Reap the Earth at Which you Stand [boyxboy]

Chapter XXXVI

~Saturday 20th January 2018~

Dakota hadn't stopped moving for the entire drive home, and his fidgeting had only increased when he noticed the familiar setting of the city bounds. They were close to the Eldwin, so close to Vasile, but Dakota knew Grant wouldn't be willing to drop him off on some side street. Even if he were with Loral. He would have to wait, and that was just all the more agonizing. Thankfully, Loral had mentioned to Grant that Dakota was just itching to meet with Tanner, since their father had gotten sick of the boy's incessant interest in how far from home they were.

"How are your brands, Dakota?" Grant spoke of his own free will for the first time since he had sat in the driver's seat. Dakota had been in a particularly far state of mind when the question was asked, so it took him a moment to actually realise his father had been addressing him. Still, that didn't mean he had been listening to the context.

"Hm?" Dakota dragged his gaze from the street signs flying past the car window, meeting his father's eyes in the rearview mirror. He always looked so damn disapproving.

"I asked how your brands are," Dakota was honestly shocked Grant even bothered to care. After all, he had stood there and allowed his brother to torture Dakota, not seeming to even flinch as his own son had screamed and begged for mercy. It had only been when Loral broke free from Torin's grip and planted himself between Joshua and Dakota that he had finally stopped. Had Joshua gotten to the gargoyle brands, Dakota didn't think he would have made it.

"Healing," Dakota grunted viciously, no semblance of a smile on his face. Any time he felt any degree of happiness, Grant always had the right thing to say to rip it to shreds and burn what was left. That seemed to be one of his many skills, along with torture and misplaced emotion.

"I wanted to apolo-"

"No, you didn't," Dakota interrupted, returning his attention to the scenery outside the window again. Irritatingly enough, the car was at a standstill - damn midday traffic.

"Please, Dakota," Grant actually sounded sorrowful, Dakota had to admit, he almost fell for it. But then, of course, the image of his father simply watching on flickered into his mind, not even taking Dakota's hand when the boy reached out to him, only grimacing at the screaming of his own child in agony. That was Grant to a tee, ruthless.

"You let him do that to me, Grant," he didn't even deserve to be called dad anymore, no blood relative would allow their child to undergo such pain, "at least mom had the fucking decency to walk away. You just stood and watched," even Loral's hand in Dakota's couldn't stop the boy once he had started, he was on a roll, "I get it, he's your big brother and he scares the shit out of you, but I'm you fucking son. Your own flesh and blood, you raised me, and you still didn't fucking do anything. If you had any paternal instinct, you would have stopped him. You're a damn coward, leaving it to someone else to do the dirty work. You're lucky Joshua didn't punish Loral for interrupting, or, trust me, you'd have regretted it," Dakota didn't like the sound of his own voice. The tone was low, sombre, yet chilling. Apathy didn't describe it right, since Dakota was feeling, he felt everything. Every raw emotion that he had bottled up over the years, every fight he had bitten his tongue to prevent, every time he had swallowed his pride to act like the perfect son. He couldn't do it anymore, and he didn't think it was just because of the changes he had undergone.

"It only would have been worse," even though Dakota couldn't see the entirety of his father's expression, he could see the sorrow in the man's eyes. Too bad he still didn't believe it. It was all just misplaced guilt, and Dakota had no place for that.

"Bullshit," Dakota muttered, rubbing his thumb over Loral's knuckles, knowing the boy would be tense. He didn't like conflict, especially that between family. Not that Dakota ever believed he would be able to call Grant that again. The man didn't realise at the time, Dakota wasn't sure he would until it was too late, but he was making the boy's decision easier with every word spoken and action taken. How could he ever choose family over love when he had none of the prior left to hold onto?