Chapter Five: The Truth Shall Set Us Free

Dick looked out the window like he was seeking for a plan to escape. He knew he had screwed up badly and he didn't know how to answer Barry's question without getting his best friend in trouble. Maybe he could say that only him and Roy had made themselves fake IDs. Actually, that sounded pretty much like a good lie, he was about to speak out but Wally interrupted his line of thought.

"Just tell him the truth."

"Huh?"

Wally rolled his eyes. "It's gonna be fine. Tell him what happened, it's ok."

"But…"

Barry glanced over at his nephew and Dick for a few seconds, not understanding very well what they were talking about and unsure he liked where this conversation was heading.

Wally answered in a friendly tone. "Man, I'm not mad, and it's ok, seriously… I… The worst that can happen is that he grounds me, but even if he takes that decision, it's ok. He deserves to know, so are you gonna tell or am I telling?"

Dick shrugged. He sighed before answering. "I… Bruce taught me how to make fake Ids… He didn't do it with the intention for me to use what I learned to commit crimes, but 'cause sometimes we could need to go undercover on a mission. He was always very clear about the fact he taught me these types of things in order to combat crime. But… I wanted to practice and for some reason I kinda thought was a good idea to make fake IDs for the whole team. The idea wasn't to use them though, I knew there was a high chance someone of the JLA would find out and we'd be in big trouble."

"And I never used it, uncle Barry, I'm sorry. I know that I should have just told Dick not to do it, but in that moment… I kinda didn't give it much importance; I guess I kinda thought it wasn't such a big deal since I was never really planning to use it," Wally said in apologetic tone of voice.

"Fake IDs? All of you made fake IDs?" Barry asked, feeling overwhelmed.

Wally winced. Hearing his uncle yelling wasn't a very good thing. "I'm really sorry, I swear… I"

"Later," Barry brusquely cut him off.

"What?" Wally asked a little confused.

Barry sighed, feeling quite tired. "I don't want to hear any apologies or excuses right now, I'm exhausted… And I just don't get why you… It isn't like you to lie to me." Barry was very serious.

"I didn't lie to you, I… I just didn't tell you about it until now."

"A lie by omission is a still a lie, you know better," the older man stated.

The air got tense after that and neither Wally nor Dick dared to say a word.

A few hours went by until Barry pulled over in front of a shop a gas station.

"I'm gonna buy something to eat and fill up the tank. Do any of you want me to buy anything in particular?" Both of them shook their heads. "Okay, I'm not angry, but… a lot has happened tonight, and I need some time to process so I'd be very thankful if you could just stop throwing me nervous glances… You can go to the bathroom if you feel like it."

"Barry, I…" Dick felt like he should apologize, too. "Y'know, I'm sorry over what happened too, right?…"

"Yeah, kiddo, I know… Don't worry about it… It's gonna be alright." Barry got out of the car.

The boys stayed alone in the car.

"Dick… I… I know that you want to return home. And I wish I knew what I'm supposed to say to help you. I didn't know Bruce was so harsh with you…. I mean, I guess I always kinda imagined he was strict, but…"

"You're all acting like Bruce beat me 24/7, and that's not the case. I deserved it. I mean I almost punched him, why can't any of you understand…?"

"Caused we see that as an act of self defense…"

"Self defense? C'mon, Wally. I wasn't really afraid that Bruce would hurt me, I was just trying to protect my pride."

"Yeah, but he still hit you."

Dick rolled his eyes. "And I guess that you see it the same way as your uncle, don't you? What should he have done? Just give me a pat on the back and tell me I didn't mess up?"

"No… but spanking? Couldn't he… I dunno… He's the grown-up, I dunno, why couldn't he handle it in a more mature manner?"

"He… Y'know what? Forget it, it isn't like you're gonna understand it, anyway."

They stayed silent after that until Barry returned with the groceries. He put them in the back and got inside the car. He started the car again.

"Barry, my actions that day, I was mistaken. I shouldn't have drunk alcohol or smoked weed or made fake IDs, not to mention I cursed Bruce and even tried to hit him," Dick tried to argue once more.

"You were embarrassed, and he shouldn't have…."

"And I was out of my mind to do the things I did."

"No one should hit you, not matter what you did."

"Will you hear me out for once? Yes, I was embarrassed, but I know better. Bruce, he doesn't punish me 'cause he enjoys it, he does it to teach me a lesson. He's like a father to me; he has every right to do that. I tried to pull the owl over him. I admit there was some peer pressure from Roy, but I… He didn't put a gun to my head, I could've said no…" Dick looked aside, reflecting on his past mistakes. He smiled sadly. "I've to admit I wasn't thinking that I was kidding myself if I thought that I could get away with so much. I made mistakes, but I should've owned up to my mistakes a little sooner that night. I had no right to be so angry with Bruce only because I was embarrassed. I could've talked things over with him calmer. If I had, I'm sure he would've gone easier on me. And trying to hit him was totally out of place. Yes my ego was hurt, but that's no excuse." Dick took a pause. "You have your methods of handling bad behavior, he has his. It is a free country, he has right to parent me like he believes, doesn't he?"

"Dick, you shouldn't be afraid of someone bigger and stronger than you hitting you 'cause you made a couples of mistakes…."

"No, Bruce doesn't hit me. He spanks me. It's not exactly the same, I know you said he abuses me, but... I don't feel abused and I feel safe around him, okay? And I've been thinking about our earlier conversation: I wasn't being biased, I was upset. There's a difference. Different things work best for different kids. I can be stubborn like a mule sometimes, and I don't always see the errors of my ways so easily. He never slapped or hit my face or did anything inappropriate. I know he isn't gonna truly hurt me, and he doesn't always spank me when I mess up, only when I'm way out of line and I deserve it. I hate it, but I have to admit that it works, and it helps with the guilt. It's a way to clear the slate faster than grounding. And I screwed up big time; I understand why he was upset with me. And I'm okay with whatever he thinks he has to do to bring me back in line."

"I… Look, we'll agree to disagree for now, okay? I don't feel comfortable with any of this, kid, I… I protect people, I'm a hero, I don't look the other way and I… I know he's your dad, but I just don't agree with his method to punish you."

"So that's the only answer I'm gonna get from you? You aren't gonna try to see things from Bruce's point of view even a bit?"

"Dick…"

"No… Y'know what? I dunno why I even bother trying to argue with you."

Knowing the teenager was upset with him, Barry waited a while before he decided to ask the next question.

"How much is Alfred involved in this?"

"What?" Dick asked, startled.

"Well, he obviously knows that it happens, I mean, has he ever….?"

"No! Alfie has never done anything to me!" Barry looked at him suspiciously. "Look. I swear, okay? Alfie has never laid a hand on me. He doesn't totally agree with Bruce's discipline, but I guess that he respects Bruce too much to try over step his boundaries."

"Okay, I believe you, but he does know, right?"

"Yeah, but…"

"Dick, Alfred is an adult, if he does know how come he never interfered? Does he really stand aside when this happens?"

"No!" Dick stated, putting himself in a defensive mode. "I… Look, Alfie has nothing to do with this, okay? This is between Bruce and me, and… Alfie, he… I guess that he's not the biggest fan of spanking. They don't always see things eye to eye, you have no idea how many times he has intervened on my behalf. I mean, even when Bruce only grounds me, Alfie makes excuses for my behavior. He's really great. The only times he hasn't intervened were when I really screwed up. Okay? Alfie respects Bruce's authority over me, why can't you let him out of this?"

"'Cause, he is involved even if he isn't an active part of the issue, don't you see how this is a problem?"

"No, I can't believe you're judging him! Spankings are legal in Gotham, what was he supposed to do?"

"Alfred isn't only Bruce's butler, he has influence over what happens in that house. You can excuse him all you want, but I still believe he could have done more in order to protect you."

Dick glared Barry. "You may be the Flash, and once a former member of the JLA, but I'm really disappointed that you would… Man, I'm not gonna say what I'm thinking 'cause Wally is present, but I really can't stand you right now!" the young teen snapped, turning to look outside the window. He was trying to not to engage in a endless argument.

Barry didn't address Dick's answer and asked himself if maybe he was being too harsh judging Alfred's actions? He didn't have an answer to that question at that moment, so he decided to let it go for now.

"Didn't you say earlier that Oliver threatened to call child services if Bruce didn't tell the truth to Clark?"

"Yeah, so?" Dick was still pissed off, but he answered, anyway.

"I'm just surprised, if this is a legal punishment, why didn't Bruce just let Oliver call? He would have better chances with child services than with us. He knew that, why didn't he…?"

"I dunno why…" Dick admitted. He had asked himself the same question earlier, but he had to admit to himself that he didn't want to dwell on the possible answer that he had come up with to that the question, that there was a possibility that maybe Bruce just didn't want him around and he might have found the perfect opportunity to get rid of him. "I dunno, maybe he thought it didn't matter what child service's opinion on this matter would be, that all of you were never gonna let this go, so there was not point to get them involved and I guess that maybe there was a possibility that this gets to the media. Bruce knows how embarrassing all this is for me, maybe he didn't want to risk for our private life to get on the news." Dick tried to make himself believe that, to find some comfort in his own words.

After that they stayed in silence for several minutes in silence, until another thought crossed Dick's mind.

Dick scowled. "This is not fair."

"What's not fair?"

"All of you. I mean Clark, Oliver and you are judging Bruce and Alfred, and it's not like the JLA is full of perfect mentors or like they got any real consequences for their actions. I mean, let's take Oliver and Roy's case for a second. Oliver practically abandoned Roy when he was sixteen. He ignored him when Roy was going through a rough time in his life. There were months he didn't even call him to check how he was doing. I mean, talk about negligence there, no wonder Roy ended doing drugs."

"Dick, I'm not going to defend Oliver's actions or say he wasn't mistaken, cause he was. But what happened between Roy and Oliver is so much different than what happened between you and Bruce. And his actions did have consequences that I'm sure Oliver is gonna regret his whole life. Roy up ended doing heroin, he could've died. Oliver could have lost his only son. Believe me that is more than enough consequence."

A part of Dick wanted so badly to tell Barry that Oliver had punched Roy when he found out Roy was doing heroin, but he held himself back. That was something Roy had told them in confidence and he wasn't going to do the same that Roy had done. "Okay, let's not talk about them. But then what about Garth and Arthur?"

"What about them?"

Dick scoffed. "Don't give me that crap, everyone in this car knows what's wrong with them. Arthur acts most of the time like Garth doesn't exist; he doesn't even look at him, or talk the few times the JLA had to work with the Titans to save the world. Arthur even tried to kill him, for Christ's sake! And he has the gall to act like he should be the one who's offend, all cause Garth was sensible enough to not want to go with him after the bad guy right after this event. I dunno what Arthur was expecting Garth to answer. And no one has said a word to Arthur about this…."

"Dick." Barry's serious voice cut him off. He knew exactly what Dick was talking about. It was the big elephant in the room that all of them tried to ignore because the loss of a baby and especially under the circumstances back then was a tragic event. "Arthur lost his son and his marriage. I'm not going to justify Arthur's actions, 'cause honestly, I believe he was wrong, but he was put in an impossible situation where he had to decide between Garth's life or that of his own son. I'm not saying he made the right decision when he attacked Garth, but all of us know that he didn't really want to kill Garth, and in the end he didn't kill him. And as for consequences, like I said, he lost his own son, I don't wish that kind of pain even to my worst enemy…"

"So everyone gets a free pass but Bruce?"

"No, that's not why I'm saying… Look, I know what you're saying, and I'll talk with Arthur, but honestly they almost don't have a relationship anymore. The chances that something similar happens again are almost impossible, and Garth and Arthur's situation is also very different."

Dick almost shouted to Barry that Arthur had spanked Garth too in the past, but he knew better than to do that. Garth had told him that in private many years ago, and he had also told Arthur had stopped spanking him years ago because he considered Garth was too old. Garth wasn't in any real danger, so Dick knew he wouldn't be a good friend if he dared to say something about that.

"Yeah? Whatever, it sounds like a pathetic excuse for me." Dick was more than fed up with this conversation.

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence curiosity got the best of Wally. "So you said that only happened a few times, how many times? Care to tell what got your ass busted the other times?"

"Wally! You don't have to tell anything you don't want." Barry rushed to say the truth was that he had been thinking about asking Dick the same question, but he didn't want to pressure him. And he didn't believe this was the right time to ask Dick.

"But, it might help you forgive him?"

"No, while it might help me to understand a little better, nothing you said could help me forgive him."

Dick heard him but a part of him wanted to believe that if he understood, maybe with time he would forgive him eventually. "It was only four times counting the pool. The first times were over the same reason, I ran away when I was nine and eleven, but for different reasons. When I was nine, the police wasn't catching Zucco, and I didn't know that Bruce was Batman yet, so I was getting frustrated. I decided to go alone to Crime Alley to see if I could find any clues. It didn't turn out that well for me, and Batman saved my life that night. The other time, it was the anniversary of my parents' death. I wanted to go visit them, but Alfie and Bruce, they forgot, they just were so stressed and I didn't want to be another inconvenience, so I decided to sneak out and go the cemetery alone. I thought that maybe I'd be back before anyone knew. When I got home I was really in bad mood, I didn't explain Bruce where I was or what I was doing until after the punishment had happened. So that's it."

"You said there were four. "Barry mentioned. "Is there any reason why you don't to tell about the third time? Was Bruce extremely harsh?"

"No, Bruce wasn't extremely harsh, I just dunno if I can tell you about the third time," Dick said eying his friend.

Barry caught that. "Wally got you in trouble?"

"Wally didn't get me in trouble, we got in trouble together, I made my own decisions."

"What are you talking about?"

"Did you ever tell him about the car incident? I mean it was my idea, but… we both fucked up big back then."

Wally took a couple of seconds to remember what Dick was talking about. "Oh that, it might have slipped my mind."

"What slipped your mind?" Barry asked in a stern voice.

"It was four years ago, it isn't really that important, but if I tell you, you have to promise you won't be upset with Wally."

"Are you two worried of getting into trouble with me?"

"Uh-uh, yes."

It was Barry's turn to rolled his eyes. "Whatever it was, it happened four years ago, you two are fine. I doubt very much I would be angry."

"Oh, just tell him. The most I will get is yelled at or grounded."

"If I tell you promise me you're not grounding Wally."

"What?"

"Please!"

"Alright, I promise I'm not grounding Wally, now if one of you would just tell me what happened?"

Flashback.

"Are you sure wanna do this?" A young thirteen year old Kid Flash asked his friend.

"Yeah, I mean, it's the Batmobile, don't tell me you aren't dying to take this beauty for a ride?" Robin asked his friend.

"Yeah, but what if they find out? Aren't they gonna be mad?" the young speedster asked, worrying over the consequences.

"So? C'mon, we'll only take it for a spin, it isn't like we are gonna crash it or anything… I know how to drive, it's gonna be fine. They might not even notice."

"Yeah, but…" the boy started trying to be the voice of reason again.

"Wally, I swear nothing bad is gonna happen, and even if it did, I'd take full responsibility, ok?" Dick told his friend, trying to plead his case. "Please…"

Wally wasn't sure why, maybe it was because his friend was usually very responsible or maybe because he looked like he really wanted this for some reason, but he went ahead and agreed with him.

End of the flashback.

"You're grounded."

"But you said…"

"I know what I said, I don't care! You both drove a car when you were only thirteen! Do you have any idea what would have happened if by any chance you got in an accident?! … I thought that maybe you just scratched once of Bruce's car or something like that. And to top it all you lied to me for four years."

"I tried telling you at first, but… I guess I got cold feet and I… I'm truly sorry." Wally wasn't sure what else to say.

"You promised me that you weren't grounding him," Dick interrupted.

"That's before I know what you did. I never would have imagined you two did something that stupid. Are you seriously going to argue with me that Wally doesn't deserve to be grounded?"

Dick was in fact about to argue, but Wally interrupted him. "It's okay, Dick, you don't have to feel bad about it. I don't like being grounded, but I know what I got myself into, it's okay, really."

Dick didn't like that very much, but he decided not to keep arguing.

"Anyway, you can't really be upset with Bruce 'cause of that one in particular."

"And why is that?"

"'Cause… 'cause… I asked him, okay?"

"You what?" Barry asked, startled.

"It's not like I'm some kind of masochist, it's just that…." Dick sighed. "I guess it's better if I explain."

Flashback…

Bruce and Dick were having a calm conversation in Dick's room a few days after the incident. Wally had already headed home.

"I can't believe it, I left you with your friend alone for a few hours and you go and do this… All of you knew…." He shook his head, totally baffled about the situation. "You're supposed to be smarter than this, Richard. We already had a similar discussion back when you were twelve, a year ago, remember? When you went and decided to go rescue me from the Joker and I was hurt. I clearly ordered you to stay at home, but you decided you know better, didn't you? You almost got killed that night! I was lenient with you back then, I thought you learned your lesson. But we're back with a similar problem..." Bruce pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to stay calm. "I just don't know what to do with you anymore."

Dick remembered what Bruce was talking about, but he thought they were very different scenarios. "Bruce, I do remember, and you weren't exactly lenient, you grounded me for two weeks and smacked my behind, I wouldn't call that lenient. And, I'm totally sorry for what happened, but I didn't do it for the fun… I know what we do is risky, but I was really worried something might happen to you." Dick took a big breath before his next words. "But I never meant anything bad to happen. I just… what was I supposed to do that night?" Dick asked, raising his voice, almost yelling.

"Watch it," Bruce warned because Dick had raised his tone of voice. "And I gave you five swats 'cause back then you were giving me an attitude when we got back home. They were warning swats, they don't count like a real spanking and you know it. That's why I'm saying I was lenient. And regarding what you were supposed to do? Did it ever occur to you I was the adult, I have years handling situations like that. I know exactly how to operate in that kind of situation."

"Are you suggesting I should have just laid back and done nothing back then?" Dick asked, not feeling comfortable. If there was something the thirteen year old boy knew, it was loyalty. He wasn't about to just stand and wait until everything magically turned out fine.

Bruce took a hold of the young boy's chin and looked directly into Dick's eyes because he wanted the boy to pay close attention to him. "I'm telling you you should obey my orders. I understand you might worry over me, but I know better, okay? I might be asking a lot of you, but you're supposed to listen to me," Bruce scolded. " And, coming back to the matter at hand, I told you you were always supposed to be the voice of reason. You're the team leader, and I know that you weren't a team at that moment, but those boys, they listen to you, they respect you even if sometimes it doesn't seem like that is the case, and you have more responsibility than other kids about what happens. I'm sorry but it's just the way it is. Now, I know that you'll put your life on the line for your friends. If there is something I admire about you, Dick, it is your loyalty. But I believe that maybe I should call Barry and... I don't know, if you are not capable of thinking things ahead… Maybe we should disband your team. I mean if you're a bad influence for each other…"

"Dad! Bruce, no. Please, I'm sorry! But, c'mon, it was my idea, but my responsibility alone and it will never happen again! Please don't take away the only friends I have only 'cause I made a stupid mistake."

"Richard, we already live dangerous lives as heroes and we've talked about your safety before, you cannot afford to put your life at risk more than it already is. I'm serious about this, your life is too precious to me, so I need you to promise me this, okay? No more dangerous stunts. I know you don't have many friends at school, and that you should have friend of your age. Do you think you can promise me that? I need reassurance that you'll stay safe."

Dick nodded eagerly.

"Okay, I'm not going to disband your team this time. I don't really believe everyone should pay only 'cause Wally and you made a mistake, but I'm warning you, little boy, there's only a few chances before I run out of patience so you better get your act together. And to be honest, it doesn't help me to be more confident that you'll try to not put yourself in unnecessary danger ever again."

"Well there's something we can do, or rather that you can do, only to be sure nothing like that is ever likely to happen again," Dick said with a wince, looking to floor. He hated himself for what he was about to suggest to do.

"And what is that?" Bruce asked.

"I… You… Remember you promised something if I ever put my life at risk being Robin again? You said it was the only time you were gonna be lenient with me, that next time I ever put myself in danger, you'll give me a spanking for me to learn my lesson. That I ought to learn better and I just can't do these kinds of things."

"Richard, that…" Bruce started to object.

Dick cut him off. "Bruce, I know that you hate spanking me, and to be honest I hate it, too, whenever it happens. But it's time we stop fooling ourselves, we both know I earned it and I deserve it. I made… a huge mistake, and you can't just let it go without repercussions for my have to do something so I don't forget this, and as much I don't like you to do it, spanking is good enough deterrent for me not to repeat the same mistakes again. I'm really sorry for everything, so if you have to punish me in order for this not to ever happen again, I understand it. And it's okay, really. I know that you don't want to punish me 'cause you believe you might be being unfair with me. But not really, like you said, Wally listens to me, he respects me. And I know you'll punish me for my mistakes only."

"I should call Barry to let him know what happened," Bruce admitted, wanting to avoid the subject of punishment for the moment.

"No," Dick objected strongly. "You said he was responsible to tell the truth to Barry, can we leave it at that? 'Sides, if you do call, you'll get Wally in trouble. And he didn't do anything wrong, nothing that happened is his fault."

"Dick, you know that I think that you care for your friend is great. But Wally made his own mistakes. He went along with this foolish idea, too, and I know that he has less responsibilities than you, but he could've tried to argue harder, too. I'm not sure he would've succeed but he could've tried. And we both know the likelihood he'd actually do as I order him. I'm sorry, but don't you think it's better if Barry finds out now than if maybe he finds out later by accident? 'Sides, I know Barry, he's a big softie. I'm sure your friend won't be in much trouble if I tell him the truth. I bet that in the worst case scenario, he'll ground Wally for a week. He's not going to get punished in the same way that you do."

"But you dunno that for sure, right? I mean… it's not like you and Barry ever discuss methods of punishment together or anything like that? 'Sides, I really don't believe this is Wally's fault at all, he went along 'cause I did it first, so it's my mistake really."

Bruce chuckled. "No, I don't know that for sure, and Barry and I have never discussed methods of punishment together or anything like that, but…"

"Then can we please let Wally off the hook this time? Please! I'd seriously hate to get him in trouble for something that is mostly my fault. This has always been between you and me, can we keep it like that?"

Bruce looked unsure about this, but after a few seconds, he made up his mind.

"Do you really believe I wouldn't be unfair to you if I don't tell Barry anything about what happened?"

Dick shook his head.

Bruce sighed. "Okay, in that case, I'm going to need the hairbrush."

Dick couldn't help but balk at that order and shook his head. "Awww. Is that really necessary?" the boy whined, looking to the floor. Bruce had only used the brush once when he was eleven, and though it had been two years already since then, Dick was sure he remembered that this wasn't a pleasant experience. But Dick could understand why Bruce had used the brush back then, he had been really disrespectful to Bruce by back talking, cursing, biting his hand while he was washing his mouth with soap and arguing with Bruce every moment through the spanking. However, this time, Dick had been respectful to Bruce and he had even suggested the spanking. Therefore, it seemed more than a little unfair to him that Bruce opted for using the brush when his hand was painful enough, Dick could attest to that.

"You putting your life at unnecessary risk is a repeated offense from your part, and to be honest, Richard. I'm tired of it. You know it's one of the most important rules, and yet you still broke it. And I was far too lenient with you the last time. So, yes, it's really necessary. Now go and get the hairbrush unless you're looking for sterner consequences from me."

To this threat, Dick's quick response was to go grab the brush from the table and come back where his father was seated waiting for him. He handed it over to him.

Bruce grabbed it and set it on the bed in order to use it later.

He patted his lap. "You know the drill."

At this moment, Dick hated himself for suggesting this kind of punishment, but a small part of him was resolved to endure it. So without argument from his part, he went to position himself over the older man's lap, but Bruce's hand quickly halted his movements and Dick looked up with a questioning gaze.

"Richard, I know we haven't gone down this road many times, and it's already been two years since your last spanking, but a spanking is always delivered on a bare bottom."

"Yeah… but I'm thirteen now, and c'me on, Bruce, you're already gonna use the hairbrush. Can I please keep my pants up this time? I swear I'm really sorry," Dick pleaded, not willing to lose the small amount of protection his clothes could offer to his butt.

Bruce glared at him. In a much sterner voice, he said, "No, you can't keep your pants up. I don't care how sorry you might be about the whole incident, the point here is that this is not the first time you've put your life at unnecessary risk, and I'm not willing to let this go without severe consequences this time. I don't enjoy causing you pain, but I'm inclined to spank you to teach you a lesson and keep you safe. And you're right, you're thirteen, young man. So you better shape up and start being more cooperative or we're going to start having bigger issues."

Dick knew better than to keep complaining at this moment and with shaking fingers, he unfastened his trousers. He pushed them down and let them fall to the floor.

It seemed like Bruce took this as his cue to act. He grabbed Dick's wrist and with a gentle tug, the young boy was pulled over his lap. Dick wriggled around, trying to find a comfortable position, but immediately froze in place when he felt his underwear being taken down. This was so embarrassing.

Bruce wrapped his arm around Dick's waist, pulling him tighter against his hip, and started spanking. He easily fell into a rhythm heating up Dick's bottom. To the sudden pain, Dick bit down on his tongue in order to prevent himself from voicing his discomfort out loud. He knew from previous spankings there was little to none chance that he would be able to take the punishment without crying, but Dick was resolved to try. In his mind, he wasn't a kid any longer and he was hero, he had been exposed to physical pain plenty of times. He had been beaten, stabbed, shot and tortured both physically and mentally on the line of duty more times than he cared to remember. And in all these situations, Dick had never cried. He had been able to tough it out, so he didn't know why it should be any different in this situation.

Without missing a beat after a few smacks, Bruce decided to start lecture. "Why are you getting this spanking? What are you supposed to learn from it?"

The kid groaned, hating this part of punishment. He was already having a hard time fighting his reactions and avoiding to express the soreness that he was feeling in his butt. And in addition to that, was he really supposed to answer Bruce? Dick certainly didn't agree, but he knew better than to sass or back talk his father figure in this situation.

"I… did something stupid and put my life and my friends' lives at unnecessary risk. I'm always supposed to be the voice of reason," Dick managed to said in a rush.

Bruce put a little more strength into his swats. "This is third time, the third time I had to spank you for putting your life in danger, and I guess if we go ahead and count the time you put your life in danger back when you were twelve, then it's the fourth time this has happened. Do you understand the severity of your mistakes?"

Dick could feel his bottom starting to throb. Bruce's hand was really painful, and he felt a little of his resolve faltering to the increase of discomfort. But he told himself mentally that he couldn't give in, not matter how much he was hurting, he was supposed to endure this punishment with some kind of dignity. After all, at this point, it was the only thing he had left. He wasn't such a pathetic, weak, childish, cowardly baby.

"Yes sir. I'm sorry, sir," Dick grunted out softly, clenching his teeth.

Bruce's only response was a dose of heavier swats directed to his sit spots and thighs that caused the teenager to tighten his fists and to try to twist away from the pain. But Bruce's strong grip secured him in place, not leaving much room to move. It didn't matter how much Dick wanted this punishment to end, they were a still a far way to be finished.

The older man paused a second to grab the brush and settled it over Dick's bottom in order for the boy to know what was coming. "Richard, before we go along with the rest of this spanking, I need to be sure you understand and remember a couple of things. We talked about it two years ago. Back when you were eleven, after your spanking was over, we had a very important talk. Do you remember what was it about?"

Dick tried to remember, he really thought about it, but he couldn't recall the memory and cursed himself. Giving a negative response to Bruce about his question would surely not gain him any good points. But there was nothing he could do about I. The truth was somehow the right answer in this case. So he shook his head. "No, sir. I'm trying but… I'm honestly sorry, sir," Dick answered with sincerity.

Bruce caressed his back. "It´s okay. I'm not upset that you don't remember. That's not what I meant… Anyway, luckily enough, I remember well enough for both of us. After the spanking was over and you managed to calm down, you apologized to me for crying. You said something along the lines of that you didn't take your punishment well enough, so not only were you sorry for being a brat, you were sorry for not being man enough and sobbing. But I disagreed with you, and told you there was nothing wrong with crying from a spanking. I told you that there were two factors why you cried. One is the physical pain…"

"But that makes no sense!" Dick snapped before he could realize why it wasn't a good idea to cut off his mentor in that moment.

Bruce whisked the hairbrush away only to return, landing heavily on Dick's sit spots five times.

The boy hadn't exactly expected that, taking notice of his mistake way too late. He couldn't help but whimper at the pain.

"I wasn't finished talking. I know what you're going to say, we already had this conversation. So you're going to listen to me and remain quiet until I'm done telling you about this memory unless I give you direct permission to talk or I ask you a question. Do you understand me? Are we on the same page?"

"Yes, sir, sorry," Dick replied softly, feeling pity for himself. As much as he thought that Bruce wouldn't spank him during this part of the punishment because he probably wanted him to pay attention to his words, he didn't feel much relief about the pause. Having a pause in the middle of the whole thing meant this was going to last longer than he felt comfortable.

"Good. So like I was saying, one, there is the physical pain, but during a spanking there is also emotional pain. You don't only feel guilt and regret for your mistakes, that's why you're so apologetic about the whole thing. You want to make amends, you hate to disappoint me, you told me that once… but also in addition you feel vulnerable and humiliated by the whole ordeal. There's a reasons why I use this kind of punishment. I know how much you hate me treating like you a little kid. You'll do everything in your power to avoid me having reasons to spank you again. It works. You need to cry, chum… And I'm not saying this to be cruel or because I enjoy to cause you pain, 'cause trust me I don't… but the reality is that if you shut yourself down, you won't allow yourself to heal. There is no good in allowing you to keep these emotions locked up, and I can't finish unless you cry and to some level stop physically struggling in a vain attempt to tough it out. I know this hurts, but I have no intentions to truly harm you. That's why I'm telling you all this, 'cause I want you to remember that crying is okay. Especially in this situation. It doesn't make you weak or any less of a man. I want this to be over as quickly as possible, but for that I need you to stop being stubborn about the whole thing. In addition to all this, I'm sure you were going to mention that you're a hero and that you don't cry in battle, so why should this situation be any different is probably what you're asking yourself, right?"

Dick hated having to hear all this. It was all true, but he didn't want to face reality. But he knew there was not escape, no possibility to deny it, so he might as well get it over with. "Yes, sir," the boy forced himself to reluctantly answer.

"In a battle you're worried about other things. You're worried about how to make it out of there alive. You don't feel the same way like when you're being punished, you don't feel the same emotional pain in any way. And…"

"And in addition to that I don't feel adrenaline shooting through my body that allows me to withstand pain, there's nothing life threatening to fear. So my body doesn't prepare to fight or anything similar. I… a part of me wants to give in because I know it would be the right thing, but to be honest, as much effort as you put in logically explaining it, I don't feel comfortable with the whole idea. I'm not sure I can do it," Dick admitted, forgetting for a second that he wasn't allowed to talk, though Bruce never reprimanded him about that.

Instead, he replied, "Well, I'm proud you remembered at least some of my words, even if you did it at a last moment. It shows you pay attention to what I said, that you're already learning a lesson. Sadly, we're still far from finished, and trust me, Richard, you'll be in tears before this whole ordeal has ended. And I think it's the right moment to start again."

Hard swats started to land all over Dick's bottom. They went from its upper half to his sit spots and thighs. Dick shut his eyes, buried his head in his folded arms and bit his lips. He didn't really want to cry. He hated himself for feeling the tears prickling in his eyes, but he couldn't avoid focusing on his words and Bruce's at the moment. It didn't matter how much he tried to remember the techniques Batman had taught him to withstand pain, he found he couldn't force himself to concentrate on them.

His whole butt felt engulfed in a burning throbbing sensation, the hairbrush was so much worse than Bruce's hand. And his parent's hand had been painful enough. As much as Dick hated it, he couldn't help to plead, he wanted it to be over.

"Aooowwww, Dad, please, that hurts. And… Ouch! I get the point… Please… Owwww, please stop!" Dick squirmed and kicked his legs, failing miserably in a pointless attempt to get out of Bruce's grip.

"I'll stop when I'm sure you have learned your lesson. You don't call the shots here nor you get to decide when your punishment is over. Now tell me again, why are you getting this spanking, what is never supposed to happen again?"

"Aooowwww, but it really hurts!"

"I believe you, but a spanking is supposed to hurt, now answer me. Trust me, little boy, this can get a lot worse if you don't answer me." To emphasize this point, Bruce directed slightly heavier smacks to his sit spots.

But on an already battered rear, the boy could hardly notice the difference. Dick couldn't see how, but he was sure he didn't want to find out. "Aooowwww, please… I…" Dick couldn't help but remain silent for few seconds when he felt himself starting to finally let some tears escape his eyes. It was happening. God, I'm such a wimp… "I'm never supposed to put my life at unnecessary risk. Awwww… I get it, sir. I swear I learned my lesson. I'm sorry!"

"That's good to hear, because I seriously hope that to be true and this to be your last spanking. Don't disappoint me again. If you put yourself at such unnecessary risk again, this spanking will feel like a walk in the park in comparison. Do you understand me? "

"Yes!"

"Great. And Richard. I want to be clear about something else. Sometimes, it's hard to make the right decisions in life, but I trust you enough to start to learn making them." The swats started to fall again on his ass, but Bruce didn't lecture any further.

And at this point, Dick was freely crying, but he was still struggling to climb off Bruce's lap. He couldn't avoid the feeling of loneliness that washed through him, not hearing the older man's voice.

"I'm sorry!" the kid wailed out between gasps. He went limp across his father's lap. Bruce gave one last smack and ended the spanking. He eased up the kid's underwear over his bottom.

Rubbing his back, Bruce said in a comforting voice, "Shhh, it is over, you're okay. I know it hurt, but you're going to be okay."

Dick was shaking with sobs. His ass was throbbing painfully which was the reason why it took him some time to realize that the spanking had stopped. Eventually, the boy managed to stop his crying, and Bruce helped to get him up.

The boy stood there, he was rubbing his eyes with his hands. With his head bowed down, he felt ashamed of his tears.

Bruce patted his back and tapped Dick's chin. The boy looked up, making eye contact. "Punishment is over, you know your slate is clear, you're forgiven, you know that, don't you?"

"Yes, sir," Dick softly replied.

"And enough with the 'sir' thing. I know you're only being polite and respectful, and I agree that to a certain extent it's qualified to be respectful whenever you're being reprimanded. But I'm only twenty five year old, and the term makes me feel old. Okay?"

Dick nodded. "Dad… I mean, Bruce… how long am I grounded?"

Bruce shook his head "Grounded? I believe the spanking by itself was punishment enough. You aren't grounded."

The young boy knitted his eyebrow in confusion. "I'm not? But …" Dick paused for a second, wondering if he should keep questioning his luck. He hadn't been grounded a lot of times by Bruce, but the few times that he had found himself in such predicament, they had been the most boring weeks ever in the young boy's life.

Bruce nodded. "No, you aren't. But this is a one time only concession, chum. If you ever put your life at risk in an unnecessary situation, I might not feel so generous."

"Thanks, dad… I… Y'know, I never meant to make you worry."

Bruce ruffled the young boy's hair. "I know. All is forgiven. I know you usually feel tired after a spanking, but it's early, and I know you didn't eat much breakfast this morning, and Alfred did mention something about him baking some cookies."

The boy knew that somehow this small offer of a treat was another way of Bruce expressing that everything was good again between them. He smiled shyly. "Well, jeans aren't my friends at the moment, but I guess could change into some sweat pants."

Flashback

Although Dick did dwell on his memories of that spanking, he only told Wally and Barry until the part before Bruce had told him he needed the hairbrush. He didn't want to mention anything about Bruce using tools or baring his bottom because he knew that Barry was upset about Bruce having spanked him. He didn't want to imagine how Barry would react if he knew the whole story.

"I never did… And I'm sorry, I know…"

"Dick... I want to be clear about something: I don't agree with Bruce spanking you. I don't believe he should have ever used that method to discipline you. But I do agree that Bruce kinda taught you the right lesson that night. To some extent, I do agree with Bruce about the whole thing, you shouldn't have put your life at unnecessary risk."

After a few miles of driving in silence after that, Barry thought it was a good moment to discuss the other matter at hand.

"There is something else I'd like to talk about. What was happening with Roy was dangerous. I know there wasn't a way to prevent things from getting so out of hand, and I'm not blaming anyone but Dick. You should have talked with us, the JLA might have been able to do something if all of us knew what was going on. I get that he's your friend and you obviously didn't want to tattle on him, but next time if something like that ever occurrs again, I'd like you to remember and consider confiding in us sooner."

"Roy isn't any longer my friend," Dick mumbled.

"What? C'mon, I know that he broke a promise to you, man, but he only did it 'cause he was worried, you said it yourself. And after what you just told us…" Wally protested.

"No, it isn't the same situation. They aren't even similar. I wasn't in danger of dying. Spankings hurt, but I'm a tough guy. I wasn't in any sort of danger."

"Dick, you're right in some aspects. You weren't in danger of dyin,g but you were in danger of getting hurt. I know that you don't want to hear it probably, but I believe Roy made the right decision telling Ollie the truth. I understand you might feel betrayed by him, and whether you forgive Roy is entirely up to you, but can you honestly say that if a friend of you was in danger, any type of danger, you would keep it to yourself? You might not want to see it this way, but Roy was trying to help you, even if you don't believe it. You were going to tell Bruce the truth about the cigarettes, weren't you?"

"What? No, I'm not stupid. I got away with it, and I quit. I wasn't gonna say anything about it. I never told Roy that…."

"But you feel guilty about the whole thing, you've written it all over your face. You can deny it all you want, but…"

"I'm sick and tired about talking about Roy, he's nothing but a liar hypocrite junkie. He ruined my life. Y'know, when I found out about the heroin, I was kinda upset with him. I mean, he always told me that smoking was harmful, like I was a stupid little kid that didn't know already, but later on I thought I understood why he did heroin. I figured I was kinda a jackass, 'cause I believe he cared about me, and I could see sometimes it's easier to harm yourself than seeing someone that you care harming themselves. Sometimes, you don't even see some actions as harming yourself. So I apologized to the damn idiot. But y'know after all this? I don't think he cares, he knew how much he would ruin my life. He's an asshole, but not even he's so naïve and stupid. I asked him one favor, only one, and after all those years of friendship, I thought he could understand. He's not getting the people he cares about most taken away his life. And I don't see how he helped me at all. Heck, you wanna tell me how I'm even gonna explain this to my team? I mean, they are gonna know that I moved to your house, and they gonna ask why. I dunno what lie to tell them, don't even know if I wanna lie. But I dunno if I can tell everyone the truth, I dunno what are they gonna think about me. Gar can be really immature sometimes…"

"Dick, nobody is gonna mock you or make fun of you, I already told you. Gar is immature sometimes, but he respects you. And he would be a real asshole if he did those things you're saying,. And I'd kick anyone's butt if they teased you for getting spanked. "

"You don't know that!" Dick snapped.

"Well, lucky enough, you're gonna have a few weeks to think about what to tell your team since you and Wally are grounded for a month."

"A month? Am I grounded? What did I do wrong recently?" Dick asked innocently.

"Well it might have been a few years since you took the Batmobile for a ride with Wally, and I know Bruce already spanked you for putting both of your lives in danger, but I'm gonna hold you accountable for talking him out of calling me. I should have been informed back then. And there's also the matter that of you making fake IDs for yourself and your friends, that includes my nephew. I know maybe I'm being tough, but I can't just let it go even if a long time has passed since you screwed up." Barry paused for a few seconds before adding, "Kid, I know I'm not your family and that I don't have real authority in your life. We haven't had much interaction apart from the few times the Titans and JLA have fought together to save the world, but if you're going to live in my house, we need to agree to a few common ground rules…."

"I get that, I respect you, Barry, even if it doesn't seem like that… I'm sorry for keeping the truth regarding those things. It won't happen again. I'm gonna respect the grounding. It's your house, your rules. But what about the goodbye meeting, do I really have to wait a month?"

"No, the grounding doesn't apply to that. You can go out to do that. 'sides, it'll be under my supervision, anyway. But, Dick, you're not gonna mention anything about you smoking to Bruce, okay?"

Dick rolled his eyes. "I don't really plan…." He paused for a second, considering that it was useless to convince Barry otherwise. "It's a goodbye meeting, I don't wish to upset him. My lips are sealed regarding that."

"That's good. We still have two hours before we arrive at home. I'm beat, and I bet you two, too. Lucky enough, we have sleeping bags… You can sleep in them, you and Wally can share his room. I'll buy an extra bed later next week."

"Thanks, I… There's no need for you to spend your money, I'm sure the sleeping bag is gonna be fine…"

Barry rolled his eyes. "I want to buy one, Dick, it's okay, seriously. I'd feel more comfortable if you could sleep in a real bed."

"Oh, thanks…"

The rest of the ride was driven in silence. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Dick's mind kept wondering, did Roy break his promise because he was worried about him confessing to Bruce about the cigarettes? Did he really believe this helped? Did Roy get the conclusion that he mostly obeyed Bruce out of fear of getting a spanking? Well, to some extent, Dick guessed that was truth. He didn't enjoy pain or getting punished, but the real reason he obeyed Bruce was because there had always been the lingering doubt whether Bruce loved him. Dick was afraid that some day, he would disappoint Bruce so badly that he would stop loving him, that perhaps he had never really loved him. Recent events only cemented those doubts. Bruce hadn't argued, he hadn't even tried to argue, he had been cooperative about this whole thing. And logically, it made sense why he hadn't tried to argue. It was true the other heroes probably wouldn't leave them alone and they would always have to be on the run. But Dick couldn't shake off the feeling that maybe Bruce had got tired of him and wanted him out of his life. Was he being selfish for wanting this goodbye meeting? Bruce had said it wasn't that way, but sometimes actions spoke louder than words.