In CoB Hodge implies that if he thought physical pain would stop Jace from getting in trouble he would be tempted to use that himself. That made me think that he might have tried this when Jace was younger and this little story took off from there.
Warnings: not much, but corporal punishment at the end of the story (nothing overly harsh, though).
If corporal punishment triggers you or is not your cup of tea then please click the back button as this story won't be for you. Thanks.
Have fun reading :)
The greenhouse was dim and silent, the only disturbance an occasional droplet of water hitting the broad leaves. A group of lazy insects buzzed around some of the flowers but scattered when one of the large plants nearby suddenly rustled.
"I'm not sure this is such a great idea," a voice whispered.
A huge leaf crackled as a fair haired boy shoved it to one side and peeked at the tall, red flower a good eight feet in front of him.
"Oh, come on Alec," the boy answered, somewhat annoyed, "don't be such a scaredy-cat."
"I'm not!" Alec shot, clearly affronted, "I'm just not sure that it'll work."
"Well, we'll never know if we don't try, will we? And you were the one saying how we really need more grown up Shadowhunters around here, anyway."
Alec sighed and rolled his eyes as the other boy scuttled over the path towards the plant.
"Jace!" Alec hissed and looked around, "Jace, wait!"
He quickly followed, making sure that Hugo was nowhere in sight.
The boys eyed the tall plant carefully. It was about seven feet tall with slim, razor sharp leaves and a three-headed, bright red flower at the very top.
"Devil's Tongue!" Jace said, as if he were tasting the words.
"How are we gonna get it?" Alec asked and scratched the back of his neck.
Jace pulled out a dagger. It caught a white ray of moonlight, sending sparks of light around the boys, and Alec felt his jaw drop. He sent the dagger another look, ogling the runes running the length of the weapon, and then bit his lip.
"That's Hodge's," he said in an exasperated tone.
"Yeah, I know," Jace answered with a quick smile, "he left it in the library and I-"
"So you just took it!" Alec cut in, "He's gonna kill you!"
Jace sent his adoptive brother a look.
"He'll never even know it was gone. I'm gonna put it back, obviously."
Alec swallowed his spit, wondering how Jace always managed to make everything sound so innocent; especially the stuff that was everything but.
"Alright, fine," he sighed, "let's hurry so we can get it finished."
Jace's golden eyes glinted mischievously and he patted Alec on the back.
xxx
Alec took one last step forward and then placed his feet in a broad stance to make balancing Jace on his shoulders easier. He looked up. Jace was extending his hand with the dagger, and after a few tries he managed to swipe the dagger just right, making the red flower break free and tumble to the ground with a light thud.
A thick, brownish goo oozed from the top of the plant and Jace wrinkled his nose.
"Ech," he complained, "that really stinks!"
Alec felt his stomach lurch when the sour stench reached him, and he quickly leaned forward so the other boy could jump down.
Jace grabbed the severed flower head from the ground and dried the goo off the gleaming dagger before placing it back in his belt.
"Okay, come on," he whispered.
xxx
The two boys made it to the library where Alec pulled the potions book from one of the large bookcases. He flipped through the pages and finally found the right one.
"Okay," he said, "we have all the things we need now."
Jace rummaged around and pulled out a small bag that had been stuffed behind some books. He opened it and found the handful of different ingredients. After placing the small vials and bottles on the table he grabbed the mortar and pestle and looked at Alec.
The taller boy nodded to himself as his blue eyes scanned over the page.
"This one first," Alec said and pointed to the bottle of holy water and Jace grabbed it.
Finally the red flower was going in, and after stirring the sticky brew ten times clockwise then ten counter-clockwise a small red cloud rose with a poof. Both Jace and Alec jumped slightly at the loud noise, and Alec quickly stuffed the used things back in the bag while Jace poured the thick potion into an empty bottle before pushing the mortar back under the table.
"Alright," Jace said in a low voice, "let's go get Max."
Alec gave a nod and could feel his heart hammering in his chest. Right now he wished he had never talked about the dwindling number of Shadowhunters, but at the same time the curiousness was tugging at him. He wasn't really sure what to do if this actually worked, though.
"Are you sure the potion was supposed to produce a cloud like that?" Alec suddenly asked while they were making their way towards Max' room.
Jace shrugged.
"I don't know," he said then, "but we used all the ingredients from the book in the right order, so I'm sure it's fine."
"Yeah, I hope so..." Alec mumbled and was about to open the door in front of them when a deep voice sounded from behind them.
"And just what do you boys think you're doing out of bed at this hour?!"
Alec froze with a hand on the doorknob, his blue eyes going wide. Jace stuffed the potion into his pocket and then quickly turned around.
"We-uh," he said lamely, his mind working overtime to come up with a plausible explanation, "we were just-"
"Just what?" Hodge asked and raised an eyebrow at the boys in front of him. "And turn around Alexander," he added sternly, making Alec suck in a breath before he slowly turned.
"We were just hungry," Jace said then, looking straight at Hodge.
The older man tilted his head slightly and sent Jace a piercing glare that made the boy's cheeks flush.
"Unless you were planning on eating your baby brother I think you were heading in the wrong direction!"
Alec deflated like an old party balloon and bit his lip.
"Now, I'm going to ask you one more time," Hodge said dryly, "and I want the truth!"
Even Jace looked down, a sudden sense of guilt growing in his stomach. Hodge always seemed to be able to produce that feeling in him for some reason.
Then Alec took a step forward.
"W-we made a... a potion to make Max grow up really quickly," he said, stumbling a bit over the words, "but the effect was only supposed to be temporary!"
Jace sighed, a bit annoyed. Alec was always so quick to come clean he thought and ran a hand through his hair before daring to throw Hodge a quick look.
"Why would you want to make Max grow up?" Hodge asked, clearly exasperated.
The boys looked at each other before shifting their gazes to the angry man again.
"Alec's always talking about how few Shadowhunters there are around here, and...well, I just thought that-"
"Did you really?" Hodge shot furiously, "Because to me it seems like you didn't do much thinking at all, Jace!"
The former Circle-member had narrowed his eyes at Jace's words and was striding towards the boys. He stopped right in front of them and extended a hand.
"Give me the potion," he ordered.
Alec nudged Jace's shoulder and with a sigh the younger boy pulled the small flask from his pocket. When he grabbed for the bottle he exposed his belt and Hodge squinted, a dark glint appearing in his eyes. With a swift movement he pulled the smudgy dagger from the young Nephilim's belt and a low growl escaped him.
"Jace Wayland!" Hodge hissed angrily and grabbed the boy by his bicep and gave him a small shake. "I let you off with a lot of things, but thievery is not one of them!"
"But Hodge," Jace tried while he was being pulled down the corridor towards the library, "I was gonna give it back, I swear by the Angel."
"He was, Hodge," Alec added while he was struggling to keep up with the fast pace, "we just needed it to cut the Devil's Tongue-"
"The Devil's Tongue!" Hodge exclaimed loudly, "one of the rarest plants in the greenhouse. And you two cut it down?!"
"We didn't know it was rare," Alec said ruefully, "I'm really sorry, Hodge."
"Yes, well, you better be!" the man rumbled and pushed the door to the library open.
xxx
"Show me which potion from which book you two were meddling with," Hodge huffed and let go of Jace, giving the boy a small push in the direction of the nearest bookcase.
Jace pulled the heavy book out and carried it to Hodge, his heart fluttering nervously in his chest. He remembered all too well what had happened a handful of years back when he had been messing around with a book he wasn't supposed to touch. He could still see the angry eyes of his father, still hear the sound of leather slapping against bare skin. Jace felt a shiver run down his back and swallowed hard.
Alec found the recipe for the potion and cleared his throat. His cheeks were red and the look on his face tinged with regret. Hodge ran his eyes over the ingredient list and the Latin description. Then he let out an angry sigh.
"This potion would not age Max! It would just make him physically bigger. Make an adult-sized toddler roam the Institute for a week!"
Jace couldn't help but snort out a laugh when he pictured that and Hodge smacked him upside his head.
"Your Latin's usually perfect, Jace," Hodge admonished, "and it would have been a disaster if you had gone through with this!"
"Sorry," Alec said shamefully.
"Yeah," Jace nodded, "we won't make any more potions."
"Oh, you're right about that!" Hodge spat, his eyes hard.
He took a seat on one of the chairs by the table and beckoned Alec to him with a crook of his finger. The boy breathed heavily but stepped up to Hodge nonetheless.
"Turn around, Jace," Hodge ordered, and for once Jace did exactly as he was told without questioning anything.
He could feel his heart pounding deep within his chest and Jace couldn't help but flinch when a loud smack reverberated through the room. The first of many.
"You're the oldest, Alexander," Hodge ground out sternly, "I expect a whole lot more responsibility from you than what you have shown tonight. And so do your parents!"
"I know, Hodge," Alec hissed in a strained voice in between swats, "I'm sorry."
Hodge didn't say much but continued the punishment methodically, and soon Alec couldn't help but yelp and hiss every time Hodge's hand connected sharply with his backside.
Finally Hodge righted the boy and told him to switch places with Jace. The younger boy sent his brother a glare when they passed each other and was surprised to see a few tears rolling down his cheeks. Alec was usually very stoic but was also more burdened by guilt than he was, Jace mused, and felt a pang of regret shoot through him, nonetheless. It had been his idea, after all, and it had never been his intention to get Alec in trouble.
Jace took a deep breath and squared his shoulders determinedly before walking towards Hodge. He didn't avert his eyes when the older man sent him a stern glare, something Hodge acknowledged with the tiniest of nods.
Jace let Hodge grab his wrist and pull him over, but he couldn't help his face growing red with embarrassment or his heart picking up its pace. Hodge must have felt the boy's trepidation, and he placed a big hand on his back in a comforting manner.
"I'm not like your father, Jace," he said quietly, too low for Alec to hear, "I'm not going to hurt you."
Jace froze in his uncomfortable position and didn't really know how to react to the gesture. He opted for just staying quiet and gritted his teeth.
The first blow took him by surprise and he only just managed to stop a gasp from leaving him. Hodge was definitely not going easy on him Jace thought as the next dozen or so smacks rained down, but he refused to make any sound. Being able to endure pain was a sign of strength; if not much else his father had certainly taught him that! And besides, this was nothing compared to what his dad had subjected him to throughout the years; surely he could handle himself during this.
"You have got to start using your head instead of acting on impulse, Jace!" Hodge scolded.
Jace closed his eyes when he felt Hodge draw his arm back before another resounding swat branded his already stinging backside.
"I honestly don't think smacking me will make my head work any better," the young boy shot cheekily.
Hodge shook his head in disbelief and mild amusement.
"Always with that smart mouth, huh! Stop it, Jace, I mean it!"
In tune with a flurry of searing smacks a rather long lecture followed, including words about disappointment and threats about telling Robert and Maryse about the incident - something that made Alec flinch on his spot. After a few heartfelt lines about the severity of stealing Shadowhunter weapons Hodge tipped Jace forward, making his face stop just a few inches short of the thick carpet.
Jace sucked in a breath, sure that the next round of swats would suck. Sadly, his anticipation turned out to be right!
Hodge's hand connected with his sit spots too many times to keep count, but still the boy refused to give in. He felt his breath hitch slightly, but no ows or other complaints left him.
In the end Hodge had to stop if he were to honor his promise about not actually hurting Jace, and he shook his burning hand a few times before letting the boy up.
Jace made a move as if to get away, but Hodge grabbed him by his arm and placed him in between his legs while beckoning Alec to join them. Then he lifted Jace's chin slightly to make their eyes meet, and he was once again amazed by the golden orbs looking back at him.
"Now, you two are going straight to bed and I don't want to see you for training for the next week! Are we clear?"
Alec shuffled his feet a bit but gave an affirmative nod. Jace had frozen on his spot, however, and Hodge let one last thunderous swat slap down, rocking Jace a bit forward.
"Are we clear?!" he growled again and eyed the fair haired boy.
As soon as he saw the crestfallen look on Jace's face Hodge knew that that last order was much more of a punishment than the firm spanking had been, and he couldn't help but feel proud of the boy in front of him, certain that he would one day make one of the greatest warriors the race of the Nephilim had ever seen.
As always reviews are much appreciated :)