searching for the right word. "…nervous." He eventually finished with reluctance. Summer smiled, wondering how on earth a man as stern and gruff as Law could be was also just as much a worrier as herself. But at least he was opening up about his feelings a bit more.
"Well, wherever it is we're going, I'm sure everything will be fine."
"Right…I'd better shower though, so I'll let you go."
Summer put her stack of jeans on the dresser top, and she leaned against it with a chuckle. "Sounds good. See you soon, and be safe driving."
"Will do."
The line disconnected and Summer placed the last of her jeans into the drawer, closing it with a thunk. At least that was one of her chores out of the way. And, if she wanted to be ready by the time Law came by, she'd have to start doing so pretty soon as well. Wandering back into the living room, she grabbed the laundry basket and placed it back in the laundry room where it belonged.
She thought over their conversation and wondered, not for the first time, where he could possibly be taking her. They'd gone on a few outings before where he refused to tell her where they were going beforehand, but he'd always sounded excited or like he had some fun secret he was hiding. This time around, the amusement was distinctly lacking.
Perhaps he just didn't know if she'd enjoy it? He said he was nervous, which the Law from a few months ago probably never would have admitted. He'd gotten better about not being so tense and unsure about their relationship over the past while, more confident in his actions and words, but there were still times when he edged around her, almost afraid that if he said the wrong thing, she'd break. It was a bit tiring, but she was sure he just didn't want to accidentally say the wrong thing.
Deciding that sitting there wondering about it for the next hour was not, in fact, getting ready, she snapped herself out of her funk and proceeded towards her bathroom, taking one of the clean towels she'd washed with her to use.
Law stood underneath the spray of the shower head, leaning against the wall with both hands. His head hung low, the stream of water soaking his body with a comfortable heat, but it did nothing to dispel the tense feeling that had seized his chest.
Was this the right thing to do? Logically, he knew it shouldn't be that big of a deal, but emotionally, this was everything to Law. What exactly was he worried would happen? That she'd reject him afterwards? He knew Summer. Nothing bad would happen, he was certain. But still…
He sighed, slicking back his wet hair with one hand and standing straighter, turning his face up and closing his eyes as the spray went against his face. He scrubbed at his skin, trying to ignore the feeling of impending doom and focus on the simple task of getting himself clean.
Law kicked up the stand for his motorcycle, cutting off the engine as he stood. The air was still after the noise ceased, and he pulled the helmet off of his head, shaking out his hair to get it back into a semblance of order. Though this seemed to only make it messier. He gave up trying.
Summer's apartment complex was bathed in light from the sun, forcing Law to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness. His dark-tinted helmet visor was great while driving, but it was always a shock to get used to the sun after taking it off.
Tucking the keys into his jacket pocket and setting the helmet into one of the satchels on the side, he walked towards the blonde's building. In the middle of the central courtyard between the apartment buildings was a playground for children, and he spotted a mother with her son and daughter, watching them passively play in the jungle gym and on the swings while she read a magazine.
Passing the small family by as the children cried out with excitement, Law ascended the steps to her door just as the one beside it suddenly opened up. He hesitated only a moment before reaching the top, knowing there'd be no way around being seen. A very familiar, dark-skinned woman—dressed in much more casual clothing than the last time he'd seen her—and a young boy stepped out into the open, and she shut the door behind them, locking it with a rattle of keys.
Law was about to have knocked on his girlfriend's door but, turning her head to glance his way, she smiled kindly. "Oh, hello Law. Visiting Summer?" She assumed, returning the keys back into her purse as she straightened.
He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Yeah."
"Off somewhere fun?" Law nodded his head in affirmation since he didn't really want to explain entirely where they were going, and she returned the gesture slowly. "I'm sure she's excited to see you." Hitomi continued, but just then, the boy behind her stepped forward and glared at him with a suspicious expression.
"Who're you?"
"I'm…Summer's friend." He answered, wondering why this kid was questioning him with such an intense disposition. He assumed this was Soma, the lawyer's little brother.
"Her friend, huh?" He clarified suspiciously.
Hitomi cleared her throat, leaning comfortably against the railing. "Ah, more correctly, Summer's boyfriend." She intervened, much to Law's chagrin. This seemed to only make the kid more determined to interrogate him. If the hint of a grin at her lips was anything to go by, he'd say she did that intentionally. The kid stepped closer, crossing his arms.
"If you make her cry, I'll never forgive you." He proudly proclaimed. "And don't even think about doing anything dirty to her. If I find out you're a pervy guy, I'll kick your ass."
"Umm…"
What in the hell? Law thought to himself, staring down at the younger boy with both confusion and slight amusement. Here was some small kid, no more than 14, threatening him. It would have been a hell of a lot more funny if he didn't already know these two were Summer's closest friends/family figures in her life. He'd better watch his step around them either way. Hitomi only chuckled at her brother's antics before laying a gentle hand against his shoulder in a calming manner.
"Language, Soma. And I think he gets the point."
Soma reluctantly stepped back from his threatening position in front of the bartender, only by Hitomi's coaxing, and she turned him towards the stairs to go.
"Alright, off to IHOP. We don't want to be late for pancakes, now do we?" The woman gave him an amused smirk as they passed him, only pausing to lean closer and mutter something to him. "Besides, I'm sure you're aware that should I find out you broke her heart, Soma will be the last thing on your mind, because I'll sue your ass into oblivion."
Suppressing the urge to gulp, he turned to watch them head towards the stairs, staring at the woman with mixed emotions. His first impression of her had been correct: a vicious wolf in sheep's clothing. She looked over her own shoulder again, as if feeling his stare at her back, and gave a small wave.
"Enjoy your day, Law." Came her sickly-sweet parting remark before they descended down the steps and out of view.
Law turned back to Summer's door, unable to stop the slight shiver that ran up his back. He had no doubt in his mind that Hitomi's threat was genuine. Pissing her off would be the last thing he ever did by the sound of it. And with that nice thought, he let out a breath and knocked on the blonde's door, waiting for her to answer.
Half a minute passed, and still he didn't hear any movement from inside. Frowning, he knocked a little louder, standing back again to wait. Still nothing. Then he remembered something she said before. Gently twisted the doorknob, he found it was unlocked, just as she said it always was when she expected him, and he cautiously stepped through.
Her empty living room was in slight disarray, her camera equipment placed haphazardly on the coffee table. Somewhere further away he could hear music playing softly. His nose was hit with her usual fruity perfume as soon as he entered, softly closing the door behind him, and he smiled a little at the comforting scent. Not seeing the blonde, he tried calling out.
"Summer?"
"Back here!"
Her voice came from down the hall. and he followed it to her room, where the door was open just a crack. Pushing it gently open, he saw her applying the last of her makeup for the day, seeing him through the mirror she stood in front of.
"You got here a little early." She said with a smile, focusing back on her reflection to start working on her mascara. Her phone was laying on the vanity beside an assortment of old makeup products, playing 'Uptown Funk.'
Law grinned, leaning against the door casually. "No, I didn't. It's 1:15."
Her mascara wand paused in place, and she snapped her head over to the clock on her nightstand. "Oh, shit. I thought I was gonna have enough time!"
Law chuckled, shaking his head. "It's no problem. You can finish up."
"I'll just be another minute. And would you actually do something for me?" She asked, capping the mascara and shaking the bottle a few times. Law raised his brows, waiting for her request. "Could you put some more food in Max's bowl? I saw it was getting low when I was doing laundry, and I was going to get around to it, but I never did."
"Sure, where's it at?" He stood straight again, already halfway out of her bedroom. Her voice followed after him.
"It should be in the laundry room! The bag is sitting next to the washer!"
Heading off to do as she asked, Law spotted the little cat in question laying peacefully on the cushion of one of Summer's kitchen counter stools. Max didn't stir as Law passed, and he decided that he'd let the little cat rest.
He found the items right where she told him they'd be, and he poured enough of the food into the container to last at least several days. Returning the bag to it's spot, he stood and walked back out into the kitchen. Summer was there putting on her tennis shoes.
"Ok, I'm ready now." She said, grabbing her bag with a smile. He nodded and lead them out of the apartment. He held the door open for her and waited for her to lock it behind them.
Trying one more time to pry some information from him, she cocked her head. "So, where are we going?"
He looked away, with a small, humorless smile. "You'll see."
Law pulled up to a small flower shop on a street corner, and Summer frowned from inside her helmet. He maneuvered them in between two vehicles parked along the road and kicked the stand into place, leaning the bike against it as he shut off the engine.
"Is this the place?" Came her muffled question, but somehow he managed to hear and understand it. Lifting his helmet off, he let her shimmy herself off of the bike first before following after.
"No, just a quick stop beforehand." He answered, helping her get the helmet off of her head when she struggled with the chinstrap. Her hair puffed up messily after taking it off, and he grinned when she tried smoothing it back into place. He didn't comment on the fact that the inside of the helmet had pulling off some of the makeup she'd meticulously applied right before they left.
They placed the helmets on the handlebars, not expecting to be here long. Following Law into the shade that the awning above them afforded, he went straight to the counter, where a pinkette was wiping down the counter.
Upon seeing him approach, she perked up, stuffing the cloth she'd been using to clean somewhere underneath and out of sight. "It's not like you to be late, Law." She commented, already moving off to grab his regular order. "For a while there I thought you wouldn't stop by."
The bartender watched as Summer glanced around the little shop smelling some of the hanging displays of flower arrangements beside her head. Though, he could see her curious eye watching his interaction with Rebecca subtly. In response to her comment, he shrugged. "Well, today's a little different than most Sundays."
"Oh? And how's that?" The pinkette asked, placing the three roses on the counter between them. It was then she noticed the blonde standing back a little from Law, but was obviously his companion from the closeness of their persons. Rebecca smiled in surprise. "Hello! Are you Law's girlfriend?"
The label seemed to make Summer blush in either pride or embarrassment, Law couldn't quite tell. Still, she was courteous enough to respond. "Yes, my name's Summer. And you are?"
"I'm Rebecca. Law's a regular here, so I'm a bit surprised he hasn't mentioned you at all. I would have demanded he start buying more flowers each week." She turned a slightly accusatory stare in his direction, obviously wondering how he could have a girlfriend and her not know about it. He conveniently pretended to be looking off in another direction.
Summer only laughed, sauntering a bit closer to Law. Letting the matter drop for now, Rebecca smiled and rang his order up, wrapping the stems together with a ribbon so they wouldn't separate. "Anyways, it'll be the same total as usual." She said, waiting for Law to pay. He dug out his wallet and took out several bills, taking care of the total. Rebecca counted out his change and he grabbed the flowers in exchange.
"Thanks, as always." He replied, about to head out. The pink-haired woman nodded graciously, giving Summer a kind smile as they left. Summer smiled back, giving a courteous wave in goodbye.
They got closer to his motorcycle, then Summer turned to look at him. "What are the flowers for exactly?"
He gave her a long look, before they reached his bike. "So many questions." Was all he said, before placing the flowers into the satchel so they wouldn't be ruined during the drive. Handing her the helmet dangling on the handlebars, Law took his own and placed it on his head. The blonde was only a moment later to do the same, and she comfortably tucked herself behind the bartender when he sat himself in the seat. With one last glance at Rebecca watching them go, Law started the engine and pulled away from the curb towards their destination.
Summer was full of curiosity the entire drive to wherever they were going, but her questions were answers as soon as she saw where Law had turned into. Really, she should have figured it out sooner, but the thought hadn't even popped into her mind, honestly. The sign was made of white stone, the name of the place carved cleanly and elegantly into the surface that faced the road.
Laurel Glen Cemetery.
Her excitement was stilled, and instead a swirling mix of realization, hesitation, and sorrow replaced it. It wasn't that she didn't want to be there, she was just overtaken by the immense weight of where exactly they were, and why they were there. Suddenly, all of Law's hesitation and nervousness seemed to make sense—hindsight was always clearer—and she felt bad for not realizing all of this in the first place.
The sound of Law's motorcycle echoed around in the enclosed space of trees as they slowly made their way through the main road that cut across the cemetery. There were perpendicular, smaller pathways that cut opposite, and he turned down a particular one, driving almost to the end before slowing to a stop. As soon as the engine was cut off, a sudden stillness and heaviness settled in the atmosphere around them, and Summer unwrapped her arms from around his waist. Realizing that she was just sitting there while he waited for her to jump down from her seat, Summer slid off to the side, already working on taking off the helmet.
While Law gathered himself, Summer looked around at the place, admiring the serene feeling of peace that seemed to accompany this beautiful place. The grass was green and thick, and looked soft. Even rows of variously shaped and sized headstones covered the field. Trees dotted the grounds, while also enclosing the perimeter of the cemetery along the edges. This reduced the noise of the city just outside the boundaries, and shut out any distraction nearby buildings would have been. The sun shone through the canopy of trees, leaving the place bright and fresh.
Law cleared his throat behind her, and she turned to see him standing there with the flowers they'd stopped to bye. He held his hand out for her helmet, and she wordlessly gave it to him, watching as he put it away with his own.
Summer didn't quite know what she was supposed to say while in a place like this. Though, it seemed she didn't have to say anything at all. Turning back to her, Law held out his hand again, and it took just a second for her to realize he was silently asking for her own. Intertwining their fingers together, she allowed him to lead her into the grass towards the plethora of headstones.
Some of the last names stuck out to her, the more unusual ones. Schnetzer. Floresca. Langsdorf. Bookhart. But her eyes kept searching for Trafalgar, as she knew Law's last name to be.
For the longest time, she'd thought it was Donquixote, as Corazon's last name was, thinking that the bar owner was Law's actual father. It had taken some time for him to admit that he wasn't actually related by blood to his boss, which came as a shock to her. They were so close, they acted as father and son already. Law had only admitted that his family had died. He'd never explained when or how.
They didn't have to go far, it seemed, as Summer was snapped out of her thoughts when Law stopped walking. She looked down and saw three black-stone grave markers before them, each with a wilting flower in the built-in vase supplied for every plot. Law let go of Summer's hand and sat in front of them, taking out the old flowers and replacing them with the new ones.
The blonde took that as her cue to sit as well, and examined the stones for herself as he swept away stray leaves that had fallen over them since the last time he'd visited.
Lami Trafalgar. April 15th, 1993 — November 24th, 2005. Precious daughter and sister.
Susan Trafalgar. January 18th, 1969 — November 23rd, 2005. Beloved mother and wife.
Jack Trafalgar. October 2nd, 1967 — November 23rd, 2005. Wonderful father and husband.
The implications began to sink in, just what Law had had to deal with when he was…Summer took a moment to count back the years…13 years old. Only 13, and his whole world had been taken out from under him…The blonde began to wonder just how insensitive some of her talk of the foster system may have seemed from his point of view now that she realized this. Looking back, compared to this, she'd taken so much for granted.
Sneaking a glance at him, she saw his eyes were glued to the gravestones in a thoughtful and sad expression, and that he was crosslegged beside her. Adopting the same position, Summer waited. She didn't want to accidentally say the wrong thing, and decided that if he wanted to talk, he'd do so himself.
For what felt like minutes and minutes, they simply sat there staring at the graves, enveloped in a thick silence. Summer was hesitant to even reach out to hold his hand for fear that he'd simply shy away from her. And so she continued to wait.
The sun was warm against her skin, the small patch of sun that shone through the tree above them speckled across her legs through the leaves overhead. Birds chirped and fluttered through the trees, and somewhere, she could head what she assumed to be a woodpecker pecking away at the bark of a tree. It was insistent and rhythmic.
"We used to live in a poorer part of town, even though dad was a doctor." Law eventually started, speaking in no more than a mutter. Summer looked over at him but he refused to take his eyes off the headstones, as if looking her in the eyes would pull all of his courage away from explaining. "He was part of a program to help develop better healthcare for the less fortunate in the area, so in order to be close to work, we had a house closer to the more dangerous neighborhoods."
He paused, as if trying to find the right words to say. Summer waited patiently.
"Gang violence wasn't anything unusual, but it mostly stayed in the central neighborhoods. Dad was never too worried about it, since there was a police station close by and we were in the outskirts. But one night, the two rival gangs became more violent than usual, and branched out further than normal."
Summer watched as he took hold of one of the wilting flowers he'd brought previously, tearing the petals off one by one that remained until there was nothing left. He then proceeded to pick at the stem, bit by bit, until it was a pile of shredded green pieces.
Jaw tense, he started on the next flower. "There was a drive-by in front of a park that was close to our house and…we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"…you were there?" Summer ventured to ask, almost afraid of the answer. He nodded silently, and she felt the prick of tears form at the corner of her eyes. Who could even imagine the sort of trauma that could have come from that event? Summer had no recollection of her parents, but having formed loving bonds with his own family then having them be ripped away right in front of him, was so much worse…
"They both died at the scene, but Lami was kept alive on life support until the next morning. She died from her injuries." He explained, eyes flicking to the odd date out of the three headstones. Summer had wondered why her's was different, but the answer was so much worse than what she could have imagined.
The first thing that threatened to escape her lips was 'I'm sorry,' but the sentiment felt so cheap. Surely he'd heard those same two words thousands of times in his life, just as Summer had from all of the foster parents that had asked about why she was in the system. It meant very little to her now, and she was certain it wasn't what Law wanted to hear, so she kept silent.
It felt like he had finished his story, but after a few moments he spoke again. "We didn't have any other family still living, so for awhile I lived in one of those Children's homes funded by the state. After awhile, I got a job with Corazon, and…well…here I am." Law stopped talking entirely after that, letting his story hang in the air between them, letting her decide for herself what she made of it.
Still, she had no idea what to say. This was all so much to take in at once, but to be honest, no matter how Law would have decided to bring it up, there was no good way of approaching the subject. But beneath the sorrow and sympathy she had for what had happened to him, she also felt proud and relieved that he was opening up to her more and more, trusting her with this sort of information, lowering his walls inch by inch to let her see more of who he was.
Feeling a rush of emotion, Summer reached over and placed her hand against his knee. It was a comforting gesture, letting him know that she was there without being overly intrusive. At first, Law appeared to have no reaction whatsoever to her touch, and Summer didn't think ill of it. He'd just laid a piece of his soul bare. She wasn't surprised.
But then his hand slowly intertwined their fingers together, and he returned her gesture confidently. Eyes still on the gravestones, the corner of his mouth twitched up in a tiny smile.
"Mom would've liked you."
Summer felt her heart beat particularly hard against her chest at that claim, and it felt as though it had ascended into her throat. No matter how many times she swallowed, the feeling wouldn't go away.
Then, he let out a quiet huff of what she took to be a humorless laugh before gazing down at their joined hands. "Lami too. She'd have wanted to meet Max and see your pictures."
Summer found herself staring at their hands as well, seeing the letters of the word D-E-A-T-H poking out from between her own fingers. They suddenly held so much more value to who he was now.
They sat there for several more minutes, letting this new addition settle and mold itself. It was heavy and bulky, but Summer knew that there was room for it and Law's emotions in this relationship. She could learn to understand, in time, and she only hoped that he'd also learn to trust her in the same aspect.
"Thank you for bringing me here." The blonde said eventually, finding it in herself to smile sadly at the three gravestones. She wondered what they would have been like had she ever met them. Probably…very friendly. "I only wish I could have met them in person."
Law remained silent, though he slowly brought their joined hands up to his lips, placing a soft kiss against the back of her hand. The gesture was small, but meant much to Summer. Scooting a few inches closer, so her left knee touched his right, she leaned into his shoulder comfortably, and they spent awhile just sitting there, listening to the silence and the soft sound of their breathing.
ns 15.158.61.48da2
