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“Neteyam! Lo’ak! Get your asses over here!”
Lo’ak cringed at his fathers stern, angry voice. The plan had….well, gone to shit. They had tried to be quiet while sneaking out, and they were almost successful.
If only it weren’t for that damn flower vase their mother loved. It sat right out of the tent, next to the fabric they’d had to move to step out from the back. One wrong step and it had shattered.
Not quietly, no. It had echoed in the tent, awaking not only their father, but also their mother.
They’d just wanted a little midnight swim fun. The dark night added a dangerous thrill when in the water, and they had thought it would be easy to get out.
Oh, how wrong they’d been.
Instead of turning around, maybe making an excuse and going back to bed, they’d continued on, running straight out of the tent and into the village. Looking back on it, they’d been stupid. However, it was too late now. Why not full send it, right?
Lo’ak’s bare feet pounded on the soft soil that slowly turned into white sand, his braid thrashing around on his back.
Neteyam was right beside him, with a more worried, unsure expression. Lo’ak himself was, in all honesty, feeling the same, but he couldn’t help messing with his older brother.
“Come on, bro! It’s not the end of the world if you do one bad thing.”
Neteyam narrowed his eyes, and Lo’ak couldn’t help the grin on his face.
“That ‘one bad thing’ was supposed to be a secret, Lo’ak! Dad’s going to catch up to us, and then we’re in huge trouble!”
Neteyam looked over his shoulder, searching for any sign of their father. Nothing. Maybe they’d gotten lucky, and he’d wait till morning light?
“Lo’ak! Neteyam! Come back here! Right now!” Their fathers deep voice bounced off the trees. Shit, they totally did not get lucky. He was going to beat their asses!
Lo’ak winced when he heard his father, but he was enjoying the night air too much to turn back already. Neteyam, on the other hand, was ready to listen and stop. “Lo’ak,” he hissed under his breath, “we need to stop and just go home! We’ve already been caught!”
His eyes met Neteyams, and Lo’ak saw the nervousness and exasperation in them. He debated listening, since Neteyam did have a point. But they were almost there. Two more minutes wouldn’t hurt anyone, would it? So that’s exactly what Lo’ak told Neteyam.
He had hesitated, but eventually gone along with it. So the two brothers ran along the white sand beach in the moonlight, their father not far behind, torn between excitement and fear. They made it to their destination- a beautiful lagoon, trees surrounding the clear blue water, making it a private, secluded place.
The boys has just recently discovered it, and had been wanting to go back. The water was home to bioluminescent fish, whose glow lit up the water. It was magical and breathtaking and oh so worth it.
The boys had made it two steps in before both of the backs of their necks were grabbed by large, calloused blue hands. Uh oh.
“You know, boys, I’m having a hard time believing you couldn’t hear me calling after you. Which, as you know, would mean you heard and deliberately disobeyed anyway. Can either one of you tell me why the hell you think this was a good idea?”
The brothers were silent, desperately grasping for words and excuses to lessen the inevitable punishment. “Hm? I’m waiting,” Jake said impatiently, trying to keep his cool. They had run out, in the middle of the night, in a space they were only slightly familiar with, with people actively hunting them down. They were supposed to lay low for a while.
They were allowed to have fun- Jake never wanted to be cruel. But they needed to be safe, too, and these two had completely disregarded that. Neteyam gulped, already regretting this decision, but Lo’ak felt a little pushy today. “Figured it’d take you a long time to catch up, so we’d have enough time to make it worth it.” He said it innocently, but Jake being too slow to keep up was heavily implied. Was it true? Not even close. Jake could outrun both of them easily. Was it fun to watch his fathers’ eyes narrow and his nostrils flare? Absolutely.
“Is that so?” Jake questioned, his grip tightening just a little. Neteyam turned wide, incredulous eyes to Lo’ak. “Knock it off,” he mouthed silently at him. Lo’ak innocently shrugged. Jake saw the interaction but ignored it. Heaving a heavy, irritated sigh, he turned the boys around and began the walk back to the tent. “We can walk by ourselves, Dad,” Lo’ak grumbled, trying to slip out of Jake’s firm grip. Jake raised an eyebrow.
“I can’t exactly trust you not to run as soon as you get the chance, can I?” His voice was calm and cool, but the undercurrent of anger was enough to shut even Lo’ak up. The five minute run was a ten minute walk, but those ten minutes dragged on until it felt like a century had passed.
Jake’s grip on them never faltered, though it did loosen the tiniest bit. Though it was midnight, a few night owls were still milling about, and they shot knowing looks at Neteyam and Lo’ak as Jake marched them through the village, not at all making it subtle that they were in trouble. They both blushed.
Eventually, they arrived back at the tent, where Neytiri waited with her arms crossed. Her ears bent back in displeasure when she glanced at her sons, but when her eyes met Jakes, a certain understanding passed between them, and she stepped out of the way, heading to the back of the tent to shush Tuk, who had stirred from the noise.
Jake marched them to the second tent, for privacy, and finally released them into the room as he pinned the fabric closed and turned to face his two disobedient sons. Lo’ak, he expected it from, but Neteyam was a surprise. Lo’ak had probably dragged him into it, Jake thought with an internal eye roll. He pulled up a stool and sat down, still a head above both boys. Neither one of them met his eyes.
“One of you want to explain what the hell that was?” Jake questioned, but it was rhetorical. “What were you two even thinking?? You could’ve been hurt, or taken, or-” Jake cut himself off, forcing himself to take a breath and calm down.
He exhaled through his mouth loudly, and looked back at his regretful sons. “Look at me,” he quietly murmured. Neteyam immediately obeyed. Lo’ak hesitated.
“I said look at me. Now.” Lo’ak’s gaze snapped up to meet his father’s unreadable eyes. Their darkening color told him he was in for it.
“Good. Now, I asked you both a question, and I expect a damn answer.” Neteyam opened his mouth. Closed it. “I can wait.” Jake said in response, crossing his arms and watching his two sons struggle to speak up. Lo’ak, unsurprisingly, responded first. “We were just having fun, Dad. It’s not even far from the village.” His tone was matter of fact, like none of this was affecting him, but the nervousness in his eyes gave him away.
“Mm. Neteyam, do you agree with that?” Jake asked curiously, feigning a carefree attitude. Neteyam raised his eyes, struggling to hold his fathers eye contact. “Um. Y-yes, sir, I do.” Jake nodded, thinking it through. His silence was loud, and both boys were squirming by the time he spoke again. “Tell me what could have gone wrong during your little fun trip. Both of you.”
Neteyam gulped. Lo’ak groaned. “Dad! N-”
“Lo’ak.” Jake cut him off, his stare turning sharp. “What could have gone wrong?”
He dropped his eyes, staring at the floor as he begrudgingly responded. “We….we could have been taken by the Sky People a-again. Or…” He cleared his throat. “Or gotten lost, or hurt, and y-you wouldn’t know….” He mumbled, rocking on his heels.
Neteyam was wringing his hands, cursing himself for allowing his little brother to risk himself like that. He knew better, and so did Lo’ak, but Neteyam was the oldest. It was his job to take care of Lo’ak and his other siblings. It was his job to keep them safe. And instead, he’d walked with him, right into danger, without stopping him. He had failed.
Jake nodded at Lo’ak’s words, his eyes hard and unreadable.
“That’s right. And, knowing all of the risks, you two still went out there to go play in the lagoon. Do you realize how stupid that sounds? ‘Oh yeah, I might get kidnapped, but I want to go play in the water’. It’s dumb and dangerous as hell. I expect better from both of you.” Jakes deep rumble hardened, and he met both of their eyes.
God, Neteyam was kicking himself. He hated his Dad’s disappointed tone. He hated, hated, hated it. He was better than this. He could do better than this. So why had he not?
Lo’ak swallowed. He hadn’t meant to get caught, and when they did, he wasn’t really thinking of the consequences.
Now that he was facing the consequences, he started seeing the problem with what he did.“I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again,” Neteyam muttered, forcing himself to meet Jake’s eyes. Jake held his eye contact, and Neteyam felt like he was going through his mind. Whatever he found there satisfied him, and he turned to face Lo’ak, who was tapping his fingers against his thigh. He was regretting everything now, and the actual punishment hadn’t even started. This was just the beginning of the lecture. “I’m sorry too, Dad,” Lo’ak said in a near whisper. He didn’t meet Jake’s eyes, though. That was harder than saying the words.
“Lo’ak.” His dad’s rough voice brought his eyes up, where he saw the irritation and sternness, but also the fear and concern. The brothers had gone out to have fun, but when Jake had followed them, all he was thinking about was how they could hurt themselves and all the danger involved in their little trip.
Jake stayed quiet a moment longer before speaking. “What you two did tonight was stupid and reckless. It could have gone wrong in so many ways, and you’re damn lucky it didn’t. If I ever have to go after you again for something like this, I will put my belt to you. Do you understand me?” His voice had grown hard and stern again, making it very clear how he felt about this situation. Both boy’s eyes widened in surprise and fear.
They’d each experienced the belt before and had no intentions of ever going through it again. “Yes, sir!” Both immediately replied, their nerves clear in their voices.
Jake continued. “As for the punishment for your actions, I will be spanking you both.” He waited for the inevitable fight.Neteyam’s eyes went wide, first with shock, then with nerves and annoyance. A spanking?? He was too old for that. The last time he’s gotten more than just the occasional few smacks was almost a year ago. No way he’d get it for something as small as this! It’s completely unfair! “Dad! No! I’m too old for that!” Neteyams outburst was met with a raised brow and calm, cool eyes. “And why do you think that, hm?”
Jake’s question was met with a sputter. “Because I’m 15! You haven’t done…that in forever!” Jake stared, unimpressed. “I’m doing it now, so why does it matter? You made a bad decision, and now you’ve got to deal with the consequences.” His tone was matter of fact, but his eyes dared him to keep arguing.
Lo’ak had been spanked much more recently, and was simply mortified of his older brother hearing it too. “Dad! That’s-you can’t!” His heart was racing, cheeks red. Jake sighed, again lifting a brow. “And why can’t I, Lo’ak?” Lo’ak glared, his jaw clenched.
“You just can’t!” He knew he wasn’t getting anywhere with this, but damn it, he didn’t want a spanking. It was embarrassing enough normally, but with Neteyam here? It was pure mortification. Jake narrowed his eyes at Lo’ak’s open defiance. “Oh, I can, and I will. You can either accept that, or you can continue to argue with me and make it worse. The choice is yours.” Jake stares at him, a challenge in his eyes, daring Lo’ak to fight him on it.
Lo’ak clenched his jaw tighter but dropped his eyes, submitting to the punishment, even if he hated it.
“Good boy. Now, here’s how this is going to go. One of you will be over here with me, and one of you will stand in the corner. You are not to turn around, and if I catch you trying, I will add 20 to your spanking. Am I clear?” Both boys were mortified by the thought of the other hearing their punishment, but neither wanted to argue with Jake.
“Yes, sir,” both mumbled out in understanding, their minds running a mile a minute with embarrassment and regret. “Good,” Jake replied. He hated making them feel embarrassed and uncomfortable, but he had to get this through to them.
They couldn’t keep putting themselves in danger.
He needed them to stay safe, and he needed to be able to trust them to keep themselves safe when he couldn’t. With a quiet, heavy sigh, he motioned for Lo’ak to come over and Neteyam to walk over and face the corner.
Neteyam begrudgingly obeyed, hating the thought of hearing his little brother being punished but not wanting to make his own punishment worse.
Lo’ak, however, did not immediately obey. He hesitated, bouncing on the balls of his feet. His dad narrowed his eyes. “Lo’ak….” The warning was clear in his tone, but Lo’ak did not obey. His eyes were pleading, and he looked over his shoulder at his older brother in the far corner.
His cheeks were red, his heart was pounding- he was miserable. Jake understood his predicament, and, with a sigh, stood up and pulled Lo’ak to him. He sat back down, and instead of pulling Lo’ak over his lap, he held the boy in his arms.
Lo’ak’s heart was pounding, his cheeks flushed pink and tucked into his father’s neck. “Neteyams not going to see anything, baby boy. I promise. It’s just you and me. Let’s get this over with, yeah?” Jake muttered quietly to Lo’ak only, rubbing his back.
Lo’ak took a breath, slightly calmer, and nodded. “Good boy,” Jake whispered. He cleared his throat, the comfort moment over, and once again became stern.
He pulled Lo’ak over his lap, sliding his loincloth down to his ankles. Lo’ak’s ears turned a deeper pink, and his tail flicked in agitation.
“Move your tail,” Jake ordered. Lo’ak groaned as he lifted it out of the way, hating how exposed and vulnerable he was.
He squirmed, trying to find some comfort in an incredibly uncomfortable situation.
“Stop that,” Jake scolded. “You know better.” Lo’ak bit back a retort. The first smack came down hard. He flinched, his ears going back and his tail twitching.
The second one was in the same spot, making the sting twice as bad. Lo’ak was determined not to make a sound, fearful of Neteyam hearing. “Count,” his father commanded as he brought his palm down once more. “T-three, sir,” Lo’ak stuttered, the pain hard to mask.
Again.
“F-four!”
Again.
“Five, sir!”
By the twelfth smack, Lo’ak’s determination was fraying. “I’m s-sorry, dad! Please! No more!” He sniffled, blinking back unshed tears from his eyes. He didn’t want to cry. Normally, when Jake pulled him over his lap, he’d crack once past ten, but his determination to not be heard by Neteyam was affecting that. Jake silently sighed and paused. “What for?” He questioned.
“F-for….” He takes a shaky breath. “For leaving w-without your permission at m-midnight.” Jake hummed. “Is that all?”
“No! And, um, for….for running from you when you called me.”
“Is that all?” Jake questioned evenly, his tone not giving away anything.
“Y-yes, sir.” Lo’ak breathed, hesitant if he was right or wrong.
“You did do those things,” Jake said, “but that wasn’t all, and that wasn’t the biggest problem.”
He picked up where he left off, spanking him soundly. “T-thirteen!” “Nineteen!” “T-T-tee-twenty!” Lo’ak gasped out, tears finally rolling down his face.
His hands gripped his fathers leg, and his legs had begun squirming to try to relieve some of the sting. “Daddy! P-please, stop! I’m sorry!” Lo’ak cried out. Jake paused, caught off guard by being called ‘Daddy’. He’d been ‘Dad’ for years now. “What are you sorry for, Lo’ak?” Jake questioned.
Lo’ak responded quickly. “I’m s-sorry for putting myself in danger and-and disobeying you and-and dragging Neteyam into it!” He struggled to get the words out through his shaky breathing. He clung to his father, ass red and cheeks pink, his face buried in his leg.
“That’s right, baby. That’s right.” He slipped Lo’ak’s loincloth back in place to give the boy some modesty before lifting him up and setting him on his lap. Lo’ak immediately clung to him, arms wrapped around his neck, shoulders shaking with quiet sobs.
“Shh, shh, baby boy. You’re okay. You did so good,” Jake gently soothes, rubbing his back to calm him. Lo’ak takes a hiccupping breath, looking over his shoulder to make sure Neteyam wasn’t looking. Jake noticed this and gently turned Lo’ak’s head back towards him.
“He didn’t see anything, baby. I promise.” Lo’ak nods, once more burying his face in his fathers neck as he held on, seeking comfort after his harsh punishment. Jake held him tight, rubbing out the sting in his bottom (much to Lo’ak’s embarrassment). Lo’ak sniffled, taking a deep breath before pulling away and wiping the tears off his face, blushing.
Jake smiled fondly at his embarrassed boy, softly wiping off a tear with his thumb.
“You okay?” He asked quietly, concerned he’d been too rough. “Y-yeah, I’m okay, Dad.”
Lo’ak scooted back off his lap, standing on slightly shaky legs and trying to fix his disheveled appearance. Jake watched, giving him a moment before leaning down to his ear.
“This was a warning, Lo’ak. If I have to do this again, it will be much, much worse. Am I understood?” Jakes voice was quiet, only for Lo’ak’s ears. Lo’ak gulped. “Y-yes, sir, I understand.” Jake gave him a small, tired smile. “Good boy.” Now that the punishment was over for Lo’ak, the late hour was catching up to him, making him yawn. Jake smirked. “Tired, baby boy?”
Lo’ak shook his head no, but his eyes said he was exhausted. Jake shook his head fondly before calling out to Neteyam. “Neteyam! You can turn around now.” Jake’s voice was stern again as he watched his oldest turn, his eyes slightly red from listening to his brothers punishment. Lo’ak completely avoided eye contact, heading straight for the corner while Neteyam passed him by.
Lo’ak rubbed the sting out of his bottom, tired and just wanting to go back to bed. Neteyam approached Jake hesitantly, his cheeks tinged pink from having to listen to his brothers spanking. Jake raised a brow. “I assume you know why this is happening by now?” Neteyam swallowed, his eyes on the floor. “Yes, sir. I do.”
Jake nodded. “Good.” He lifted Neteyam’s chin up, forcing him to meet his eyes.
“I know your brother is in the room, but he will not see anything, I promise. It’s just you and me, okay?” He nods, tail flicking in nervousness and agitation. Jake notices. “Alright, buddy. Let’s get this over with.”
Neteyam swallowed thickly as his father pulled him over his knees, grabbing hold of his loincloth and pulling it down to his ankles. Neteyam’s long limbs struggled to find a comfortable position, and his hands gripped his fathers leg like he would fall if he let go.
Jake took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he had to do. He hated causing his children pain, but if that’s what it took to keep them safe, then that’s what he’d do.
“Count.” Jake ordered before the first whack came down. Hard.
Neteyam yelped, not used to the feeling after so long. The rush of emotions from listening to his brothers spanking and now this were too much. His eyes stung.
“One, sir.” He whispered, gripping Jake’s leg tighter. “Louder, Neteyam.” Jake replied with slight irritation. It had been a while, yes, but Neteyam had been over his knee plenty of times when he was younger. He knew better.
The next whack was aimed at his sensitive thighs, causing him to jerk away and instinctively shield his bottom with his hand. His hand was instantly pinned to his back as Jake rained down smacks.
“Neteyam te Suli Tsyeyk’itan! You know better that that!”
Neteyam winced at his fathers angry tone, quietly whimpering as he rained down smacks on his bottom, thighs, and sit spots.
Neteyam hated when he spanked his thighs because sometimes, if the spanking was hard enough, the next day you could clearly see he’d been spanked, and there wasn’t really a way to cover it. Jake was aware of this and his fear, so he didn’t go too hard on his thighs.
Neteyam bit his lip, kicking his legs out a little bit to try and lessen the sting. Jake growled lowly, a warning sound, and Neteyam immediately stopped wiggling. As smack after smack hit his bottom, he found himself regretting the entire night. Then the lecture began.
SMACK! “I’m so disappointed in you tonight, Neteyam. You know better than this. You are better than this, baby.” SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! Neteyam whimpered, his eyes tearing up as he counted out the eleventh smack.
“You not only endangered yourself, but also your little brother! Neteyam, you have to stop and think things through.” SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
Tears ran down his cheeks, less from the pain and more from the guilt he felt for being so stupid. He knew it was a bad idea, but he did it anyway. Fuck! What was he thinking?? If he had just said no, he wouldn’t be in this spot right now. “I’m s-so sorry, Dad!” He choked out. He’d forgotten Lo’ak was in the room at this point. All his attention was on his father. “Mm,” Jake hummed in acknowledgment, but continued with the punishment. “Oww!” Neteyam blurted out, struggling to keep his noises contained.
As Jake heard Neteyam’s whimpers and quiet sobs, he knew he was almost there.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! “Ah! S-sixteen!” He yelped, his voice thin and wobbly. SMACK! “Do not-” SMACK! “ever-” SMACK! “do this-” SMACK! “again.” SMACK!
“Yes, sir!!” Neteyam sobbed. “I w-won’t do it again! Dad, please!”
Neteyam gave in, going limp in his lap, tears running down his cheeks. Sure, the spanking hurt like hell, but his emotions were what caused so much of his distress.
Jake, seeing him finally give in, gave him a few more smacks before stopping and rubbing his back, letting him get it out. “Shh, baby, it’s over now. It’s over. You’re okay.” He gently lifted him upright on his lap, and Neteyam clung to him as his body shook with sobs.
He had a more emotional reaction than Lo’ak because he had been harboring much more guilt. Jake gently shushed him, comforting his eldest son. When he just kept crying, Jake grew concerned. Had he been too harsh?
“Shh, baby, shh. Are you okay? Did I go too hard?”
Jake pulled Neteyam up higher, peaking around to his red backside to assess the damage. Nothing looked serious. Just a red bottom. Maybe he’d said something?
Neteyam just clung to Jake, his breaths coming in hiccuping gasps.
“Jesus, baby boy. Shh, shh. You’re okay, buddy. You’re okay.” He gently rocked him, whispering comfort into his ear until Neteyam gradually calmed. Taking in a shaky breath, the boy stayed tucked into his father’s neck. “S-s-sorry,” he shakily apologized, ears pink.
Jake fondly rolled his eyes. “Neteyam. Baby. You don’t have to apologize. You did nothing wrong.” Jake continued running a comforting hand up and down Neteyam’s back. “Are you okay?” He asked again, and finally got a response.
“Y-yeah, Dad, I’m okay. It just got intense,” he mumbled into Jake.
Jake nodded, holding him as his eyes turned to Lo’ak’s sitting form in the corner. He’d fallen asleep. Jake let out a quiet chuckle. “Neteyam, look at your knucklehead of a brother.” Neteyam looked over at Lo’ak, and a small, watery laugh left him. Jake smiled at the sound, then gave Neteyam’s bare bottom a tap with a teasing glint in his eyes.
“You wanna put some clothes back on?” Neteyam blushed from his ears to his neck, scrambling to pull his loincloth back on. He jokingly shoved his father’s shoulder. “Jerk”, he mumbled, getting off his lap. Jake grinned, but his eyes still held concern as he watched Neteyam right himself.
“You know I don’t enjoy doing this, right?” He hesitantly asked. He didn’t want them to hate him or think he was cruel. Neteyam looked up, eyes slightly surprised. “I know, Dad. I never thought you did. It just really, really sucks.”
Jake gave a tired smile. “Yeah, boy. That’s the point of it.” He stood, ruffling Neteyam’s hair, and made his way over to his sleeping child.
He easily lifted Lo’ak into his arms, who barely stirred. The late hour was getting to all of them. The trio walked out of the tent and into their main one, where Neytiri waited in their bedroom. Her tired, worried eyes found both of her boys, and once assured they were alright, found her husbands eyes. “They’re okay,” he whispers quietly, not wanting to wake the other children.
Neytiri watches as he tucks Lo’ak into his bed, then turns to face her red eyed son. “You alright?” She questions softly. Neteyam nods, a bit embarrassed by his disheveled appearance.
He was supposed to be the perfect child, but he’d fucked up. Jake comes to stand behind him, pulling him against his chest and resting his hands on his shoulders in an easy, familiar position. “He did good,” he tells Neytiri, more for Neteyam’s peace of mind than his mate’s. Neteyam yawned, and Jake quietly chuckled, ruffling his hair again.
“Let’s get you into bed, buddy. You’re going to be exhausted tomorrow morning.” Jake starts pushing Neteyam towards his shared area with Lo’ak before Neteyam says, “Dad, I can walk myself over there. It’s like…ten feet.” Jake quietly laughs. “I’m aware.” He continues on, watching Neteyam get comfy and tucking him in. “I love you,” Jake whispers as he places a kiss on Neteyam’s forehead. “Never forget that.” Neteyam’s chest grew warm. “I love you too, Dad.”
Jake left him to his own thoughts to fall asleep as he got back into bed with Neytiri.
“Bunch of troublemakers,” he whispers to her in exasperation and fondness. “Yeah,” she replies with a smile, “but they’re ours.”