"Steve! What the hell were you thinking back there?" Bucky tightly gripped Steve's upper arm as he pulled him away from the other Commandos. They weren't very far away from the others, and still practically within earshot. Bucky paid little mind to this detail. Steve, on the other hand, was scarlet red in embarrassment. The bark in Bucky's voice brought Steve back to all of the times that Bucky had hoisted Steve over his knee and wore out a wooden spoon on Steve's bottom, when they shared an apartment before the war. It was these memories that forced a whine out of Steve's lips, involuntarily. Bucky remained firm in his resolved. His lips pressed tightly as he stared back and waited to hear a decent answer.
As chide as Steve felt, he swallowed a breath and made an effort to be stoic. "I did what I felt I had to, Buck."
Bucky's head halfcocked to the side. In his Brooklyn accent that came out strongest when he was most upset, Bucky responded. "Right, you felt you had to run ahead of the rest of the guys to scoop the place out by yourself? No back up. No letting anyone else know what you were doing. Just doing what you felt like you had to do." Bucky crossed his arms over his chest.
When he put it that way, Steve found it hard to justify his actions anymore. Steve really hadn't thought it was that big of a deal when he did it. The Commandos had run across an abandoned safe house and they had decided to check it out to possibly use it for lodging. Bucky had, as normal, climbed to a high ground to keep a careful watch over the group. Steve led the rest of the Commandos inside the house. Once they deemed the house was secure, something had caught Steve's attention outside the house and in a lapse of judgement, decided to pursuit the target alone. Lucky, Bucky was still watching the house from afar and was able to kill the sniper before the sniper had killed Steve. Knowing that the house was being watched, the Commandos decided to seek other lodging for the night. It was when they stopped that Bucky had finally confronted Steve about the incident.
When it was clear that Steve was not going to answer Bucky back, Bucky grew impatient. He once again gripped Steve's bicep and began dragging him over to the nearest place Bucky could find to sit comfortably with Steve on his lap. Steve immediately began protesting. "Bucky, please, let go." Steve was more scared that Bucky would actually discipline him in front of the Commandos than he was upset that Bucky was going to discipline him. Steve's voice was low enough that only Bucky could hear him beg. "Please, Bucky. You can't do this here."
Bucky's blue eyes turned to steel as he finally found his perfect spot. He paused for a moment, as if he was considering Steve's words. "Go find a switch and bring it back here. You have two minutes." Steve's face dropped into a pout as the reality of the situation hit him. This really was going to happen. Steve, Captain of the Howling Commandos, an elite Army special ops division was about to getting a whooping like a child by his second in command, best friend and lover, in front of his entire division. The Howling Commandos had only been formed a little over a month ago, so they were relatively new. Sure, Steve could put up a fight and resist, but he knew better than that. Bucky wasn't wrong about his actions being foolish. Still, Steve could insist on keeping this completely private between the two. Yes, Steve would return with the switch and demand that Bucky wait until the pair were completely alone. Bucky had to understand that Steve needs the guys to see him as a Captain without flaws so they can follow his commands without questions.
If Steve had taken over two minutes to return with the switch, Bucky had not mentioned it. Bucky pointed at the log that jutted out of the earth and ordered for Steve to take a seat on it. Steve obeyed. Bucky paced back and forth in front of Steve. Steve had meant to be assertive, but watching Bucky pace, made him feel uncomfortable. It was Bucky that spoke first. "How could you do something so stupid, Steve?"
"Bucky, please I know you're upset at me. You have every right to be." Steve finally found his voice to speak up toward his friend. "I messed up. I know I did. I get that you want to discipline me for it. I am willing to let you."
"You're damn right you are!" Bucky cut him off, in case Steve had any disagreement with Bucky's chosen punishment.
Steve held up his hands in surrender. "I am. I just ask that you don't do this here." Steve motioned around the area toward where everyone else was setting up camp for the night. They were no more than thirty or so feet outside of that area. "Surely, everyone will hear."
Bucky's eyes didn't follow Steve's around the camp site. Instead, they narrowed their focus in on Steve. That's when it struck Steve that this was part of his punishment; Bucky wants everyone to overhear this.
"Please." Steve begs even more softly than he had before.
Bucky finally released a breath of air as he crouched down in front of Steve. He planted his hands on each of Steve's knees and looked him square in the eyes. "Steve, you do realize what the job of sniper is on a company, right? It is my job to stand in the background, take the high ground and keep watch over everyone. If there is a threat, I'm the first line in defence. It's a huge responsibility. I need to look out for all of my men equally. I am just as responsible to them as their captain is. I see everything that goes on in this group. I can read these men better than they probably know themselves. Right now, they feel betrayed. They don't trust you. They want to trust you, but when you pull impulsive stunts like you did today, it makes them lose their trust in you." Steve hadn't thought about how his company took his actions today. He knew Bucky's reaction was going to be bad, but he hadn't thought about anyone else's.
A tear escaped Steve's eyes. "I'm sorry, Bucky."
Bucky smiled back as he cupped Steve's face in his hand. It was only for a moment though. Bucky lightly patted the side of Steve's thigh as he motioned for Steve to stand up. Bucky looked Steve's body up and down once more before he ordered Steve to remove his pants and underwear. "I'm not even sure if you'll feel this." Bucky admitted.
"I'm not sure either." Steve agreed.
Bucky let out a choked laugh. "Well, maybe the embarrassment alone will be punishment enough." Steve blushed a deep shade red. Maybe Bucky was right.
It had been a long time since Bucky found himself pulling Steve over his lap. The last time had been before he had shipped out to basic training. Bucky had found out that Steve had been purposely starting fights, taking out his frustrations of Bucky's departure on others and on himself. Bucky knew Steve often found himself in fights, and that was to be expected of any man, but these were different. Steve had gone out of his way to start these fights. Steve always came out looking worse for wear. When Bucky confronted Steve about the nature of the fights, Steve would avoid the subject. Finally, Bucky sat down and placed Steve over his lap and smacked his backside with a wooden spoon until Steve confessed to starting all of the fights himself. Bucky hated that it took till he was physically hurting his boyfriend to get him to open up him about his feelings, but they never considered this a form of abuse. It was just a Steve and Bucky thing, they reasoned. Sometimes, Steve would hid things from Bucky and Bucky would have to drag it out of him, by any means necessary. Bucky actually did the same thing to Steve at times, too. Once the truth came out, both would come out of it feeling better about everything.
Steve was bigger now, than he was the last time Bucky put him over his lap. Hell, Steve was bigger than Bucky now. Bucky refused to let Steve's stature play a role in this. To Bucky, Steve would always be the scrawny kid from Brooklyn that he grew up with. Bucky guided Steve over his lap. Steve's added weight made Bucky think twice about the way he had to balance Steve on his knees. Steve was perfectly aligned, with his elbows just barely touching the earth and his hips leveled just off the upper part of Bucky's knees, to give better access to the curve under his butt. Bucky marveled at his excellent work of steadying Steve. He ran his hand up his exposed skin, drawing goose bumps in anticipation. He heard Steve hitch a breath. Bucky knew that Steve would be nervously waiting for the punishment to begin and it was cruel of him to draw it out. With that, Bucky let his hand strike down firmly.
Bucky wasn't sure what he was expecting, probably nothing. He wasn't expecting Steve to react to an open hand swat, given the super soldier's strength, yet he felt Steve flinch. Maybe it was instinctual, but every time Bucky's hand made contact with Steve's skin, Steve would buck his hips forward. Both Steve and Bucky were no strangers to getting spankings in their childhoods. Steve, growing up without his father, would receive them from his mother, but more often than not, would get whoopings alongside Bucky from teachers and from Bucky's parents. Bucky figured, the sensation of the spanking was enough to trigger the movement in Steve. Either way, Bucky let his hand continue the repeated strikes until Bucky notice a faint pink blossom in Steve's skin. The colour change actually caught Bucky off guard for a moment. He didn't really think his hand was making too much of an impact.
Before the war, Bucky could inflict one swat on his boyfriend's tush and have him slightly whimper in kicked puppy sort of way. Bucky would often tease Steve this way as to make him beg for sexual favours. When it came to disciplining Steve, Bucky would always start out with his using his hand before using any sort of implement. He wanted Steve to know that the punishment was personal, not like the beatings they sometimes suffered as children from teachers who would just whack them with a paddle a couple of times and call it a well learned lesson. Bucky and Steve agreed that they hated those types of teachers. Bucky also had experienced being beat by his uncle with a strap in a woodshed out in the farmlands once. That also taught Bucky that discipline shouldn't be so callous.
Steve hadn't reacted physically to the punishment, aside from in the colour of his bottom and the bucking of his hips. Bucky smoothed his hand over his boyfriend's rump and muttered lowly in his ears. "I'm sorry Stevie, but I'm not going to go easy on you this time." Steve braced himself for the fiery of onslaught strikes made across his backside with the thin branch of the tree that Steve had gathered as his own weapon against himself. Steve's movements grew more intense than they already were. Bucky had noticed whimpers and whines that were being swallowed on by Steve as he tried to contain his emotions. Bucky was sure that Steve was able to atleast feel these swats. Knowing that, he aimed to make everyone count.
It wasn't long before Steve was twisting and turning, attempting to dodge the volley of swats. Bucky had admonished him for doing so, but that did little to subdue him. Bucky knew that if he was going to finish this punishment, he'd need Steve to fully submit to it. Bucky was no longer able to restrain Steve purely through physical size.
Bucky stopped his strikes, but kept the switch firmly grasped in his hand. "Stevie, we aren't done." Steve continued to thrash about, even when no strokes were landing. He said nothing back in return. Bucky continued. "If you are going to continue being difficult, you will only make this harder on yourself." Steve's movement slowed, but he was still refusing to acknowledge Bucky. Bucky lashed him again. Steve thrashed about again. "Steve!" Bucky was more stern in his command this time. When Steve remained silent once again, Bucky reached down and gently moved Steve's jaw to look up at Bucky. Bucky was then able to see the reason behind Steve's silence. Steve had been biting down on his bottom lip during the punishment. Bucky scooped his finger inside Steve's mouth to unlatch Steve's teeth from his lip. "Knock that off! You know better than to bite down on your lip during a punishment."
With Steve's mouth finally open, Steve let out his first bits of cries. "I'm sorry, Bucky!"
Bucky ran his hand through the back of Steve's hair. "We aren't there yet, buddy." Bucky picked up the switch once again with vigour. Instead of silencing his cries, Steve openly sobbed like a baby as Bucky continued the spanking. Bucky was right, Steve felt worse about being embarrassed by the Howling Commandos overhearing his cries, than he did about the switching itself.
Bucky continued on for a long period of time without missing a beat. Steve was beginning to grow restless once again. Bucky figured this was a good time to begin the lecture. Bucky rested his arm as he quested Steve. "Steve, I'm going to ask you this once more, and only this once. What the hell were you thinking when you went off on your own this afternoon?"
Steve knew better than to remain silent. "I wasn't thinking, Bucky. I just heard a noise outside and followed it."
A swoosh was heard as the switch landed with accuracy on the already tender side of Steve's upper thighs. Steve yelped out in pain. "Then why didn't you tell someone that you heard the noise before you followed it outside on your own?"
"I told you, I wasn't thinking." Another crack was heard from the switch. "Geez, Bucky!" Steve yelled.
"Try again." Bucky said calmly.
"I don't know what you want me to say!"
"The truth." Bucky had known Steve long enough to know just how suborn and bull headed his friend was.
"What? Like I purposely placed myself in danger?" Steve aggressively asked. "Is that what you think? Is that what you want me to say?" That earned Steve another whack. Steve was starting to grow defeated by the punishment. "I'm sorry, Bucky, you know I didn't mean that."
Steve was starting to break and it was drawing at Bucky's heart. He knew he'd have to remain strong to finish the rest of this out. The company was counting on him to punish Steve for his actions. It wasn't so much a verbal agreement, but they all knew it had to be done and Bucky was obviously the best choice to take on the captain. As a sniper, this wasn't the first time Bucky had taken on the role of disciplinarian in his military career either. When you observe from afar, you do assume the responsibilities for that which you see.
"Steve, why did you go out by yourself, searching for the noise?" Bucky asked more gently, than sternly. This caused Steve to openly cry into his best friend's lap without a care of who was around. Bucky folded. He knew he hadn't gotten an answer yet, but he was done playing the disciplinarian, it was time to play the boyfriend. He threw the switch as far away from his sights as possible and scoped Steve up into his lap. Steve clung to his shoulder like a wallowing baby. Bucky tightened his grip around Steve's lower back and used his free hand to run it up and down his shoulders.
"Bucky, I went out by myself because I didn't want the others to be placed in danger in case there was a threat. I also thought I could handle it all on my own."
"Well that's a shitty thing to do to your company." Bucky sternly said, while still hugging Steve. "How'd that even work out for you by the way? Were you able to handle things all on your own?"
Steve choked back a scoff. "Obviously not."
"No?" Bucky commented back.
"I needed my boyfriend to save me." Steve turned his body in Bucky's arms so he could look up into Bucky's eyes as Bucky held him. It was much more difficult to do now that Steve was larger than Bucky, but he was able to angle himself just so.
"You're damn right you did." Bucky said proudly. Bucky was always proud to be Steve's knight in shining armour when he needed one. He also didn't mind standing back and watching as Steve try and be his white knight every once in a while. Maybe that was the thing that Bucky liked the most about Steve, despite his size, Steve never let that stop him from being either the person Bucky took care of, got in trouble right beside or took care of Bucky. Bucky pulled Steve lips up to his and sucked sweetly on them. Steve blushed as he kissed back.
Steve broke the kiss only seconds after it started. "Buck," Bucky looked down on him. "Do you think the men are going to forgive me and trust me again? I didn't mean to come across like a hot-headed jerk."
"Hmm. That's a conversation you're going to have with them, I think." Bucky said honestly. He hadn't taken Steve in hand purely for the good of everyone in the company, but by making Steve's punishment a little more public, Bucky hoped that it would help to ease some of the tension that would build between the men and their leader. Bucky watched as the question didn't fade off of Steve's face. "Do you want to go apologize to them and ask them if they can forgive you for being such a punk?"
Steve planted a quick kiss on the lips of his lover before he stood and said yes. Steve replaced his bottoms. Bucky rolled his eyes as he stood up as well and followed Steve back to camp. Bucky couldn't help but think about how Steve was moving with such ease, even though only no more than ten minutes ago, he had been chastised properly.
Steve gathered all the men around the kettle. Dinner was still cooking, but was due to be done any minute. "I'd like to start off by apologizing for my actions today. As most of you already know, I took an unnecessary risk when we stormed the safe house earlier today. After declaring the house secure, I heard a noise outside the house and chose to investigate the disturbance on my own. If it hadn't been for Sergeant Barnes still posted outside the house on surveillance, a sniper would have nicked me before I even saw the damn fellow. It was foolish and unwise of me as a leader to investigate the disturbance on my own. I should have warned you all of my suspicions and my intentions. I just hope you can all forgive me and we can move on from today." Steve looked around the crowd at the half amused faces of his company. He figured most of them did not expect such an apology. Bucky stood toward the back with his usual smug grin on his face.
An awkward silence filled the air quickly and Steve wondered if he should even wait for a verbal response or if the men would need more time to digest his apology, or worse yet, maybe they'd never forgive him. Steve hadn't realized that he had been holding his breath until he heard someone shout out across the crowd, "Aw, hell, we already heard your thrashing. We forgive you." Steve exhaled his breath and smiled as he looked back at Bucky who was chuckling to himself in the background. All is well, then, Steve thought.