A/N: Happy holidays to you all! Thanks for reading.

Robin sprinted across campus, backpack in one hand and the forgotten slice of pizza in the other. He had exactly one minute to get to class on the other side of campus. It was impossible, he knew, but he could not ruin his perfect record for this. He just couldn't.

He pushed himself harder, pumping his arms, wind stinging his eyes. Ahead of him, he saw the right building, so close but so far away. With one final burst of energy, Robin threw himself against the front door and sprinted down the hallway to his classroom, dashing into class…

Two minutes late.

What was worse was the fact that he had pushed open the doors with a screech and a loud banging noise, drawing quite literally everyone in the class's attention to him. His cheeks flushed red as he slunk across the lecture hall to grab a seat, sitting farther back than he usually did, if only to avoid judgemental stares and the mocking laughter riddling the class. He stopped by the trashcan to throw away the pizza slice, no longer so hungry.

"Thank you for joining us, Richard," the professor said after he'd sat, her eyes finding him even in the darkness of the back of the classroom, "but if you're going to show up late, you might as well not show up at all. Please leave."

Robin's eyes went wide, hopeless tears threatening to spill, but he knew better than to argue: the professor's word was law, after all. He grabbed his backpack silently, stalking out of the classroom like a dog with its tail between its legs. And, as if this day couldn't get any worse, one specific headmaster was waiting for him outside the classroom.

"Headmaster!" Robin startled, almost running into the man, as his head was bowed. "I-"

"Not one word," Slade growled, grabbing Robin's ear with his thumb and index finger. He dragged Robin behind him as he strutted across campus, the boy practically standing on his tiptoes to try to lessen the pain. Headmaster Slade made a beeline across campus to the staff building. Robin tried not to make eye contact with anyone sitting in the courtyard; all the students were stifling their giggles until the headmaster was past where they were sitting. They were soon in front of the staff building, Slade lingering just long enough in front of the door for Robin to see his friends, coming back on campus from their lunch, to stop and stare. Starfire looked like she was going to cry, her hand covering her mouth in horror. Raven looked terrified. Cy and BB looked incredibly apologetic. And Rose met Robin's eyes without flinching, then looked away, eyes downcast. A pang of fear rang through Robin's body and his heart skipped a beat.

What was going to happen to him in Slade's office?

The headmaster hustled him inside then back to the elevator, barely waiting for the door to open before he shoved Robin inside. He hit the button for his floor silently. There was nothing to do but wait for the elevator's slow descent up five flights. Robin fidgeted the whole ride, popping his knuckles until Slade shot him a stony look indicating for him to stop, only for Robin to begin again seconds later.

As soon as the elevator made its pleasant noise and opened the doors, Slade pulled Robin inside his office, still holding the downtrodden student by his ear. Only when he lead Robin to his chair in front of Slade's desk did he release his grip, causing the boy to yelp and sit down.

"What on earth were you thinking," Slade said, leaning back against his desk. He crossed his arms but didn't yell. Robin had a few seconds to contemplate whether this completely calm, stoic headmaster was better or worse than if he was yelling, until Slade's hands clenched into fists and he slammed one against his desk. Robin startled so badly that he almost fell out of his chair, the words dried up in his throat.

"What on earth were you thinking, Robin! This is entirely unacceptable. If I'm going to take you in as my student, you can not be late for class. At all. You understand that this has to go on your record."

Tears welled in Robin's eyes and he tried desperately to blink them back. "I'm so sorry, Headmaster," he whispered. Slade looked down at him sternly.

"You're sorry," he repeated, and Robin blushed, looking down at his feet and nodding. "Well that's touching, but it doesn't get you to class on time. Nor does it keep your perfect attendance record intact."

"Please, Headmaster," Robin pleaded. looking into Slade's face. "I'll do anything you say. I need this semester to be perfect."

"There's no way I can simply overlook this," the headmaster told him, and Robin closed his eyes, huffing out a deep sigh. He looked so heartbroken that Slade didn't let him suffer long. "You need to be punished." Robin's eyes flicked up to study the dark, mocking look that had settled into his headmaster's features. "If you take all of your punishment, then I'll completely forget about this incident. It won't go on your record. You just need to take all of it."

Robin considered asking what the punishment was, but realized that it didn't matter. He was going to take it no matter what. He needed his record; it was all he had. Robin closed his eyes, nodding his head.

"I will."

Slade nodded back, a stony expression on his face. "I'm going to spank you," he declared. "Pull your pants down."

Robin blushed scarlet but did as he was told, following instructions until he found himself bent over the headmaster's knee, bare ass sticking up in the air. "I think twenty is enough. Ten for each minute you were late?" The boy nodded, too mortified to say anything. "Count them off."

The very first hit was dull. A loud crack echoed through the room, Robin's only real hint that his punishment had begun.

"One."

Another loud crack and Robin was in pure agony, the sharp pain from the first spank hitting him at exactly the same time as the man's hand was brought down the second time. It was only Robin's pride that kept him from howling.

"T-two."

It only got worse from there, Headmaster Slade spanking Robin at irregular intervals, sometimes bringing his hand down five times in quick succession, and sometimes lingering for minutes, leaving Robin shivering in anticipation until the next lash. At number five, Robin's ass was red as a cherry. By nineteen, Robin was screaming. One last tormenting blow, and Robin's body convulsed, his wrecked vocal cords screaming: "Twenty!"

Slade looked down at the boy, something shining in his one eye. If Robin didn't know better, he would almost say it was pride.

"You can get up," the headmaster said gently, and Robin scrambled to get off the headmaster's lap, knees buckling from the torment his body went through. Robin dressed quietly, moving slowly, crying out as his boxers slid over his tortured skin.

"This better not happen again," the headmaster told him. "You did well. Today's accident won't be on your record." Robin nodded meekly and grabbed his backpack, wobbling out of the room.