Severed [GB + SB]

Seven: Time and Effort

"Understood. That sounds very much like a deliberate action." I shuddered just thinking about him looking at me, and Kota moved so he could loop one arm around me, tucking me in closer to him, while Luke rubbed my knee soothingly. I tilted my head down and kissed Kota's bicep, and reached out for Luke's hand then wouldn't let him take it back, forcing him to bend it awkwardly to hold on until he gave me an exasperated look and changed the angle, folding my arm against his so we were both comfortable. "What did you do next?"

"I ate my hotdog — don't you make that noise at me, North Taylor, it was fucking delicious — and then I walked directly home through the woods. Not meandering anymore, just a direct path, and it still took almost two hours to get home. I wasn't feeling too great and I don't think I was walking very fast at all, and I was a little spacey because I got home and it was getting dark out, so I must have been out there a good seven hours or so. I took a shower and went to bed. I looked for Kota's car every chance I got," I said, kissing his bicep again, "but never saw it."

"Nate and I stayed at Vic's on Monday night, and went to registration at 8, all three of us. Vic had emailed his real estate agent late on Monday, and she'd lined up a few places for us to see. We found one we liked that is furnished and not too far from here, in the Sergeant Jasper building? That high rise near the river? What? Why are you laughing?"

"Sorry, man," Corey said, looking up at Kota with sparkling eyes as the rest of his team and North's team all expressed various levels of amusement. Even Raven snorted, and Axel cracked a small smile. "That's the building we all live in. It's an Academy building."

"You're kidding me—" Kota said as Victor popped himself on the forehead saying "that explains how we got approved so fast. And here I thought it was my name that got us the lease, and it was probably yours," he said, grinning at Kota, who I could tell was pleased by the thought that he had more influence than the Morgan name in some capacity. I grinned up at Kota, enjoying his pride, and Luke gripped my hand a little tighter and maintained the pressure, so I knew he was happy with my reaction too. It was in little moments like these when we felt the most together, when I could really picture what a wonderful future we could have. As long as I didn't screw it up.

"We went back to my house and Nate's around two or so," Kota said, "and packed up some stuff, whatever we could fit in the car. My mom and Jess are on their annual school shopping trip, and Max is at the boarder, so we decided to stay at the apartment. I, uh, went to your house, Sang, and your dad said you hadn't been home and pretty much implied you'd left with one of us Monday night. He didn't outright say it, but kind of talked around it and I had no reason to suspect differently. That's why we weren't around after that, or actively looking for you. He did that on purpose, I think."

I was completely and utterly shocked. I figured my dad wasn't my biggest fan, but to do that? Not even tell me? He knew. "He KNEW I was looking for you. He... knew I was suffering. I don't know what to say." I wasn't crying for once, I was dry-eyed and possibly in some kind of shock, nauseated and shaking. "It never occurred to me that he could do something like that, be that awful, and I'm not really sure why I was able to believe the worst about you, but never even consider that it was actually him. I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry..."

"Four, my dad routinely used me as a punching bag, and I still believed that deep down, he had my best interests at heart. Isn't that what they do to us? Isn't that what you said? He twisted it around on me to make it my fault so he wouldn't just be some asshole that beats his kid. It's never your dad, right? Your stepmom is the abuser, she's the threat... but what does he do about it? She's not even a blood relation, but he is. Why isn't he actively trying to give you a better life? He's so much worse than she is because he makes you responsible for your own suffering. By doing nothing. When it would be so easy to just do something, anything. Even as little as telling someone where to find you. And why would you ever think he wouldn't do at least that? Or tell you we came by. We both should have realized what he's capable of, but now we do, right? He's not going to fool us again."