Good People

Summary: Follows Teaching A Lesson. After Bosco and his team are killed, Cho realises that Jane is struggling and edging towards the line he shouldn't be crossing. Cho steps in
Warning(s): Spanking; spoilers for the first two seasons of The Mentalist; AU; references to violence and canon character death; some references to self-destructive behaviour
Pairing: Kimball Cho/Patrick Jane

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Cho had figured his first time spanking Patrick Jane had turned out to be a success. They'd had a moment, something between them, but Jane had pulled away and Cho had let him. Still, the other man had made an obvious attempt to curb his dangerous, reckless behaviour. And every so often, Cho would catch the other man giving him sidelong glances. Perhaps it would have bothered him, if he didn't keep finding himself looking towards Jane every time he thought he could get away with it.

Of course, he knew better than to think that. It was impossible to keep anything from Patrick Jane. He'd know that Cho was looking at him, trying to read him. He just hadn't said anything about it.

Cho didn't have any doubts that there'd be a conversation between them about it soon. He knew that what had happened between them couldn't just be ignored, even though they hadn't talked about it since it had happened. Since Cho had taken Jane over his knee and spanked him...and then held him while the other man cried.

And now, they were dealing with another problem.

Red John had struck. He hadn't attacked the CBI personally, but he'd got one of his followers to do so. Four good agents were dead...and even though Bosco and Jane had never really seen eye to eye, Cho knew that the man's death had to have hit him hard. Maybe not the death of the man himself, but certainly what that death represented had to hit him hard.

It had affected all of them, but Jane's vendetta was much more personal. And it was obviously having an effect on him, since Cho had already noticed a return to the dangerous, reckless behaviour that had made it necessary for him to step in and take care of the other man.

Cho hadn't immediately stepped in to put a stop to Jane's actions, even though he'd warned the other man he'd spank him again if Jane continued with his dangerous, reckless behaviour. He'd waited to see if the other man would curb his behaviour on his own...but since Jane was continuing, almost as if he had a death wish, Cho figured he needed to step in. Again.

The CBI was settling down, at least a little. Everyone was still somewhat on edge, but it was a bit easier now that she'd been caught. Red John's accomplice. Cho was pretty sure they were all beating themselves up about not having realised. After all, they were law enforcement. They should have realised they had a psychopath in their midst.

They'd closed another case...and were finishing up the last pieces of the case-closed pizza. Cho sat at his desk, eating his own piece of pizza, lost in thought. Rigsby and Van Pelt were flirting and making eyes at each other, but he barely paid them any attention. He was lost in his own thoughts.

But he could tell that Jane was watching him. The other man was smart. He'd remember that Cho had promised the spanking wouldn't be a one-time thing. Was it possible that was the main driving force behind his reckless, dangerous behaviour? Perhaps he didn't consciously want to be taken in hand, but from working so much with the other man, Cho knew that a person's subconscious could give away things that someone didn't consciously intend to give away.

"So what are your plans now that the case is closed, Cho?" Jane's voice broke into his thoughts.

Cho chewed the bite of pizza he'd taken while he thought about how to answer the question.

"I'm guessing you've got a date lined up?" Rigsby raised his eyebrows, catching Cho's eye and giving him a grin. "You've got some free time...at least until the next case comes along. And you promised you'd tell me all the details about your next date."

"I don't remember making that promise." Out of the corner of his eye, Cho saw an odd look on Jane's face. Regret, maybe? He wasn't sure why Jane looked like that. They'd kissed, briefly, after Cho had spanked him...but Jane had pulled away and Cho had respected that decision. He cared about Jane; he was attracted to the other man. But he wasn't going to force a relationship the other man wasn't ready for. If Jane wanted more from him, he'd find a way to let him know.

But even if they weren't moving to another stage in their relationship, Cho knew he needed to deal with the reckless behaviour Jane had been exhibiting. He wasn't going to embarrass the other man, but he did say, "I don't have a date planned for tonight. Jane, I need to talk to you about something." He turned fully to face the other man.

"Yeah. Okay." Jane gave him a quick grin. "It'd be easier if we go to your apartment."

Cho paused at the statement. He'd figured that they would take care of things here in the building, like they had the first time. But maybe it wasn't the right place, considering what had happened with Red John. Besides, he was adaptable and could easily take care of things in his own apartment as he could there. Perhaps it would even be more comfortable for both of them. "Okay," he said simply. "Once we're done here, we'll head back to my apartment."

"I'm glad that's settled." Lisbon reached out and picked up one of the remaining pieces of pizza. "We could all do with a break," she allowed. "I'll hope that we don't have anymore cases for a few days, after everything that's happened."

Looking round, Cho could see that everyone else appeared to be in agreement. He nodded, even as he finished his own slice of pizza, then finished off his drink. He then sat back and waited for the rest of the team to finish up.

It didn't take long for the team to finish eating. Lisbon was the first person to leave, with Rigsby and Van Pelt following soon after, caught up in each other.

"And then there were two," Jane murmured, once the two of them were alone in the room. He stood up, dusting his pants off, and then made eye contact with Cho. "You need to get anything before we leave?"

"I've already got everything I need." Cho stood up and walked towards the door. He paused and then turned to look at Jane. "I should tell you why I want to talk to you..." he began.

"You warned me what would happen if I was dangerous and reckless. I really can't deny that I have been acting dangerously. And recklessly." Jane shrugged. "Can't say I'm surprised that it's going to happen. I was expecting it...maybe even hoping for it...." He hesitated, looking a little unsure of himself. "Not to say I want to get a...spanking. But something about the consistency is reassuring."

Cho nodded. "You don't have to explain anymore." He reached out and placed a hand on Jane's shoulder, squeezing gently, and used that grip to steer the other man out of the building, heading into the parking lot.

Jane didn't feel that tense under Cho's hand. In fact, as they walked, he leaned into Cho's touch even more. He appeared visibly relaxed, not nervous about what was about to happen at all.

When they reached his car, Cho opened the door and got in the driver's side. He buckled his seatbelt as Jane got in the car as well, waiting for the other man to be settled before he put the car in gear and began driving in the direction of his apartment.

The drive was a silent one. Cho didn't feel the need to say anything...and clearly, Jane didn't see any need to speak either. He just looked out of the window as Cho drove along, his posture relaxed and at ease. He only stirred when Cho pulled up outside his apartment building...and then, when the car came to a stop, the two of them undid their seatbelts and got out of the car.

Moving round to Jane's side, Cho placed a hand on the other man's shoulder, squeezing gently, and guided him into the building.

"This is a nice place," Jane commented, looking around as they stepped into the main room. "You don't have many personal items here, but I suppose that's to be expected." He turned to face Cho, shifting slightly so that Cho's hand still remained on his shoulder. "Do you want to take care of this now?"

"Do you need to add anything? Or ask anything?" Cho asked. "Any reasons for your actions that might encourage me to go more lenient on you?"

Jane smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Anything I try to say will just be an excuse. I don't have any good reasons. It's just the sort of thing I do."

"And that isn't acceptable."

"No," Jane agreed. He took a deep breath, then moved his hand to his pants and undid the button and the zip. Then, he paused and waited.

Nodding slightly, Cho led Jane over to the couch and took a seat. Once he was comfortable, with his legs slightly apart, he guided the other man into position across his lap.

Jane let out his breath slowly and slumped over Cho's lap. He reached down with one hand to gently grip hold of Cho's ankle, while he reached behind him with his other hand.

Cho gently gripped Jane's hand, squeezing it, before he hooked his fingers into the waistband of Jane's pants. He pulled them down, quickly following up with Jane's underwear, baring the other man from the waist down to the backs of his knees.

Lifting his hand, Cho brought it down in a firm smack that reverberated through the room. A very faint pink handprint appeared on Jane's right cheek and the man's body jerked slightly, though he didn't make a sound.

Cho didn't waste any time in continuing to swat, covering every inch of Jane's backside from the crest down to mid-thigh. By the time he started over from the top, Jane was shifting slightly and letting out tiny little huffs...almost little whines.

After he completed the second circuit of smacks, Cho began a third, going a fraction harder and faster. "I know you're probably the smartest person in the room...at least in most rooms. But you can and have been hurt due to your behaviour. And I suspect there's part of you that wants to be hurt," he said. "You think you deserve it, but you wouldn't actively try to hurt yourself. You're pushing other people to the point of physically hurting you, to fulfil that need you have to punish yourself." He moved his hand a bit lower, beginning to focus more smacks to Jane's sit spots and thighs, turning them the same stinging, burning red as the rest of the other man's backside.

Jane's squirming became more pronounced and he began to make little whines low in his throat. He gripped hold of Cho's hand even tighter and when he spoke, it was with a hitch in his voice. "I don't want to hurt myself." But his voice lacked any kind of conviction. It sounded like he was protesting just because he thought he should protest.

"I might not have the same ability to read people as you do, but I believe I can read you fairly well," Cho said seriously. "I know I'm right. You don't get off on pain, so there's another reason for your need to push people into hurting you." He delivered a series of harder smacks to Jane's thighs, causing the other man to squirm and writhe more frantically, then began to smack again from the crest, turning the skin to a darker shade of red.

It didn't take long before Jane was beginning to sob. His tears were quiet, but still enough to carry to Cho's ears. His body slumped over Cho's lap and he gripped Cho's hand tighter...like he was looking for a lifeline and Cho was it for him.

Cho gripped Jane's hand tighter, even as he finished up with a final flurry of smacks to Jane's sit spots and thighs. Then, he brought the spanking to a stop. He rubbed Jane's back for a few moments, then carefully pulled his clothing back into place.

Jane's sobs increased a fraction in force, but he didn't argue or protest. Then, when Cho helped him to stand up, he turned and wrapped his arms around Cho in a tight hug, breathing in deeply and choking back his sobs. "I'm sorry." He whispered the words into Cho's shirt.

"We've all been on edge since Bosco and his team were murdered. Since Red John got into the CBI." Cho's voice was as reassuring as he could make it as he murmured, "I know things are difficult. I know they've been difficult for a long time." He took a chance, since Jane was allowing the comfort and not pulling away, and said, "You know they wouldn't want you to throw your life away. For any reason."

"Are you going to try to talk me out of killing Red John?" Jane pulled back enough to look into Cho's eyes. "I hope you know that won't work. If you try to forbid me from taking revenge, we're going to have a problem."

Cho looked into Jane's eyes for several moments before he nodded. "I know. I understand the need for revenge. But I don't think it's going to help you in the long run," he said. "You're not going to feel any better about it. You've seen enough attempts at revenge to know that. You've talked people out of taking revenge by telling them it won't make them feel better. You should listen to yourself."

"Red John needs to be stopped." Jane took a deep breath and stepped closer to Cho. His movements were slow, almost cautious, as he pressed his body against Cho's.

Jane was so close to him, Cho could feel his heart beating. He could feel the warm breath on his neck as Jane exhaled slowly. He let his hands slide over Jane's hips, wrapping around his waist, tugging the other man in closer.

He should put a stop to this. Jane's emotions were too close to the surface. He was in a vulnerable state...and if Cho let things continue, he had no doubts that Jane would have regrets. Still, it was difficult to force himself to drop his hands from Jane's waist; to move back, so that they weren't pressed quite so close together. And he said, quietly, "We need to put a stop to this."

"Yeah. You're right." Jane took a step back and breathed in deeply. "This is a bad idea. It would be a bad idea. I'm not in the right headspace to be making these kinds of decisions," he said, with a self-deprecating note of humour in his voice.

"When you are...." Cho hesitated, not sure if continuing was the right thing to do. But he should let Jane know where he stood. Where they both stood. "When you are in that headspace, we can talk."

Jane looked at him for several long moments before he nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "When the time is right, we'll talk." He stepped away from Cho. "Mind if I sleep here tonight? I can take the couch. Only, you drove me here...so I'd need to go back to the Bureau to get my car. And it's kind of late to be doing that. Don't you think?" A small smile spread across his face as he added, "I promise to keep my hands to myself."

"That's not a problem," Cho replied. "You can use anything of mine that you need to. I'll show you to the guest room." He straightened up and led the way out of the main room, leading the way towards his guest room.

Maybe he was making a mistake, but it was too late to worry about that now.

The End