#the reason is neurodivergence and latent queerness btw

[cebwrites]

Trafalgar Family Headcanons

a/n: atrocious that the only results i get for "trafalgar law family" in tumblr's gif seach is only doffy stuff and the donqi (donkey, ha) pirates, not a single one of their bio family well, this'll have to do, since post-flevance pre-swallow island rosi is the only family law has to speak of...

they/he law, no reader cw: angst, homophobic/transphobic microaggressions, implied(?) religious trauma but there's nothing in detail, just law really failing to fit in with the other church boys for whatever reason word count: 1.3k

The passion for medicine started for Law's father when his father was drafted to war, just before Amber Lead was truly profitable but powers on top were already vying heavily for it, and ended up passing on the way home to his family - Law's father never ended up being a front like medic like intended, but his research was still invaluable to his peers in the field and he ended up helping in the expansion and flourishing of the hospital that would eventually become his grave

Law's mother was a classically trained dancer before she went into medicine; feeling the burnout of one career path but throwing herself headlong into another high-powered job before second guesses and frankly, reason, could knock her off-course

Diving into an occupation that seemed to be almost directly antithetical if not completely random to escape the monotony of her previous path in life, falling in love with a man on this new, exciting route and building a life with him - Law retains not-so vivid memories of how their mother stressed the importance of building a safety net for themself in the future, of stability, but they'd always remember the soft tone her voice when she spoke of just going for it, jumping into doing this with their father

Law didn't inherit his mom's merit in whimsy it seems, but they definitely picked up her anxiety about the little things, how she'd fuss over the smallest details in her plans to make sure everything went perfectly; Law feels a twinge deep in their chest whenever they catch themself fiddling with the edges of paper within their notebooks, trying to focus a cacophony of thoughts into something workable just like their mother

Their mother never talked much about her upbringing, or the people in her life before she took this plunge with their father, but what Law's mom did share with her children was her love for music - maybe a little misguided in signing them up for classes instead of just, letting them enjoy it for what it is, but Lami always seemed eager to pull out her violin for relatives and though Law still never socialized much, being able to play the piano did give them a slight "cool" factor that drew other kids to their side if not only to ask Law if they knew how to play this, that, or the other

But on the other hand, the kids got to see just how happy their parents were to dance in the comfort of their kitchen or living room when their songs played on the radio, pulling a reluctant Law and giggling Lami along with them to the beat; eventually everyone would lay in a cuddle pile on the floor or on the couch, breathless from laughter and a day off from school well-spent

Once, while Rosi was basking in the sun on the rare occasion where he and Law didn't have to run from bigoted doctors or duck behind marines' line of sight, where they both had a brief, precious moment to just breathe - Corazon found himself at a loss for what to do when Law started dissolving into tears (very reluctantly and trying to hide it the whole time, mind) when a certain song played on the radio

It took hours of coaxing to finally get the kid to talk, but after Law finally did spill the reason for his upset, Corazon could only hold them in the comfort of his coat while he smoothed over their tiny back with his hand the size of Law's head, an ache long dulled in Rosinante's own heart starting to throb numbly again

Law's grandmother was a devout woman, becoming especially pious after the death of her husband even though her prayers of bringing him home safe were never answered, she doubled down on her beliefs and blamed herself for not praying hard enough, not devoting herself enough to The Lord

She'd round up the family every Sunday for mass and make sure everyone was freshly dressed, on their best behavior for The Lord's house - Law didn't doubt that their grandmother did love them, but they could never shake the feeling that she valued appearances to the community more than what their family actually felt about these rituals

They went because they had to, it was what they always did and breaking tradition would be a "slippery slope" to god knows what as other members of the parish would say - plus, Law's father, for as long as Law had been alive up until that point, had been weak against their grandmother

Apparently it was because he was a particularly rowdy kid, always causing trouble for their grandmother even after his father passed, and the wakeup call Law's dad got was bad enough to swing him in the complete opposite direction - he loved his kids, sure, but he was strict, and when it came to grandma? Whatever she said, goes, out of the guilt Law's father never addressed with his mother, sweeping every bad thing under the rug like they always did to keep moving forward

So to mass every weekend they went

Mom and dad were used to the pleasantries, mingling with other adults over the provided lunch afterwards and Lami got to play with the friends she easily made on day one, family friends; yet Law never quite found the right clique to assimilate into - either they were too macabre with descriptions of last week's anatomy class where they dissected live frogs, or nobody found their rambles about commemorative coins all that interesting

Their mom urged Law to approach other kids about the Sora comics he liked so much, but given the reception to all their other interests, Law kept this special interest very much personal - they occasionally toss and turn at night thinking of how those comics probably would be their in with them, but then again, it's not like any of that would matter in the end - whether those snotty church kids accepted them or not, Flevance was always destined to end up in flames

Wholly ignored by it's supposed savior that swathes of people offered their reverence to every single week, every day in the case of their grandmother, no one had come to save a single person in the White City

In any modern setting I'd imagine them as Colombian with much of the same choices being made here - Law isn't particularly close with their folks, and if you asked them about their dad their first thought would go to Corazon; it's strained over the years for a myriad of things but the ones lined up above paint the clearest picture

They talk to Lami on and off, Law's still pleasant enough with their sister to hang out ever other month - they shut down any talk of possibly meeting up with mom and dad to sort things out, however - on the off chance that Law does have to meet with their parents, it's about as tense as you an imagine it, especially if extended family is involved

Law can handle prodding about their studies and bullshit an answer about where they intend to take his career in life, but they absolutely dread the questions about girlfriends and the however many hours of misgendering they can come to expect before he can go home and have to recharge for about a week - Corazon and their childhood friend group are more or less the only people in an out of their house at that time, but others may be allowed over towards the end of their cocooning session

Lami tries to advocate for them with when they have to field nosy relatives, Law appreciates her for that, but she can only do so much having to deal with her own onslaught of invasive questions about her personal life, she'd tell him; Law recognizes the familiar icy curl in their chest whenever she does - they're all just trying to get by in their own ways, no one has time to coddle them; they get much of the same feeling from their mother, who does try to extend an olive branch every now and again, but mostly silence from his father when the topic comes up

Law - doesn't make it a habit of keeping in touch with their folks