This one was inspired by a guest review suggesting a pre-timeskip story where Claude gets Dimitri in trouble. Thanks to my Guest reader for the suggestion! I hope you enjoy the story. This will likely not be the last time these two find themselves in trouble together.

"Professor!"

Byleth heard the panic in Ignatz's voice as he called to him, running up the stairs at a wild pace.

"Professor! Please come quick!"

Looking up from the book he was reading while heading back from the library, Byleth turned to the frantic boy who was hurling towards him.

"Slow down, Ignatz. What's wrong?" He questioned. Ignatz did have a tendency to get over excited about things, but the level of panic in his eyes was concerning.

"They-they're- they're gonna-kill-each other!" Ignatz panted out between heaving breaths, hands resting on his knees as he tried to recover from his frenzied run.

"Who are?"

"Claude and...and Dimitri! They're fighting... in the dining hall!"

"They're what?!" Byleth snapped his book shut and tucked it under his arm as he started towards the dining hall.

Nodding, Ignatz trotted behind and continued to explain, "I-I don't really know how it started, but they just started yelling at each other, and-and then hitting each other, and rolling around, and...i-it's quite terrifying, actually..."

Byleth had to push his way through a crowd of students at the entrance to the dining hall. At the front of the crowd, Hilda led a group of students who cheered and shook their fists while calling Claude's name, while Sylvain did the same for Dimitri. As soon as they spotted Byleth, however, both sides fell silent and glanced nervously towards the center of the room, where Claude and Dimitri were still having it out with each other.

Byleth emerged from the crowd just in time to see Dimitri lock Claude in a choke hold and pull him from atop one of the tables. The two went tumbling to the floor together, with Claude managing to break Dimitri's hold in the fall and land on top of him, pinning him to the floor. He drew his fist back with a snarl, but his arm was arrested from behind before he had a chance to land the blow. In a fit of blind rage, he lashed back at the interference with his other arm. Byleth easily deflected the wild blow, pinning both of Claude's arms behind his back as he hoisted him to his feet and slammed him down face-first onto the table.

"Hey! Let go you bastard!" Claude raged as he struggled fruitlessly against Byleth's restraining hold.

"No," Byleth stated darkly, landing a sharp smack across the squirming boy's ass, "And you may want to be more careful what you call me."

Claude stilled immediately. "T-Teach! I didn't- I thought you were... someone else!"

Behind them, Dimitri pushed himself up slowly. Seeing the fire in Byleth's eyes as he held Claude bent over the table, he felt unease begin stirring in his stomach. When the next moment that dark gaze was fixed on him, he shrunk into himself with a little shudder.

"On your feet, Dimitri."

Dimitri scrambled to his feet.

Byleth pulled Claude up, keeping the boy's arms secured behind his back, and cast a cursory look around the dining hall. Broken dishes and splattered food were littered across floors and tables alike. One of the tables had a cracked board, with jagged edges sticking up dangerously close to where the two boys had been brawling.

"Quite a mess you two have made," he released his hold on Claude, who took a tentative step back from the chilling iciness in his professor's voice, "Tell me what happened."

Both boys stared down at their feet in silence.

"Fine, we have a large group of witnesses; I'll ask one of them."Byleth gestured towards the crowd of students who still looked on from the edges of the room.

"He started it, Teach!" Claude pointed at Dimitri, "It was all his fault; I was the victim!"

"You filthy liar!" Dimitri spat, "None of this would have happened if you hadn't been such a churlish bast-"

"Enough." Byleth did not really raise his voice, but the bite in his tone was enough to shut both of them up immediately. Concluding that both boys' tempers were still too hot to get an accurate account of the fight from either of them, he was just beginning to scan the crowd for a reliable witness when Professor Hanneman burst into the dining hall. He hurried to where Byleth stood with the two troublemakers, looking aghast at the mess surrounding them.

"What do we have here; what's going on?" He demanded, "I was told there was a scuffle in the dining hall but this... what a horrible display!"

He turned to Byleth, who was holding each boy firmly by the arm, "What happened? Did these two make this entire mess by themselves?"

"So it seems," Byleth replied, and Claude and Dimitri squirmed as his grip tightened, "Though, I have yet to get the full story. I only saw the end of it."

"I see. Well then," he addressed the boys briskly, "What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"He hit me!" Claude whined, putting on his best hurt-puppy eyes.

Dimitri scowled, "You degraded my house's honor; my honor. You left me no choice but to defend both!"

"Dimitri, you hit him first?" Hanneman scolded, "You ought to know better!"

Dimitri glared at the floorboards, "There are some things I simply cannot allow to go unanswered."

"Claude," Byleth cast a sideways glance at his student, "You were deliberately trying to anger him, weren't you?"

Claude huffed, "I was just having some fun; I didn't expect him to be so touchy-"

"I'll show you touchy!" Dimitri lunged forward but was quickly flipped around as Byleth pulled his arm behind his back.

"I said enough of that."

Dimitri cast a questioning look at Hanneman, but the older professor seemed completely uninclined to rescue his student from Byleth's hold.

"Well, you seem to have things pretty well under control," he sighed, "I apologize, but I have a very important meeting with Seteth and Lady Rhea that I simply cannot miss, so I am afraid I will have to leave you to handle this... unfortunate situation."

"Understood," Byleth nodded, "I will deal with them."

Claude grimaced as he stared at the floor. Dimitri looked like he was about to protest, but Hanneman cut him off as he continued.

"Seeing as they caused this ruckus together, I suppose it seems only fitting they should be disciplined together as well. I entrust that task to you; good luck."

With that, Hanneman turned to the surrounding crowd of students and waved his hand, "Enough of this! There is nothing more to see here, be on your way!"

The students quickly scrambled to obey, and Hanneman followed them out of the dining hall.

Releasing his grip on Dimitri, Byleth stood facing both students with his arms crossed. Claude shuffled one foot and chewed nervously on his lip, while Dimitri stood rigid with his hands clenched at his sides.

The tense silence was broken when one of the cooks approached timidly and cleared her throat, "Ah, excuse me, Professor, we're just about to clean up this mess..."

"You don't need to worry about that," Byleth responded with a dark glare towards his students, "These two are going to take care of it, right now."

"Oh, well... if you're sure..." The girl scurried off, not daring to argue with the angry professor and relieved to get away from the intense scene.

"We're... cleaning up?" Claude questioned hopefully, wondering if the professor would consider fixing their mess to be a suitable punishment for causing it in the first place.

"Yes, you will clean this entire room until it's spotless," Byleth commanded, "And then the three of us will have a very serious discussion in my office."

"Oh...yes sir..." Claude's shoulders slumped. Cleaning and the professor's office. Definitely not a good outcome.

Dimitri glanced sideways at Claude, who seemed to have lost all his fighting spirit under the professor's stern glare. His own spirit still wanted to fight, but a little voice in his head warned him that Claude had more experience with Professor Byleth's wrath, and it might be a good idea to follow his example to some extent.

"Very well, let's get to it then," he huffed, stooping to pick up some broken pieces of pottery. Byleth nodded towards Claude, who quickly began gathering his own pile of shattered plates.

After nearly an hour, Claude and Dimitri surveyed the sparkling clean dining hall with an air of satisfaction.

"Not bad, if I do say so myself," Claude smirked and nudged Dimitri, "We did good!"

"Would you expect anything less?" Dimitri returned the smirk. The animosity between the two had waned significantly while they cleaned together, and they had nearly forgotten they had been fighting at all.

Unfortunately for them, Byleth had not.

"Very good. You did well," he sized up the two students with an unreadable expression, "Now, both of you will accompany me to my office."

"Can't we shake and make up here?" Dimitri questioned, "We needn't go to the trouble of retreating to your office."

"I believe you will want the privacy," Byleth cautioned with a raised brow, "But if you would rather receive your punishment here..."

"No! We're going! Right now!" Claude interjected, grabbing Dimitri's arm and tugging, "C'mon you idiot, let's go!"

"Don't call me an idiot, you artless buffoon!"

"Who's the buffoon, your Royal Snobliness?" Claude flicked his fingers across Dimitri's nose, and Dimitri snarled.

Without a word, Byleth took hold of both boys by the ear and dragged them out of the dining hall.

"Oi!"

"Ow!

After his initial protests proved useless, Dimitri fell silent, save for little grunts that continued to communicate his displeasure with the situation. His face was hot at the undignified manner in which he was being hauled across the monastery, but there was little he could do with his ear firmly pinched between the professor's fingers. Glancing over, he noticed Claude displayed none of the resistance he would have expected from his fiery classmate, instead stumbling dutifully along while casting round eyes up at Byleth, which the professor completely ignored.

Dimitri's chest tightened. While they had cleaned the dining hall, he had been under the impression that was to be their atonement for the disruption they had caused. Now, he recalled the slap Byleth had given Claude when he had him bent over the table, and his mention of wanting privacy to receive their punishment... Dimitri suddenly dreaded what awaited them at the end of this humiliating escort.

The door to Byleth's office loomed before them, and they were dragged unceremoniously through it before finally being released from the professor's grip. Both boys scrambled back, each holding his smarting ear and glancing nervously back at Byleth. Dimitri tried to look righteously offended, but the result simply scrunched his features into a very un-princely pout. Claude knew exactly the kind of trouble they were in, and had sense enough to adopt a more submissive stance.

Byleth sized up the two students in front of him, and made a decision.

"Claude, you first."

Claude grimaced, "Yes sir..."

"Dimitri," he waited until the boy looked up at him, then held out his hand towards the corner of the room, "You will put your nose in that corner until I call you."

"I most certainly will not!" Dimitri protested, lifting his chin, "You can't just drag me across the monastery and then shove me into the corner like a child!"

Claude shot him a warning look, biting his lip with a tiny shake of his head.

"Actually, I can," Byleth stated with a raised brow, "If you're going to start silly fights like a naughty schoolboy, you should expect nothing less."

Dimitri's cheeks flushed pink, and he sputtered, "I-I will not! I will not allow you to-to treat me this way!"

"Very well," Byleth's eyes never left Dimitri as he spoke, "Claude, nose in the corner."

"Yes sir!" Claude scurried to the corner, and Dimitri hated him for his compliance.

"We'll have your lesson first, then," Byleth concluded. Grabbing the chair from his desk, he plunked it down in front of Dimitri.

"Bend over."

"No!"

"You are making this worse than it needs to be."

"I will not accept this treatment!"

"I'm afraid this is your punishment, whether you accept it or not."

"You are being unreasonable!"

"Am I?" Byleth held up his hand and began counting off his fingers as he spoke, "Hitting your classmate, making a complete disaster of the dining hall, continually arguing, and just generally acting like a bratty child."

Dimitri was silent, his face burning and his fists clenched at his sides.

"One more chance," Byleth warned, "Bend over the chair."

"I will not."

"Very well."

In a flash, Byleth caught both of Dimitri's arms and pulled them behind his back. Pinning them there with one hand, he whirled him around and pushed him forward. Caught completely off balance, Dimitri found himself bent over the back of the chair, with his forehead touching the seat and his toes stretching to reach the ground.

"Hey! Y-You have no right!" He sputtered. He tried to free himself, but the professor had him effectively pinned: unable to use his arms at all, and straining to even touch the floor with his legs.

"Your discipline has been entrusted to me, so I believe I do have the right to carry it out," without turning away from the squirming prince, Byleth called over his shoulder, "Claude, keep your nose in the corner."

With a little gasp, Claude whirled back around to face the wall. I swear Teach has eyes in the back of his head!

Byleth hooked the fingers of his free hand into Dimitri's waistband and pulled his trousers down to his knees, causing a fresh wave of panicked wriggling.

"Ah! Wait! W-We can discuss this!" Desperation was overtaking his defiance, replacing some of the indignation in his tone with pleading, "S-surely there are other more-more suitable forms of... of discipline!"

"I believe this form of discipline is very suitable for correcting naughty students who start fights and act like brats."

Dimitri's face was flushed scarlet from his ears to his neck, and he let out a mortified groan.

Byleth picked the crop off his desk, then sighed, "Claude, if I have to remind you to face the corner again, I will add to your punishment."

"Sorry!" Claude squeaked as he whipped his head back around. As much as his attention was drawn to the interaction between his classmate and his professor, the threat of increased penalty was enough to keep his nose glued to the corner and satisfy his curiosity by listening only.

"Now, Dimitri," Byleth addressed the young man before him, "First, you will receive five strokes for being uncooperative and refusing to accept your punishment. Then, you will receive fifteen for fighting."

"But... it wasn't my fault; Claude started it!"

"I did not!" Claude protested without turning.

Byleth shook his head, "As far as I'm concerned, you are both equally responsible, and will share the same punishment."

Both boys groaned, but neither argued. Dimitri gave one last effort at struggling with no success: the professor had him well and truly pinned.

"Let's begin," Byleth made sure his grip on Dimitri was secure, then swung the crop sharply across the boy's upturned bottom.

"Ah!" Dimitri's eyes went wide. His body was rigid as his mind scrambled to make sense of his situation, freezing him in place. The next two strokes were met with the same stunned silence. On the fourth stroke, which caught the sensitive skin just under his ass where he would sit, he inhaled sharply and tried to squirm. Byleth's grip on his arms tightened, and the fifth stroke connected just below the fourth, making Dimitri yelp.

"Are you ready to take your punishment, Dimitri?" Byleth inquired, pausing for a moment, "Or do you need a bit more convincing?"

Dimitri's mind rebelled against the idea of submission in such a humiliating position, but the stinging in his ass warned him not to further antagonize the professor.

"I...I will take it…"

Byleth nodded, "If I release you then, you will stay in position, yes?"

Face burning, Dimitri gritted out a "Yes sir."

"Good," Byleth released his hold, allowing Dimitri's arms to fall beside his head, where they gripped the edge of the chair with white knuckles. Everything in Dimitri was screaming for him to get out of this degrading position, but the five stripes already burning across his ass reminded him how ill-advised that course of action would be, so he fought the desperate urge to straighten and tensely awaited his remaining punishment.

Dimitri's body heaved with strained, ragged breaths that indicated the immense amount of mental effort it was taking to hold himself in the humiliating position. With a little shake of his head, Byleth repositioned himself to deliver the rest of the whipping. A little humility would certainly do the young prince no harm.

Flicking his wrist, he brought the next stroke down in the middle of Dimitri's ass and carefully watched the boy's response. Dimitri grunted and tucked his chin to his chest, gritting his teeth and squeezing his hands even tighter on the edge of the chair. The crop hurt like hell, but it was his smarting ego that made it so difficult to keep still. Holding himself in such a vulnerable position while allowing the professor to whip his naked ass was about the most humiliating experience he could imagine, and every muscle in his body was rigid from the inner struggle as the next several stripes landed across his skin.

When the crop snapped across the backs of his thighs, he gasped and arched upward, straightening his arms and straining up against his death grip on the chair. He felt Byleth's hand against his upper back, pressing him firmly back down so his nose brushed the seat. Although it was still a restraining gesture, there was something inexplicably reassuring about that touch. There was a gentleness in it as the hand lingered on his back, rubbing softly through his shirt while preventing him from repeating the same bucking movement when another swat landed right below the last.

Dimitri was not prepared for the unexpected warmth that settled in his chest at the gentle contact, and the sound that came from his mouth was more of a whimper than an angry complaint. How could that touch feel so comforting when it came from the same person who was currently whipping his ass?

When the hand released him and the spanking continued, Dimitri realized he had completely lost track of the number of strokes he had received. A conflict had arisen inside him between the need to fight for his wounded pride and a sudden inexplicable desire to please the professor, and it was throwing his mind into disarray.

A long, miserable groan seeped from his mouth as he curled one knee up toward his chest and pressed the other foot hard against the floor, eyes squeezed shut and knuckles white on the edge of the chair. His body jerked with every fresh stripe while his mind scrambled to make sense of the cacophony of thoughts and emotions rushing through his head. A small tremble was working its way into his limbs, and when a particularly sharp stroke caught the underside of his ass he yelped in a voice purely distressed, without a trace of the anger or indignation that had filled his earlier protests.

The steady rhythm of stripes paused for a moment, and Dimitri sucked in a breath, wondering if the discipline was over. When the next moment he felt the crop brush lightly across his stinging skin, however, he knew there was more yet to come.

"Three more, Dimitri," Byleth rested his hand lightly against Dimitri's back and flicked the crop across his backside again.

"Ah!" The cry that flew from Dimitri's mouth sounded utterly pathetic, but somehow he didn't care. With the professor's hand once again providing a soothing presence on his back, he found it felt natural to allow himself a moment of complete vulnerability. The final two swats produced similarly pitiful yelps, followed by a long, shaky inhale.

When he felt the hand on his back begin to rub slowly, Dimitri felt the tension draining from his trembling body, and he allowed his forehead to rest against the seat of the chair. Only when he felt the dampness of the wood beneath him did he realize his eyes and cheeks were wet with tears. Strangely enough, even this did not bother him. An unexpected sense of peace was settling over him, and he leaned into it without much thought.

Byleth continued to rub the young man's back for a few more moments while his shaky breaths slowly smoothed into more rhythmic breathing, speaking to him in a soft tone, "Its alright Dimitri, we're done. Take some deep breaths, you're okay."

Following the professor's suggestion, Dimitri made an effort to slow his ragged breathing. He felt utterly exhausted. The sting that lingered in his backside would certainly be with him for a while, but it was the mental toll of this whole ordeal that left him feeling so drained.

As he calmed, he suddenly became very aware of his position, and all at once wanted nothing more than to get out of it. He lifted his head and set his hands flat against the chair, but hesitated before actually pushing himself up. Since he had not technically been released, he was unsure if it was acceptable to leave the humiliating position just yet.

Noticing the boy's dilemma, Byleth gave his back a comforting pat before assuring him, "It's alright, Dimitri: you may get up now."

Dimitri's first instinct was to immediately shoot upright, but, mindful of his half-clothed state and the fire still burning in his ass, he chose a more cautious approach. Gingerly walking his hands up the back of the chair, he slowly straightened before carefully pulling his trousers back to their proper place, whimpering as the fabric slid across his freshly-whipped skin.

When he had finished, Byleth's hand on his shoulder brought his eyes up to meet the professor's gaze. Rather than the stern glare he had expected, however, he found the older man's features held a certain softness, though his voice was unquestionably firm when he spoke.

"Dimitri, do you have something to say?"

Quite unexpectedly, Dimitri found he did, in fact, have something to say, and it was likely exactly what the professor was looking for, "I… I am sorry, professor."

Byleth nodded, "Sorry for what?"

"I'm sorry for fighting with Claude, and for being… belligerent towards you. I… should not have acted like that." He dropped his eyes as he spoke, and his voice tapered into a murmur near the end, but the apology was sincere.

"Very good," Byleth squeezed his shoulder before turning him gently towards the wall, "Now, put your nose in the corner. We are all going to discuss your behavior a bit more once I have dealt with Claude."

Dimitri turned to the corner with an air of distaste, but grudgingly made his way to stand in the assigned spot with a mumbled "Yes sir…"

Satisfied by Dimitri's change in demeanor, Byleth turned to his other student and command "Claude, come here."

Claude jumped slightly when he heard his name, then slowly turned and shuffled his way over to the professor, head hung and hands fidgeting behind his back. After his experiences with the professor and listening to his classmate's punishment just now, he knew what was coming, but he also knew that fighting it would only make it worse. Anyway, he hated the disapproval that furrowed Byleth's brow, and he was ready to submit to his professor's discipline.

"Drop your trousers and bend over," Byleth nodded towards the chair with a command that had become all too familiar to Claude, who obediently followed the instructions with a little pout.

Picking the crop up once again, Byleth followed his custom of pronouncing the discipline he was about to deliver so the one receiving it could know what to expect, "You're getting fifteen strokes for fighting with your classmate and causing a mess in the dining hall."

Claude already knew the number after hearing Dimitri's punishment, and he nodded mutely at the announcement. A moment later, a swift whiz and crack brought a little yip flying from his mouth as the first stripe burned across his exposed skin. There was just no way to prepare oneself for the sting of that first swat. It seemed to catch him off guard every time, no matter how ready he thought he was.

The proceeding strokes fell in a slow but steady cadence that gave him just enough time to feel the sting of one stripe settle into his skin before the next one landed. Not even attempting to maintain any kind stoic cover, Claude squirmed and cried throughout the whipping but managed to hold tight to the chair and keep himself in position. He silently counted the strokes as they fell, and when the last one finally resounded, he collapsed against the wooden frame with a defeated sob.

"Sorry… 'm sorry, Teach…"

Byleth set the crop aside again and came to rest his hand lightly against his student's back, "What are you sorry for, Claude?"

"For-For starting a fight with Dimitri, and… and for making such a mess…"

"Good," Byleth ran his hand along Claude's back. The stubborn boy had finally admitted to being the one who had started the fight. Byleth had suspected that from the beginning. In the end, though, it did not really matter: what he had said earlier about them both being equally responsible still held true.

Once Claude began to catch his breath, Byleth patted his back gently and murmured, "Alright, up you get."

Carefully, Claude pushed himself up and righted his clothing. He turned and glanced up at Byleth with a little sniffle, head still tilted downward.

"You're okay," Byleth soothed, placing his hand on the side of Claude's face, then running it gently back through his hair. Claude leaned into the touch with drooping eyes.

A moment later, Byleth turned back to the corner where he had left his other pouting student and called "Dimitri, come here."

Dimitri, who had been fidgeting in the corner with his forehead resting against the wall, turned and made his way over to stand beside his classmate. The two boys cast hesitant glances at each other, but stayed silent, waiting for their professor to speak first.

"I hope you both know by now that your behavior today was completely unacceptable," Byleth waited for the enthusiastic nods from both students before continuing, "But can one of you tell me why it was so wrong?"

They glanced at each other again, and Claude offered, "Um… because it was disruptive and we made a huge mess, and… it was disrespectful to the people who take care of that space?"

Byleth nodded slowly, "That's a pretty good answer; you're right on all points. I'm looking for something else, though."

Claude looked to Dimitri for backup, but Dimitri just shook his head, at a loss.

"You two are on the same side," there was a hint of exasperation in Byleth's tone, "You're supposed to be fighting together, not against each other. Trust between allies is essential; save the conflict for the battlefield."

"Yes sir," both boys murmured and hung their heads.

"Alright, talk it out and apologize."

They turned towards each other, slowly raising their eyes until their gazes met. The animosity from earlier had dissipated, replaced by a sense of camaraderie after being punished together.

Claude was the first to speak, his voice still touched by a subtle tremor, "Dimitri, I… I'm sorry for what I said, and for… just… being a jerk to you…"

"I… I owe you an apology too, Claude," Dimitri responded after a moment of hesitation, "I said things I shouldn't have as well, and I certainly should not have hit you. I'm sorry."

"Friends again?" Claude cast a hopeful little smile up at his classmate.

"Of course. Let's put it behind us." Dimitri returned the smile and brought his hand to Claude's shoulder; a gesture that Claude happily mirrored.

Satisfied that his students were reconciled and ready to move on, Byleth addressed them both once more, "I trust the only fighting between you two will be on the training grounds, yes?"

"Yes sir!" Claude responded, grinning. With the bond between the two of them restored, both he and Dimitri felt a weight had been lifted from them, and there was a hint of relief in Dimitri's tone as he answered.

"Yes sir."

Not only had his friendship with Claude returned to its norma state, but Dimitri also felt an attachment to this young, stern professor beginning to form. Perhaps it was a strange way to feel after this same professor had just flipped him over a chair and whipped his ass, but he could not deny the warmth that swelled in his chest when Byleth set his hand on his shoulder and gave him and Claude what seemed very close to an approving smile.

"Good. We have a training session in an hour; you're both free to go until then."

As the two chastened students left the professor's office together, Dimitri sighed out a deep, cleansing breath and rubbed at his aching backside, ignoring the knowing smirk that Claude cast his way. One thing was certain: he would have to be more careful not to get on Professor Byleth's bad side again.