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D would only allow himself to get dragged so far, before he would whip around and start stalking back, shooting darts at whichever neighbour had the misfortune to cross his path. Five times, Sonny had managed to steer him in another direction without yanking too hard on his limbs, but Dalton wasn't going to put up with his interference much longer, that much was clear. He was pissed off beyond measure at what Reckless had dared to do to his car, and \"walking it off\" wasn't helping to cool his temper. If anything, the hot breeze surrounding them was just fanning the flames of his anger and fueling his desire to kick a certain younger brother's ass.\n\nSonny tried telling him not to worry, that Rex's backside was no doubt burning just as intensely as the sun beating down on their heads, but D wasn't convinced. Not by a long shot.\n\nMaybe their dad was cracking down on Reckless a helluva lot more than he used to, but the man had also grown a major soft spot for his third son. He wasn't always consistent with how he punished that kid of his, and even though Dalton knew deep down it was temporary, that still didn't make him feel better – not when it was his damn car that just got gouged!\n\nWas this going to be one of those times when Dad decided a spanking wasn't the answer after all? He'd said Rex was going to get the belt...but had he changed his mind?\n\nWas Little Brother hopping around the room right now, sniffling the last of his tears? Or was he laughing and shooting pool with their dad in some kind of bullshit bonding session?\n\nWait a minute...what if Rex DID get strapped, but the little weasel had found a way to cheat....like stealing the barrier cream from D's room, so he could goop up his ass and cut the pain?\n\nThat did it.\n\nBefore Sonny could react this time, Dalton was gone, sprinting back to their house like a cheetah chasing its prey. No way in hell was the nineteen-year-old going to just stand by and let his younger brother escape the full penalty of his actions. Rex was going to feel every lick of their dad's belt for as long as humanly possible, if the kid had to sleep on his stomach clear up to his next birthday. Keeping his grubby hands off the Healing Herbs Barrier Salve in Dalton's closet would have to be step number one, but after that, D was more than willing to go out and buy every tin can in the city. Going broke in the process would be well worth it to see Rex wincing and rubbing his ass for months – not that that was likely.\n\n\"D! WAIT UP!\"\n\nRunning after his brother, Sonny put some major speed into his own legs, but the guy was simply too fast. By the time Sonny huffed his way inside their front door, Dalton was already on his way back downstairs, his scowling face almost as beet red as Sonny's from exertion. From the possessive hold he had on the container in his hands, Sonny almost couldn't tell what Dalton was gripping, but a chance glimpse of the blue and white label made it clear. Sonny couldn't believe it. He braced a hand against the nearest wall and wiped the sweat pouring off his forehead.\n\n\"You ran back for this?!\" he snapped between breaths. \"It's 92 degrees out there! What's the matter with you? You almost gave me heatstroke chasing after you!\"\n\n\"Who asked you to? Get in shape next time!\"\n\nSonny was too winded to reply. With a look that could melt carbon, he watched Dalton shove the jar of salve into his front pocket, then storm off toward the back of the house, calling for their father. As soon as Sonny overheard him demanding the details of Rex's punishment, he shook his head in disgust, then pushed himself off the wall to go check on their younger brother.\n\nWhen Sonny poked a head into his room, Rex was facedown on his bed with his eyes closed. His back was to the door and his right hand draped behind him, his palm cupped loosely around one cheek. That might not have meant anything to a stranger just coming onto the scene, but to Sonny, it told him one thing: his kid brother had gotten the belt just like their dad had promised, a humdinger of a spanking by the looks of it.\n\nDespite what Reckless had done, Sonny felt sorry for him. He'd collapsed in bed and passed out enough times over the years with a throbbing butt of his own to know exactly how sore Rex was – assuming, of course, that he hadn't helped himself to Dalton's secret \"goop\" to ease the pain. Reckless might never know he was here, but Sonny didn't let that stop him. He eased inside, shut the door, then took a seat beside his kid brother, careful not to wake him. On instinct, he reached out and brushed back a lock of his brother's wavy brown hair.\n\n\"What's going on with you, Rex?\" he whispered. \"Why did you do that to D's car?\"\n\nIt wasn't like Sonny to talk to himself – and he certainly wasn't expecting a prompt reply from the teenager slumbering before him – but the need to say something into the silence was strong. To his surprise, Rex opened his eyes and gave a tiny shrug, staring past him at a mystery spot on the wall.\n\n\"Beats me,\" he muttered. \"Got any ideas?\"\n\nAs a matter of fact, Sonny did, but was now the time to share them?\n\nHe wasn't so certain.\n\nUp until three months ago, he'd been stepping up to the plate where he could as a substitute father for Rex, but their dad had since made it very clear he wanted that stopped. Rex needed to get into the habit of coming to him with his troubles, and the teen never would if Sonny kept interfering. Suddenly turning a blind eye to Rex's problems wasn't easy though, and Sonny was often confused about just what he was expected to do. At what point did showing big brotherly concern edge into \"dad-like\" territory? Where was this stupid line that he wasn't supposed to cross?\n\nFeeling almost as bewildered as his younger brother, the twenty-two-year-old did his best to mask it and gave a shrug of his own.\n\n\"No, Rex. I don't have a clue ... but it might help if you talked it out.\"\n\n\"Talk what out?\"\n\nRex bristling again the way he always did lately when anyone hinted that he wasn't acting like himself, but Sonny decided to keep pushing.\n\n\"Talk about what's bothering you, Reckless. And don't tell me something not 'cause I can see it plain as that booger that's up your nose right now.\"\n\nHe'd been hoping to coax a smile out of the teen that would get him to relax a little, but Rex wasn't falling for any tricks today. The kid scowled and shifted his face against his pillow, but he still refused to reply. Sonny gave him a few seconds to speak up, then decided to push him a little harder.\n\nHe poked the high schooler in the shoulder. \"Hey.\"\n\nRex smacked his hand away, so Sonny chucked him under the chin. When that didn't provoke much of a response, he reached out next and rumpled Rex's hair.\n\n\"Did you hear me?\" he demanded with a grin. \"I said \"hey\"!\"\n\n\"Cut it out!\"\n\nRex slapped him harder this time, trying to box his big brother's fingers off their target, but Sonny wouldn't let that deter him. Of all the boys in the family, Son Number Three was the most sensitive about his ribs, so he pounced on him there, tickling his poor brother mercilessly.\n\n\"How about it, huh? You gonna talk to me or what?\"\n\n\"Quit it, Sonny!\"\n\n\"You keep ignoring me, and it's only gonna get worse, Little Brother!\"\n\n\"I SAID QUIT IT! ... GET OFF!!... S-S-STOP!!!\"\n\nThe more Rex squirmed, the deeper Sonny tickled, laughing and taunting and urging his younger brother into opening up. Infuriated or not, Rex could only take so much for so long before he caved under the assault, and within a minute he began laughing in spite of himself.\n\n\"OKAY, S-SONNY! OKAY!\" he gasped between giggles. \"I'LL T-TALK!\"\n\n\"You sure?\"\n\nPersistent and worming fingers attacked him everywhere, and Rex twisted helplessly, trying to escape.\n\n\"YES, OKAY! YES!\"\n\nThat was good enough for Sonny. With a wolfish grin, he leaned back against the footboard of Rex's bed and watched his brother straighten his clothes, trying to catch his breath. While he shifted around, Rex shot him several indignant glares, but there wasn't any heat behind them. Sonny waited until he'd collected most of his wits, then nudged him with a foot.\n\n\"So?\" he prodded. \"What's the deal with you, kid?\"\n\nRex tried to pretend he hadn't heard him, but Sonny kept poking him, so he heaved a sigh. \"I don't suppose you'd believe me if I said I don't really know.\"\n\nSonny shook his dead. \"Nope. Don't buy it. You're my kid brother and I love you, but you've been acting like a dickhead for weeks, and I don't want Dad asking me to go for a jog around the neighbourhood 'cause you suddenly decided to scratch up my truck —\"\n\n\"Well you can quit worrying,\" Rex sulked. He eased a hand between the mattress and his sore behind, the laughter of moments ago abruptly forgotten. \"I'm not planning on wrecking your precious baby next.\"\n\n\"You better not 'cause —\"\n\n\"I already said I wouldn't, didn't I?\" Rex snapped. \"You haven't done anything to me!\"\n\nSonny frowned. \"So you're saying Dalton did?\"\n\n\"No!\"\n\n\"Then what'd you scratch his car for?\"\n\n\"'Cause I wanted to, all right!\"\n\n\"WHY?\"\n\nSonny didn't want to browbeat his own brother, but he honestly didn't feel he had a choice. Behind the growing fury, there was anguish and fear in Rex's expression, and Sonny's heart was skipping beats as he argued with him. The last time he'd seen those exact same emotions warring in the kid's face, a month-long hell had followed for the entire family, culminating in the near disaster on Lakeshore Boulevard. They weren't quite there again, but they were close enough. Things had definitely been escalating recently, and whatever was eating at Rex needed to come out real soon before they got worse. God knows, if the kid went ahead and did something as crazy as freeboarding a second time down a major thoroughfare out of desperation, there was no telling how badly he might get hurt this time around. Rex needed to get whatever was bothering him off his chest, and what's more, he wanted to; Sonny could feel it.\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "en blocks away, Sonny Barrett still had his hands full trying to keep Dalton from the house. D would only allow himself to get dragged so far, before he would whip around and start stalking back, shooting darts at whichever neighbour had the misfortune to cross his path. Five times, Sonny had managed to steer him in another direction without yanking too hard on his limbs, but Dalton wasn't going to put up with his interference much longer, that much was clear. He was pissed off beyond measure at what Reckless had dared to do to his car, and "walking it off" wasn't helping to cool his temper. If anything, the hot breeze surrounding them was just fanning the flames of his anger and fueling his desire to kick a certain younger brother's ass.

Sonny tried telling him not to worry, that Rex's backside was no doubt burning just as intensely as the sun beating down on their heads, but D wasn't convinced. Not by a long shot.

Maybe their dad was cracking down on Reckless a helluva lot more than he used to, but the man had also grown a major soft spot for his third son. He wasn't always consistent with how he punished that kid of his, and even though Dalton knew deep down it was temporary, that still didn't make him feel better – not when it was his damn car that just got gouged!

Was this going to be one of those times when Dad decided a spanking wasn't the answer after all? He'd said Rex was going to get the belt...but had he changed his mind?

Was Little Brother hopping around the room right now, sniffling the last of his tears? Or was he laughing and shooting pool with their dad in some kind of bullshit bonding session?

Wait a minute...what if Rex DID get strapped, but the little weasel had found a way to cheat....like stealing the barrier cream from D's room, so he could goop up his ass and cut the pain?

That did it.

Before Sonny could react this time, Dalton was gone, sprinting back to their house like a cheetah chasing its prey. No way in hell was the nineteen-year-old going to just stand by and let his younger brother escape the full penalty of his actions. Rex was going to feel every lick of their dad's belt for as long as humanly possible, if the kid had to sleep on his stomach clear up to his next birthday. Keeping his grubby hands off the Healing Herbs Barrier Salve in Dalton's closet would have to be step number one, but after that, D was more than willing to go out and buy every tin can in the city. Going broke in the process would be well worth it to see Rex wincing and rubbing his ass for months – not that that was likely.

"D! WAIT UP!"

Running after his brother, Sonny put some major speed into his own legs, but the guy was simply too fast. By the time Sonny huffed his way inside their front door, Dalton was already on his way back downstairs, his scowling face almost as beet red as Sonny's from exertion. From the possessive hold he had on the container in his hands, Sonny almost couldn't tell what Dalton was gripping, but a chance glimpse of the blue and white label made it clear. Sonny couldn't believe it. He braced a hand against the nearest wall and wiped the sweat pouring off his forehead.

"You ran back for this?!" he snapped between breaths. "It's 92 degrees out there! What's the matter with you? You almost gave me heatstroke chasing after you!"

"Who asked you to? Get in shape next time!"

Sonny was too winded to reply. With a look that could melt carbon, he watched Dalton shove the jar of salve into his front pocket, then storm off toward the back of the house, calling for their father. As soon as Sonny overheard him demanding the details of Rex's punishment, he shook his head in disgust, then pushed himself off the wall to go check on their younger brother.

When Sonny poked a head into his room, Rex was facedown on his bed with his eyes closed. His back was to the door and his right hand draped behind him, his palm cupped loosely around one cheek. That might not have meant anything to a stranger just coming onto the scene, but to Sonny, it told him one thing: his kid brother had gotten the belt just like their dad had promised, a humdinger of a spanking by the looks of it.

Despite what Reckless had done, Sonny felt sorry for him. He'd collapsed in bed and passed out enough times over the years with a throbbing butt of his own to know exactly how sore Rex was – assuming, of course, that he hadn't helped himself to Dalton's secret "goop" to ease the pain. Reckless might never know he was here, but Sonny didn't let that stop him. He eased inside, shut the door, then took a seat beside his kid brother, careful not to wake him. On instinct, he reached out and brushed back a lock of his brother's wavy brown hair.

"What's going on with you, Rex?" he whispered. "Why did you do that to D's car?"

It wasn't like Sonny to talk to himself – and he certainly wasn't expecting a prompt reply from the teenager slumbering before him – but the need to say something into the silence was strong. To his surprise, Rex opened his eyes and gave a tiny shrug, staring past him at a mystery spot on the wall.

"Beats me," he muttered. "Got any ideas?"

As a matter of fact, Sonny did, but was now the time to share them?

He wasn't so certain.

Up until three months ago, he'd been stepping up to the plate where he could as a substitute father for Rex, but their dad had since made it very clear he wanted that stopped. Rex needed to get into the habit of coming to him with his troubles, and the teen never would if Sonny kept interfering. Suddenly turning a blind eye to Rex's problems wasn't easy though, and Sonny was often confused about just what he was expected to do. At what point did showing big brotherly concern edge into "dad-like" territory? Where was this stupid line that he wasn't supposed to cross?

Feeling almost as bewildered as his younger brother, the twenty-two-year-old did his best to mask it and gave a shrug of his own.

"No, Rex. I don't have a clue ... but it might help if you talked it out."

"Talk what out?"

Rex bristling again the way he always did lately when anyone hinted that he wasn't acting like himself, but Sonny decided to keep pushing.

"Talk about what's bothering you, Reckless. And don't tell me something not 'cause I can see it plain as that booger that's up your nose right now."

He'd been hoping to coax a smile out of the teen that would get him to relax a little, but Rex wasn't falling for any tricks today. The kid scowled and shifted his face against his pillow, but he still refused to reply. Sonny gave him a few seconds to speak up, then decided to push him a little harder.

He poked the high schooler in the shoulder. "Hey."

Rex smacked his hand away, so Sonny chucked him under the chin. When that didn't provoke much of a response, he reached out next and rumpled Rex's hair.

"Did you hear me?" he demanded with a grin. "I said "hey"!"

"Cut it out!"

Rex slapped him harder this time, trying to box his big brother's fingers off their target, but Sonny wouldn't let that deter him. Of all the boys in the family, Son Number Three was the most sensitive about his ribs, so he pounced on him there, tickling his poor brother mercilessly.

"How about it, huh? You gonna talk to me or what?"

"Quit it, Sonny!"

"You keep ignoring me, and it's only gonna get worse, Little Brother!"

"I SAID QUIT IT! ... GET OFF!!... S-S-STOP!!!"

The more Rex squirmed, the deeper Sonny tickled, laughing and taunting and urging his younger brother into opening up. Infuriated or not, Rex could only take so much for so long before he caved under the assault, and within a minute he began laughing in spite of himself.

"OKAY, S-SONNY! OKAY!" he gasped between giggles. "I'LL T-TALK!"

"You sure?"

Persistent and worming fingers attacked him everywhere, and Rex twisted helplessly, trying to escape.

"YES, OKAY! YES!"

That was good enough for Sonny. With a wolfish grin, he leaned back against the footboard of Rex's bed and watched his brother straighten his clothes, trying to catch his breath. While he shifted around, Rex shot him several indignant glares, but there wasn't any heat behind them. Sonny waited until he'd collected most of his wits, then nudged him with a foot.

"So?" he prodded. "What's the deal with you, kid?"

Rex tried to pretend he hadn't heard him, but Sonny kept poking him, so he heaved a sigh. "I don't suppose you'd believe me if I said I don't really know."

Sonny shook his dead. "Nope. Don't buy it. You're my kid brother and I love you, but you've been acting like a dickhead for weeks, and I don't want Dad asking me to go for a jog around the neighbourhood 'cause you suddenly decided to scratch up my truck —"

"Well you can quit worrying," Rex sulked. He eased a hand between the mattress and his sore behind, the laughter of moments ago abruptly forgotten. "I'm not planning on wrecking your precious baby next."

"You better not 'cause —"

"I already said I wouldn't, didn't I?" Rex snapped. "You haven't done anything to me!"

Sonny frowned. "So you're saying Dalton did?"

"No!"

"Then what'd you scratch his car for?"

"'Cause I wanted to, all right!"

"WHY?"

Sonny didn't want to browbeat his own brother, but he honestly didn't feel he had a choice. Behind the growing fury, there was anguish and fear in Rex's expression, and Sonny's heart was skipping beats as he argued with him. The last time he'd seen those exact same emotions warring in the kid's face, a month-long hell had followed for the entire family, culminating in the near disaster on Lakeshore Boulevard. They weren't quite there again, but they were close enough. Things had definitely been escalating recently, and whatever was eating at Rex needed to come out real soon before they got worse. God knows, if the kid went ahead and did something as crazy as freeboarding a second time down a major thoroughfare out of desperation, there was no telling how badly he might get hurt this time around. Rex needed to get whatever was bothering him off his chest, and what's more, he wanted to; Sonny could feel it.
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