The carpet in Ferdinand's room was beginning to wear a groove from his continuous pacing. From the bed, to the desk, to the window, and back and forth across the floor; he simply could not stay still. It felt like he had been waiting for an eternity.

A knock on the door made him jump, and he backed himself against the far wall before calling out a hesitant "Come in."

As Byleth entered the room, Ferdinand's heart raced faster. As long as the wait had felt, he wished it had been just a bit longer. He was not ready to face his professor, especially while he was holding that dreaded crop.

"Ferdinand, do you have anything to say?" Byleth asked calmly, taking in the nervous fidgeting and tense posture of his student.

"Er... well... is there anything I can say that will make you not whip me?"

Byleth almost chuckled, "No."

"I thought not..." Ferdinand groaned. He clenched and unclenched his hands and cast his gaze listlessly about the room.

"Are you ready, then?" Byleth motioned toward the bed, and Ferdinand froze.

"No..." he whimpered, but began inching his way as slowly as he dared in the direction of Byleth's outstretched hand.

With a little shake of his head, Byleth pulled the pillow to the edge of the bed and directed Ferdinand to bend over it.

"You're getting thirty strokes for disobeying me and endangering yourself."

Ferdinand took a step back, a squeak of dismay catching in his throat, "But... P-Professor, that... that is not-"

"If you try to tell me it's not fair..." Byleth left the thought unfinished, but the sentiment was clear in his icy tone and Ferdinand's mouth snapped shut.

"I will never tolerate you needlessly endangering yourself. Thirty strokes is not an unfair punishment for throwing your life away so recklessly."

"But... we did not know how powerful he was..."

Byleth's glare darkened even further, "I told you. I specifically warned you that you could not face him, and you directly disobeyed my orders."

"Ah...um... y-yes sir..." Hanging his head, Ferdinand had the sense to show some true penitence at his professor's biting reprimand.

Byleth gestured to the bed again, "Trousers down, and bend."

Ferdinand's heart was racing as he shuffled hesitantly to the bed and eased himself into the prescribed position, with his trousers pulled down just past the curve of his ass. His whole body trembled in terrible anticipation. When he felt the professor pull his trousers all the way down to his bent knees, a whimpered groan accompanied the flush that spread across his face. Feeling completely exposed and vulnerable, he clenched his fists tightly into the bedding and braced himself for the first stroke.

Byleth noted the tremor shaking his student's body with some concern. The poor boy was terrified. Reflexively, his hand moved to comfort the distressed boy, but he stopped it inches above Ferdinand's head.

With a deep breath, he steeled himself against his student's pathetic state, recalling the panic that had gripped him when he thought he might lose all of them. This was one lesson he needed to be absolutely sure was going to stick with these boys for a very long time.

Straightening, Byleth adjusted the crop in his hand. He swung his arm up and brought the first stroke down briskly at the top of Ferdinand's ass.

Ferdinand jumped at the impact, gasping as he scrunched his shoulders around his head. The following swats were each accompanied by pitiful little grunts and cries which he made no effort to silence. Clenching his fists tighter and tucking his head down, he pulled a labored breath into his tightening chest. It already hurt so bad, after only five strokes! How would he ever make it to thirty?

The crop snapped across the tops of his thighs, and he arched his back with a wail.

"Ah!"

Byleth shook his head as he continued to bring the crop down in a slow, steady cadence. Ferdinand was never one for stoicism. He squirmed and cried with every flick of the crop across his skin, making for a truly pitiful display. Byleth had to remind himself that Ferdinand's emotions tended to carry him away, and the punishment was not as harsh as the boy's frantic bawling made it seem.

At the seventeenth stroke, Ferdinand let out a pathetic whimper and slid down the side of the bed, resting his knees on the ground and bringing his ass out of the line of fire as he buried his face in the pillow.

"Please... I-I am so-so s-sorry, pro-professor... 'M so sor-ry..." he sobbed, his whole body trembling.

"I'm sure you are," Byleth sighed, his voice gentle but firm, "But you have already earned your punishment, and you will receive it in its entirety. You are more than halfway there, Ferdinand: come now, let's finish this."

Ferdinand groaned, "I cannot take it."

Always so dramatic...

"I assure you you can. Your classmates are receiving their full punishment. Didn't you say earlier you all share equally in the blame? How fair would it be for you to be punished less than them?"

"I- you... are right," Ferdinand stammered after a moment of silence, "I am sorry, I... will try my best to be still..."

Slowly, he eased himself back up to bend over the bed with the pillow under his hips. He wrapped his arms around his head and waited tensely for the whipping to continue. Taking pity on his quaking student, Byleth lowered himself halfway onto the bed beside Ferdinand and placed his hand on the boy's back. He pushed him firmly down against the mattress, holding him in place as he cracked the crop down once again.

The professor's hand against his back eased some of the tension from Ferdinand's body. The physical contact made him feel oddly safe and secure, despite the fire in his backside. Additionally, Byleth's hold was unyielding, allowing Ferdinand more freedom to squirm and kick against the pain while still remaining in the expected position. And squirm he certainly did, with vigor. His whole body arched and jerked with every searing swat, his legs kicking and curling while unchecked cries poured from his mouth.

Byleth paused at twenty-five to adjust his hold on the squirming boy and bring his mind back to the lesson that the last five strokes would drive home.

"I will not allow you to endanger yourself needlessly," his voice was firm, but his thumb rubbed gently against Ferdinand's back as he spoke, "There is enough danger in what we do without you seeking out new ways to die. My orders are for your good as much as for anyone else's; I expect you to obey them."

With the last sentence, he snapped the crop down across the middle of Ferdinand's ass, and Ferdinand wailed as the fresh stripe burned across his already blazing skin. He writhed under his professor's restraining hold, sobbing out nearly incoherent apologies and promises of good behavior. The remaining four strokes were met with similar bucking and crying, until he finally collapsed completely, sobbing brokenly over the bed.

Byleth sat beside his crying student and ran his fingers gently through the boy's hair, while his other hand rubbed slow circles on his back.

"Alright, shhh, good boy," he soothed, "Hush now, Ferdinand; you see, you can take it. It's over now."

He continued murmuring words of comfort, and Ferdinand drank them in as he sobbed, leaning into the soothing touch of his professor. Gradually, his tears abated and his breathing fell into a slow rhythm. Every muscle in his body relaxed, and a peaceful heaviness settled over him. Despite the throbbing in his backside, Ferdinand felt completely safe, perhaps more so than he ever had before. After all, Byleth had just shown very convincingly that he cared a great deal for him, and was willing to go to great lengths to protect him. He basked in the calming sensation of Byleth's hand stroking his hair while the other rubbed slow circles on his back, wishing this quite moment could last forever.

Seeing that his student had calmed, Byleth rested his hand on top of Ferdinand's head and spoke softly, "No more running off to risk yourself foolishly. I value your life, and I expect you to take a little more care with it, hmm?"

"Yes sir," Ferdinand muttered, lifting round, watery eyes to his professor's face. He met Byleth's soft but stern gaze for a moment, and thought he almost saw the ghost of smile pull at the corners of the professor's mouth.

"Good," Byleth smoothed his hand down Ferdinand's head one last time before straightening, "Now, rest. It's been a long day."

Ferdinand crawled up onto the bed and flopped down on his stomach with a contented sigh. His trousers, which had made their way all the way down to his ankles during his thrashing, he kicked off completely. His ass was still flaming, but a peaceful drowsiness was settling over him that brought a little smile to his lips as he began to drift off into sleep. Through heavy eyelids, he cast one last look up at Byleth and mumbled so softly, Byleth had to lean in to hear him.

"Professor, thank you, for saving us today, and... and for caring so much about us."

"I'm always here to do both of those things," Byleth promised as he stood, "Though you certainly don't make either one easy, sometimes."

His last muttered sentence went unheard by his drowsy student, who was just drifting beyond the veil of consciousness.