Chapter Text
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The playground is deserted at this time of night, but Sanha does't mind the solitude. After a long day of vocal training and dance practice and homework, he's just glad to be out in the open air. It's a warm evening and the cool summer breeze is refreshing as he leans back on the swing, pushing off with his feet to propel himself backwards a little.
He knows it's late because the convenience store across the road doesn't close until midnight, and the shutters are already drawn over the entrance. He really ought to be heading back to the dorm soon - JinJin's probably been texting him for a while now, but with his phone out of charge he can't know for certain. It's definitely past his curfew, that's for sure. Which is exactly why he's reluctant to leave the playground and go home; his hyungs are going to be pissed.
It's not like he'd meant to fall asleep in the practice room. He'd promised JinJin and MJ that he'd only stay for another hour or so before heading home, but his homework had been so boring that the words had blurred in front of him, and the next thing he knew it was already past eleven. The dorm is only a two minute walk from the Fantagio building, but since he'd been running late already (and he always hated getting in trouble with his hyungs), he'd decided to go sit in the park instead.
It was a stupid idea, really. JinJin and the others are gonna be even more annoyed at him now, especially since his phone's died. Ten more minutes, then he'll go home. He'll have to face the music eventually, but he wants to enjoy the peaceful evening first.
"Yoon Sanha!"
The loud shout makes him jump a little, heels digging into the soft ground beneath the swingset as he glances across the playground with wide eyes. His heart leaps up into his throat at the sight of JinJin and MJ striding towards him, both of them looking grim-faced and frowning a little. Oh no. Oh no, he's in trouble, he's in big trouble, he should probably start running-
"Yah! Where the hell have you been?" MJ scolds, crossing over to the swingset quickly and taking him by the shoulders to give him a little shake. "Why didn't you answer your phone? I've been worried sick!"
Sanha cringes, ducking his gaze and scuffing the toe of his shoe in the wood chippings beneath his feet. "My...my phone died."
"Then why didn't you come home?" MJ presses, giving him another shake. "Yah, pabo, do you have any idea what time it is?"
The teenager peeks up at the older man guiltily. "Um. Late?"
"Late?" JinJin echoes, appearing beside MJ and frowning down at Sanha, looking both worried and annoyed. "Try three hours past your curfew. When you didn't come home we went to look for you at the studio, but the security guard said you'd already left ages ago. We've been looking all over for you! What were you thinking, sitting out here in the middle of the night by yourself?"
Sanha gives a little shrug. "Don't know. Just wanted to be alone, I guess."
MJ thwacks his shoulder with the back of his hand. "And what exactly did you plan on doing if you got attacked by some random thug? It's not safe to be out here on your own at this time of night, Sanha. You're just a kid."
The teenager bristles at that. "Come on, hyung, I'm old enough to look after myself."
"Well clearly not," MJ fires back, throwing his hands in the air emphatically. "Because you're out here without a working phone at two in the morning."
Before Sanha can muster up the courage to defend himself further, JinJin reaches out to curl a hand around his arm, tugging him up from the swing.
"We're going home," the rapper says firmly. "I think the three of us need to have a little talk."
Sanha feels his stomach sink at that. He knows what "talking" usually involves when he's in trouble.
Falling silent, he follows along obediently as JinJin guides him back to the dorm, his feet feeling heavier with every step as they near the building. He fidgets restlessly in the elevator ride up to their floor, glancing nervously from MJ to JinJin every so often, but his hyungs still look grim and serious and it isn't making him feel any less nervous about his future.
The moment they step through the front door, Sanha finds himself tackled in a fierce hug.
"Yah, where have you been?" Rocky asks, his tone tight with worry as he pushes the younger teen away again to hold him by the shoulders, eyes scanning him for any sign of injury. Over the dancer's shoulder, Sanha can see Moonbin and Eunwoo eyeing him with similar expressions of concern.
"We found him sitting in the park on his own," JinJin tells the others flatly.
Eunwoo's worried frown turns distinctly disapproving. "At this time of night? Yah, Sanha, what on earth were you doing? Do you want to get yourself mugged?"
Sanha ducks his gaze to the floor as he toes off his shoes, shaking his head a little. "No." Then Rocky thumps his shoulder promptingly, and he quickly amends, "No, hyung."
"We've got practice in the morning," Moonbin reminds him, his voice low and chiding. "You knew that. Maybe sleep isn't important to you, but it is to the rest of us."
Guilt twists in Sanha's chest at the knowledge that he's kept his hyungs up late because of his own foolishness. "I'm sorry," he mumbles, glancing up to meet their gazes. "I didn't mean to stay out so late. I just...I didn't think you'd all stay up waiting for me."
Eunwoo's expression softens a little, although he still looks a little annoyed. "We were worried about you. You're not old enough to be out on your own at this time of night."
"I was doing fine," Sanha tries to insists.
When Moonbin steps forward, frowning a little and looking ready to show Sanha exactly how much trouble he's in, JinJin slides in front of the maknae to intercede, holding out his hands towards the dancer.
"It's late," he reminds the younger man. "And like you said, we've all got practice in the morning. The rest of you should head to bed, alright?"
Rocky glances from JinJin's serious face to Sanha's rapidly paling one and seems to come to the obvious conclusion. Looping an arm through Moonbin's he tugs the dancer back down the corrridor, grabbing Eunwoo's hand along the way.
"I'll bunk with Binnie-hyung tonight," he tells the two eldest members, glancing back over his shoulder. "Don't kill him, okay?"
MJ huffs a quiet laugh, hand coming to rest on the back of Sanha's neck as he gently pushes the maknae forward. "No promises."
Trying not to drag his feet, Sanha allows himself to be steered down the hallway towards the room he shares with Rocky and his two eldest hyungs. He knows he's in trouble. He knows what's about to come. And he's been here often enough that he knows not to fight the inevitable. Moonbin always tries to argue his way out of trouble, and it never ends well for him (especially when it's Eunwoo; the man has a very hard swing when he's provoked).
With the bedroom door shut firmly behind him to seal his doom, Sanha stands in front of the nearest bunkbed, fidgeting in place as MJ and JinJin take a seat on the edge of the lower mattress.
"What you did tonight was dangerous," JinJin tells him, his tone as low and serious as Sanha's ever heard it (the man's "leader voice" never fails to make him feel three inches tall). "You understand that, don't you?"
Sanha nods, twisting his hands together.
"You worried us," MJ adds crossly. "Even if it hadn't been way past your curfew, you should've told us where you were going when you decided not to come straight home. Either way, you had no business being out there in the park on your own at this time of night."
"I know." Sanha fidgets in place guiltily. "I'm sorry."
"Well, sorry isn't going to cut it this time," JinJin tells him, and holds out a hand beckoningly. "Come here."
Sanha hesitates, limbs freezing in place the way they always do when he's finally confronted with his impending punishment. MJ regards him silently for a moment before leaning forwards to seize him by the arm (his eldest hyung is always surprisingly strong for his size), yanking him down so that he ends up half-sprawled across the elder singer's lap. MJ rests a hand on the back of his neck, another arm draped across his back to keep him in place as JinJin tugs Sanha's lower body up an over his own lap, the teen's long legs dangling off the edge of his thigh.
"No, don't," Sanha tries to protest, as JinJin swiftly tugs his cargo shorts down. "Hyung, no, I'm sorry-"
The first spank startles the breath from his lungs, and after that he clams up, clenching his hands in Rocky's duvet and screwing his eyes shut, bracing himself against the sting of the leader's palm as it smacks down against his boxers, the thin material providing minimal protection.
"When we leave you alone at the studio, it's because we trust you to come straight home afterwards," JinJin tells him firmly, his hand falling in a steady beat. "Maybe we've put a little too much faith in you. I guess we'll have to go back to the rule you used to follow as a trainee, huh? Is that what you want? To have to take one of us with you whenever you step outside the dorm?"
Sanha shakes his head quickly, eyes already tearing up as the heat in his bottom makes him want to kick.
"We care about you, Sanha," MJ adds, putting a little more strength into his hold as the teenager squirms in place. "Which is why we're not about to let this turn into a habit. You could have been seriously hurt tonight. Do you have any idea how scared I was when we couldn't find you?"
That finally makes the tears spill over, and Sanha's face crumples as he slumps over the man's lap. "I'm sorry. Ah! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry-"
JinJin's spanks suddenly turn sharper and heavier than before, and Sanha yelps tearfully, legs kicking as he tries futilly to twist away from them. MJ keeps him pinned gently but firmly in place, and the teenager can do nothing but cry and lament the fact that he's never going to be able to sit down, ever.
"This can't happen again, Sanha," the leader tells him after a few minutes,his tone low and firm. "The next time we need to have this conversation, I won't be using my hand. Do you understand me?"
Nodding hurriedly, Sanha agrees that he does, too beside himself to fully take in what that promise might entail. But JinJin seems appeased by the answer, because when his hand falls again it's to settle lightly on the back of Sanha's burning thigh, rubbing to soothe the sting there.
"Alright, kiddo," he murmurs, his tone back to the soft, soothing murmur that Sanha's grown to love. "We're done here. You're okay."
Sanha buries his head in his arms and cries harder for a moment, tired and upset and sore but overall relieved that he's forgiven and that JinJin doesn't seem truly angry with him. MJ's already rubbing his back, one hand stroking up his spine as the other combs through his hair, and Sanha soaks up the comfort like a dry sponge, desperate for their affection after his recent spanking.
"You know we hate disciplining you, Sanha," MJ tells him softly, as JinJin gently tugs his short back into place. "But you're our donsaeng, and we can't just stand by and let you get yourself hurt through your own foolish mistakes. We love you too much to let that happen."
Sanha sniffles as he's carefully drawn up to sit between his hyungs, dashing at his tears with the sleeve of his sweater and wincing as his burning rear hits the mattress. JinJin makes a soft noise of sympathy, wrapping an arm around him in a sideways hug.
"You're a good kid," the leader murmurs. "Tonight doesn't change that. You're still our favourite makane."
Sanha leans down to rest his head on JinJin's shoulder, feeling MJ wrapping his arms around him in a hug from the other side. His ass might sting, and his eyes feel tired and swollen from crying, but his heart feels a whole lot lighter in his chest.
-fin-