Steve was grinning, his cheeks hurting with the strain. He had just finished a mission debrief with the Colonel and Peggy and it was clear that "The Star Spangled Man" was not going onstage anymore.
The men he had saved were still celebrating, and he was at the center of it. He was finally a fighter - he had never run away from a fight, but now he could actually hit. He had Bucky, his Bucky, by his side. And Peggy was casting him glances - not pitying ones like Bucky's girlfriends, not needy ones like some women on the tour, but those of admiration and pride. Life was wonderful and couldn't get better than this, Steve thought.
"Colonel Phillips would like to see you, Steve!" Peggy came up to where he and Bucky were sitting. She beamed at him. Steve blushed a little and grinned back.
"What, again?" Bucky was surprised. He was still feeling weak but wasn't willing to go to bed. He wanted to get the whole story from Steve, and they were only up to the flag mast.
"Yes." Peggy told him and turned to Steve."He told you to come to his private office, not the meeting room."
"Oh, all right. I'll be back, Buck." Steve said and walked to Colonel Phillips office. He knocked on the door, and opened it on hearing "Enter!"
"Rogers," Phillips said as soon as Steve entered the room.
"Sir," Steve replied.
"Lock the door behind you, and come here." Phillips was sitting behind his desk with a face like thunder. Steve went and stood ramrod straight before his desk and saluted. Phillips just looked at him for a long moment, his hands clasped on the table. Steve held the salute, feeling uneasy. Finally, Phillips returned the salute, but did not order Steve to stand at ease. Steve continued at stiff attention. This was worrying. He was in trouble, but in how much trouble? And for what?
"So you do know about military protocol, Captain? That you hold a salute till a senior officer returns it?" Phillips asked. His voice was harsh.
"Yes Sir." Steve replied.
"And yet, today, you dropped your salute in front of a huge crowd before I even raised my arm." This was barked out.
That was stupid, Steve thought. "I apologize for the break in protocol, Sir." He said, looking straight ahead.
"I told you that there would be no disciplinary action." Phillips said.
"Yes sir." Steve answered, still at attention.
The Colonel got up now and walked around the desk. He did not raise his voice, but his tone was enough. "What you did, Rogers, was stupid and insane. That you're not lying dead is because of your dumb luck."
"Yes Sir." Steve answered. There was nothing else he could say.
Phillips went on, walking around Steve. "I've dictated and almost signed a letter stating that you're dead. If you had, Rogers, this branch would have shut down. The whole SSR! And if that was not enough, you got Howard Stark into the whole mess. If he had been killed out there, or even worse, taken prisoner? They would have tortured him till he was out of his mind, Rogers! And heads would have rolled here. I might have been dishonourably discharged!" Phillips said, still in a low voice. He could not risk being overheard.
Steve had not thought on those lines at all. "Sir, I-" he started, but was stopped by a raised hand. Despite himself, Phillips was impressed. The man had rescued more than four hundred men single handedly, and there wasn't a hint of insubordination or arrogance in his manner. The salute had clearly been a slip-up, and an oral reprimand was enough. But skipping out of camp was not a minor thing.
"Well, you might be a national hero, but I will not have my men disobeying explicit orders. I do intend to do something about it." Phillips said and went back to his chair.
"Come around here, Rogers!"
Steve walked to his side and stood at attention. He was getting nervous. What was going to happen?
"You need discipline, Rogers. And I'm going to do it without official procedure." Phillips said.
"Yes Sir." Steve kept his voice level. He thought of protesting, but then thought of what he'd risked in the mission. And if Phillips had opted for official discipline, it might have ended the same way.
"Drop your trousers and lie over my lap." Phillips said.
"What?" Steve blurted out, but collected himself quickly. "Sir, please. I can take the strap." He blushed, but still stood at attention.
"I assure you boy, this is much more common than you would think." Phillips said. "You may refuse the discipline, Rogers, but I will recommend that you are transferred to another branch immediately."
Another branch? That would mean leaving Europe. Maybe go back to USO. And no Bucky or Peggy. "I accept the discipline, Sir." He said. The butterflies in his stomach seemed to have decided to have a raucous party.
"Very well." Phillips said, and repeated his earlier order.
Hands shaking slightly, Steve undid his pants. "Hand me your belt." Phillips said, and Steve obeyed without question. Phillips' initial anger had dwindled to a mild irritation with Steve's genuineness and obedience. Still, he had a task to do. He patted his thigh.
Steve bent over with a sense of unreality, and fell over forward. Before he could regain his balance his elbows were on the ground and legs lay over the colonel's lap. This happened all the time. All the time. He still couldn't come to terms with his height.
"What are you trying to do, Rogers?" Phillips snapped.
Steve raised himself onto his hands, trying to get back up. "Sir, I didn't do it on purpose - I"
"What, you didn't know where the ground is?"
"Yes Sir. I used to be smaller." Steve felt miserable.
Ah, of course. Phillips thought as he helped Steve over his lap. He was still the scrawny kid inside. The scrawny kid who had jumped on a grenade. His anger almost gone, he gently gripped the waistband of Steve's underpants. True to character, the boy just drew in a breath and didn't protest.
Bottom bared, Steve closed his eyes. This couldn't be happening. The first smack caught him by surprise, but he didn't make a sound.
Phillips started spanking with a steady rhythm. There were officers who did this on a regular basis, to break down defiance and attitude. But Rogers had neither. All the boy needed was to be shown that he was part of a much larger system.
Steve held his breath. He was being spanked like a naughty child. And strong as he was, he wasn't invulnerable, and the Colonel had a hard hand. It was hurting, and it was so embarrassing to admit it, even to himself.
Phillips paused, and Steve took a shaky breath. Was he done? Was the ordeal over?
Instead, Steve felt a searing pain on his bottom. He kicked out without realizing, sending the visitor's chair flying to the wall.
"Rogers!" Phillips snapped. What did Erskine put in that serum anyway?
"I'm sorry, Sir!" Steve replied. This was terrible.
"Hold still!"
"Yes Sir." Steve answered. If he could take the vita rays and the super serum, he could take this. He gritted his teeth.
After half a dozen strokes, Steve felt himself being shifted. "This is going to hurt Rogers. Don't move." Phillips said, and brought the belt down on the sensitive undercurve of Steve's bottom.
Tears sprang to Steve's eyes, and he bit back a scream. But again and again, the strokes fell. Steve felt like he would start sobbing, when finally he felt his underpants being pulled up.
"Get up and right your clothing, lad!" Phillips said.
Steve got up carefully and pulled up his pants. Red with embarrassment, he couldn't bring himself to look at Philips, but he stood at attention again, his eyes downcast.
"How long will the super serum take to fix your red eyes, Rogers?" The harsh tone was gone from Phillips voice, which made Steve relax just a little.
"Around a quarter of an hour, Sir." he answered.
"Go to the corner and wait till your eyes are clear. We can't have you going around with red eyes." Steve obeyed and marched into the corner. He blinked back tears as he stood, waiting for them to stop. After some time Phillips called him back to stand before his desk.
Steve stood at attention again, forcing himself to look straight.
"At ease lad!" Phillips said, and Steve obeyed."Learnt anything?"
"I should obey orders, sir." Steve replied in a level voice.
"That's right." Phillips said. He was close to actually smiling now. "Dr. Erskine was right to pick you, young man."
Steve looked at Phillips. An actual compliment? From Phillips?
"It wasn't just strength that got you into that camp, was it? There was loyalty, courage, determination." Steve flushed. "Anyway, I have decided to break army protocol again. You and Barnes are assigned to a separate tent now. That idiot is injured, and needs rest. Make sure he gets it." Now Steve was biting back a grin. "You don't look like you've been spanked, Rogers. You can be on your way." Steve winced at the word, but saluted Phillips, waited till he returned the salute, and left. The Colonel waited till Steve walked out, then grinned. The boy was good. A worthy man for the country to look up to.
"Steve?" Bucky asked Steve from his bed.
"Yeah, Buck?" Steve replied, reading through a manual.
"Why are you acting weird?" Bucky rolled over onto his side.
"Huh?" Steve looked up.
"You're reading standing up, with your back crooked? And you're walking in a funny way?" Bucky said, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, it's nothing." Steve continued reading.
"It's like how kids act after they're... Oh my God! Phillips didn't?" Bucky sat up.
"Phillips didn't what?" Steve tried to act unconcerned. But this was Bucky, and he was probably going to..
"Did Colonel Phillips spank you?" Bucky looked him straight in the eye.
"No!" Steve scratched his eyebrow. Bucky roared, shaking the military bed.
"Come on, Steve. Let me see the damage!" Bucky got up.
"What? No!" Steve backed away.
"Oh, come on! We used to do it when we were kids!" Bucky pulled Steve closer.
"We're not kids anymore, and you don't get to see my-"
"I'll see you naked every day. We're sharing a tent in a goddamn military camp. Besides, even if you're not a kid you still got -" Bucky broke off on seeing Peggy, who had come to investigate.
"You shouldn't be here!" Steve yelled, twisting out of Bucky's grip. Bucky was very strong, he realized, but he was even stronger.
"I can be anywhere I please." Peggy answered. "I'm discussing strategy with you, and there are no regulations regarding women in tents because there weren't any in active combat till now." Steve and Bucky both grinned. She sat down on Steve's bed. "Now, what were you two fighting about?"
"Nothing" they chorused.
"Well, I wanted to check if you're OK. Phillips was angry, and I thought he might have-"
Steve flushed red.
"He did it, didn't he? That's what Barnes was saying you got even if you're not a kid?"
Steve's face looked as red as a tomato. He wondered if it was possible to die of embarrassment.
"The officers do it more often than you might think. Anyway, I have something that might soothe your butt." Peggy said, and Steve blushed even more. He hadn't thought it was possible. She threw a bottle at Bucky and left. Steve stared at her back.
Bucky threw the bottle into the air and caught it. "Come on, Stevie!" he said, opening it.
"What? Oh no! Stay away!" Steve backed off again, but Bucky caught him and pinned him down on the bed.
"Take your pants down and roll over." Bucky said.
"Idiot! You know how that sounded?" Steve hissed. "Lower your voice."
"I will, if you'll do as you're told. By someone who's older and wiser." Bucky still had him pinned down.
"I'm the older one!" Steve struggled. The only way to escape the grip Bucky had was to throw him off, and that might cause injury.
Bucky grinned. "Come on Steve. It's just a little lotion."
"I outrank you! I order you to let me go!" Steve tried to squirm out.
"I'm not taking orders from a guy who just got spanked! Stevie, let's get this over with."
Reluctantly (or maybe not! a little voice said in the back of Steve's mind, and he pushed it down.) Steve lowered his pants and rolled over, pushing his underwear down as he did.
"Ouch!" Bucky said, looking at Steve's bottom while pouring the lotion into his palm. "Look what he's done, that stupid great oaf."
Steve felt Bucky's hand smoothing the lotion on his burning butt. That felt good. And the list of things that Bucky was calling Phillips felt good too. Peggy had been right about the lotion. It was taking a lot of the sting away. Bucky pulled Steve's pants back up and patted his back.
"Get up, punk." Bucky said.
"Why?" Steve was very comfortable where he was.
"Oh, for-" Bucky said, and physically pulled Steve up and into a hug.
"I bet that pigfaced brute didn't do this." Bucky squeezed Steve.
"He's not that bad." Steve leaned into the hug.
"He is, you dumbass. I'm going to trip him up in a minefield." The hug felt wonderful, and Bucky was being so protective. Steve had thought that he wouldn't need to feel this anymore. Apparently, he was wrong. He needed strong arms around him, even if his were stronger.
"Buck, I'm scared." Steve said, and Bucky looked up. "Scared of how they're looking at me. What if I'm not..?"
"You deserve every bit of it, fathead." Bucky held him tight. Steve grinned. Life was wonderful, even with a sore bottom, and wasn't going to get better than this.