By the time Neal emerged from the shower, clad in dark green flannel pants and with a little more of his dignity intact, Peter had managed to properly restow all of the tiny calligraphy pen pieces back in their box. The pizza had also arrived, and Peter had set the table. He was in the middle of cracking open a beer for himself when he realized Neal was waiting, silently, at the threshold. Peter motioned for Neal to have a seat while he grabbed a glass and put some ice and water in it.

Neal gingerly sat down, and watched as Peter brought the drinks to the table. Neal took a piece of pizza, and waited for Peter to sit down and take a bite before he started to eat as well. After a few moments of quiet munching, Peter finally spoke. "Is there anything you wanted to talk about?" Peter took a bite of pizza and waited. He was expecting Neal to ask questions about the possibility of getting spanked again in the future, so the deer-in-the-headlights look on Neal's face caused Peter to wrinkle his eyebrows in concern.

Neal swallowed and shook his head "no." Peter watched Neal carefully. He took a swig of his beer and asked, "Well, I want to make sure you're okay-that we're okay." He waited for Neal to respond, but when he stayed quiet, Peter added, "Maybe talk about what's going to happen next time you disobey me and get yourself in a dangerous situation like you did today."

Well, that got a response out of Neal. He frantically shook his head "no," and set down his slice of pizza. "I won't."

Peter struggled not to smile at Neal's earnestness. No doubt his bottom was still a little sore. Peter observed, "You said you wanted consequences to the boundaries I've already given you. Do you think that this spanking did that?"

Neal was silent. He picked up his glass and took a drink of water while stalling for time. He finally admitted, "Yeah. I think spanking worked. I won't be disobeying your instructions anytime soon. I mean, I didn't like it, Peter. I didn't like it, at all."

Peter smiled and said wryly, "No. You're not supposed to like it." The conversation grew silent while they ate more of their pizza.

Neal finally asked, nervously, "So, did my answer mean you're going to spank me again?"

"Only if you agree to it; this won't work unless we both want it to work." Peter watched Neal carefully.

Neal was quiet for a long minute while he deliberated everything that led up to him getting a spanking: the conversations with Peter over the past few days, his penchant for trouble, his concerns and fears about being sent back to prison, his desires for reformation. He deliberated on the spanking Peter just gave him-despite the unpleasantness of the whole ordeal, he had felt safe and respected. He had to admit that his spanking was justified and that Peter had given him a fair punishment. Neal finally spoke just one word, "Yes."

Peter nodded, relieved that even after a spanking Neal would still agree that he needed Peter's boundaries in his life. "I feel like this whole situation is a bit of a learning curve for both of us. I think we should maybe discuss those boundaries again. We need to make sure we're on the same page."

"Okay, well, let me tell you the boundaries I'm sure about from today." Neal's tone was slightly sarcastic. He held up fingers as he listed, "One. No hiding dangerous things from you. Two. No doing something after you tell me no." Neal paused for a second and added, "Am I missing anything?"

Peter finished his beer and leaned back in the chair, thoughtful. He gave careful consideration to all the problems in their working relationship and trying to determine how best to fix them, and to prevent future conflict between them. And also, Peter worried about tamping down on Neal's zest. He didn't want to foist too many restrictions and rules on him. He finally said, "I think there are only three. Those two, and 'No lying.'"

Neal held up a third finger and echoed, "No lying."

"Neal, that includes lying by omission. You can't give me a half truth in order to conceal information from me." Peter's tone held a warning. He knew Neal's penchant for misdirection. "In fact, by 'no lying' I mean 'no intentionally deceiving me in any way.'"

Neal gave Peter an exasperated look. "You can't be serious."

"Absolutely. No lying. No deception, period. Neal. I mean it. If I catch you trying to pull the wool over my eyes..." Peter let the threat hang in air, unspoken.

Neal shook his head, sensing this new rule was going to be impossible to follow. He didn't want to agree to it. "What if I have a really good reason? What if El tells me to keep something from you?" He took a sip of his water, and wondered if he was allowed open a bottle of wine. He was still unsure of how his standing with Peter, so he didn't want to ask.

Peter sighed and tried to figure out how to communicate to Neal why honesty was so important to him. He knew Neal chalked it up to "one of those Suit things" and since he was a criminal who built his entire life on deceit and lies, it was like they were speaking two different languages. "Do you trust me, Neal?"

"I guess." Neal shrugged and took a bite of his pizza. He clarified, "I trust you to an extent. There are things I can't tell you because I know what you'll do."

Peter raised his eyebrows and asked, "Do you trust me to do what's best for you?"

"I think we have different ideas of what's best for me." Neal replied, carefully. He wasn't sure where this conversation was headed, and Peter was making him nervous. He finished his pizza slice in two large bites, and asked cautiously, "I mean...if I showed you some stolen goods, would you spank me, or arrest me? I know you wouldn't let it go."

Peter thought about Neal's question, very seriously. He finally answered, "I would rather know you had done something illegal, than you lie to me about it. We can figure out how to salvage the situation and what the consequences should be, together."

Neal crossed his arms, "So, what's that mean?"

"It means I want honesty between us. I want to be able to trust you. I want you to trust me, too."

"Then I guess we're at an impasse, because I'm not going to willingly tell you about something if I know how you'll react to it." Neal's voice carried a hint of anger. He didn't think it was fair that Peter could demand he essentially tell on himself.

Exasperated, Peter retorted, "Well, that doesn't change the fact that if you lie to me and I find out about it, I'm going to spank you." Neal immediately clamped his mouth shut, momentary defiance lost in the realization that his bottom was still smarting and that he was arguing with the man who had spanked him not even a half-hour earlier.

Neal shifted uncomfortably at that threat, and mumbled. "Okay."

"So, we're okay, now?" Peter asked. "You know what my expectations of you are, and you know what you can expect from me if you decide to ignore them?"

Neal nodded, still feeling a little subdued.

"And you know that today's incident is over? Forgiven." Peter wanted to reassure Neal.

"You're not still mad?" Neal looked at Peter warily.

"No. I'm not. I was really worried for you today, and I'm glad you're safe. Your intentions were good, Neal. But, I just don't like you disobeying my instructions and putting yourself in harm's way."

Neal fiddled with his pizza crust. "I'm sorry." He didn't like being scolded. He almost rather have Peter yell at him-this gentle disapproval was enough to make him feel ashamed that he had disappointed Peter. Neal felt an growing ball of emotion catch in the back of his throat. He bit his lip and drew in a shaky breath and told himself that he wouldn't cry, not again.

"I forgive you." Peter patted Neal's forearm. Peter was surprised to see that Neal's eyes were watery. Peter had intended to leave after dinner, but decided that Neal wasn't ready to be left alone. He instructed Neal, "If you're done, go brush your teeth, it's time for bed."

"Peter, it's not even nine!" Neal exclaimed incredulously.

"Go brush your teeth." Peter gave Neal a stern look. Defeated, Neal got up and went to the bathroom. He emerged a few minutes later. Peter had put the pizza in a ziplock bag and tucked it into the fridge, and was washing the dishes in the sink. Neal picked up a towel and a plate, but Peter shook his head. "Go get in bed. I'll be over in a second."

"You can't really be serious." Neal grumbled, but made his way over to the other side of his loft. He sat dejectedly on the edge of the bed, until he heard Peter shut off the water. He hurriedly lay down, his large eyes trained on Peter as he moved through the house turning off the lights. Peter smiled at Neal's small effort at rebellion and last second attempt at obedience. He reached for the blanket at the foot of the bed, unfolded it and pulled it over Neal. He tucked the blanket around Neal's shoulders, and sat down on edge of the bed next to his charge, and absent-mindedly ran his hand over Neal's back, making small circles.

"Neal." Peter waited until he had his full attention.

"Yes?" Neal turned his head to look at Peter.

"Are you okay?"

Neal nodded.

"You know, if you don't think that spankings are going to work, and you don't want to do it anymore, you can tell me, right?"

Neal nodded again, and answered, "I know. But I trust you."

"And you know that I'm not mad at you." Neal nodded, so Peter continued, "And that I care about you, and I don't want to see you hurt, and I love you?"

Neal whispered, "Really?"

Peter smoothed Neal's dark hair off his forehead. "Yes. Really, son."

"'kay." Neal's voice was quiet. He felt tears well up at Peter's words, so he buried his face in his pillow. Peter gently ran his hand over the back of Neal's head, smoothing his hair a few more times, before returning to rubbing his back.

Neal tried to control his breathing, because he was a little embarrassed tears were leaking out of his eyes. However, he was so emotionally spent and Peter's words and kind touch had hit a nerve that he didn't even know was raw and sensitive. Peter didn't say anything else, but just kept rubbing Neal's back.

It wasn't long before Neal had quietly cried himself out and was drifting off to sleep. He was vaguely aware of Peter leaning down and placing a kiss on the back of his head. He didn't want to open his eyes and verify he was dreaming when he heard Peter say, "I love you, son."

Peter wasn't sure if Neal was asleep, or not, but the tears had stopped, the breathing had evened out, and Peter didn't want to disturb him to verify if he was sleeping. He stood up and said softly, "Good night, Neal."

Peter quietly let himself out of the apartment, and slumped against the door. He honestly had no idea that Neal's insecurities were so strong-Neal was always so confident. It had completely caught him by surprise that Neal would cry over being told that Peter loved him. He was suddenly worried that he wasn't going to be able to provide the consistency, reassurances, and discipline that Neal seemed to need so badly. He was certain though that after tonight spanking Neal had been the right choice. Neal had desperately wanted a father, a real father, and Peter was more than happy to have a son. They were going to be okay. And, Peter was hopeful that the threat of another spanking would keep Neal out of trouble-for a few months at least.


Author's Note:

Thank you lovely readers for the wonderful feedback. I am glad so many of you enjoyed this story. I'm working on a few more White Collar fics. I want to do both some cannon-compliant gen stories to examine Neal's backstory, and also write another paternal!Peter, spanked!Neal story...I've got enough plot bunnies roaming around in my head to keep me busy for a while. Thank you for the feedback and encouragement. You have a wonderful day!

Kiss, kiss!

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