a little reinvention || tree bros [✔]

Chapter Fourteen

(AHA, so, well this is almost at 3k and i honestly don't know what to say? I lov u all?
Anyways, this has ACTUAL plot and not just fluffy filler. So, Warning for: Homophobia, transphobia, and Abuse.
EDIT: My hands hurt from writing.)

Connor had his face pressed into Evan's side as the sun rose in the sky. He had been awake for a few hours, but was the warmth emanating from his boyfriend. He nuzzled closer when he felt Evan move, whining softly.

"Don't wanna get up." His voice was soft but a but rough with sleep and he looked up at Evan, who was rubbing his eyes and blinking away the exhaustion. Brown eyes met blue and Connor felt himself melt under the loving gaze. A hand cupped his cheek gently as soft lips pressed against his forehead, murmuring a soft 'G'mornin'.' Evan's voice was deeper than usual, and Connor nuzzled into his neck, sighing happily.

Ever since the two boys had been kicked out of school, they had more time to be close and cuddle. Connor had discovered little points on Evan's body that were usually tense and sore from lying in bed all day, so he took it upon himself to massage out the points. He always enjoyed how Evan turned to putty under his hands.

The peaceful moment between the two lovers was broken as the doorbell rang. Heidi wouldn't be back from work until around eight and it was only seven. Connor gently patted Evan's arm as a signal to stay as he climbed out of bed and pulled on a shirt, walking down the stairs to the living room. As he reached the door, he heard two familiar voices and froze, starting to shake.

No. No no, why the hell were they here? How the fuck did they know? They had never once been to Evan's neighborhood, so there was no way they could've found it. Even Zoe didn't know- they always met up at a café or a park or somewhere other than Evan's.

A shaky hand reached for the doorknob as slowly twisted  pulling the door open a bit as to only show his face. His words clumped in his throat and he felt anxiety wash over his shaking frame.

"H-Hey, L-Larry, h-hey, Cynthia... What d-do you two want?" Connor no longer thought of them as family, he no longer thought of them as loving parents who just never had time for him. He had spent enough time with Heidi and Evan to realize that a family should never function the way they once did. A family should never consist of a drunk Ex-marine, a fed up wife, and two screaming, beaten, and bruised children.

Children shouldn't go to school wearing their long sleeved shirts and jeans in the summer to hide up marks from fingers they gripped all too hard, or shouldn't be having night terrors or exhibiting PTSD symptoms at the age of nine. They shouldn't be self-medicating or coping with illegal substances or dissociating too frequently to be considered normal.

That's not a normal childhood. No child should be like that. Connor knew that now and  never wanted to face anyone but Zoe ever again.

Wishes don't always come true, now do they?

His 'mother' looked appalled at his tone of voice and raised her hand to slap him before realizing what she was doing and lowering it, putting up a facade of happiness and a smile. She looked at him with those cruel eyes.

"May we come in, Connor?"

♡◇♡◇♡

Over an hour had passed and barely a word had been spoken between the two groups. Evan had joined the broken family downstairs with the help of Connor, and Heidi came home to the four just staring at each other, a thick toxicity in the air. Larry was the first one to speak up, glancing at the fidgeting Evan.

"So... When are you leaving the tranny?" The three immediately were enraged, all shouting different insults and hate-filled words at the man. His eyes lit up with anger and he stood, going over and slapping Connor hard. "Do not disrespect your father like this, young man! Although this is not my house and the freak is not my daughter, you are my blood and if I brought you into this world, I can kick you right out of it!"

Heidi stood up fast and dug her long nails into the man's arm, dragging him to the door and tossing him out as he protested. He slammed the door loudly in his face as he stood and tried to come back in. She casually went as sat back down next to Evan, smiling as if none of that had happened, and silently urged Cynthia to speak. Connor's mother's voice was shaky and she seemed frightened.

'Good,' Connor had thought  'be scared, you wretched bitch.'

"W-What Larry meant to say was," She looked at Connor, "W-When are you coming h-home, Son? Z-Zoe misses you, there's no way you don't miss her, too, right?" She gave a pitiful smile as she attempted to guilt him into coming back to live with them. He scowled.

"Actually, I don't. We meet up every week or so to catch up and talk about life. We talked outside of the house before, and now that I don't live there anymore, since Larry pushed me out of the front door, we make due and talk whenever we can." He shrugged a bit, staring at her. She looked like she wanted to punch the boy for even thinking of outsmarting her, and Connor felt smug.

"Well, Don't you miss your father and I?"

"Why would I miss the two people who beat the shit out of me and refused to send me to therapy for years?"

Connor's mom began to shake out of anger.

"Don't you miss your bed?"

"I have a bed here, and it's a lot more comforting knowing I won't wake up to something being thrown at me."

"Your pet turtle?"

"Cynthia, that turtle died when I was in fifth grade. You're grasping for straws here." He raised an eyebrow as she floundered for a bit before abruptly standing and storming out of the house, slamming the door with a 'CRACK!' behind her.

As soon as she left, the teen's facade fell and he began shaking and sobbing, his face in his hands. Evan carefully wrapped his arms around his taller boyfriend, nuzzling his cheek and hushing him softly. Heidi stood and walked to the kitchen, grabbing her phone and calling a lawyer as she started making him cinnamon pancakes. She had learned that the taste and flavor of cinnamon grounded him from panic attacks and dissociation episodes.

She quietly talked to the lawyer as she cooked, frowning. She was going to protect her somewhat son-in-law with whatever she could, and if that meant getting a restraining order against his parents, then so be it.