you mentioned that Dakota received the brunt of physical abuse from his father... does Rainier ever remind him of his father? If so, how did Rainier respond to it? They both so traumatized by their family it seems inevitable that they'd accidentally trigger the other / vice versa ..
CW ABUSE, NEGLECT, ALCOHOLISM
It was Rainier, not Dakota!! Rainier faced a lot of physical abuse from his dad- Dakota gets all of his from his mom lol.
Dakota never got to meet his father, but Rainier shares some habits with his mom- like drinking. When he drinks, his cold demeanor breaks down and becomes something more vulnerable. His quiet sobbing reminds Dakota of many nights where he found his mother in a similar state, just less destructive. He's not comfortable at all around a drunken Rainier, but he feels responsible watching over the man lest he do anything to harm himself.
Of course, Rainier isn't ignorant to Dakota's abuse- he has siblings too. When Rainier was around, he did his best to care for them when their mother couldn't. He feels some guilt for not being around for Dakota, so he's not too tough on him.
might as well share their waaacky family tree giggler