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With any luck, he could to provoke a confession out of Rex if he just kept pushing.\n\n\"WHY?\" Sonny demanded again. He leaned forward and grabbed the teenager's arm, turning him far enough to the side so his inflamed backside was partially off the mattress. Rex resisted, but Sonny didn't let him go until he'd landed a powerful swat to his tender rear end. \"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO D'S CAR KNOWING DAD WOULD WHIP YOUR ASS FOR IT?!\"\n\n\"OW! WHAT THE FUCK, SONNY?!\"\n\nShoving his oldest brother away, Rex scrambled off the bed and backed up towards his dresser. He wanted to tell Sonny off for hitting him, but that could wait since he was too distracted right now to think of the proper combination of swear words. He didn't know how Sonny had managed it, but somehow, that one slap Big Brother delivered had re-ignited the blaze in his entire backside. No amount of rubbing was helping, and he couldn't stand it.\n\nWithout another word, Rex flung open his door and hurried across the hall into Dalton's bedroom, wondering why he hadn't come in here sooner. He could hear Sonny calling after him, but didn't pay him any mind until he couldn't find what he was looking for. From his crouch half in and half out of Dalton's closet, Rex spun on his heels to glare up at his oldest brother.\n\n\"All right! Where'd you put it?\"\n\nEven without spotting the empty shoebox in Rex's hands, Sonny didn't have to ask what he meant. Reckless wanted the \"goop\" that Dalton had already tucked away in his pocket, and the kid wanted it now from the ferocious scowl on his face. Sonny half held up his hands in mock surrender.\n\n\"Hey, don't look at me. I didn't hide it anywhere. This isn't my room.\"\n\n\"Well, where'd it go then?\"\n\n\"You'll have to ask D. He came up here and took it —\"\n\n\" — and I'm not putting it back either!\"\n\nAs Dalton materialized out of nowhere and barked this announcement practically right in Sonny's ear, the twenty-two-year-old jumped, then shut his eyes briefly in annoyance. He should have known D would come upstairs to needle Rex in person, but now wasn't the time to brood about it. Moving fast to keep the blood and bruises to a minimum, Sonny forced himself between his two feuding brothers as Dalton shouldered his way into the room.\n\n\"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!\" Turning first to Dalton, Sonny pressed a hand against his straining chest. His next words were pretty hypocritical considering he'd just struck Reckless himself, but no one seemed to notice. \"Cool it, D,\" he ordered. \"Rex was already punished.\"\n\n\"Not by me, he wasn't!\" Dalton boxed his hand aside, then reached around him to give Reckless a shove. \"I'll bet your butt's burning real bad about now, isn't it?\" he taunted. \"Well, good! I want you to suffer, Rex. I want you to sit your red ass down at the supper table tonight and spend the entire meal squirming in your chair. Every time I look at you, I want to see your face contorted with pain, you hear me?\"\n\n\"FUCK YOU!\"\n\nLike the starting pistol at a marathon, those two words instantly signaled a free-for-all between the middle Barrett boys. Barking louder and louder orders to cut the shit, Sonny did what he could to keep his brothers apart, but it was their father's booming voice that brought a decisive halt to the escalating mayhem.\n\n\"WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE?!\"\n\nRecovering quickly, Dalton reached out and slapped his younger brother upside the head. \"Rex was rifling through my stuff, Dad!\"\n\nHe knew his father would jump on Rex for that, and he was right. After being raised himself in a family of sons who were constantly \"borrowing\" each others' possessions, then fighting over the mangled states in which they were returned, Malcolm Barrett had established an ironclad rule with his own children. Borrowing without express permission was stealing, plain and simple, and foraging (even without taking) was just as bad. A week's grounding was usually the least they could expect if they were caught – sometimes more if they tried to lie their way out of trouble. With a hopeful sneer on his face, Dalton watched their father's glare fixate on his younger brother.\n\n\"Is that true?\" Dad demanded.\n\nFor a moment, Rex seethed in silence. He couldn't say \"no\" outright, not with Sonny standing right there beside him and the guy's face like an open book. One glance at his firstborn and Dad would know that Rex was lying which would only mean more punishment. Knowing full well that Dalton was trying to set him up for exactly that, Rex would be damned before he'd give him the satisfaction. Glaring hard at his second oldest brother, Rex finally spat his answer through clenched teeth.\n\n\"I was looking for something he said I could use!\"\n\n\"And what was that?\" Malcolm retorted. \"What exactly were you looking for, Reckless, that you couldn't simply ask D to lend you?\"\n\nThe scowling brothers only exchanged a split second look, but that was all it took to get the message across. What they were thinking was identical: they weren't allowed to use any kind of pain relievers after a spanking, and if their father discovered that's precisely what they'd been doing by creaming their burning backsides with barrier salve, a joint trip over his knee was bound to be the result – except Dalton would surely get it worse. He'd been \"cheating\" for a lot longer than Rex, and the man of the house would not be impressed to learn that D had succeeded in corrupting his younger brother. Answering Dad's last question was therefore totally impossible, and, mindful of this, Dalton was quick to jump in before Rex could spill something incriminating.\n\n\"It doesn't matter what Rex was looking for, Dad! He's not allowed to help himself to my stuff, period!\"\n\nThat was certainly true, and Malcolm shifted his gaze back to Reckless. He was oblivious to the fact that he'd just been manipulated by one of his sons as he frowned at the sixteen-year-old.\n\n\"No, he isn't,\" Malcolm agreed. \"And since he knows that, he will apologize.\"\n\nFrom the tone in his voice, there was no disputing that an apology had better come forth, so all eyes turned to Reckless. When the teenager couldn't bring himself to expel the proper words, Dalton offered a solution that seemed perfectly ideal to him after remembering the damage to his car. For good measure, he also reached around Sonny to slap Rex in the head again.\n\n\"Maybe he needs another whipping.\"\n\n\"DALTON!\"\n\nResentfully, D took a few steps back. When he was truly annoyed with them, Dad wasn't above giving his older boys a cuff in the exact same place Dalton had just smacked his brother, and the look on his face said he was sorely tempted to do just that. What Dalton didn't realize was that Malcolm wasn't in the mood, and after shooting Dalton a warning look, the man turned his attention back to the youngest son in the room.\n\n\"Reckless, what do you have to say to your brother?\"\n\nOne look into his father's face and the teen knew he'd stalled about as much as he was allowed. He folded his arms across his chest and clenched his jaw as he spat a one-word apology.\n\n\"Sorry.\"\n\nDalton couldn't resist. \"Been saying that a lot lately, haven't you, Rex?\"\n\n\"DALTON!\"\n\nWith both eyebrows raised and his lips pursed tightly together, Sonny decided it was high time he sidled out of range. No way was he getting caught in between his dad and Dalton again. Christ, the last time alone nearly gave him a coronary.\n\nAfter watching Dalton take a few more cautious steps toward the window, Sonny peered over at their father to see what the man was planning to do. Luckily for D, it wasn't anything big. A second – and much more pointed – look was all Malcolm shot Dalton before herding Rex into the hallway.\n\n\"Reckless, it's nearly supper time. Go over to the Durley's and get Kurt.\"\n\nRex didn't want to. The Durley family lived three blocks over, and he was still grounded from using his boards after that stupid stunt he'd pulled on Lakeshore. He didn't even have a bicycle any more thanks to a series of daredevil incidents his father had witnessed, so he'd have to hoof it on foot to get there, something he hated doing with a passion unless he absolutely had to. He huffed up at his dad.\n\n\"Get him? What for? Just call their house and tell him to come home —\"\n\n\"No. I don't want anyone calling them. I want you to go over there and get him. \"\n\n\"But —\"\n\nWithout warning, Malcolm slapped his bottom. He had a reason for wanting the teenager out of the house for a few minutes, so the boy was going to leave, whether he liked it or not.\n\n\"Reckless, I mean it. Go get your brother.\"\n\nA baleful look was his answer, but Malcolm chose to ignore it. As Rex stomped his way down the stairs and rubbed the seat of his shorts, Malcolm called after him.\n\n\"Straight there and back, understand? And if Patrick or his mother invite Kurt to stay for supper, tell them no. I don't want your little brother coming home stuffed with so much apple tart that he gets another bellyache and can't go to bed on time like last week ... Reckless! ... Did you hear me?\"\n\nIf Rex did, he gave no sign. Seconds later, the front door slammed, and Malcolm knitted his brow, then returned to Dalton's bedroom to face his two remaining sons. They could tell he had something heavy on his mind, but Sonny was the only one with the courage to speak up.\n\n\"What's going on, Dad?\"\n\nMalcolm beckoned them closer. When they were both within easy reach, he planted a hand on each of their shoulders.\n\n\"Guys, I need you to do me a favor,\" he began. He looked into their eyes to confirm they were truly paying attention, then took a breath and expelled it. \"I need you to give Rex a break for the next little while.\" And here, he focused on the son to his right. \"Especially you, D.\"\n\nMalcolm didn't expect his request to go over well with Dalton, and it didn't. To no one's surprise, the nineteen-year-old shrugged him off, then took a belligerent stance as he faced his father.\n\n\"Why the hell should I?\" Dalton snapped. \"Rex's been acting like a prick for months and now he's gone and gouged my car —\"\n\n\"I agree with Dad.\"\n\nSonny's quiet declaration was not what Dalton wanted to hear, and he turned his flashing green eyes on his older brother next.\n\n\"You what?\"\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "It wasn't for nothing that Sonny was the big brother. With any luck, he could to provoke a confession out of Rex if he just kept pushing.

"WHY?" Sonny demanded again. He leaned forward and grabbed the teenager's arm, turning him far enough to the side so his inflamed backside was partially off the mattress. Rex resisted, but Sonny didn't let him go until he'd landed a powerful swat to his tender rear end. "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO D'S CAR KNOWING DAD WOULD WHIP YOUR ASS FOR IT?!"

"OW! WHAT THE FUCK, SONNY?!"

Shoving his oldest brother away, Rex scrambled off the bed and backed up towards his dresser. He wanted to tell Sonny off for hitting him, but that could wait since he was too distracted right now to think of the proper combination of swear words. He didn't know how Sonny had managed it, but somehow, that one slap Big Brother delivered had re-ignited the blaze in his entire backside. No amount of rubbing was helping, and he couldn't stand it.

Without another word, Rex flung open his door and hurried across the hall into Dalton's bedroom, wondering why he hadn't come in here sooner. He could hear Sonny calling after him, but didn't pay him any mind until he couldn't find what he was looking for. From his crouch half in and half out of Dalton's closet, Rex spun on his heels to glare up at his oldest brother.

"All right! Where'd you put it?"

Even without spotting the empty shoebox in Rex's hands, Sonny didn't have to ask what he meant. Reckless wanted the "goop" that Dalton had already tucked away in his pocket, and the kid wanted it now from the ferocious scowl on his face. Sonny half held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Hey, don't look at me. I didn't hide it anywhere. This isn't my room."

"Well, where'd it go then?"

"You'll have to ask D. He came up here and took it —"

" — and I'm not putting it back either!"

As Dalton materialized out of nowhere and barked this announcement practically right in Sonny's ear, the twenty-two-year-old jumped, then shut his eyes briefly in annoyance. He should have known D would come upstairs to needle Rex in person, but now wasn't the time to brood about it. Moving fast to keep the blood and bruises to a minimum, Sonny forced himself between his two feuding brothers as Dalton shouldered his way into the room.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Turning first to Dalton, Sonny pressed a hand against his straining chest. His next words were pretty hypocritical considering he'd just struck Reckless himself, but no one seemed to notice. "Cool it, D," he ordered. "Rex was already punished."

"Not by me, he wasn't!" Dalton boxed his hand aside, then reached around him to give Reckless a shove. "I'll bet your butt's burning real bad about now, isn't it?" he taunted. "Well, good! I want you to suffer, Rex. I want you to sit your red ass down at the supper table tonight and spend the entire meal squirming in your chair. Every time I look at you, I want to see your face contorted with pain, you hear me?"

"FUCK YOU!"

Like the starting pistol at a marathon, those two words instantly signaled a free-for-all between the middle Barrett boys. Barking louder and louder orders to cut the shit, Sonny did what he could to keep his brothers apart, but it was their father's booming voice that brought a decisive halt to the escalating mayhem.

"WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE?!"

Recovering quickly, Dalton reached out and slapped his younger brother upside the head. "Rex was rifling through my stuff, Dad!"

He knew his father would jump on Rex for that, and he was right. After being raised himself in a family of sons who were constantly "borrowing" each others' possessions, then fighting over the mangled states in which they were returned, Malcolm Barrett had established an ironclad rule with his own children. Borrowing without express permission was stealing, plain and simple, and foraging (even without taking) was just as bad. A week's grounding was usually the least they could expect if they were caught – sometimes more if they tried to lie their way out of trouble. With a hopeful sneer on his face, Dalton watched their father's glare fixate on his younger brother.

"Is that true?" Dad demanded.

For a moment, Rex seethed in silence. He couldn't say "no" outright, not with Sonny standing right there beside him and the guy's face like an open book. One glance at his firstborn and Dad would know that Rex was lying which would only mean more punishment. Knowing full well that Dalton was trying to set him up for exactly that, Rex would be damned before he'd give him the satisfaction. Glaring hard at his second oldest brother, Rex finally spat his answer through clenched teeth.

"I was looking for something he said I could use!"

"And what was that?" Malcolm retorted. "What exactly were you looking for, Reckless, that you couldn't simply ask D to lend you?"

The scowling brothers only exchanged a split second look, but that was all it took to get the message across. What they were thinking was identical: they weren't allowed to use any kind of pain relievers after a spanking, and if their father discovered that's precisely what they'd been doing by creaming their burning backsides with barrier salve, a joint trip over his knee was bound to be the result – except Dalton would surely get it worse. He'd been "cheating" for a lot longer than Rex, and the man of the house would not be impressed to learn that D had succeeded in corrupting his younger brother. Answering Dad's last question was therefore totally impossible, and, mindful of this, Dalton was quick to jump in before Rex could spill something incriminating.

"It doesn't matter what Rex was looking for, Dad! He's not allowed to help himself to my stuff, period!"

That was certainly true, and Malcolm shifted his gaze back to Reckless. He was oblivious to the fact that he'd just been manipulated by one of his sons as he frowned at the sixteen-year-old.

"No, he isn't," Malcolm agreed. "And since he knows that, he will apologize."

From the tone in his voice, there was no disputing that an apology had better come forth, so all eyes turned to Reckless. When the teenager couldn't bring himself to expel the proper words, Dalton offered a solution that seemed perfectly ideal to him after remembering the damage to his car. For good measure, he also reached around Sonny to slap Rex in the head again.

"Maybe he needs another whipping."

"DALTON!"

Resentfully, D took a few steps back. When he was truly annoyed with them, Dad wasn't above giving his older boys a cuff in the exact same place Dalton had just smacked his brother, and the look on his face said he was sorely tempted to do just that. What Dalton didn't realize was that Malcolm wasn't in the mood, and after shooting Dalton a warning look, the man turned his attention back to the youngest son in the room.

"Reckless, what do you have to say to your brother?"

One look into his father's face and the teen knew he'd stalled about as much as he was allowed. He folded his arms across his chest and clenched his jaw as he spat a one-word apology.

"Sorry."

Dalton couldn't resist. "Been saying that a lot lately, haven't you, Rex?"

"DALTON!"

With both eyebrows raised and his lips pursed tightly together, Sonny decided it was high time he sidled out of range. No way was he getting caught in between his dad and Dalton again. Christ, the last time alone nearly gave him a coronary.

After watching Dalton take a few more cautious steps toward the window, Sonny peered over at their father to see what the man was planning to do. Luckily for D, it wasn't anything big. A second – and much more pointed – look was all Malcolm shot Dalton before herding Rex into the hallway.

"Reckless, it's nearly supper time. Go over to the Durley's and get Kurt."

Rex didn't want to. The Durley family lived three blocks over, and he was still grounded from using his boards after that stupid stunt he'd pulled on Lakeshore. He didn't even have a bicycle any more thanks to a series of daredevil incidents his father had witnessed, so he'd have to hoof it on foot to get there, something he hated doing with a passion unless he absolutely had to. He huffed up at his dad.

"Get him? What for? Just call their house and tell him to come home —"

"No. I don't want anyone calling them. I want you to go over there and get him. "

"But —"

Without warning, Malcolm slapped his bottom. He had a reason for wanting the teenager out of the house for a few minutes, so the boy was going to leave, whether he liked it or not.

"Reckless, I mean it. Go get your brother."

A baleful look was his answer, but Malcolm chose to ignore it. As Rex stomped his way down the stairs and rubbed the seat of his shorts, Malcolm called after him.

"Straight there and back, understand? And if Patrick or his mother invite Kurt to stay for supper, tell them no. I don't want your little brother coming home stuffed with so much apple tart that he gets another bellyache and can't go to bed on time like last week ... Reckless! ... Did you hear me?"

If Rex did, he gave no sign. Seconds later, the front door slammed, and Malcolm knitted his brow, then returned to Dalton's bedroom to face his two remaining sons. They could tell he had something heavy on his mind, but Sonny was the only one with the courage to speak up.

"What's going on, Dad?"

Malcolm beckoned them closer. When they were both within easy reach, he planted a hand on each of their shoulders.

"Guys, I need you to do me a favor," he began. He looked into their eyes to confirm they were truly paying attention, then took a breath and expelled it. "I need you to give Rex a break for the next little while." And here, he focused on the son to his right. "Especially you, D."

Malcolm didn't expect his request to go over well with Dalton, and it didn't. To no one's surprise, the nineteen-year-old shrugged him off, then took a belligerent stance as he faced his father.

"Why the hell should I?" Dalton snapped. "Rex's been acting like a prick for months and now he's gone and gouged my car —"

"I agree with Dad."

Sonny's quiet declaration was not what Dalton wanted to hear, and he turned his flashing green eyes on his older brother next.

"You what?"
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