Family By Choice

Summary: After the events of the movie, Sully takes Nate to task
Warning(s): Spanking; spoilers for the movie Uncharted; AU; references to violence

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“You sure you don’t want a share of this treasure?” Sully looked over at Nate, who was standing by the window, looking out with a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Huh?” Nate turned away from the window and looked towards Sully. “Nah. I told you already. I did this for my brother. And maybe a little so that I could gloat about actually finding the treasure. Even if I never got to actually keep it, I feel like I finished things for Sam. You know?”

Sully packed the gold back in the pack as he considered his next words. “You think Sam would have been happy about you staying behind to confront Braddock, instead of taking the opportunity to get out of the plane safely?”

Nate paused and looked at him. “I don’t know what Sam would say.” He shrugged casually. “He’s not here.”

“Yeah.” Sully put the pack down and stood up. He walked over to Nate and looked into the younger man’s eyes. “He’s not here, but I know he wouldn’t have been happy that you didn’t take the chance to get safely away.”

Nate gave a soft snort of disbelief. “Yeah, but in case you forgot, you left me behind. Again.”

Sully shrugged. “I didn’t where it counted.” After all, he’d sacrificed the bag of gold he’d collected to save Nate’s life. It had been a harder decision than perhaps it should have been, but he was confident that he’d done the right thing in the end. And he’d done something right, as Nate hadn’t taken off once they were safe. In fact, it seemed like the younger man intended to stick around. And that made Sully’s gut twist and clench in a feeling that was unfamiliar, but not exactly unpleasant.

“You want a gold medal?” Nate snorted again and gestured towards the pack. “Surely you’ve got more than enough in there.”

“Yeah,” Sully agreed. “I’ve got more than enough gold. Even if it wasn’t the whole boat’s worth.” He allowed himself a brief pause to mourn that loss, but didn’t let it affect him too deeply. He’d finished with more than he’d started with, both in terms of treasure and with a new partner he considered the closest thing to a family member he had.

Which was why he was thinking about doing something he’d never done before.

“See? We make a good team. Like you said. Might not have got as much as you wanted, but you can’t tell me this was a failed mission,” Nate said.

“No,” Sully agreed. “But you shouldn’t have confronted Braddock.”

“What are you talking about, Sully?” With a frown, Nate took a step back and his eyes shifted from side to side, like he was seeking out an escape route.

“I’m talking about you deliberately endangering yourself just to confront her,” Sully replied. “I’m talking about you neglecting to grab a parachute when you jumped out of the plane. You ignored me and it could have cost you your life.”

Nate’s mouth fell open and he stared at Sully for a few seconds before blurting, “You’re not my boss!”

“Actually, kid, if you want to get technical about it, I am your boss.”

“Fine. You’re not my parent, then.” Nate stepped around him. “I’m going out.”

Sully put his arm out to block the younger man’s exit and spoke in a calm, even tone. “You can go out when we’ve talked.”

“I don’t think there’s anything left to talk about.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Sully agreed. “Go and get me your hairbrush.”

Nate’s eyes widened and two red spots appeared high on his cheeks. He drew his breath in sharply and hissed, “I don’t know what you think you’re going to be doing, but….”

“I’m going to spank you.”

Nate took a step back, hands moving protectively behind him, eyes narrowing. “Like hell you are!” he blurted.

“Look, kid.” Sully reached out and placed his hand on Nate’s shoulder. He gripped just tight enough for Nate to feel the strength in his hold. “You’ve got two choices here. The easy way or the hard way.”

Nate glanced at Sully’s hand, then at his face. He swallowed visibly, then asked, “Just say I decide to let you s-you know, what would be the easy way?”

Sully smiled, though he found the situation far from humorous. Letting his fingers grip more firmly, he said, “The easy way involves you fetching me the hairbrush. Getting into position. Warm up with my hand. A few with the brush, to demonstrate what the punishment will be the next time something like this happens.” He paused and watched the blush form fully on Nate’s face, patting the shoulder he held as he continued, “As for the hard way…you can struggle and you can resist. I’ll subdue you. And then it’ll be my belt you’ll be feeling across your bare ass.”

Nate stiffened and for a few moments, Sully thought the younger man would fight. Would resist. Nate even shrugged his hand off and took a step back, casting a glance towards the window.

“You think I didn’t take steps to stop any escape attempts?” Sully asked softly.

Nate breathed in deep, his shoulders slumping, as he rubbed a hand across his face and then sighed. “When you say get into position….”

“Across my lap. Pants down. You can take your underwear down too, or I’ll do that once you’re in position.” Sully walked over to the couch and sat down, rested his hands on his knees and waited.

Nate’s eyes darted around once more, like an animal caught in a trap. He looked behind him at the door, then at Sully, then took a wavering step backwards.

Sully played his trump card. “You think Sam would accept this kind of behaviour from you?”

“You’re not Sam,” Nate whispered.

“No.” Sully looked into his eyes. “Doesn’t mean I don’t care about what you do, son. Or what happens to you.”

Nate looked down, scuffing his foot along the carpet. He looked back up at Sully, holding eye contact for a few moments before he released his breath slowly. “I’ve got to be out of my mind.” He watched Sully for a few moments and then sighed loudly, moving from the main room towards his bedroom.

Sully waited, half-expecting the younger man to try and make a break for it. He’d only locked the door and windows in the main room; knew that if Nate really wanted to escape, the kid would find a way. He didn’t have to know that Sully would still track him down.

But Nate didn’t escape. Or if he tried, he changed his mind. Because after only a few moments, he was walking out of his bedroom, carrying his hairbrush. As he stepped to Sully’s side, his free hand moved towards his pants. He unfastened them and shoved them down to his ankles, then held the brush out to Sully.

Taking it, Sully placed the brush on the couch next to him and then patted his lap. “Over you go.”

The crimson flush was back in Nate’s cheeks. He looked at Sully’s lap, then took a step closer to his right thigh. He started to bend, trying to lean forward at the same time.

“Bend your knees first.” Sully placed his hand on Nate’s back and rubbed gently. When the younger man bent his knees, Sully pushed until Nate moved into position across his lap, shifting position until his boxer-clad bottom was the highest point of his body.

Sully tugged Nate’s boxers down, pushing until they joined the pants, baring the entirety of Nate’s bottom, from the create down to his ankles. Then, he delivered a hard smack, the sound echoing through the quiet room.

Nate’s gasp was barely audible and he shifted a little, reaching down and closing his fingers around Sully’s ankle.

Sully smacked his hand down at the same force, this time on the opposite side of Nate’s backside, leaving a matching faint pink handprint behind. And then he continued to swat, going down to Nate’s thighs and then beginning again from the top. He smacked until it was nearly impossible to distinguish between the individual handprints and then paused, resting his hand on Nate’s bottom, feeling the warmth coming from the punished skin. He listened to the hitched breathing for a few seconds before he said, “The next time I tell you to do something in a dangerous situation, you listen to me.” He lifted his hand and brought it down in a much harder smack than the previous he’d given out.

Letting out a pained yell, Nate threw his hand back, covering the spot that had just been smacked. “That’s too hard!”

“Just making sure I have your attention, kid.” Sully grasped Nate’s hand, pulling it out of the way, and swatted the other buttock just as hard. He then resumed smacking at the same force he’d been using previously.

“Sully, please!” Nate’s voice broke and he sobbed out, “I’m sorry.”

Sully ignored the plea and the sound of Nate’s tears, though it was difficult. Still, he was determined that this would be the last time he was going to do this. By the time he paused again, Nate’s backside was a deeper, darker pink, shading to red in places, and Nate was crying softly.

As he reached out to pick up the hairbrush, Sully ignored the soft whimper that escaped from Nate’s lips. He allowed the cool wooden back of the brush to rest against Nate’s right buttock, patting lightly. He spoke in a low, stern voice. “If this happens again, I won’t give you a warmup first. I’ll use the brush straight away and give you a lot more than the ten I’m about to give you now.” He patted the brush against Nate’s bottom with each word he spoke and watched the younger man’s buttocks clench and twist in anticipation. Then, he snapped the brush down on Nate’s right cheek. Hard.

Nate yelped and twisted his body, but Sully still delivered the second strike on target: his left cheek. He continued in that vein, finishing up with the last four delivered extra hard to each sit spot and thigh, ensuring that Nate would feel the effects whenever he sat down for at least the rest of the day and probably most of the next.

By the time Sully finished and put the brush down, Nate was sobbing, slumped limp in place. His sobs grew a little more intense when Sully pulled his underwear back into place, but began to die down as Sully rubbed his back, squeezing his shoulders gently and murmuring, “You took that well.”

“Cried like a baby,” Nate muttered.

“Yeah, that’s the whole point of a spanking. Wouldn’t be effective if you didn’t react to it.” Sully continued to rub his back, feeling more tension seep out of the younger man’s body the longer he touched. “Crying doesn’t make you weak, son.”

“I’m not your son.” Nate whispered the words in a low, haunted tone.

“Maybe not through blood. But the way I figure it, both of us are alone in this world. No family left. We could form our own.”

Nate twisted round to stare into Sully’s eyes, his own still damp and red-rimmed. “Really? You want to be my dad?” he asked uncertainly.

“You got any reason to say no?” Sully returned.

Nate frowned for a moment, but then he smiled and took a deep breath. “No. I don’t have a reason to say no. Dad,” he added. Abruptly, he pushed himself up off Sully’s lap and then wrapped his arms around Sully in a tight embrace.

Smiling, Sully hugged Nate just as tight in return, rubbing his new son’s back comfortingly.

They were family now. And even if there might be bumps further along the road, for right now, this was enough.

The End