Hey all! My First Zootopia story!
As a fan of the Zootopia character, Gideon, I like how he turned into a nice guy in the end, but I started to if there was ever something to make him reconsider what he was doing as a kid.
Ever wonder what happened to Gideon after the Carrot Day Fair? Or how his folks would react to the news of what he did? His dad decides that his son needs some discipline.
At the age of 10 Gideon had hoped he'd outgrown some certain punishments. But his dad didn't seem to see it that way. The young chubby fox currently sat on the sofa in the den. His family had just gotten back from the County Carrot Day fair. His siblings were all upstairs in their rooms, his mom in the kitchen. The only people in the room were him in and his dad. The older fox was leaner than his son but well built from years of working the farm. He stood in front of his son waiting for an explanation on the events at the fair just hours earlier.
"Dad, it weren't no big deal." Gideon said trying to plead his case not that it looked like his dad would buy it.
"Gideon Christian Grey, I KNOW we had a talk about this before so 'magine ma surprise when another parent tells me you scratched up that Hopps girl."
"It wasn't that bad, dad. She weren't bleedin or nothin." Gideon said.
"That's NOT the point, Gideon. You were causin harm to another child and me and your mom have warned you about that."
"But dad she kicked my in the nose. And she called me 'small minded' " Gideon pointed out.
"Well..." his dad said straightening the brim of his cap in thought "She shouldn't have said that. You're right about that."
Gideon's heart fluttered with hope, maybe he'd get out of this relatively unscathed after all.
"But that's still no excuse for what you did," his father continued. " 'specially since from what I heard this all happened over somethin' else."
"Dad, I was just messin around and she started interferin with somethin me and Travis was doing."
"Ya mean tryin ta steal tickets from other kids?"
Gideon's face fell. His dad knew everything.
The older fox folded his arms still scowling. "Ya gonna lie t' me and say thats not true either?"
Gideon's eyes shot downward as he rubbed the back of his neck "No, Sir." He didn't think mentioning that Judy had somehow stolen them back without him noticing would help any.
"That's not 'messin around,' Gideon. That's bullyin'. Woulda thought youda remembered when them other kids useta make fun of you for your stutter or likin ta bake."
Gideon remembered. A couple years back for his school lunch he had packed a cupcake that he proudly had told others he'd made himself. He had got some taunts from others, some calling him a 'sissy.' The stutter he sometimes had didn't help matters. Once he he hit an early growth spurt he didn't put up with those names. He didn't want anyone messing with him.
"And here you are doin' the same thing." His father gave a heavy sigh. "You know whats gonna happen."
And THERE it was, the moment he'd been dreading. It wasn't a question but a statement. Of course Gideon knew. Some dads just threaten to pull the car over. His dad actually would. "Come on, dad, please don't gimme a spankin."
"Gideon, this kinda behavior is just disgraceful. Until you realize that, you're getting your hind end tanned. Now go fetch the paddle." His dad instructed pointing to the other room.
Gideon uneasily got off the sofa. 'Fetching the paddle' was task he nor any of his other siblings liked. Some kids he knew were told to go cut a switch outside. Gideon wasn't sure which he would prefer but either way the act of bringing your own implement of discipline was no fun task.
He walked into the living room and opened the middle drawer in the side table and there the wooden paddle was. Not very big, maybe 1 foot long, but thick with enough strength that it didn't give much. His dad had made it himself just like he was told his grandfather made his own when his dad was a kit.
He carried it back into the den where his dad was now sitting in his easy chair. After the always awkward task of handing it to his father the older fox said "I want your overalls down."
Gideon's heart sank at the last installment of the sentence. Overalls down? It had been too much to hope that the denim would deaden the blows. "But dad-"
"Overalls Down around your ankles." his dad emphasized. "Want me to double what I'm givin' you?"
"No..." Gideon said defeatedly. He started unbuckling his overalls and with a pained sigh let them fall to his feet so that he now basically stood only in his blue t-shirt and his white briefs.
"alright, over my knee." His dad said plainly.
Gideon reluctantly climbed across his dad's lap, his arms and legs dangling over either side. Gideon gulped dreading what was coming.
He felt his dad pull the back of his blue shirt up a bit so that it didn't get any of the paddle's impact and also gave him a better view of his target. The larger fox placed a hand on his sons back to steady him. As he did Gideon awkwardly glanced up at his dad who just simply looked disappointed
Mr. Grey looked down at his son, upset that it had come to this again. He readied the paddle at his sons rear, cocked back and swung.
SMACK
Gideon hissed taking in a breath through clenched teeth trying his best to withstand the pain he dreaded before his dad delivered another SMACK
"Why are you being spanked, Gideon?" Mr. Grey asked. This was one of his dad's methods, Gideon knew. Asking certain questions to make sure 'the lesson was learned.'
"Because I messed with the other kids." Gideon said shakily.
"You mean you were bullying them." His father emphasized striking him on the seat of his white briefs again. SMACK
"OW! Yes, sir." Gideon nodded.
"Your mother and I didn't raise a bully. These kind of actions have consequences."
SMACK
Gideon could only barely see when the hits were coming and his briefs offered very little protection as the material was stretched thinly across his chubby butt, but he would gladly take that over what would happen in a moment.
There was a pause in the strikes. Mr. Grey said "Stand up." and for a small moment Gideon thought the pain might be over. But that hope also ended quickly when he got off his lap his dad pointed to his briefs. "Drawers down."
"Aww come on dad, not bare butt." Gideon pleaded covering his already sore behind with his hands, as if it would protect them any. "Can't I keep my tighty-whities on?"
His father's gaze didn't stray staring back at his son sternly. "Last time you got in trouble for this I let you keep your underpants on. Clearly that wasn't enough. So, no. Your drawers are gonna come down too. Now take 'em down or I'll do it myself."
Gideon gulped and grabbing the elastic of his briefs pulled them down his chubby legs till they lay with the heap of overall at his feet.
"Back over."
Gideon resumed his position now feeling his plump bare bottom exposed to the whole room. He just prayed none of his siblings walked in.
SMACK
The young fox's bottom trembled with the hits now as Gideon yipped at the sting. The hits were definitely worse now. Each contact with the wood spreading a residency of pain across Gideon's two reddening cheeks. Gideon didn't know how he was gonna handle the rest of these.
SMACK
Gideon began to squirm in his position but his dad's hand on his back held him in place. Gideon gave a whine he'd be embarrassed to admit was his as he began to lightly sob. "I'm sorry dad."
"I'm sure you are, Gid." His dad said "But I bet you caused them kids a lot of pain today."
SMACK
"Oww, uhuh."
The paddle struck squarely across both cheeks and tears began to sting Gideon's eyes. He grabbed onto the chairs arm trying to resist the urge to thrash about.
SMACK
"Ow, please daddy." Gideon whined. "My butt hurts so bad." He rarely ever broke down and said "daddy" but this was one of those moments where he couldn't help it.
SMACK
Gideon shamelessly kicked his legs back and forth trying to withstand the pain, though the movements were rather restrained by his overalls and briefs around his ankles.
"If I EVER find out you did somethin' like this again you'll be right back here across my knee again. You understand?"
"Yes sir." Gideon nodded sincerely.
"And that time you won't have your tighty-whities on for any of it"
Again, Gideon uneasily looked back at his dad questioningly. "You mean... bare butt the whole time?"
"That's right" his dad said planting another SMACK firmly across his sons bottom as if to remind him what it would feel like
"OW! I won't do it again, dad." Gideon whined.
"Alright, say what'll happen." his dad commanded.
Another one of his dad's tactics. He liked to have you say out loud the acknowledgement as a way of remembering it. As Gideon composed himself from the sobs he said "If I mess- bully any of the kids again, you'll bend me over and spank me bare-butt without my tighty-whities on."
Gideon waited with bating breath for the last swing but instead he found his fathers hand, that had been firmly planted on his back holding his stocky body steady, now slowly stroked his back soothingly.
"Alright, stand up, Gideon." Gideon slid off his fathers lap and shakily back on his feet. "I want you to go stick your nose in the corner. Think about what you did earlier today. The pain you caused those kids."
"Yes sir." Gideon nodded still looking at the floor.
Gideon waddled with his red rear exposed to the corner right next to the chair and stood there quietly crying. It had been a while since his dad had sent him to the corner. It made him feel like a kit again but the pain distracted him enough from that thought.
Hearing his dad go put the paddle back in its place in the other room he gently rubbed his throbbing butt. As much as it surprised Gideon himself, he actually did start to I wonder how much that scratch hurt Judy or about those kids who's tickets he tried to steal as he continued to cry. Cry little baby bunny cry.
"I'm sorry." Gideon mumbled to himself.
The heavy footfalls of his dad told him he had re-entered the room. "Ok, son punishments over."
His crying reduced to sniffling now, Gideon turned around and pulled his white briefs up as his dad sat down in the chair and beckoned Gideon closer. "Come here" he said patting his knee.
Leaving his overalls at his ankles Gideon eased himself onto his fathers knee carefully, knowing that sitting would be a little hard for the next few hours. "Gid, I'll tell ya somethin'. When I was your age I was pretty small, I had kids who would 'mess' with me too."
"You did?" Gideon said finding that hard to picture.
"Bullies that'd pick on me, steal m' stuff, beat the snot outta me, made me feel pretty bad about m'self."
"Oh..." Gideon said once again not being able to look his dad in the eye. He understood the point he was making.
"But there weren't nothin wrong with me. Jus like there weren't nothin wrong with you likin ta bake. Them kids who bullied us were just plain mean. I DON'T wanna see ya turn into that kinda person. I see the way you pitch in around the house and help your brothers and sisters, ya gotta good heart. And you're NOT simple-minded, you know the difference between right and wrong. You just gotta use that head of yours more often." he said adding a hair tussle to Gideon's head.
"I will, dad." Gideon said sniffling.
His father reached out and wiped away the last of his son's tears. "I want you to remember this lesson because I don't want to ever have to do that again. I was serious about what will happen if it happens again. It breaks my heart to but I WILL do it. Understand?"
"Yes, sir." Gideon nodded.
Mr. Grey wrapped his arms around his son pulling him into a hug comforting the young fox. "I love you, Gideon."
Gideon held his dad tight glad to have something to hold onto. "I love you too, dad."
The large fox gave a few reassuring pats to his sons back. When he let go he gave his son a kiss on the forehead. "You can pull your britches up now."
Carefully as before, Gideon slid off his dad's lap and pulled his overalls back on buckling the straps in place. He turned to head upstairs when his dad said "Before you head up to your room Gid, theres one more thing..."
Gideons heart almost sank again. Surely after a moment like that there wasn't MORE punishment.
But his dad got a certain twinkle in his eye when he said. "Your mom's busy in the kitchen baking a pie for tonight. I'm sure she could use some help."
"Sure thing, dad." Even with a sore butt Gideon couldn't help but smile at that.
Hope you liked it. I'm anxious to know what you thought of my first Zootopia story. Leave a review if you can, It would really make me smile :)
