AN: First off, I apologize for the long wait for this chapter. I've been very busy and haven't had a whole lot of time to brainstorm ideas for how I wanted this chapter to go. As always, I hope you enjoy it! Also, I want to take this opportunity to thank the upward glance. He's been such a phenomenal friend and motivator to me in writing this story and in general. Thank you SO SO much for being there for me! I appreciate it more than you know. I love you! :D Anyway, here's chapter 11!

Chapter 11: Last Warning

[Barry]

I felt a little awkward as I entered Lucas' home by myself and greeted his mom and dad.

"Hello, Barry!" Lucas' mom beamed as I walked in, "I didn't know you were here! Where's Lucas?"

"Oh, he went to get something from my house. He'll be right back." I explained.

"Well, make yourself at home!" She responded warmly.

"Thank you!" I said while ascending the stairs to Lucas' vacant room. I breathed a sigh of relief as I walked in, like I just entered a safe zone. A place where Rick couldn't hurt me, touch me or get to me at all. I was free from his torment while I was here. The cool blue and purple color scheme of Lucas' room washed over me and enhanced the feeling. It was a welcome change from the harsh white of my own room.

I climbed onto the soft, pillowy sheets of Lucas' bed. I realized now that it was far more comfortable in comparison to mine. I nuzzled my face against his pillow and breathed in its scent. It smelled just like him and as his scent filled my lungs, I could feel myself calming down and my frayed nerves mending themselves. I could easily fall asleep like this.

I lay still for a few minutes, unwittingly allowing sleep to take hold of me. I can't remember the last time I felt this relaxed. My only wish was that it could be permanent. I knew I'd eventually have to go back home and deal with the onslaught of anxiety again soon enough.

I wonder what's taking Lucas so long. Maybe my laptop wasn't in the living room like I thought. Well, I hope he doesn't feel the need to scour the house to find it. God forbid should he run into Rick while he's there.

After a few minutes of dozing off to the sound of my own breathing, I heard a door shut in the distance, followed by approaching footsteps closing in on the room I was in. I barely moved as Lucas opened the door and walked in.

"Sorry it took me so long. Couldn't find your laptop; it was in your room." Lucas apologized.

"That's okay. Thank you for getting it for me." I answered sleepily.

He climbed into bed beside me and rubbed his hand against my back. "You sure your mom won't mind you stayin' here for a while?"

"I'm sure. If she does, she'll get over it. If anything, she'll want me to be there to suffer during the last day that Rick will be in town.. which I'm hoping is soon."

I realized I was probably being a very boring and rude guest for falling asleep while Lucas is talking to me, so I began to pull myself awake. "Sorry, not trying to pass out already."

Lucas laid a hand on my shoulder to stop me. "Don't be silly. If you're tired, just go to sleep. I don't mind." He stated reassuringly.

"Are you sure?"

"You've had a really long day. I'd be exhausted, too. Trust me, I wouldn't be offended if my boyfriend had some much needed sleep." He smiled and ran his fingers through my hair.

"Get some rest." He said as he bent down and kissed me on the forehead. I faded into sleep shortly after.

I was wiped out, apparently. I slept for over half a day. Lucas didn't mind at all. He did his best to stay as quiet as possible so he wouldn't wake me. I felt a little guilty, like I was being treated better than I should be. However, I knew that Lucas wouldn't allow me to refuse anything he offers, so I just accepted it. But it's not like I would never return the favor. Lucas deserved the absolute best. I don't think anyone has ever gone so far just to make me happy, aside from my parents.

Lucas wanted me to remain as stress-free today as possible. I think he was afraid all the stress I've been through was about to make me snap or something. My mom called shortly after I woke up, worried about where I was. Guess I should've left a note or something. I swear, she still treats me as if I were 10 years old.

"What's the matter with you, Barry? You know how much I worry about you!" My mom practically shouted into the phone.

"I know, I know." I answered in an annoyed tone.

"You could've let us know where you were going to be!"

"Yeah, I know. It was kinda spur of the moment and you weren't home."

"Wasn't Rick here? You could've told him.."

I sighed, "I guess.."

"Oh, Barry, what am I going to do with you?" She sighed, "Well, I'm just glad you're alright. Next time, let me know where you're going to be, okay?"

"I will."

"Okay! I love you, sweetie."

"Love you too, mom."

I hung up the phone and fell backwards onto Lucas' bed. "I really wish she would realize I'm about to turn 18, not 8."

"It just shows that she loves you, just like I do!" Lucas remarked from the other room. He always brought a smile to my face.

Yet, something just didn't feel right. Don't get me wrong, I was very comfortable in Lucas' house. I felt far more comfortable and safer here than I did in my own home, but I just had this awful knot in my stomach that wouldn't go away. Perhaps it's just the lasting effects of the events of the last few days. I tried my best to hide it from Lucas. I really didn't want him to worry about me more than he already does.

Maybe I wasn't doing the best job at hiding it when I practically jumped on Lucas the moment he sat on the bad.

"Whoa, you alright?"

"Never better! I just ..really love snuggling with you." I chuckled, albeit a little nervously.

Lucas returned the embrace. "Well, we can snuggle all you like!"

I felt so immeasurably blissful whenever I was holding onto Lucas' warm body. At the same time, I worried that I'd never feel this secure or brave without being in Lucas' arms. It pained me to feel this dependent of him. In a way, I felt like I was disrespecting him.

I threw all those thoughts aside for the time being. I just wanted to enjoy this perfect situation.

Lucas' parents were taking us to the zoo today. It's been such a long time since I've been there. I think that's exactly what Lucas and I needed today, too. Even though it wasn't always just the two of us alone looking at exhibits, it was fun.

I was so fascinated with the Pokémon diving and swimming in the water. Empoleon and Vaporeon were my favorites to watch when I was a little kid and they still are to this day. I was excited to see they got new Pokémon that I've never seen in person before, like Electrike, Tropius and Sandile.

The weather was perfect; not too hot, not too cold. The sun rained down on us and bathed the trees and landscape. Kids and adults alike ran around and marveled at the sights. I felt like a little, carefree kid again.

We walked past a small keosk and something caught my eye, but I didn't want Lucas to notice. I made note of where it was so I could return to it later when I was alone.

This was the most fun I've had in a long time. Lucas really knows how to take my mind off of certain things and I think that was the best part; that I didn't once think about the issues that were troubling me. It was as if they didn't exist or matter in the least.

When it was almost time to go, I lied and said I had to go to the bathroom so I could get away from everyone else for a moment. Luckily, no one noticed I left in the opposite direction. I spotted the keosk right away and to my relief, the item I had my eye on was still there. It was a good-sized Luxray plush. I was so thankful I had some money on me and it was just enough to pay for it. Money well-spent.

I was so blissed out as I headed back to the table where Lucas was waiting for me. I hid the large Luxray plush behind my back as I approached and sat beside him.

"What are you so happy about?" Lucas grinned as I took a seat.

"I have something for you!"

"Really? What is it?" Lucas asked, a look of thorough excitement on his face.

"Okay, close your eyes."

Lucas obliged and I laid the blue lionesque plush on his lap. "You can look now!"

Lucas looked down as the large plush immediately caught his attention and an expression of surprise and glee washed over him.

"Oh my god! Barry!" He beamed, "I love it! Luxray is my favorite Pokémon!"

"I know! I saw it and I just had to get it for you! It's not too cheesy is it?"

"Are you kidding? It's the sweetest thing ever!" Lucas gave me a big hug. "Thank you so much!"

Normally, I'd be overly aware of the fact that we were hugging or showing any sort of affection in public, but I didn't care one bit. I don't think Lucas did, either. It didn't matter. I could kiss him in front of the world right now. Lucas deserves to be happy just as much as I do, if not more.

I looked around once we broke contact and surprisingly no one even noticed.

"I'm the luckiest guy." Lucas stated, causing me to blush.

"It's the least I can do for you after everything you've done for me."

I forgot that it wasn't just the two of us there for a while, until Lucas' phone beeped.

Lucas pulled it out of his pants pocket and glanced at the text message and sighed. "We better get going. My mom's wondering where we are."

Reluctantly, we got up and headed to where Lucas' parents' car was parked and climbed in.

"Did you guys get lost?" Melissa asked as we arrived.

"No, ...we just wanted to see the Toxicroaks before we left!" Lucas explained.

Lucas' mom turned around and immediately noticed the large Luxray sitting on Lucas' lap. "Oh cute! Where did you get that?"

"Oh, well-"

"This girl gave it to him!" I chimed in. Suddenly all eyes were on me. "Yeah! I think she had a crush on him or something." Lucas smiled and blushed at my spontaneous explanation.

"That's adorable! What a coincidence that it's your favorite Pokémon, too!" Lucas' mom fawned. We just laughed and gave each other a look that said 'that was a close one!'

The trip back was spent talking about all the cool Pokémon we saw and how much fun we had. It was turning into early evening by the time we got back to Lucas' house. I was so high from the excitement we had that I barely noticed how close we were to my house.

I thanked Lucas' parents for taking me along with them and then Lucas and I went to his room and played some video games for a few hours. I always heard horror stories about friends who started dating and how they stopped doing the fun stuff they used to do when they were just friends. Their relationship would become unnecessarily complicated and by the end of it, they weren't even friends anymore. I was scared that would happen between Lucas and I, but for the most part, the 'friendship' part of our relationship hasn't changed at all. In fact, I'd say it's only become stronger.

We were completely focused on the game until a knock at the door interrupted us. The game was paused as Lucas got up and opened the door. On the other side was his mom.

"Sorry to interrupt, boys. Barry, your brother is here." My heart filled with dread. It didn't matter what she said next, nothing having to do with Rick was good. "He says your mother needs you."

"A-Alright." I answered solemnly and reluctantly stood up and headed for the door. I glanced at Lucas and he had the same doleful expression on his face as I did.

Making my way downstairs, a bold feeling took over me. What was I worried about? I was staying at Lucas' house. There was nothing Rick could do to me here. I stepped outside where Rick was waiting on the porch. I practically breezed past him on the way back home.

"Hope I wasn't interrupting anything important. Mom sent me to come get you." He said with an uncharacteristic light tone in his voice.

I ignored him for a bit while I nearly sprinted for my house, eyes on the ground the whole time. "So what does mom want, anyway?"

Looking up, I noticed that the driveway was vacant a little too late.

The collar of my shirt was snatched in Rick's clenched fist and he dragged me to the other side of the house. I tried to get away, but Rick wasn't offering me any means of escape. He just found other ways to force me along.

"In case you didn't already realize, mom doesn't need you." He mocked. He could barely wait long enough for us to fully reach the other side of the garage before launching me at the wall of it.

I landed perfectly on the edge of some window frames, which made the impact all the more agonizing. I yelped like a wounded puppy and collapsed to my knees. Rick didn't allow me to stay that way for long. He grabbed me roughly by the shirt, his fingers scraping hard against my chest, then slammed me into the wall again.

"I understand that you're crying to your friends for help now. What's the matter? You can't fight your own battles, little brother?" He growled into my face.

I was puzzled. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

His face scrunched in dissatisfaction at my answer. I was disoriented by a sudden powerful punch that connected with the right side of my face. I would've fallen to the ground if he wasn't gripping my shirt with his other hand.

"Is that right? Then how does Lucas know, hmm? Tell me that. Is he fucking psychic or something?" He asked me impatiently and shook me while doing so.

My heart dropped to my stomach. I was in shock. Lucas must've said something to him. I decided it was best to continue playing stupid.

"How the fuck should I know, asshole? LET GO OF ME!"

I tried to shove him off of me, but he only tightened his grip. "You're not going anywhere, you faggot!"

Suddenly, I saw two hands grasp Rick and toss him to the ground. I hardly knew what was going on at first. I stumbled from the sudden loss of support, as well as the dizziness from Rick's punch moments earlier. I faced the person who pulled Rick off of me and was filled with relief when my eyes rested on familiar blue ones.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked in concern.

"I'm fine." I tried to sound more convincing, but I was still in a lot of pain.

Rick was already back on his feet. "Stay the fuck out of this, Lucas!"

"I thought I told you to leave Barry alone." Lucas snarled.

"Yeah? Well I don't take orders from kids." Rick snickered at him. He quickly turned his attention from Lucas to me and headed in my direction. Lucas' patience was just about finished.

"LISTEN!" Lucas bellowed as he ensnared Rick, spinning him around and grabbing him by his shirt in a similar manner that Rick had done to me, then forced him up against the wall. His head made a painfully loud thud against the siding. I watched from the safety of the sidelines as the events unfolded.

"When I told you to leave Barry alone, I wasn't fucking around. I swear, if I EVER find out you've so much as looked at him the wrong way again, I will kill you." Never in my life have I seen Lucas like this. Honestly, it was.. scary. At the same time, I felt an overwhelming sense of security. His voice was trembling with an intense rage that I never knew existed inside of him. His eyes weren't calming like they normally were, they were fearsome and intimidating.

I was so focused on Lucas that I failed to notice Rick grimacing in pain. Lucas' fists were clenched so tightly against Rick that the veins on his hands protruded more than usual.

Rick didn't even have a comeback for him. Lucas simply let him go after a little while and Rick walked away in defeat, not even bothering to glance at either one of us.

Lucas' expression immediately softened. I knew from that, that 'my' Lucas was back. He looked distraught with himself, almost disgusted. It was dark, but I could see his face contort in pain, like he was about to start crying or something. The silence between us was extremely uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Lucas laid his hand against the wall of the garage and took in some deep breaths.

"Nothing, I-I'm fine.."

I didn't believe him, but this wasn't the place to talk about it. "Maybe we should head back to your place."

Lucas nodded, "Good idea."