AN: Hey guys. I apologize for taking so long to post a new chapter. I've been very busy with stuff, including figuring out which direction I want this story to take. Thanks to everyone who's been reviewing, favoriting, etc.!

Chapter 10: Venomous

[Lucas]

I was anxious as all hell as Barry led me up the stairs to his room. My mind raced and I prayed that the horrors that took place in my absence were kept to a minimum. If it were my way, they wouldn't have happened in the first place, but beggars can't be choosers apparently. When we entered his room, I took a seat on his bed while Barry paced around, keeping his back turned to me while he fumbled with what to say.

"Rick, well, he said some stuff.." He started out, hand snapping to his face as he rubbed it out of frustration before combing it through his hair. "But, it started with the delivery, and.." He stopped again, laughing nervously in an attempt to lighten the mood in a grim situation. None of what he was saying was coherent. His voice hinted at the disheveled state his mind was currently in, as well as his desperation to keep himself calm.

I rose to my feet and laid reassuring hands on his shoulders, "Hey, relax, it's okay. Take your time." He stopped talking for a bit, most likely to gather his thoughts and calm himself down. I could feel the rise and fall of his body slow down under my grip. He took in one last deep breath before resuming.

"Well, Rick came downstairs while I was watching TV and started ordering me around. He told me to watch for some package that was coming in the mail for him and I told him that I couldn't, I was going to be leaving soon. He didn't care and told me to stay home anyway. I told him off like I said I would and he hit me, so I stormed off. That's when.." He paused. The sudden break in his story made my stomach churn. I feared what happened next.

"He, uhh, he told me these ..things about how m-my parents didn't want to have me..." He stammered, his body starting to tremble again. I didn't quite understand.

"What do you mean, they 'didn't want you'?" I questioned.

"He told me they were done having kids after they had Rick and the only reason they had me was because Rick wanted someone to play with. He said I wasn't meant to be anything else, my only purpose was to serve him and make him happy." His voice cracked and dripped in sorrow the further he delved into the articulation of his brother's diatribe.

"He told me it was obvious since I'm a complete failure at everything I do and that I have him to thank for existing in the first place." My insides were twisting in agony at the vile things Rick attempted to poison Barry's mind with and at the effect it was taking on him. I turned him around and revealed the silent, pained tears that streamed down his face. I was horrified.

I pulled his face up to look at me, "No, you are NOT a failure, Barry! If anyone's the failure, it's Rick. He's such a waste of a person that he has to make you feel miserable in order to make him feel good about himself. Fuck him. Fuck everything he says! None of it's true. You mean the absolute world to me, Barry. Your parents love you, your friends love you. I love you more than ANYTHING! You aren't just a toy for Rick to play with and you sure as hell will never owe your life to an abusive scumbag like him." My words were heated and held more conviction than anything that's ever come out of my mouth in my entire life.

His glossy, golden eyes shone brightly in the light. My eyes never broke contact with his. I wanted everything I had to say to fill him and eradicate any trace of damage that Rick left in his heart and mind.

"What if what he says is tr-"

"It's not! He's just trying to get to you, Barry. You can't let him. There's no way I'll let him get to you, either." I reeled him into a deep hug and cradled his head, gently running my fingers through his soft blond locks.

"I'm always here for you and I'm not going to stop reminding you how much you matter until Rick's bullshit no longer has an effect on you."

Barry remained silent, enclosing his arms around me tightly as if his life depended on it. I could feel that he trusted what I was saying.

My heart continued to ache for him. Everytime I looked at him, I felt a twinge of pain knowing that someone out there has no problem making him hurt, enjoys making him miserable. How could anyone do that? I remembered listening to Barry talk about how much Rick made him wish he were dead. I winced at that memory. How dare that fucking bastard do that to Barry. How could he bear to look at his own repulsive reflection, knowing he's responsible for causing so much unnecessary torment and stress for his own little brother?

Barry has never done a damn thing to hurt anyone. He's the nicest, sweetest guy I know. He's the best friend anyone could ever have. He doesn't deserve this. Thinking about it, I kinda do wish I was his big brother if it meant Barry wouldn't be as fraught with turmoil as he is right now. Is that weird, given that he's my boyfriend now? No, not a chance. I just want Barry to be happy.

I'm thankful to have Barry as my boyfriend now. I'm going to do everything in my power to make him realize he's better than Rick and that he can one day leave all the hurt behind him and never look back.

As for Rick, my already veil-thin patience for him was dangerously close to elapsing. The last thing I wanted to do was make things more complicated for Barry, but I refused to allow Rick to continue to get away with his depraved actions without some sort of consequence.

"Thank you, Lucas." He said, resting his head against my shoulder. "Do you think I can stay at your place tonight?"

I smiled, "I was hoping you'd ask."

[Barry]

I could've fallen asleep standing there, clutching onto Lucas. My brain was fried and my mind was twisted into unrelenting knots. I could barely form a simple thought. Lucas was really the only one who was ever able to calm me down and help me reorganize myself.

These moments were indescribably sweet, but it only made it hurt worse when they were over and I was thrust into the frigid darkness of Rick's contempt. The thought made me hold onto my boyfriend a little tighter.

"You must be exhausted." Lucas noted sympathetically. I simply nodded in response.

"I could use a hot shower right about now."

"You deserve it. Go ahead and take one, we can head to my house when you're done." He said, patting me on the back.

"Actually.. I was hoping you'd join me." I said, biting my lip anxiously. I hoped my request went over well. Actually, I'd be nervous if he said yes, too. I didn't doubt that I was ready to take this next step.

Lucas' eyes widened and he raised his eyebrows at my suggestion. "Really?"

"Yeah! ..I figured now's a good of a time as any to, you know, go there." I smirked.

Lucas blushed a little and grinned bashfully, "I'd love to!"

I knew Lucas was just as nervous as I was as we headed to the bathroom. I never felt such an intense combination of nervousness and excitement in my life.

Once there, we began to undress. Both of us were sneaking peeks of the other pulling off articles of clothing. We chuckled as we each caught the other looking. I was getting so turned on by Lucas' increasing nudity. He had such an nice, chiseled body. He wasn't what I'd call buff, but he was very nicely built.

"When did you get so sexy?" I marveled at him. He smiled and laughed modestly.

"I can ask the same about you!" He replied. I was elated enough that he wasn't repulsed by my mostly nude body.

I watched intently as Lucas grasped his boxers and yanked them to the ground, revealing the fact that he has a very shapely ass and that he was rather well-endowed. The sight increased my already growing boner.

I followed suit and removed my boxers as well. Lucas turned to face me and looked very pleased at the sight that beholded him.

"Have I mentioned yet that I'm glad you invited me?" He grinned wildly.

"You like?" I asked coyly.

"I love."

Hot water doused our adolescent bodies. Our hormones made it difficult for either of us to resist keeping away from each other for very long. Our lips connected like magnets and our tongues wrestled in each others' mouths fervently. I never craved Lucas so badly before.

His toned, soaked body pressed against mine and it made my blood rush madly. I gasped reflexively each time his erection involuntarily grazed against mine. Both of our hands spent a lot of time exploring the other's naked body, feeling each and every muscle.

Having such erotic feelings for my best friend was still quite a foreign concept for me, but in no way did it feel wrong or inappropriate. I enjoyed tracing my fingers up his hard biceps and down to his firm ass. He favored my chest and my stomach. The sensation of his fingertips grazing my body hastened my pulse. His touch was out of this world.

Without warning, he reached down and grabbed my boner and started pumping my shaft. His daring nature was enough of a turn on by itself, but the feeling of his hand on my cock nearly knocked me off my feet.

Involuntary grunts and groans escaped from me. "Oh fuck! Lucas.." A sly grin appeared on his face as he continued to please me. I could feel pre-cum leaking out of me and onto Lucas' hand.

My mind was gathering every instance of this situation and I was becoming increasingly turned on by every bit of it - even the smallest of details.

The way Lucas was biting his lips in satisfaction, the way his dark, wet hair curled on his forehead, the rippling of his muscles as his hand stroked me up and down, his hot breath on my face, the water dripping from his body onto mine. The eroticism accumulated as we pressed on.

I noticed the taller boy's boner and decided to return the favor. He quickly began echoing back my cries of pleasure. His cock felt so nice in my grip. Getting him off was enhancing my pleasure tenfold. I was climbing quickly and I was enjoying every second of it.

"Oh god, Lucas, I'm gonna.. I-" I erupted like a massive volcano, shockwaves of bliss exploded through my body as I shot upwards and it landed on myself, Lucas and the floor of the shower.

As the hot fluid landed on Lucas, he came close to reaching his climax as well and the process repeated a number of minutes later. Even though I already climaxed, I was still very turned on by being rained on by Lucas' semen and listening to his deep groans. We both stood there breathless and admiring each other. We could've easily made the experience last longer, but I think neither of us could resist each other for that long.

"I love you so much." He proclaimed between breaths. I responded by closing the gap between us and resuming our kissing session from before. The rest of the shower was spent massaging each other with shampoo and body wash and helping each other rinse off.

I was high on excitement the entire time. The room was filled with a thick steam by the time we stepped out of the shower and proceeded to dry each other off.

"We need to do this again sometime." I stated.

"You can say that again!" Lucas responded without a moment's hesitation.

I approached Lucas and wrapped my arms around him after he pulled a clean shirt on, "I really needed this. Thank you." I gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Don't mention it and you're not the only one who had a good time." He smiled and returned a kiss to my forehead.

After we dressed ourselves, I peeked out the door to make sure no one was around and we headed back to my bedroom. I glanced out my window at the driveway; no one was home, thankfully. I planned on staying at Lucas' place for a while, so I wanted to pack some things in my bag to bring with. I was hoping to be a ghost by the time anyone returned home.

"We got company." Lucas said as headlights shone on his face. I got up and looked down as Rick pulled in.

"Great.." I rolled my eyes and returned to packing. "Whatever."

After a few moments, I had everything I wanted and was ready to go. Lucas and I headed down downstairs, breezing past Rick's occupied room. I caught him shooting me a subtle glance. Lucas' attention seemed to remain fixated on the room for a few seconds.

We quickly exited the oppressive house and reached Lucas' front steps when I remembered something. "Shit!"

"What's wrong?" Lucas asked.

"I forgot my laptop!" I groaned. "I think I left it in the living room.."

I took one step back to my house when Lucas volunteered to go himself, "I'll get it!"

"No, that's okay, I-"

"Really, you don't want to see Rick right now. I'll just go get it." Lucas claimed eagerly.

I wasn't one to argue. "Okay. Thanks, Lucas!"

"No problem, just get settled in my room. I'll be right back!" Lucas shouted as he began jogging back to my house. What would I do without him?

[Lucas]

I re-entered Barry's dimly lit house and made a beeline for the living room. Barry's laptop was an easy find, resting on the small table next to the couch. Rick's presence in the house was made obvious from the music emanating from his room upstairs.

I simply couldn't resist the temptation. I left Barry's laptop alone for the moment and headed upstairs.

I slowly strode to the open door leading to Rick's room. Inside, he was knelt down in front of his closet, organizing paraphernalia on some shelves. His attention was drawn to me as I came into view.

He furrowed his brow, "What do you want, Lucas?" He greeted impatiently.

"We need to talk ..it's about Barry." I stated unwaveringly. Rick shot a glare at me at the mention of his brother's name, but attempted to play it cool nonetheless.

"Yeah? What about him?" He asked, carrying on as if carrying a clean conscience and took a seat on his couch.

"Look, I just think you're a little hard on him," The magnitude of my understatement was not lost on me, "I think you should be nicer to him. He's your little brother and he deserves your respect." I made sure to maintain a polite, but firm attitude.

The aggravating grin that Rick gave me as I spoke indicated that he wasn't taking me seriously.

He snickered, "Look, dude, I don't know what you're talking about." I was in no mood to play games. He started to get up from the couch and walk away from me, but I stopped shoved him back down to his seat.

"Don't play dumb with me, Rick. I'm trying to be nice here. I know what you do to Barry and it needs to stop." I stated bluntly, astonished that my nerves weren't frayed by now. Instead, they were unmoving. It shouldn't have come as a surprise as I realized how strongly I felt about this.

"What the fuck makes you think that what happens me between me and my brother is any of your business, kid?" He spat at me angrily.

"He's my best friend, so I'd say it is my business when his own brother uses him as a punching bag." I shot back at him with a glare.

He stood up once again and met me at eye level. "You better back off if you know what's good for you."

This would be the time in which I swallow my pride and walk away, but I just couldn't. I let my emotions get the best of me. The next thing I know, my hand is launching at his chest and reeling him in by his shirt.

"Barry might be too afraid to stand up to you, but I'm not. Leave him alone. I mean it." I demanded in a low, icy growl. I could sense shock in his eyes. I knew I hadn't succeeded in completely intimidating him, but my sudden boldness wasn't something he was expecting.

After a few seconds, a nearly maniacal sneer spread across his face. "Little Barry's too scared of me, so he sends his big bad friend to do his dirty work, huh?"

I shook my head, "He doesn't even know I'm here. He's not even aware that I realize what's going on. I do have eyes and ears, you know."

"Oh? Good for you. You need to get a life, faggot." He shoved me backwards, breaking my grasp of his shirt. I was tempted to slam my fist into the back of his head for using that word, but that might've done more harm than good. He turned his attention away from me, acting as if I wasn't in the room with him.

"I think you're the one who needs to get life."

Rick turned around and gave me a hateful look. "Get the fuck out, Lucas, before I get pissed off."

I turned and walked to the door as he commanded. "I meant what I said, Rick. Lay off of him." I reminded him as I left and slammed the door behind me.