Following The Clues
Part One

Summary: Nate gets a lead to Sam and goes after his brother.
Warning(s): Disciplinary spanking; Spoilers for Uncharted the movie; AU; elements of D/s; mouth soaping

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They'd done several jobs in the intervening months, after the ships had been dropped into the ocean, only to be claimed by the Philippine government. Some jobs had been more lucrative than others and the excitement and danger were always high. It was after the sixth job when the postcard from Sam arrived, along with a photograph of a man in a cell and coordinates. Sam was alive!

Sully had headed out of the apartment fairly early, checking out the next job they were going on. They might have lost the ship full of gold, but there were rumors about other treasures; whispers that were beginning to sound more like fact than fiction.

On his way back to the apartment, with a plan of where they were going next and treats for both his cat and Nate, Sully let himself into the apartment. "Got a lead on the next big haul," he called, after looking around to make sure there were no signs of any intruders.

"Is it time sensitive? If so, you might need to go solo..." Nate's voice sounded off... like he was trying to figure something out and wasn't fully focused on Sully.

Sully frowned at the response, studying Nate closely. "You got someplace else you need to be, kid?"

Nate held up the postcard in one hand, the photograph in the other, and gently waved them around. "Sam's alive Sully! He's..." Nate swallowed hard, his voice catching.  "...He's alive and I've got coordinates!"

Sully moved over, quickly looking over the photo and the postcard. "He's a prisoner. Means someone else might know about this. Might have even forced him to send you those coordinates. I need to check in with some contacts."

"Yeah..." It was clear Nate was only partly listening. "I'll get a charter... if I get it now, I might be able to leave tonight! Latest tomorrow morning...."

"Nate." Sully spoke in a firm voice. "We need to make sure we won't be walking into a trap. You think Sam would want you in the same position as him?"

"Sully! Sam's alive! And from the looks of it, he's been a prisoner since you thought he was killed!" Nate protested. "I'll get a charter for a town a few miles from the coordinates. Drive in. I have to get him!"

"I'm not suggesting we don't get him, kid," Sully replied. "I'm saying that we need to make sure we're not walking into danger. He's not gonna want you to get captured alongside him."

"Yeah... yeah. Of course not! I won't!" Nate made a scoffing face and shook his head, as if the thought he would be captured instead of freeing his brother was ridiculous.

"That means you wait, kid," Sully said seriously. "Wait for me to get more information and make sure we're both safe."

Nate huffed. "Fine..." he muttered, while looking over Sully's shoulder. Slumping slightly, he relented and looked toward Sully. "What you got?"

"A lead to a treasure as big as the ship of gold," Sully answered. "But we can postpone that job until we get Sam back safe and sound." He handed Nate a book. "I'll reach out to my contacts, if you want to see if you can decipher this code."

Nate took the book with a silent sigh and walked to the table to decipher it. The photo of his brother was kept close in sight.

While Nate checked the book, Sully noted the coordinates on the postcard and moved through to his own bedroom, beginning to make calls to his contacts.

***

It had been over a day and Sully's contacts hadn't been able to find out anything. Nate was getting increasingly more anxious as time progressed. He'd finished the translation and had nothing to occupy his thoughts; and Sully had just taken off to talk to one of his suppliers about something that he needed. He looked at the postcard again.

If he could just get to those coordinates, he was certain he could find more clues... find Sam.  And he would be watching for a trap, so he'd be fine! It took very little time at all for him to decide to disregard Sully's directions. Grabbing his bag, he left their flat and head to the airport to catch a charter flight.

***

Sully hadn't been idle when it came to trying to find Sam. It had taken longer than he would have liked, but the contact he'd gone to meet had given him some vital information about who was holding Sam.

Confident that they could start making plans to find Sam, Sully returned to the flat in a good mood, putting food down for his cat. His good mood lasted exactly as long as it took him to realize Nate wasn't there...had left no note or anything saying where he was going. Still, Sully wasn't really that concerned when he took out his phone to call the younger man.

***

It was taking Nate longer to charter the flight than he wanted. For one thing, the only charter plane available belonged to a friend of Sully, who unfortunately knew that the only reason Nate would be the one attempting to arrange the charter, and not Sully, was that Sully didn't know. And of course, he automatically assumed that Sully not knowing meant Nate was up to no good and it was up to him to protect Sully from Nate.

"I'm not fleecing Sully, man!" he attested, for what felt like the hundredth time, before finally deciding the truth might get him on the plane. "I got a note from my brother Sam..." he reluctantly admitted. "I need to go get him." This time, his voice was pleading. He pulled his phone out of his pocket when it started ringing, but didn't answer, muting it and letting it go to voice mail while he gave George a pleading look.

George had been suspicious that Nate was up to something; Sully and the kid hadn't worked alone since the treasure ship. He believed Nate when he finally admitted why he wanted a charter and why it wasn't Sully arranging it, but that left another question. Why wasn't Sully with him? Sully had been friends with Sam. His gaze had darted to the phone when Nate had muted it, noting who was calling; and the fact Nate didn't answer. The kid was definitely up to something and if Sully was unaware, then even if it wasn't against Sully, it was something he wouldn't approve of. "Fine. I have to take care of flight plans and permissions. It will take at least three hours. Plus, I need to fuel the plane. You get payment together and meet me back here in three hours. We'll take off."

Nate slumped in relief. "Thanks, man!" He smiled. Grabbing his bag, he left, deciding to go to a nearby bar to wait. Less chance of Sully derailing his plans that way. Speaking of... he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text. Sorry. In a movie. Can I call later?

***

Meanwhile, George had waited until he was certain Nate was out of earshot before immediately calling Sully. "Any reason your kid is trying to charter a plane to go get Sam without you?"

Sully's sigh was heavy as he answered George's question. "Yeah. The kid's far too impatient for his own good. Are you able to stall him till I get there?" He was packing up his own belongings as he spoke. Then, he coaxed his cat into the carrier.

"Yeah. Told him to come back in three hours cuz it'd take that long for permissions and fuel and stuff. Are you still going to the location he gave me, or do you want to go somewhere else?" George asked.

"We're going there," Sully replied. "But he and I are going to have a little conversation first."

George snorted. "Want me to have any specific items on board for you?"

Sully thought about that as he checked the apartment for anything left behind. "Yeah. A brush."

George nodded before remembering he was on the phone. "Got a big, flat, wooden one from when my boys were hellions and at risk of being in the wrong type of crime..." he said, in a jovial voice. "It'll be waiting for you on your seat. Anything else?"

"Yeah," Sully answered. "A bar of soap too."

"He lied to you?" For as surprised as he sounded, George wasn't really surprised. "I've got some really foul-tasting soap that doesn't easily rinse... and it's all natural, organic, non-toxic, so you don't have to worry it will hurt him."

"That'll do," Sully agreed. "I'll be there within an hour. You don't mind giving us some privacy? This might be hard enough without someone else witnessing it."

"Of course. I'll be flying the plane, so I'll just make sure the door to the cockpit is closed," George agreed. "Just come directly to the plane and get settled. I'll make sure you can get in."

"Thanks," Sully replied. "I'll see you soon." He disconnected the call and then quickly left the apartment, carrying his bag and the cat carrier with him.

***

George had done as promised, leaving the plane open for Sully. He'd taken care of all the paperwork. Everything was ready for take-off. He met Nate at the hangar and walked with the boy out to the plane, following him up the stairs into the plane and motioning the ground crew to move the stairs out of the way immediately once they were through the door. "You should sit and prepare for take-off," he told the younger man, who had stopped and was staring at the other unexpected passenger on the plane. He quickly shut the door, securing it, turning toward the cockpit. "I'm serious. Sit down and buckle up. We're airborne in 15 minutes." He disappeared into the cockpit and closed the door with a firm click.

Nate swallowed hard and quickly stowed his bag safely, before sitting in the seat in the row across from Sully. Soon after, the plane had started and was taxying down the runway. Exactly fifteen minutes later, they were in the air and George indicated over the intercom it was safe to move around. "George call you?" he asked faintly, several seconds of silence after the announcement.

"He did," Sully confirmed. "Which was just as well, considering that who has your brother makes Braddock look like a tame housecat. Which you would have known if you hadn't sneaked out of the apartment, without even leaving a note. And then you lied to me." A disappointed note slipped into his voice as he continued, "I trusted you to stay put and wait. You promised me you would. Does your word mean nothing?"

"I... I didn't promise..." Nate defended himself weakly. He had nothing to excuse his other actions and to his chagrin, the disappointed hurt in Sully's voice made him feel extremely guilty and all of five inches tall. It was bad enough that he'd broken Sully's trust by lying. But the thought the other man believed he'd break a promise hurt more than he would have thought possible, and he latched onto that one area he didn't believe he'd messed up and tried to defend himself.

"Yeah. You did," Sully replied. "You agreed to wait. To let me reach out to my contacts. To make sure we could retrieve Sam in a safe way. And instead of waiting for me to get back and talking about it, you took off without even letting me know what you were doing. I trusted you, Nate. But your actions today haven't proven my trust to be valid."

"But... that's not a promise, promise... it's just me not doing what I said I would..." Nate was hunched in on himself and sounded all of five years old; and more like he was trying to convince himself than Sully. Hearing his behavior spelled out for him and hearing Sully's disappointment had jarred him from his single-minded goal of reaching Sam at all costs. He couldn't justify his actions; not now, when he stopped to think about what he'd done. While he technically hadn't said the words, "I promise," he had said he would do as Sully asked. It was the closest thing to saying, "I promise," as he could get; and he hadn't followed through. He couldn't face the older man and hunched even further into his seat, tensing up as he felt tears blurring his vision. Had he ruined his relationship with Sully? It had taken a while to get to where they both trusted each other completely. Had he ruined it by impatiently doing his own plans and not thinking about how he was treating the older man? Fearful regret pooled in his stomach.

Sully didn't bother pointing out that it was the same thing. From what he could see, Nate was already realizing that for himself. He unbuckled himself and stood, retrieving the items he'd requested George bring, and walked over to sit next to Nate. "Okay, kid. Here's what's going to happen next. I'm going to punish you, for taking off without a word...for breaking your promise and for lying to me. Once that's over, things will be repaired between us."

Nate looked up startled at the words, quickly brushing a hand over his eyes, and not bothering trying to hide his hopeful relief or that he was crying. "We will?" he whispered. "You won't be mad at me or never trust me again or... or...." He swallowed hard. "...Or leave?" he finished, in a very small and scared voice.

"None of those," Sully promised. "Not to say the punishment will be easy, but once it's over, that's it. No more guilt hanging over your head. Nothing between us any longer."

Sniffling, Nate rubbed his eyes again and straightened slightly. "Yessir... I'm sorry I treated you like I did..." he whispered contritely. "Deserve to be punished... wasn't fair...." He bit his lip and flushed in shame but forced himself to look Sully in the eye as he apologized. The man deserved that much.

"I'm glad you understand that." Looking into Nate's eyes, Sully continued, "I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap for lying to me. Then, I'm going to turn you over my knee and warm your bare ass up, to make sure this sticks in your head."

Nate's eyes widened and he flushed even darker, face crumpling in embarrassed nervousness. "...Like a little kid?" His voice was small, tiny, almost childish in his fear.

"Considering your actions, the punishment fits," Sully said firmly.

Nate's face crumpled at the words, and he closed his eyes tight, facing the ground. "...You're right..." His voice caught, as he choked on the tears that had increased.

Sully reached out and lightly grasped Nate's chin, turning the younger man's face towards him. "There's no sense in putting this off. The sooner we deal with the punishment, the sooner we can put this behind us." He reached for the soap and washcloth George had left for him.

Nate took a quivering breath, but didn't fight Sully's grip on his chin, obediently facing the older man. His eyes were red rimmed and glassy from tears. One escaped and slipped down his face as he waited for instructions.

Still keeping a gentle but firm grip on Nate's chin, Sully covered the washcloth with the soap. "Open up, kid," he directed. When the younger man did so, Sully put the soaped-up washcloth in Nate's mouth, scrubbing it liberally around.

Nate's eyes widened as the bitter taste of the soap filled his mouth, coating his tongue, cheeks, teeth, and roof of his mouth through Sully's diligent and thorough use of the cloth. His nose clogged from the tears, and he had to open his mouth further to breathe around the cloth, but he held still as Sully soaped.

After making sure that he'd soaped Nate's mouth thoroughly, Sully removed the washcloth and picked up a bottle of water. He uncapped it and handed it to Nate, knowing it would help to get rid of a lot of the suds...but the taste would still be left behind.

Nate took the bottle, taking a sip and swishing it in his mouth, then looked around helplessly as he realized he needed to either spit or swallow.

There were some empty containers and Sully quickly grabbed one, passing it to Nate. "Here, kid."

Giving Sully a grateful look, Nate took the container and spit out the sudsy water before whispering, "How much am I 'lowed to rinse?"

"You can rinse a few more times, but then we'll be dealing with the next part of your punishment," Sully replied.

Nate nodded, rinsing a few more times, until Sully held his hand out for the bottle. He handed it to the older man, swallowing, and then waited.

Putting the bottle aside, Sully gently grasped Nate's wrist and guided the younger man across his lap, settling him in place before baring him.

Nate whimpered and instinctively covered his bottom with his hands. "I'm sorry, Sully! Really, truly... please don't spank me... I don't want a spanking...."

"You were naughty, kid. You lied to me, and you broke your word. You ran off into a situation you had no way of knowing would be safe for you." Sully moved Nate's hands out of the way, holding them against his back, and let his other hand rise and fall in the first crisp smack. "A spanking is lenient, compared to what could have happened."

"I... I was so naughty... I'm so sorry..." Nate had already been crying. The position and words caused him to cry harder, as his shame and helplessness overwhelmed him.

Sully gently squeezed Nate's hands, even as he settled into a pattern of swats, working over every inch of Nate's backside, from the crest down to mid-thigh before he began a second circuit.

Nate tried to hold still... it was bad enough he was vocally crying like a baby... but his bottom stung by this point, and it was impossible not to move. He began to squirm helplessly. "...So... sorry...."

"I'm sure you are, kid. But I want to make sure we don't have a repeat of this behavior." Sully wrapped his arm around Nate's waist as he began a third circuit of swats, going a fraction harder and faster.

"... Won't... won't lie or d'sbey ever again!" Nate choked out mournfully, before slumping over Sully's lap and accepting whatever the older man chose to do. He deserved it.

"Good. But I'm going to make sure of it." Sully finished with a final flurry of smacks to Nate's sit spots and thighs and then paused to pick up the brush.

Nate whimpered, glancing over his shoulder as Sully paused. When he saw the brush, he wailed out a soft, "...No..." before sobbing hopelessly. He didn't squirm or try to get away. He slumped further, accepting that he wouldn't be sitting comfortably for a long while after his friend was done.

Gripping Nate's hands more tightly, more firmly, Sully raised the brush and brought it down; not especially hard, but he knew the stroke would be effective even so.

Nate choked as the brush landed, but still didn't fight. His grip on Sully's hand tightened and he sobbed harder yet, drawing in gasping breaths through his mouth.

Sully delivered a second and third stroke with the brush, still keeping them comparatively light. His grip around Nate's waist and on his hands were tight.

On the third stroke, Nate began to babble childishly. "I sorry, sir... was so naughty bad. Didn' think... jus' wan'ed S...  sam. Didn' wanna lose you!" he bawled.

"I know you wanted Sam, son." Sully's voice was gentle, even as he continued to bring the brush down against Nate's backside. "But I was never willing to just abandon him. Or to let you end up in the same position. I failed your brother. I won't fail you," he vowed.

By this point, Nate had been crying for a long time. His throat and head hurt, and he was tired. More than that, though, he was heartsick that he'd hurt and almost pushed away the man he'd begun to look up to as more than just a friend. Quivering slightly, he asked, in the tiniest voice possible, hesitant and full of hope, "...Am I? Your son?" his voice cracked.

"Yeah." Sully answered without hesitation. "You are my son. So, I won't let you walk into danger. Or walk away from me."

Whimpering softly, Nate began to babble again. "I sorry, Daddy... won' ever walk 'way from you. Will be good boy... not n... n... naughty an'more. So... so... sorry!" His voice finally gave out... the last few words barely more than a whisper.

At those words, Sully stopped bringing the brush down and let it drop. Quickly and carefully, he moved Nate into his arms, on his lap, cuddling him tightly. "I've got you, son," he whispered.

Nate immediately wrapped his arms around Sully, hiding his face against the older man's chest, head snuggled under Sully's chin. He kept whispering, "Sorry," over and over. His pants and underwear were tangled around his feet, but he didn't care. His daddy had just punished his naked backside for being bad. It was pointless to care about being half naked now; the most important thing was his daddy forgiving him.

Sully tightened his arms around Nate, brushing a kiss against the top of his head. "It's over, son. You've been punished. I forgive you," he murmured, rubbing his hand over Nate's back gently.

At hearing the needed words, Nate slowly calmed until he was just quietly snuggling. The only sound he made was the occasional hitched hiccough as he tried to breathe and not cry at all. He was hot and flushed and weary and all he wanted was to be held. He felt so very young and out of control. "...I'll be good, daddy..." His whisper was hoarse.

"I'm very glad to hear that, son." Still holding Nate tightly, Sully reached out and picked up the bottle. He uncapped it and held it to his son's lips, encouraging Nate to drink.

Nate obediently drank the water until the bottle was empty, then squirmed slightly, both to snuggle closer and to take pressure off his very sore bottom. He blinked his eyes wearily.

Sully leaned back enough so that Nate could sprawl on top of him, rubbing his son's back and gently over his bottom. "You can rest, son. I won't let go of you," he promised.

"...'Kay..." Nate whispered wearily, immediately obeying and falling to sleep, feeling safely secure in his adoptive father’s arms.

As he'd promised, Sully didn't let go of Nate, or even loosen his hold on his son. In fact, the only movement he made was to reach for a cloth to dampen it and carefully wash Nate's face, so he wouldn't wake up with tears dried on his face, making it uncomfortable.

***

It had turned out to be a set-up. Nate had been expecting an I-told-you-so for the last day and a half. Sully normally wasn't the sort not to remind you when he was right and you were wrong, but this time, he hadn't done it yet. Maybe it was because the last day and a half had been spent running for their lives from mercenaries, crooked government officials and, at one time, a hungry pride of tigers that the maniacal criminal holding his brother had set loose on them. They had very few clues as to where his brother had been moved, though they did have a few. They just had to get to a safe location to study those clues and form a plan.

To that end, they'd finally found a fishing vessel not connected to the creep they were trying to escape and snuck on board, hiding in the hold. "At least the cat has something to eat..." Nate whispered despondently but trying to sound optimistic. He paused, then continued wryly, "You can say it, you know...."

"Wouldn't do any good to remind you," Sully commented. "Besides. You already got punished for it. Wouldn't do to rub salt in the wound." His voice was low. They were pressed close together in the hold, to the point of there being very little personal space. Sully wasn't bothered by it. Sticking close to his kid had become normal...more so now that they were on the run.

"Yeah... still. Before, you woulda said it..." Nate pointed out softly, with a hint of fondness. "Guess I thought now that you're my dad, you'd have more reason to." He snuggled into a more comfortable position, leaning on Sully in such a way they could look at each other while talking. He didn't seem to notice, or care, that he'd ended up 'cradled' against the older man as if he were a small child. Having Sully spank his bare ass had apparently broken down whatever personal barriers he'd had in place before.

In response, Sully wrapped his arm more firmly around Nate, letting his hand rest lightly on the younger man's hip, fingers lightly touching his backside. "Don't need to point it out when I've already punished you," he commented. "Punishment means a clean slate."

"Thanks, Dad... I... it helps knowing things won't be held over my head. Specially when I messed up so badly." He nuzzled Sully's shoulder.

Sully pressed a kiss to Nate's head. "It's not like I wasn't aware this might be a setup. But like you, I figured getting Sam back was worth it."

"I'm just glad you came after me, came with me..." Nate whispered. "Don't think I woulda escaped otherwise." He swallowed. "And I wouldn't have a Daddy now either...  and that's somehow worse to think of."

"Yeah, well we are together now," Sully said. "And you do have a Daddy now. And you'll never lose me," he promised.

Nate smiled at that, snuggling more. "...Do... do we even know where this fishing vessel is headed?" he asked hesitantly. "You don't think it's going out for a week and then returning to the same spot?" This time, he sounded worried.

"I listened in before we sneaked on board." Sully gently squeezed Nate's hip. "It's headed to another island. Should give us a chance to regroup and form a plan."

Nate visibly relaxed at the words. He shifted toward the gentle touch without thought, instinctively seeking Sully's affectionate attention. "Yeah. A new plan is good.... maybe you should be in charge of it..." His voice was slightly teasing, as he was making fun of himself, but it was also questioning. Now that Sully was his dad, would the other man expect obedience in everything?

"I'll be in charge of it," Sully agreed. "Of course, I'll take what you say on board. But the ultimate decisions will be up to me." He let his other hand push up under Nate's shirt, rubbing the younger man's bare back.

Nate sighed, letting his eyes close partly, giving a happy, almost chirping sound as his back was rubbed. "That's fair..." he acknowledged. "You're better at leading..." he admitted.

"Glad to hear there won't be any arguments." As he continued to rub Nate's bare back, Sully used his other hand to loosen Nate's pants, pushing them down enough to bare his hip and part of his backside...allowing him to rub and gently squeeze more bare skin.

Nate made a tiny, pleased, whimpering sound, once again shifting toward the affection, and nuzzled Sully like a puppy. "Yeah... arguing last time ended up being a really bad idea. And I kinda forced you into doing things my way, since you didn't wanna leave me alone. That was wrong... bad... don't wanna do that again. Wasn't fair," Nate whispered.

"I believe you." Sully brushed a kiss over Nate's hair, continuing to gently rub and squeeze the bare skin of his back, hips, and bottom. He gently patted Nate's backside as he added, "And if you do it again, you'll wind up back over my knee."

Nate gave a tiny yip at the pat but didn't pull away. "Yessir... would deserve to..." he said, in a small voice.

Sully gently squeezed Nate's backside, pushing the younger man's pants and underwear down enough to bare most of the lower half of Nate's body. He tugged Nate closer, until his son was plastered against him, pressed as close as humanly possible. "I've got you, son." He murmured the words into Nate's hair.

Nate flushed at his bottom being bared, but he knew he wasn't in trouble, so he let Sully move him. Once he was in position, his face was pressed to Sully's chest and his back and bottom were easily accessible to the older man. Somehow, the position and vulnerability made him feel safer. "You got me, Daddy..." he said quietly, falling into a more childishly needy mood.

"For always," Sully promised, sliding one hand up over Nate's back and the other down over his bottom and thighs. "Whether you're good, or whether you're naughty." Once again, he gently patted Nate's backside.

Nate gave a tiny little giggle at that. "S'good. Think I'm naughty a lot more 'n good...." he admitted sheepishly. "...Think m' bottom will be sore lots...."

Sully snorted softly at that, squeezing, and then gently rubbing the spot he'd just patted. "It'll be as sore as it needs to be, son." It took only a few more moments to strip Nate of the rest of his clothes, leaving him entirely bare and vulnerable to his daddy. He gently rubbed his son's back and bottom, still holding Nate close. Every so often, he'd deliver a light pat to one buttock or the other; only enough to catch his son's attention and focus.

Nate had been caught by surprise at Sully stripping him, but he didn't protest. It was easy to let Sully maneuver him as needed and where wanted. He wasn't worried about one of the crew catching them and finding him naked, either; he knew Sully would protect him and wouldn't deliberately put him in a bad position. He sighed happily at being held so tight with no barriers. "As sore as it needs to be, Daddy..." he agreed, with another soft, happy, chirping sound. "Even if it needs to be really, really sore.... I know you got me."

"Yeah. Cause you're mine," Sully said. "No matter what happens. You're mine and I'm yours." He continued to gently stroke and squeeze over his son's back and bottom, holding Nate so close, they could almost have merged into one being.

"Forever?" Nate asked quietly. "Even when we find Sam? I'll be yours forever?"

"Forever," Sully promised. "Finding Sam won't change anything about our relationship, son."

"I'm glad. I love Sam... but he left and never came back for me. Even when I was old enough, he never came. I... I don't wanna be left again..." he whispered.

"I won't leave you," Sully replied. "I won't leave my son." He continued to gently touch and stroke Nate, trying to reassure his son.

"Makes me happy, Daddy. Love you..." Nate said, almost bashfully.

"I love you too, son." Sully brushed an affectionate kiss over his head. "When we find your brother, we'll all go home together."

Nate smiled at that, snuggling closer. "I hope it can be soon."

"Me too," Sully said honestly.

"Thank you... for coming after me..." Nate whispered again, settling into place so Sully could continue showing him whose boy he was.

"Not coming after you was never an option," Sully replied. "I wouldn't have let you go alone, son." He rubbed gently over Nate's back and bottom.

"I believe that now. Even though it hurt... needed you to spank sense into me to understand..." Nate admitted.

"And I'll do the same thing any time it becomes necessary," Sully commented.

"I believe you, daddy...I hope I don't need it, but if I do, I know I'll be okay..." Nate admitted.

"It won't change anything between us," Sully said. "It won't change our relationship. No matter what."

Nate nuzzled in contentment. He trusted Sully's words and it eased what little worry he had.

Holding him close and tight, Sully murmured, "We'll leave the boat once it reaches the island. Then we'll figure out our next move."

"Okay, Daddy. Sounds good," Nate agreed quickly, continuing to snuggle, planning not to leave Sully's arms unless the older man directed.

Sully was perfectly content to hold onto and cuddle his son for as long as it took them to get to the island and figure out their next move. They would find Sam... but for right now, he needed to keep his kid safe.

The End