This takes place around Season 2, Episode 10 "Treasure" and Episode 11 "The Leopard" of TNT's Animal Kingdom. I own nothing in the story.

It is a what "should have happened story."

Characters: Deran and Adrian

Warning: contains sex, M/M spanking of adult characters, hand, ping-pong paddle

The Rough Side

"Is this fun for you?" Deran growled to Craig as he locked the door of the bar.

They just got rid of Renn and still had this kidnapped kid that Craig was supposed be holding in the trunk for Marco.

"No. Man...it's not," Craig said taking a deep breathe. He was still hung over from Vegas. Craig was the one who agreed to do Marco a favor!

Deran then lit into him for everything from stealing the yacht idea to putting the bar in jeopardy to getting fucked up when he used drive Deran to his surfing competitions like 12 years ago. Sure, the kid was only 14 at the time, but Craig had quit school to support him. Sure, he didn't really give a shit about school much in the first place, but Deran was blaming him for a lot.

"You think Smurf was gonna get up at 4:00 and drive you to San Pedro? You think Baz was? Pope?" Craig said.

"One of these days, you're gonna end up dead. I can't spend the rest of my life making sure that doesn't happen. So soon as I get enough money to buy this place, I'm out. I'm serious. I'm done, " Deran said bluntly to Craig.

A few hours later, they dropped the kid off (after he escaped and they found him), met with Marco, saw his sister Lucy kick his ass (what was up with that?) and finally headed home. They weren't too troubled about the kid. Surely, Marco and Lucy wouldn't kill an innocent college kid.

Craig ended up heading over to Renn's. Guess that was back on? Deran wasn't even really sure what happened there. He had meant what he said about keeping Craig alive. He couldn't do it anymore. Craig was out of control, not just screwing a teenager or wrecking his bike and ending up dead, but he just didn't care about his own life. Was it Smurf or the drugs? He didn't know. Sure, the yacht thing went okay, except for Marco cutting off the lady's finger. But maybe they would have had anarchy if he didn't control the situation. Deran wanted to put his head down and cry. His family had fallen apart. He needed out. Usually when he felt hopeless like this, Craig was the one who was there for him. He had pushed Craig out and now was alone. At least he had the bar now, if the family didn't ruin that.

Suddenly, Deran heard a knock at the door. It was 3 am. He wiped the tears that were forming in his eyes and slipped a handgun in the waist of his shorts.

He opened the door to find Adrian there.

"Dude, I thought you left?" Deran said, gesturing for him to come in.

Adrian admitted, "I just wanted to see you before I left."

"Thanks again, for the picture. I forgot about what it was like when I was surfing. I got into it with Craig a little. He acts like he gave up his whole life to drive me, but he really just used me to get laid," Deran said, smiling as if he were joking. He took the gun out of his waistband and put it in the hiding spot. He trusted Adrian with his life. They had been through a lot together. He locked the door. Craig said he would be with Renn all night.

"Really, I kind of remember your brother really being there on your side. I mean, yeah, he was high, but I remember how intently he watched when you were out there. He was really proud of you," Adrian remembered.

"Really? I guess I never knew that. I just remember...Really? He watched me?" Deran said, wishing he could go back and take back what he had said to Craig.

"Yeah, man. I was a little jealous. I mean Craig was only what 16 or so himself, right?" Adrian admitted.

"Yeah, man. I guess I never thought of it that way," Deran admitted.

Adrian put his arm around Deran, "Hey man, don't be so hard on yourself. You were a kid."

"Yeah, but I'm still a selfish prick a lot of the time. Craig has been trying to help me with the bar and shit. I just yelled at him for...well, everything. I guess I should be helping him more, instead of being a dick," Deran said ashamed of his earlier outburst. He didn't want his brother to die, like their sister Julie, but did yelling at an addict help?

Adrian pulled Deran to him, muttering, "I missed you."

"The truth is, Adrian, is that I can't fucking stand how I treated you. Not just the breaking in, the thing with the Pope and the boat, and how I...hurt you. I fucking pounded you and then left you like that without ever checking on you until Smurf sent me to get the rent," Deran hung his head and then backed away. He couldn't let Adrian see him cry and whine like this.

"Hey, yeah, you were...fucking awful for a while. But I know you, Deran. I've known you for a long time. You shut me and everyone else out from the real you. Everyone fucks up. Honestly, look at how many times you got into terrible fights with Smurf. Then, you are tighter than ever," Adrian said softly.

Almost to himself, Deran mumbled, "Yeah, after she beats my ass..."

"What?" Adrian said, although he thought he heard what he said. "She beats you?"

Deran's face heated, it was dim enough that he didn't think Adrian could see.

"Nah, I mean, not like that. It's nothing, man, forget it," Deran said, going to get them a beer.

"Deran, I am here for you. I came back. Now talk to me, if there is any hope for us, you have to talk to me. I am here, man," Adrian said, his eyes honest.

Deran popped off the tops and handed Adrian a cold bottle. He took a deep breathe.

"So, when I fight with Smurf or do something stupid at home, Smurf well, this is kind of hard to admit to, um, she spanks me," Deran admitted.

"Dude, she had like five or six wild kids, it was a different time back then. I used to get it too, with that yardstick, remember? That time in 8th we got suspended for smoking? I couldn't sit for like, a week," Adrian said confused.

"Nah, like a few months ago, I got pissed at her and broke this bowl. She grabbed me by the ear, took me into her room, and spanked me. She keeps a paddle in every room, that giant purse, her car, but she used her hair brush on me. It really hurt. It was really hard, over her knee, I was a sobbing, snot covered mess after she was done, like I was fucking five," Deran confessed, completely humiliated. Why didn't he lie and make up a story? "If I don't, you know, behave when I'm getting spanked, she will whack me again before bed or even the next morning. It hurts but I guess, I do feel better when it's over, even with a sore ass."

Adrian's eyes went wide. This explained a lot about the man he loved. Why he couldn't stop torturing himself. He had never really grown up much.

"Deran, are you talking to Smurf now?" Adrian said, seemingly side-stepping the elephant in the room.

"Nah, I ripped her a new one, too. The opening night, when I told her I was gay. I accused her of never loving us and just caring about herself. She didn't even defend herself. She just left," Deran said, now crying openly. He had known Adrian for years and this is one of the only times he had cried in front of him. The last was Belize, when Deran was estranged from Smurf for weeks.

"Deran, I feel her maybe spanking you is the only way she can get you to move on. Man, you just can't seem to get past things without it. You know? You are super stubborn. I mean if it worked when you were a kid, maybe it is the only thing that works now," Adrian put forth.

"I kind of thought it was her treating me like a baby. Just another way to control me," Deran said, wiping his tears away sadly.

"How does she treat you after, you know, the spanking?" Adrian asked.

"She hugs me, tells me I'm forgiven and she loves me and all that, like I'm a damn baby," Deran said, again embarrassed to admit the truth. "I mean during it, I get scolded and told why I'm over her knee. She doesn't stop until I'm crying and saying sorry. I guess it's the only time I feel like I am sorry sometimes. Like really mean it."

"Dude, you have to face the fact that it is not easy for you to admit when you are wrong. I feel like she is helping you move on, I know, you are embarrassed, but I feel like it's done out of love and necessity," Adrian said, finishing his beer. "I mean, did she ever abuse you out of anger?"

"Never. She never like, hit any of us, violently...No matter what we did or how bad we treated her," Deran sobbed.

Adrian nodded like he was making up his mind.

"Okay, do you have a shower here?" Adrian asked suddenly.

"Yeah, we just put in a makeshift one yesterday. Why?" Deran asked also draining his beer.

"I want you to go take a shower and wait for me in your bedroom," Adrain said, taking over. He knew what his best friend and first lover needed. It finally made sense.

"Why? Man, just forget what I told you," Deran begged, as he turned to get more alcohol.

Adrian grabbed his bicep and turned him to apply two firm swats to his boxer covered rear. Deran yelped in surprise. Adrian was in shape and those swats smarted.

"Now, do as I said, unless you want a preview of what you're going to get out here. Go!" Adrian said in a voice he had never used with Deran. Now that he knew what he had to do, he was committed. His palm stung from just those two swats. No wonder his parents used to spank him with that old yardstick.

He watched Deran march off to the shower, unconsciously rubbing the spots where Adrian had just spanked him.

Now, back to business, what could he use to get Deran to let go of the past? He walked around the back of the bar, pool cue? Nah, that's harsh. Fly swatter? Maybe, but that seemed gross to Adrian. He had never done this before, but he wanted to do a good job to help Deran out.

In a back storage room, Adrian saw an old ping pong table leaned again the wall. He pulled the cord to the single light bulb and after looking in a dusty old box, located the red rubber covered paddles. They were light, but should provide a good sting. Adrian couldn't believe that he was really going to do this, but he couldn't stand seeing Deran so hurt and lost.

He tucked one the paddles in his back waistband.

After he did this, they could move on in their relationship and lives. Maybe they would someday get a house and go to buy shit at Pottery Barn? Deran had been such a smart mouth, maybe he should have thought of doing this before. Could have spared them both a lot of grief.

Adrian found Deran sitting on his bed still wrapped in a white towel. His hair was wet and he looked like a little boy. Well, a little boy with a hot body. Adrian had to remind himself that he needed to do this before there was any thought of fooling around. Deran needed him.

Adrian tried to think of how to do this. He pulled the straight-backed chair that he saw nearer to the bed and sat down. Were those zip ties? Odd.

Deran wouldn't look up, Adrian gently pulled him up to stand in front of him.

"Hey, I told you this in Belize, I would do anything for you. These last few months have been...hell. I need you, but I need you whole. Now all you have to do is follow my directions and we can move on, Okay?" Adrian said shaking him a little, as he spoke the words in his heart.

Deran nodded. Adrian again, turned him and smacked his towel covered behind three times. Whap. Whap. Whap.

"When I ask you a question, you answer me!" he demanded.

"Yes..." Adrian moved his hand out to crack him again when he heard a soft, "sir."

"Now, lean over my lap," Adrian said softly. He turned so Deran's upper body could rest on the bed, but his behind was right over Adrian's lap. He shifted to try to get them in a comfortable position. He'd be lying if he said that he wasn't turned on, but Deran tended to do that to him in the first place.

"Adrian, please don't do this, man. I can get it together without you...Please," Deran pleaded. Adrian noticed that he made no attempt to struggle or get up. He needed this.

"You just do what you are told, young man. I feel like this is long overdue," Adrian said as he applied the first of many swats down on the shapely backside in front of him. Deran raised his head up, now starting to struggle. Adrian's left arm had him pinned as his right swatted down steadily, warming his past lover up nicely. Smack! Smack! Smack!

"Ah, ow, Adrian, it hurts!" Deran whined, sounded surprised. Adrian keep spanking over the towel. Whap. Swat. Crack. Crack. Spank.

Deran tried to rock from side to side to move his behind out of range of the smacks. His fists were gripping his bedspread tightly. Surely, Adrian was almost done with this ridiculous stunt.

"Stay still, Deran. We have a long way to go," Adrian scolded as he continued to apply whacks to random areas of Deran's rear end. Harder, faster, firmer swats came down despite the wiggling. The towel was loosing and starting to come off.

"Fuck! Stop. Okay, I get it. Stop. God damn it, Adrian, I'm going to kick your ass," Deran yelled as he did try to get up but pushing up on the bed. His feet were not near the floor so he couldn't use them for leverage.

"Really? You can do it with a red bottom then because you are not going anywhere until you listen to me," Adrian said, peeling away the towel to completely bare Deran's behind.

Deran moaned as he felt the cool air on his still slightly wet backside.

It was still not very pink, that towel had provided a lot of cushioning. Adrian leaned forward to grab the ping-pong paddle out of his back waistband, this was really going to smart on a wet behind.

He adjusted Deran and moved his right leg over Deran's pinning him in place. Adrian used the smooth black side of the rubber to rub it on Deran's backside. He lightly began to tap his bottom with it. Rub, tap, rub, tap, a short rub and a small swat. Deran moaned in pleasure, as Adrian had to shift himself. Stay focused.

"I don't want to wear out my hand, so I found an old ping pong paddle in the storeroom. It's going to sting but afterwards, you are going to let all the bad thoughts go. Got it?" Adrian said, not sure how high to raise his hand. He decided to go for more wrist action, then force. Deran cursed himself for not throwing out those boxes of junk before.

Adrian made sure to use the rougher dotted side of the red paddle and brought it down with a loud pop. Pop! POP! POP! POP! POP!

Deran threw back his hand the best that he could to stop the backside was still damp and that increased the sting. He couldn't take it. Adrian pinned back that hand and then the other when it came back.

"No, please don't. I'm sorry. I'll behave. Don't spank me so hard," Deran was sobbing. Adrian did see some blotches of pink on the behind in front of him, but it seemed like he could take a lot more. He really was only flicking his risk with each spank. Adrian brought the paddle down to swat a bit lower and Deran really bucked and howled. Whap. Whap. Whap.

"You have done some shitty things, Deran," he started, "but the people around you love you. Your brothers, your friends, your mom, and...me. Do you hear that?" Pop. Pop. Pop. "You are good to the people who work here. I've seen how you treat them with respect. Friends love you. You do a lot of good. But you do have to be spanked soundly when you misbehave, little boy," Adrian scolded, popping his bottom a little harder to make the lesson stick.

"Yeahhh, owww, owie, stop, Adrian!" Deran begged like a small boy. Pop! Whack. Whack. POP.

"You need to let go of this guilt that is eating you up. Yes, you beat me up, but I forgave you. You yelled at Craig, he probably doesn't even remember. Yes, you were mean to your mom, it's not the first and the last. You can say you're sorry and she will forgive you," Adrian scolded bringing the light round paddle from cheek to cheek as Deran tried to kick and sway with no success. All he could do is take the spanking and answer Adrian's questions. Whap. Whap. Whap. Whap. Smack!

"Say your sorry!" Adrian said, working up a sweat. He flipped the paddle to the smooth side and brought it down quickly, but lightly. Deran's bottom was getting redder, but it did not look bruised. Smack. Crack. Crack. Crack. .smack. POP.

"I'm...oww. sorry. I'll be good," Deran choked out. Whack! WHACK.

"You are forgiven. It's over. It's almost over. I want you to say that you are forgiven and will move on," Adrian advised. Spank! Spank! Spank!

Deran repeated it, the best that he could. His bottom burned fiercely, but the black guilt from all the way back to when Craig got shot dissolved. Maybe he could be forgiven? He could do better. He was paying for his sins with this spanking. Was Adrian ever going to stop? Adrian was looking down at his bare bottom and giving him exactly what he needed. It was hot, but humiliating. When was he going to be too old?

"Say that you are a good person and you deserved to love and be loved," Adrian said, pausing a minute to wipe sweat from his forehead with the hand that clutched the paddle. His other hand was still restraining Deran's hands behind his back.

Adrian had been slowly swatting in random places, he knew that Deran's crying was slowed and he seemed to be finally accepting the butt warming.

Flipping it again to the rougher side, Adrian spanked Deran's sit spots much harder than before. Whack! Whack! WhACK. Whack. Swat. Pop. POP.

Deran let out a, "Nooo, owwwwwwwwww. Stoppp! I'm sorry. I forgive myself. I can move on." With five more hard intense paddle whacks to the back of his thighs, Adrian stopped. Now, Deran's behind looked sore and was cherry red, a more intense red than the rubble on the paddle itself. He released his hands and used the smooth side of the paddle to pat his cheeks.

"It's over, Deran. You're okay. Shh, shh. You did really well," Adrian dropped the paddle and kicked it under the bed under a sweatshirt or something. Knowing Deran, he would probably try to burn it.

Adrian rubbed his back and said, "I'm going to let you up, k?"

Deran got up and his hands immediately went to caress his stinging behind. He realized that the spankings he got from Smurf were nothing like this. He really couldn't imagine sitting in the near future. How many times had Adrian popped his butt with that evil little paddle? It felt like a 100, but he really didn't know.

Adrian laughed a little and stood up, he carefully pulled Deran into his arms and held him as Deran sobbed out the last of his guilt.

"I love you so much," Deran sobbed. "Thank you." As always, after a spanking, Deran felt cleansed.

"I love you, too, babe," Adrian said, rubbing his back and turning him over on his stomach. He kissed him and then they finally melted together as one. Deran felt like a gigantic weight was lifted off him, he could talk to him family and let them know how he was feeling. He already came out to them, what could be harder than that? He had Adrian back, if not forever, at least for the night.

Now all he had to do was throw that paddle and that box of junk in the fire pit and he was good to go! He smiled and kissed Adrian lightly as they both drifted off, his backside hurt, but his heart finally felt at peace.