{ "submission_id": "2818792", "keywords": [ { "keyword_id": "4168", "keyword_name": "belt", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "4059" }, { "keyword_id": "37", "keyword_name": "cub", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "285785" }, { "keyword_id": "1520", "keyword_name": "dad", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "3784" }, { "keyword_id": "2172", "keyword_name": "domestic", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1317" }, { "keyword_id": "4192", "keyword_name": "mischief", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "823" }, { "keyword_id": "13201", "keyword_name": "parent", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "1134" }, { "keyword_id": "22476", "keyword_name": "parental", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "77" }, { "keyword_id": "67", "keyword_name": "son", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "8211" }, { "keyword_id": "1885", "keyword_name": "spanking", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "9729" }, { "keyword_id": "17910", "keyword_name": "swearing", "contributed": "f", "submissions_count": "496" } ], "hidden": "f", "scraps": "f", "favorite": "f", "favorites_count": "2", "create_datetime": "2022-10-17 21:48:36.701119+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "17 Oct 2022 23:48 CEST", "last_file_update_datetime": "2022-09-25 14:17:05.516806+00", "last_file_update_datetime_usertime": "25 Sep 2022 16:17 CEST", "username": "SparkleShadowpaw", "user_id": "970606", "user_icon_file_name": "288902_SparkleSpanks_4531807_paddlepaw_4338067_paddlepaw_1211596723.sparkle_sparkbench2.jpg", "user_icon_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/large/288/288902_SparkleSpanks_4531807_paddlepaw_4338067_paddlepaw_1211596723.sparkle_sparkbench2.jpg", "user_icon_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/medium/288/288902_SparkleSpanks_4531807_paddlepaw_4338067_paddlepaw_1211596723.sparkle_sparkbench2.jpg", "user_icon_url_small": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/usericons/small/288/288902_SparkleSpanks_4531807_paddlepaw_4338067_paddlepaw_1211596723.sparkle_sparkbench2.jpg", "file_name": "4187365_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.txt", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/4187/4187365_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.txt", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/4187/4187365_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.txt", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4187/4187365_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.txt", "thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4187/4187365_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4187/4187365_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4187/4187365_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.jpg", "thumb_huge_x": "300", "thumb_huge_y": "300", "thumb_large_x": "200", "thumb_large_y": "200", "thumb_medium_x": "120", "thumb_medium_y": "120", "files": [ { "file_id": "4187365", "file_name": "4187365_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.txt", "file_url_full": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/full/4187/4187365_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.txt", "file_url_screen": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/screen/4187/4187365_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.txt", "file_url_preview": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/files/preview/4187/4187365_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.txt", "mimetype": "text/plain", "submission_id": "2818792", "user_id": "970606", "submission_file_order": "0", "full_size_x": null, "full_size_y": null, "screen_size_x": null, "screen_size_y": null, "preview_size_x": null, "preview_size_y": null, "initial_file_md5": "ba248c985ace94863880921d8900c53f", "full_file_md5": "ba248c985ace94863880921d8900c53f", "large_file_md5": "", "small_file_md5": "", "thumbnail_md5": "02681be20a15c5cee291d08badef58c9", "deleted": "f", "create_datetime": "2022-09-25 14:17:05.516806+00", "create_datetime_usertime": "25 Sep 2022 16:17 CEST", "thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4187/4187365_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.jpg", "thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4187/4187365_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.jpg", "thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4187/4187365_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.jpg", "thumb_huge_x": "300", "thumb_huge_y": "300", "thumb_large_x": "200", "thumb_large_y": "200", "thumb_medium_x": "120", "thumb_medium_y": "120" } ], "pools": [ { "pool_id": "81077", "name": "Reckless and his Dad's Belt", "description": "A new series starring young 'Reckless', a tearaway cub who learns that discipline and love aren't strangers after all.", "count": "14", "submission_left_submission_id": "2818793", "submission_left_file_name": "4187366_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.txt", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4187/4187366_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4187/4187366_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.jpg", "submission_left_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4187/4187366_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.jpg", "submission_left_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_left_thumb_huge_y": "300", "submission_left_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_left_thumb_large_y": "200", "submission_left_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_left_thumb_medium_y": "120", "submission_right_submission_id": "2818791", "submission_right_file_name": "4187364_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.txt", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_huge": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/huge/4187/4187364_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_large": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/large/4187/4187364_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.jpg", "submission_right_thumbnail_url_medium": "https://nl1.ib.metapix.net/thumbnails/medium/4187/4187364_PaddlePaw_new_text_document.jpg", "submission_right_thumb_huge_x": "300", "submission_right_thumb_huge_y": "300", "submission_right_thumb_large_x": "200", "submission_right_thumb_large_y": "200", "submission_right_thumb_medium_x": "120", "submission_right_thumb_medium_y": "120" } ], "description": "", "description_bbcode_parsed": "", "writing": "After all the yelling Reckless had done, the sudden silence in the wake of his departure was hardly unwelcome and Malcolm closed his eyes in relief, pinching the bridge of his nose. Guilt tried to pick at him, but he re-opened his eyes and focused instead on Kurt, marveling at how his youngest could sleep through anything if he was tired enough. The child hadn't moved one single iota throughout their exchange, proof positive that he'd stayed up far too late past his bedtime.\n\nAs Malcolm collected his strap from where Rex had kicked it, then headed for the master bedroom, Sonny's deep voice stopped him in the hallway.\n\n\"He's right, you know. Reckless.\"\n\nSpooked, Malcolm jolted, then turned angrily to face his two oldest sons as they stood poised at the top of the staircase, leaning on opposite banisters. He flicked the light switch so he could see them properly.\n\n\"I don't know what's gotten into you three, but you're wrong,\" he told them irritably. \"I don't treat you boys any different.\"\n\nBarely had the words exited his mouth when Dalton snorted.\n\n\"You're kidding, right? Come on, Dad, get real! If I even so much as brushed up against another motorbike, you'd be all over my ass. Sonny's too.\"\n\nAcross from Dalton, Sonny was quick to nod his agreement, but Malcolm was just as quick to disagree and he pounded a fist against the wall in frustration.\n\n\"I've had enough of this. You boys are exaggerating. I don't punish you for just anything, and I'm raising all four of my kids the same —\"\n\n\"No, Dad,\" Sonny corrected him. \"You're not.\"\n\nFor the next five minutes, the twenty-two-year-old battled back and forth with his father, trying to convince him of his point, until abruptly, he couldn't take it any more. He couldn't believe how rigid Malcolm was being about this and he pounded his own fist into the wall, startling the man into a temporary silence.\n\n\"Listen, Dad! Just listen! When I took a spin on Mike Krypky's Harley and you found out about it, you made sure I couldn't sit my ass down on anything for days and all I did was go for a nice, smooth ride around the block. I didn't gun the bike, I didn't pop a wheelie, and I sure as hell didn't run anything over, but it didn't matter to you. You saw me riding, you flipped out that I coulda killed myself, and you strapped the hell out of me.\"\n\nDalton was quick to jump in.\n\n\"And after that, you sat us down and said that none of us were allowed to get on a motorbike, Dad. None of us...or did you forget.\"\n\n\"Think about it, Dad,\" Sonny urged. \"I was older than Reckless is now and I wasn't riding like a hot-head. I was wearing a helmet. Reckless didn't do any of those things yet the only thing you plan to do is ground him? It's not fair. It's not fair to him and it's not fair to me.\"\n\n\"Or me,\" Dalton added.\n\nSonny shot his brother a crooked grin, then turned serious as he nodded at the belt still clutched in Malcolm's right hand.\n\n\"You need to spank Rex, Dad. You never do and he obviously deserves it. Hell, he wants it. He's your son and he just wants you to act like you actually give a shit.\"\n\n\"Samson —\"\n\nThe expression on their father's face was rapidly growing thunderous and Dalton decided to step in. Sonny had been doing most of the arguing for them, but now it was time he took over before Dad clobbered his brother. It was never a good sign when the man started calling his eldest by his birth name.\n\n\"Dad! Dad!\"\n\nDalton snapped his fingers to get Malcolm's attention, and sure enough, the man turned a smoldering gaze on him. He ignored it and began to speak, knowing that in about two seconds he was probably going to get cuffed just as hard as Sonny.\n\n\"Look, Dad, I don't know if it's because you really don't care if Rex kills himself but for god's sake, fake it —\"\n\nThat was it for Malcolm Barrett. He held up the belt and pointed it at each of his sons his voice barely audible in his rage.\n\n\"Stop it. Both of you, just stop right now. I love you, I love him and he knows it.\n\nIt wasn't very smart to contradict their old man when he was this infuriated with them but neither brother felt they had a choice. Dalton especially wished he'd never been such a prick to Reckless in the first place and started this whole beef. He shook his head at his father and frowned.\n\n\"No, Dad, he doesn't —\"\n\n\" — and if you really believe that,\" Sonny added courageously. \"Then you're blind. You never tell him you love him and you don't really act like it either. If you did, you'd get on his case when he messes up the way you do with the rest of us —\n\n\"ENOUGH!\" Malcolm exploded. \"I'm the dad around here and I'll punish your brother the way I see fit! He's getting grounded and that's all there is to it! Do you understand me?\"\n\nAs Sonny stared at their father in mute astonishment, Dalton found his voice.\n\n\"Jesus Christ, Dad. Why? Why don't you just whip Rex's ass if that's what he wants?\"\n\nHe waited for the family patriarch to enlighten him but the man categorically refused to discuss it further.\n\n\"It's late,\" Malcolm replied firmly. \"And I'm going to bed. I suggest you boys do the same – especially you, Dalton. You have a chem class tomorrow and you're not allowed to skip it.\n\n\"But —\"\n\n\"Samson, you're working with Larter and Hutton on the fifth floor tomorrow and don't forget. Oh, and you better call Hutton in the morning when you get up or you won't see that man until after noon.\"\n\n\"Dad, we're not —\"\n\n\"Good night. And shut the lights downstairs before you turn in.\"\n\nWith those final words, Malcolm Barrett stepped into his room and slammed the door, effectively ending the dispute. Considering how persistent his oldest sons had been, he half expected them to barge in after him and demand to finish the conversation, but they didn't. It was just as well. He was a good father to his boys, all four of them. Whatever strange ideas had popped into their heads tonight about his parenting skills were just going to have to pop themselves right back out.\n\nBut they didn't.\n\nOver the next two weeks, Reckless, for one, was virtually invisible. He nursed his wounds in the privacy of his bedroom and flat out refused to join his family for meals, rarely eating anything besides the odd piece of fruit. His older brothers noticed immediately and took pains to check on him, but if he answered them at all, it was only to curse at them through his locked door, yelling to be left alone. A part of him recognized that they were rallying behind him, and on some level he was glad they kept pestering him no matter what he said, but he didn't want their company or their concern.\n\nHe wanted Malcolm's...except his dad wasn't coming.\n\nBy the end of the month, he told himself to buck up and get used to it, that his father didn't love him, never had and never would...which, of course, led to a pretty serious problem for a guy still in high school. He was not some kind of android. He had feelings, and sticking around just to have his dad's favoritism rubbed in his face every day wasn't something he thought he could take now that he was truly aware of it.\n\nFuck it. He would just run away.\n\nFor two days straight, he raided his bedroom from top to bottom and picked through all his pockets, digging for cash, but all he could come up with was eighty-seven dollars and sixty-two cents. It was pathetic. It wasn't nearly enough money to make running away an appealing solution, and to try to force it would just be miserable. If he left with what he had, he'd likely have to sell himself to live and he couldn't stomach the idea of falling that low. No. Fuck that. He would stay at \"home\" until the old man got sick of his face and kicked him out or until he came into some serious green on his own. So what if Malcolm kept treating him like some kind of pariah? He didn't need a fucking father.\n\nHe didn't need anyone.\n\nOn Saturday evening, when Reckless Barrett plucked the courage to re-emerge from his bedroom cocoon, it was a semi-hardened sixteen-year-old who sat down at the dining room table. Just before he'd stepped out, he'd stood in front of his mirror and reminded himself that he didn't give a shit, perfecting a look of utter teenage indifference.\n\nBy the time he took his place at the table, however, the facade was cracking. He'd passed Malcolm and Sonny on the way in while they were engrossed in a discussion and that was all it took for a chink to develop in his armour. They hadn't been talking about anything personal from what he could gather – just some incompetent clown on the new site – but Malcolm had had a hand on his brother's shoulder like always, squeezing the side of Sonny's neck.\n\nFrom his position by the buffet, Dalton caught the fleeting, wistful look on his younger brother's face and wished once again that he could take back the cruel things he'd said. Reckless could be a major thorn in his side sometimes, but for the most part, he made a pretty decent kid brother. It truly sucked that he could get away with shit that everyone else would get spanked for, but that still wasn't Rex's fault. The fact that he'd actually begged their dad for a beating proved he didn't like being excluded any more than Dalton liked seeing him get away with murder so he really didn't deserve to hear what Dalton had said.\n\nThere was no way to take it back, though. The damage was done.\n\nAs they all sat down and eventually dug in, Dalton quickly stopped kicking himself for blurting out the truth and shifted the blame to their father. He was only partly responsible for this mess. He wouldn't have been able to hurt his little bro like this if Dad hadn't set the stage for it in the first place, and as he watched Reckless struggling to keep feigning disinterest, he cursed Malcolm inwardly. Every time he looked over at his dad, the man was totally oblivious, like the glaring pain radiating from his third son was of no consequence whatsoever.\n\nD was wrong.\n\nAt the head of the table, there wasn't a thing that Reckless did or didn't do, or said or didn't say which failed to catch Malcolm's eye. The teen's half-slouching, half-defensive posture, the way he twitched every time someone laughed, the dark patches under both eyes, the obvious loss of weight, and the fact that he spent most of the meal pushing his food around his plate rather than eating it, none of these things went unnoticed by the family patriarch who – for the first time in a very long while – was truly observing his son.\n\nAnd he was at a loss.\n\nOutwardly, he behaved like his normal self – talking with Sonny and Dalton about the girls they were currently dating and arguing with Kurt about the one food on his plate that the pre-teen had selected not to eat – but most of him was mentally focused on Reckless.\n\nFrankly, he was stunned by the boy's appearance.\n\nIt was plain to see that Rex had changed for the worse, perhaps permanently from the looks of him, and it wasn't just physical. He'd never been a constant chatterbox before, but he'd always had his fair share to say in his usual wild, carefree, and independent way.\n\nNow, he just looked...lost.\n\nHe wasn't contributing anything to the various conversations surrounding him and it occurred to Malcolm that he wouldn't tolerate this kind of withdrawal from any of his other sons. He would have cuffed them playfully and teased them into opening up , and if that wasn't getting through, he knew he would have pulled them from the table to talk it out in private.\n\nThe accusations flung at him two weeks ago stung anew. He'd always believed he was as good a single father as a man could be and the boys had never once before given him reason to think differently. Sure, they griped on occasion about what one had received that the other hadn't, but he'd just chalked that up to sibling rivalry, dismissing their complaints out of hand as normal. This was something else though and he hadn't even noticed.\n\nOr, at least, he hadn't until now.\n\nNow he couldn't help but wonder. Reckless had said he was unloved. He'd stormed off and sulked for fifteen days behind a closed door, starving himself in the process, and now he sat silently at the table, still barely eating, not participating in anything. If Sonny or Dalton or Kurt were behaving this way, Malcolm knew he wouldn't just sit there, watching without reacting. He'd be pressing them to talk so what, then, was so different about Reckless? Why didn't he feel inclined to do the same with his second youngest son? Why, even now that he recognized what was happening, was he still hesitating to reach out to this particular child?\n\nHe didn't know.\n\nHe needed to think.", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "After all the yelling Reckless had done, the sudden silence in the wake of his departure was hardly unwelcome and Malcolm closed his eyes in relief, pinching the bridge of his nose. Guilt tried to pick at him, but he re-opened his eyes and focused instead on Kurt, marveling at how his youngest could sleep through anything if he was tired enough. The child hadn't moved one single iota throughout their exchange, proof positive that he'd stayed up far too late past his bedtime.

As Malcolm collected his strap from where Rex had kicked it, then headed for the master bedroom, Sonny's deep voice stopped him in the hallway.

"He's right, you know. Reckless."

Spooked, Malcolm jolted, then turned angrily to face his two oldest sons as they stood poised at the top of the staircase, leaning on opposite banisters. He flicked the light switch so he could see them properly.

"I don't know what's gotten into you three, but you're wrong," he told them irritably. "I don't treat you boys any different."

Barely had the words exited his mouth when Dalton snorted.

"You're kidding, right? Come on, Dad, get real! If I even so much as brushed up against another motorbike, you'd be all over my ass. Sonny's too."

Across from Dalton, Sonny was quick to nod his agreement, but Malcolm was just as quick to disagree and he pounded a fist against the wall in frustration.

"I've had enough of this. You boys are exaggerating. I don't punish you for just anything, and I'm raising all four of my kids the same —"

"No, Dad," Sonny corrected him. "You're not."

For the next five minutes, the twenty-two-year-old battled back and forth with his father, trying to convince him of his point, until abruptly, he couldn't take it any more. He couldn't believe how rigid Malcolm was being about this and he pounded his own fist into the wall, startling the man into a temporary silence.

"Listen, Dad! Just listen! When I took a spin on Mike Krypky's Harley and you found out about it, you made sure I couldn't sit my ass down on anything for days and all I did was go for a nice, smooth ride around the block. I didn't gun the bike, I didn't pop a wheelie, and I sure as hell didn't run anything over, but it didn't matter to you. You saw me riding, you flipped out that I coulda killed myself, and you strapped the hell out of me."

Dalton was quick to jump in.

"And after that, you sat us down and said that none of us were allowed to get on a motorbike, Dad. None of us...or did you forget."

"Think about it, Dad," Sonny urged. "I was older than Reckless is now and I wasn't riding like a hot-head. I was wearing a helmet. Reckless didn't do any of those things yet the only thing you plan to do is ground him? It's not fair. It's not fair to him and it's not fair to me."

"Or me," Dalton added.

Sonny shot his brother a crooked grin, then turned serious as he nodded at the belt still clutched in Malcolm's right hand.

"You need to spank Rex, Dad. You never do and he obviously deserves it. Hell, he wants it. He's your son and he just wants you to act like you actually give a shit."

"Samson —"

The expression on their father's face was rapidly growing thunderous and Dalton decided to step in. Sonny had been doing most of the arguing for them, but now it was time he took over before Dad clobbered his brother. It was never a good sign when the man started calling his eldest by his birth name.

"Dad! Dad!"

Dalton snapped his fingers to get Malcolm's attention, and sure enough, the man turned a smoldering gaze on him. He ignored it and began to speak, knowing that in about two seconds he was probably going to get cuffed just as hard as Sonny.

"Look, Dad, I don't know if it's because you really don't care if Rex kills himself but for god's sake, fake it —"

That was it for Malcolm Barrett. He held up the belt and pointed it at each of his sons his voice barely audible in his rage.

"Stop it. Both of you, just stop right now. I love you, I love him and he knows it.

It wasn't very smart to contradict their old man when he was this infuriated with them but neither brother felt they had a choice. Dalton especially wished he'd never been such a prick to Reckless in the first place and started this whole beef. He shook his head at his father and frowned.

"No, Dad, he doesn't —"

" — and if you really believe that," Sonny added courageously. "Then you're blind. You never tell him you love him and you don't really act like it either. If you did, you'd get on his case when he messes up the way you do with the rest of us —

"ENOUGH!" Malcolm exploded. "I'm the dad around here and I'll punish your brother the way I see fit! He's getting grounded and that's all there is to it! Do you understand me?"

As Sonny stared at their father in mute astonishment, Dalton found his voice.

"Jesus Christ, Dad. Why? Why don't you just whip Rex's ass if that's what he wants?"

He waited for the family patriarch to enlighten him but the man categorically refused to discuss it further.

"It's late," Malcolm replied firmly. "And I'm going to bed. I suggest you boys do the same – especially you, Dalton. You have a chem class tomorrow and you're not allowed to skip it.

"But —"

"Samson, you're working with Larter and Hutton on the fifth floor tomorrow and don't forget. Oh, and you better call Hutton in the morning when you get up or you won't see that man until after noon."

"Dad, we're not —"

"Good night. And shut the lights downstairs before you turn in."

With those final words, Malcolm Barrett stepped into his room and slammed the door, effectively ending the dispute. Considering how persistent his oldest sons had been, he half expected them to barge in after him and demand to finish the conversation, but they didn't. It was just as well. He was a good father to his boys, all four of them. Whatever strange ideas had popped into their heads tonight about his parenting skills were just going to have to pop themselves right back out.

But they didn't.

Over the next two weeks, Reckless, for one, was virtually invisible. He nursed his wounds in the privacy of his bedroom and flat out refused to join his family for meals, rarely eating anything besides the odd piece of fruit. His older brothers noticed immediately and took pains to check on him, but if he answered them at all, it was only to curse at them through his locked door, yelling to be left alone. A part of him recognized that they were rallying behind him, and on some level he was glad they kept pestering him no matter what he said, but he didn't want their company or their concern.

He wanted Malcolm's...except his dad wasn't coming.

By the end of the month, he told himself to buck up and get used to it, that his father didn't love him, never had and never would...which, of course, led to a pretty serious problem for a guy still in high school. He was not some kind of android. He had feelings, and sticking around just to have his dad's favoritism rubbed in his face every day wasn't something he thought he could take now that he was truly aware of it.

Fuck it. He would just run away.

For two days straight, he raided his bedroom from top to bottom and picked through all his pockets, digging for cash, but all he could come up with was eighty-seven dollars and sixty-two cents. It was pathetic. It wasn't nearly enough money to make running away an appealing solution, and to try to force it would just be miserable. If he left with what he had, he'd likely have to sell himself to live and he couldn't stomach the idea of falling that low. No. Fuck that. He would stay at "home" until the old man got sick of his face and kicked him out or until he came into some serious green on his own. So what if Malcolm kept treating him like some kind of pariah? He didn't need a fucking father.

He didn't need anyone.

On Saturday evening, when Reckless Barrett plucked the courage to re-emerge from his bedroom cocoon, it was a semi-hardened sixteen-year-old who sat down at the dining room table. Just before he'd stepped out, he'd stood in front of his mirror and reminded himself that he didn't give a shit, perfecting a look of utter teenage indifference.

By the time he took his place at the table, however, the facade was cracking. He'd passed Malcolm and Sonny on the way in while they were engrossed in a discussion and that was all it took for a chink to develop in his armour. They hadn't been talking about anything personal from what he could gather – just some incompetent clown on the new site – but Malcolm had had a hand on his brother's shoulder like always, squeezing the side of Sonny's neck.

From his position by the buffet, Dalton caught the fleeting, wistful look on his younger brother's face and wished once again that he could take back the cruel things he'd said. Reckless could be a major thorn in his side sometimes, but for the most part, he made a pretty decent kid brother. It truly sucked that he could get away with shit that everyone else would get spanked for, but that still wasn't Rex's fault. The fact that he'd actually begged their dad for a beating proved he didn't like being excluded any more than Dalton liked seeing him get away with murder so he really didn't deserve to hear what Dalton had said.

There was no way to take it back, though. The damage was done.

As they all sat down and eventually dug in, Dalton quickly stopped kicking himself for blurting out the truth and shifted the blame to their father. He was only partly responsible for this mess. He wouldn't have been able to hurt his little bro like this if Dad hadn't set the stage for it in the first place, and as he watched Reckless struggling to keep feigning disinterest, he cursed Malcolm inwardly. Every time he looked over at his dad, the man was totally oblivious, like the glaring pain radiating from his third son was of no consequence whatsoever.

D was wrong.

At the head of the table, there wasn't a thing that Reckless did or didn't do, or said or didn't say which failed to catch Malcolm's eye. The teen's half-slouching, half-defensive posture, the way he twitched every time someone laughed, the dark patches under both eyes, the obvious loss of weight, and the fact that he spent most of the meal pushing his food around his plate rather than eating it, none of these things went unnoticed by the family patriarch who – for the first time in a very long while – was truly observing his son.

And he was at a loss.

Outwardly, he behaved like his normal self – talking with Sonny and Dalton about the girls they were currently dating and arguing with Kurt about the one food on his plate that the pre-teen had selected not to eat – but most of him was mentally focused on Reckless.

Frankly, he was stunned by the boy's appearance.

It was plain to see that Rex had changed for the worse, perhaps permanently from the looks of him, and it wasn't just physical. He'd never been a constant chatterbox before, but he'd always had his fair share to say in his usual wild, carefree, and independent way.

Now, he just looked...lost.

He wasn't contributing anything to the various conversations surrounding him and it occurred to Malcolm that he wouldn't tolerate this kind of withdrawal from any of his other sons. He would have cuffed them playfully and teased them into opening up , and if that wasn't getting through, he knew he would have pulled them from the table to talk it out in private.

The accusations flung at him two weeks ago stung anew. He'd always believed he was as good a single father as a man could be and the boys had never once before given him reason to think differently. Sure, they griped on occasion about what one had received that the other hadn't, but he'd just chalked that up to sibling rivalry, dismissing their complaints out of hand as normal. This was something else though and he hadn't even noticed.

Or, at least, he hadn't until now.

Now he couldn't help but wonder. Reckless had said he was unloved. He'd stormed off and sulked for fifteen days behind a closed door, starving himself in the process, and now he sat silently at the table, still barely eating, not participating in anything. If Sonny or Dalton or Kurt were behaving this way, Malcolm knew he wouldn't just sit there, watching without reacting. He'd be pressing them to talk so what, then, was so different about Reckless? Why didn't he feel inclined to do the same with his second youngest son? Why, even now that he recognized what was happening, was he still hesitating to reach out to this particular child?

He didn't know.

He needed to think.", "pools_count": 1, "title": "Reckless & His Dad's Belt (3)", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "text/plain", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "1", "rating_name": "Mature", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "2", "name": "Nudity", "description": "Nonsexual nudity exposing breasts or genitals (must not show arousal)", "rating_id": "1" }, { "content_tag_id": "3", "name": "Violence", "description": "Mild violence", "rating_id": "1" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "f", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "2", "views": "154" }