Maintenance

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the tv series Numb3rs and I'm not making any money from this fic

Summary: Colby has his first maintenance punishment at Don's hands

Warning(s): Spanking; spoilers for most of the episodes up to the end of season four of Numb3rs; some mentions of violence

Pairing: Don/Colby slash

Reading order:-

1) Reinstating Trust

2) Coping With Mistakes

3) Ticking off the Boss

4) Risks

5) Damaged

6) Maintenance


"I'm ordering takeout... What do you want?" Don asked as he and Colby entered Colby's apartment.

"Anything's fine," Colby replied with a shrug, turning to lock the door. "Are you going to stay here tonight?" The question was a casual one, but Colby still wanted to know the answer. It was always better when Don stayed round, even though Colby didn't really like asking him to. He could never find the words, exactly, without sounding like some kind of sentimental fool.

"That's something I want to talk to you about," Don said. "Just let me call for a pizza delivery and then we can talk."

"Okay." Colby sat down on the couch and watched as Don picked up the phone and dialled. He didn't pay much attention to what Don was saying, but his gaze was focused on his partner, watching Don as he moved while talking on the phone. Still, there was the faintest hint of worry at the back of his mind. What did Don want to talk to him about?

Don finished making the order and then hung up, turning to Colby with an amused smile playing around his lips. Without saying a word, he stepped over to Colby and bent down, kissing him – softly at first, but then harder.

Colby returned the kiss, feeling himself relax for the first time in what seemed like days. Don slowly pulled back from him and then took a seat next to him on the couch, slipping his arm around Colby's shoulders. "So I've been thinking. Our relationship isn't so much of a secret anymore. Everyone on the team seems to know - or at least suspect, if various comments they've been making is any indication. And I'm pretty sure that Charlie has some idea, at least." He looked directly at Colby. "So what do you think about making this official?"

"What do you mean by that?" Colby asked.

"Well… first of all, that we should let the team - and my dad and Charlie - know officially. But the other thing I was considering… I've been spending a lot of time at your apartment and you've been spending a lot of time at mine." Don paused, as if gathering his thoughts together, before continuing, "What do you think about us moving in together?"

Colby couldn't help giving a slight smile. "Why were you so nervous about asking that?"

"I wasn't nervous," Don protested. "I just wasn't sure if it was something you'd want to do. And you didn't answer my question."

Colby shrugged, deciding that moving in with his partner was probably an inevitable stage anyway. It wasn't like he hadn't thought about it, after all. He smiled and leaned his head against Don's shoulder, enjoying the contact. "I'm not sure if either of our apartments are big enough for us both to move into, but it would be good to at least try."

"We can take a look at other apartments," Don pointed out. "I wanted to see what you thought of the idea." He tightened his arm a little around Colby and then took a deep breath. "So… you remember what we talked about last week?"

Colby frowned, casting his mind back - and then looked up at Don. "You mean about the maintenance spankings?" There was a slight pit of dread in his stomach, but he attempted to keep his voice level. "Are you saying you want us to do this now?"

"Maybe after we've eaten," Don suggested.

"Okay… How long are we going to do this for?"

"Until you start deciding to trust me," Don answered. "No matter how long that takes. I'm going to try and do better, too - but I'm not the one who got myself captured."

"I know…"

The sound of the buzzer going off brought the conversation to a halt and Don stood, removing his arm from around Colby's shoulders and walking over to the door. He let the pizza guy into the building and then, once the man was at the door of the apartment, he took the pizza and paid for it before closing the door and opening the box, placing it on the table in front of them. "Want a beer?"

Colby nodded. "Sure." He reached over and took a slice of pizza, beginning to eat it as Don disappeared into the kitchen, returning moments later with two cans of beer, one of which he handed to Colby before sitting down again and snagging a piece for himself.

"You know, if we're going to start living together, we might have to stop ordering so much take-out and start cooking proper meals," Colby commented between mouthfuls of food.

"Or we can just keep going to visit my dad and Charlie. I'm sure they'll be happy to let us eat there. Of course, we'll have to help out with the cleaning up afterwards – but I'm sure we can manage that." Don smiled down at him. "We'll figure it out, so you don't need to worry."

"I'm not worried." Once Colby had finished eating, he drained the rest of his beer and then looked at Don. "Now?"

Don nodded, setting his half-drunk beer onto the coffee table before looking at Colby. "Okay, pants down and bend over my lap."

Colby faltered a little, knowing how unsettling that position was to be in. "Can't I lie over the couch or something?"

"No," Don replied simply. "This is about trust, remember? I know you don't like being over my lap, but I think the contact is more important. So you'd better get those pants down and get across my knees, otherwise I might be tempted to add on extra," he said in a tone that Colby wasn't sure meant he was serious or not.

Deciding not to risk it, Colby stood up and his hands went to the fastenings on his pants. He undid them and shoved them down, following those with his underwear. He then hesitated before stepping round to Don's side. He knelt on the couch next to his partner and then moved forward, lying across Don's knees with his elbows resting on the far side of the couch. He settled himself to be more comfortable, feeling Don's warm, solid weight beneath him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, determined to get through this with his dignity intact.

That thought faded quickly, however, when Don's warm hand ghosted over his thighs, down until they reached his clothing. With one swift yank, Don pulled Colby's pants and underwear completely down and off.

Colby groaned, suddenly feeling more vulnerable with just his lower half unclothed. Don had seen him naked plenty of times, but there was something very different about being even half-naked while Don was clothed.

Don's hand came down on Colby's backside and he jumped, more from surprise than pain. He'd felt far worse – the pointer was painful, particularly on bare skin – but there was something that felt far too intimate about this position.

The next smack was harder than the first, landing on the other side of Colby's bottom. Colby let out his breath in a sharp gasp as a particularly hard smack landed on the top of his right thigh, followed by an identical swat on top of his left thigh. This might only be a maintenance spanking, but Don clearly had no intentions of holding back.

More sharp slaps landed, making Colby's backside sting and burn under Don's hard hand. Colby gritted his teeth and tried to take the spanking stoically, but after a while of the hard swats, he couldn't help the grunts and gasps that escaped him.

By the time Don paused in the spanking, Colby's entire backside – from just below his hips to the tops of his thighs – were aching and Colby had tears in his eyes, although none had fallen. He couldn't help tensing up as Don let his fingers trail over his sore backside, even the light touch making his skin burn. He held himself still, not sure if Don was finished or not.

"Okay," Don said finally, sighing lightly. "I think that's enough of a maintenance spanking for this week. Come on." He helped Colby up, pulling him close onto his lap.

Colby leaned into Don's warm arms, feeling warm and safe and comforted – even with a sore backside. He let himself slowly relax into his partner's embrace, accepting Don's touch and comfort in a way he would never have believed possible when they'd first started their relationship.

Once Colby was completely calmed down, he slowly pulled back from Don's arms, wiping at his eyes to make sure no moisture remained. Unable to help himself, he yawned and then looked at Don and shrugged. "I guess we've been working too hard on the case."

"Looks like it's time for bed." Don smiled a little.

"Just bed?" Colby tried.

Don's smile grew wider, becoming a full-blown laugh. "We'll see how we feel once we're in bed." He stood up slowly and linked his arm through Colby's, guiding him towards the bedroom.

Colby finally felt himself relax for the first time in days.

The End