Mami and Papi Know Best

Summary: .Michael takes a job Sonia and Darius were strongly against. Of course they were right.
Warning(s):  Semi-harsh Disciplinary Spanking of adults. Slight age regression. Violence/references to violence. Potential spoilers for Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard.

### 

Michael grunted as he gently slid (haphazardly fell) off the roof, luckily into a tree since it slowed his plummet toward the ground, and tried to land on the ground gracefully (not on his head). He did manage not to land on his head, he reflected twenty minutes later, after he had limped to the river on a severely sprained ankle (thankfully not broken) and thrown himself into the fast-moving water, allowing it to pull him away from the goons with guns who were trying to permanently silence him.

"Sonia and Darius are gonna skin me raw," he thought morosely, as he rapidly floated out of range of the guns, but still struggled to keep his head above water. The clothing he wore had quickly become water logged and was weighing him down. It was also very cold, as it was winter in the part of the world he was currently in... A part of the world a continent away from his adoptive parents and nowhere near where he was officially supposed to be.

They'd protested him taking this job, giving all the valid arguments they could against him taking it, and eventually, Darius had forbidden it. So, of course, Michael had decided that meant he had to take the job; to prove he didn't have to obey the older man and was in charge of himself. He was an adult, damn it!

Just when he'd given up hope of getting to the river bank and accepted he'd likely drown, he finally pulled out of the current and was able to drag himself up onto the shore. Shivering, he began the slow, painful trek toward (he hoped) the nearest town; and hoped he didn't run into his pursuers.

*****

Sonia was slamming and banging anything that would slam and bang in the tiny cabin of the sailboat. Most of the words were said in rapid-fire Spanish. The few English words were colorful descriptions of what Michael's ass would look like when his "Mami" and "Papi" found and retrieved him.

O'Neill cringed, second guessing his decision to be the messenger of this particular news. "We know he got away... Our informant says they are still scouring the countryside for him. And he got what he went in for; as long as he didn't lose it in the river when he jumped in, his part of the mission was completed. We just need to find him, so he can hand over the item. That's why I came to you. Figured you know him best and would have a better idea of where to look...." he said hesitantly, looking at Darius.

Darius was managing to keep himself calm...if only because nothing would be helped if both of them lost their temper. As much as banging and slamming and cursing might make Sonia feel better in the moment, it wasn't going to bring Michael back safe and sound.

Focusing his attention on O'Neill, Darius said, "I'm gonna need the exact cordinates of where he went into the water." He'd be able to figure out which way the current might have taken Michael, and therefore where his wayward son was more likely to have ended up.

"Of course!" O'Neill rapidly agreed. The sooner Michael could be found and the item recovered, the sooner he could get away from this screwball family. The way Sonia was eyeing him, he was certain the only thing keeping him alive was the fact he could help them get Michael back. She was very upset that he'd give Michael the job, especially when she'd let everyone know she didn't want Michael anywhere close to the mission. He quickly edged to the door. "I'll get the coordinates and text them to you. I'll arrange for a plane, too, while I'm at it."

Darius nodded. "You'd better hurry," he said wryly. "You don't want to get in between Michael and his mother." Even if there was a slight note of humour in his voice, he was still just as worried as Sonia was. He just needed to stay calm and in control, so they could safely bring their son home.

"No... I'd never do that!" O'Neill said fervently, missing the humor and treating it seriously. Inside, he was cursing the day he'd arranged for the adoption. It unfortunately meant he couldn't manipulate Michael as easily... And left the door open for the terrifying twosome to get in the way of what he wanted or needed done. Although, he had to admit Michael was doing a lot better in all areas of his life since he'd tricked the other man into signing the papers. And he did like Michael, so on a personal level, he was happy for him. But it was still a pain in his ass. He waited a few more seconds before quickly jumping off the boat. "I'll text you!" he yelled over his shoulder, making his escape.

Darius sighed and then turned to Sonia as O'Neill left the boat. "He's going to send us the coordinates to Michael's location where he went into the river." She would have heard the words anyway, but he hoped that pointing out they had a plan to find Michael would help her to calm down, at least a little...enough for them to find their son.

"I told him not to go! It was bad juju! You forbid it!! Why did he not listen?" Sonia turned worried, sad eyes toward Darius. "I thought he finally accepted we are family... And then he goes and does something that could take him from us!"

"Because he's stubborn," Darius replied. "But I'll handle him. As soon as we find him," he added.

Sonia nodded. "Needs his stubborn ass handed to him..." she muttered, before beginning another multi-lingual rant filled with colorful words. "You can make it a nice dark rose red..." she added in between the ranting, her worry and fear for Michael fueling her irritated anger.

"That's the plan," Darius said wryly. "After we pull his ass out of the fire and make sure he's safe."

"You don't think... He always gets hurt! As smart as he is and as good as he is at his job... He always gets hurt!" she fretted. "What if we can't bring him home?" She swallowed hard.

"Hey." He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her, hugging tight. "We're going to find him," he promised. "He won't be sitting comfortably once we do, but we will find him."

Sonia snorted softly and snuggled into her husband. "Yeah. Okay... We'll find him..." she agreed, slightly reassured. "We'll find him, take care of him, and then make sure he learns why it's better to listen to his Mami and Papi, even if he doesn't like what they said!" she declared, before standing on tiptoe and kissing Darius. "Distract me with great sex, Stud!" she ordered, with a tiny grin.

"Whatever you say." He grinned and swept her into his arms, kissing her, and carried her through to their bedroom.

****

Michael had managed to get out of the river and make his way through a wooded area to a hunting cabin. Just in time, as it began to snow. Luckily, whoever owned the cabin apparently came in the winter as well as warmer months, because they had electric space heaters that he could warm himself up with. Also, luckily, the owners weren't currently in residence. Chances were, he had at least five days before he'd need to worry about them possibly showing up, since it was Sunday evening and most people would be working Monday through Friday. If he was really lucky, his ankle would heal enough by the time he needed to worry and he would be long gone.

First, he turned on the heaters. Then, stripping out of his wet clothes, he pulled a thick blanket from the closet and wrapped it around himself. He then looked for a first aid kit to see if there were bandages he could wrap around his ankle to support it. Smiling to himself when he found it, he carefully wrapped his injured appendage. Finally, he looked for some rice; not optimistic there would be any food at all, but if there was rice, he could potentially use it to dry his phone enough it might work so he could call O'Neill for extraction. Currently, the phone was dead.

That was where his luck ran out. There was no rice. There were a few canned items, so at least he wouldn't go hungry. Sighing, he opened a can of soup and heated it in the tiny microwave, before settling in front of the heater to eat. He left the lights off. With any luck, no one would realize there was someone in the cabin. Especially if the snow wasn't disturbed. He slowly began to warm up.

****

O'Neill had contacted Darius with the coordinates within a few hours of having left Michael's two parents. He'd also got them onto a plane heading toward an airport close to those coordinates. It took nearly a day, but they were finally able to begin looking for their son. "O'Neill says his informant told him that they didn't find Michael and believe he drowned..." Sonia fretted. "Especially since it snowed yesterday evening and all through the night and there is no evidence of anyone walking any of the places he was expected to crawl out at...."

"Or maybe the snow covered any tracks he might have made," Darius said. "We'll need to look at any deserted buildings...huts or cabins or houses. Especially any that are out of the way and close to the river."

Sonia nodded, leaning against Darius, but looking up as O'Neill approached them.

"Funny you say that," he began. "I had my guys take the current speed of the river, and other potential factors into account, such as if he was wounded or got hypothermia... And they figured out a stretch of land he potentially could have exited from. The list of cabins he might hole up in is here..." He handed over a map with several circles penciled around various spots. "The ones in the blue are in the area our informant says the goons stopped looking for him, assuming he would drown before getting that far down river. Since we want to be hopeful and believe he got out, the chance he is in one of the blue circled cabins is something worth looking into. Especially since his pursuers already looked in the other areas but didn't look there."

Darius took the map and quickly scanned it, then showed it to Sonia. "We should start our checks here, then widen our search to this area." He pointed out the spots on the map he was talking about.

Sonia nodded. "Let's go get our boy..." she said with determination. She refused to believe he was gone.

As soon as the plane landed, Darius was helping Sonia out into the snow. Luckily, they were both bundled up in warm clothes, so the cold didn't have much effect as he led the way to the first building they planned to search.

Sonia was disappointed that the first building was empty, but not surprised. It would have been entirely too easy to find him immediately. They looked at the map to get their bearings and moved to the next location. Then the next... And the next. By the time they had checked out five of the buildings on their map, Sonia was getting very tired and cold and it was getting late. The buildings weren't next to each other, and while the distance wasn't insurmountable, it took close to an hour walking between each one. With the snow and cold, it was even more difficult. "If he isn't at the next house, I will need a break to warm up..." Sonia reluctantly admitted, though chattering teeth.

Darius nodded. "Even if he's not there, we can take the time to warm up. As much as we want to fnd him, we won't be able to take care of him if we're frozen." He was showing signs of feeling the cold, too, even if he was very used to harsh conditions.

Sonia nodded, and they began the slow trek to the next cabin on the list. 

****

While his parents had (without his knowledge) been searching, Michael had taken stock of what was in the cabin and what he could use without drawing attention to his location. For being a 'hunting' cabin in the 'middle of nowhere', the cabin was surprisingly modern. It was obviously set up to be off grid and avoid any type of fuel that had to be purchased. All the electricity was produced by a solar generator. All appliances and furnaces ran off electricity. So, while there was a fireplace and wood burning stove as backup, as long as nothing went wrong, he would be able to stay warm, heat up food, and even bathe without having woodsmoke going up from the chimney to draw attention. That was important. He'd be able to see if people were coming up on him more easily and hide or run, depending on the threat level.

Also important? He'd located a freezer filled with meat. While there wouldn't be any fresh veggies, and Michael loved himself a good salad, at least he'd have plenty to eat and hopefully, that would aid his ankle in healing so he could get the rest of the way out of this mission.

After cleaning up from his last meal, Michael made his way to the small washer and dryer he'd found in the bathroom linen closet. He moved his boots to sit in front of the heater to dry. The rest of his clothes, he put into the washer to clean. He then decided to get in the shower and clean himself off. It was time to make sure his ankle wasn't the only wound. He'd been putting it off for over a day, not wanting to be caught unaware by his pursuers, but the risk of infection grew with each minute a wound was untreated, so he'd have to risk being naked for at least long enough to clean himself and check.

***

Michael had taken longer in the shower than he strictly needed, the water felt so good and actually warmed him further...he hadn't realized he was still chilled, so he had just got out and was drying off to prepare to check for wounds when Sonia and Darius reached the cabin.

Sonia peeked into the window of the cabin. "I don't see him... But someone is here. All the dust has been disturbed," she whispered hopefully.

"We have to be prepared in case it's not him." Darius drew his gun. "Stay close to me," he whispered to Sonia, as he reached out to try the door to the cabin. Even if it was locked, he could probably pick it...but if Michael (or anyone else) had broken in, the chances were good that he and Sonia would be able to easily get inside as well.

Michael had picked the lock, so it wasn't completely busted, but he hadn't been as adept due to being in frigid, wet clothing, so it was broken and he hadn't been able to relock it. Instead, he'd set up something to fall and make noise if someone came through the door, hoping he would have enough time to crawl out a back window, or hide if necessary.

Darius assumed that there would be traps set up, if someone was in the cabin who didn't actually live there. He noticed the busted lock, which gave him a pretty good idea that someone was there. He pointed it out silently to Sonia, then began to carefully open the door, gun in hand.

Michael finished his shower and wrapped a towel around his waist because his clothes were still drying. He glanced out the bathroom window, just to make certain everything was okay. The snow was still undisturbed and he didn't hear anything happening, so he felt mostly safe. He began to walk into the front of the cabin to double check out that window.

Darius slowly and carefully opened the door, signing for Sonia to stick close to him. If it wasn't Michael in the cabin, it might be someone they could use to get to their son.

Michael was already half into the room before he realized someone else was also there. It startled him so bad, he let out a high-pitched squeak and jumped, causing his towel to drop and trip him. As he was heading to dive behind the couch for cover (and hopefully find something to defend himself with), it caused him to land harder than he would have.

Sonia watched all this with wife eyes and opened mouth.

Darius lowered his gun, though he didn't put it away, and quickly went to Michael's side. "Is anyone else here?" he asked, even as he began to carefully check over his wayward son for injuries.

Michael's eyes were wide and he held his hands in front of his groin bashfully when he realized his visitors were Darius and Sonia. "No... I'm alone... Well except for you two. How did you get here?"

"O'Neill told us what had happened," Darius replied. "We got the coordinates of where you went into the water. We've been searching for you for the past six hours." He was still checking Michael for injuries, heedless of his son's nakedness.

"Six hours?" Michael asked faintly. While he knew Sonia and Darius were fond of him, he hadn't expected them to put themselves at risk for him. Licking his lower lip, he left the feelings that discovering they would risk themselves for reflection on another day. "I checked everywhere I could easily see and I don't think I was wounded...well, other than my ankle..." he offered helpfully.

"Doesn't mean you aren't injured in a place you can't easily see," Darius said. "What's the situation here?" If Michael felt comfortable enough to shower, he assumed that meant his son had taken stock at what was in the cabin.

"I set up items at all the windows and doors to alert me if someone comes in the building, but the snow makes it easy to see people coming if we are watching." Michael gave what he considered the must important information first. "The cabin uses a solar generator, so as long as it stores enough power, we have a stove, heat, and warm running water. There is a freezer full of meat in the basement and going by the dates on the packages, it should be edible as long as the power never went off at any point to cause it to defrost. I haven't tried eating it yet, so no way to know about that. There is a pantry full of canned goods to eat as well. There are linens, but I wasn't able to find changes of clothing; my stuff is in the dryer right now...."

"If you need something to keep you warm, you can use my coat." Darius began to check Michael's ankle, ensuring that it wasn't anything more than a sprain, before he began to carefully strap up Michael's ankle. "You're going to need to stay off that as much as possible."

"Yeah. Didn't have much choice when I was escaping, but I've been trying to keep my weight off of it since I got here." Michael nodded.

"Good. You have anything to eat yet?" Darius asked.

"I had some soup earlier. I can heat some up for both of you..." Michael said, glancing toward where Sonia had stood quietly while Darius took care of his injury. She hadn't said anything, and it made him nervous.

"We have a few things to discuss with you, but after that, I will heat up more soup and you can eat with us," Sonia said archly.

Darius nodded in agreement with Sonia's words, though he did say, "I want to set up some traps of my own before dealing with this." While there hadn't been any sign of pursuers yet, he knew that it was possible people might still be looking for Michael...and have the same thoughts he and Sonia had.

Michael swallowed hard, but didn't argue. While he was good at his job and knew he'd done well to protect himself, Darius was better. And until he could walk out on both his feet without worrying about further injury, it would be better to stay where they were, so Darius adding his own protections would be better. "Whatever we put up has to be taken down when we leave... I don't know who this cabin belongs to and I don't want to hurt an innocent...' he said quietly, trying not to think about what Darius might have meant with his words.

Sonia wasn't kind enough to let him ignore it, though. "When your Papi gets back, you are due one long, hard, blistering, Buster!" she declared, before going into a round of quick Spanish that Michael couldn't understand the words of, but the meaning was quite clear.

Darius just nodded to Michael's response and headed to each of the possible entrance points. He'd brought more than just his gun with him and he began to set up traps, making sure each one would be just as easy to dismantle as it was to set up.

Michael stayed where he was, equal parts dejected and relieved at Darius and Sonia's presence. He was surprised to find he felt guilty. "I didn't mean to upset or worry you..." he finally whispered, when Darius had returned and Sonia had stopped cussing.

"What did you expect to happen?" Darius asked, a note of disbelief in his voice. "We both told you how dangerous it could be. And I think you proved that with what's happened." He gestured towards Michael's bandaged ankle.

Michael blinked. "Everything we do is dangerous..." he pointed out, though he wasn't as forceful or belligerent as he had been when he'd argued with them about the job originally.

"This was unnecessarily dangerous," Darius stated. He took a seat on the couch next to Michael. "You didn't need to do this mission. And more to the point, I ordered you not to go."

"I'm an adult... You can't order me..." Michael was looking at the floor as he said that, though. If he were honest with himself, he wasn't certain he was telling the truth. He was an adult, yes... But ever since joining Darius and Sonia's family, he had been listening more and more to what they asked from him. Especially Darius. It had been part of the reason he had ignored the command, honestly. He thought he shouldn't be obeying so much. The fact he had been scared him.

"Maybe, but you're also ours," Darius said. "Maybe signing those papers was a trick, but it doesn't make our relationship one. You put yourself in very real danger and I'm going to spank you for it." He reached out to grasp Michael's wrist.

Michael's eyes widened. "No! Darius... You can't! I'm really... I'm too big!" he protested, in nearly a whine. It was the only thing he could think to say, really. Reiterating that he'd been doing his job wouldn't convince the older man; the fact he took the job at all was why he was in trouble. He also couldn't honestly say he didn't deserve it, or it wasn't fair. He'd obviously scared his two parents... And considering how jaded, unflappable, and calm in the face of danger they tended to be, that was saying something.

"I don't wanna spanking...." His voice this time didn't sound like a whine so much as it sounded afraid. The last time Darius had spanked him, he'd lost all control over himself and his emotions. The pain that had lasted well into the next day had been manageable... But he'd been off kilter and almost childlike for nearly a week after and had needed to rely on the other two to function, unable to make any decisions without the approval of at least one of the two because he had dropped far enough to lose all confidence.

Darius grunted softly. "Not wanting it is exactly why it works so well as a punishment." He decided that there was no point in drawing this out any longer. After all, they could argue round in circles about this all evening, if Darius let Michael.

Using his grip on Michael's wrist, Darius pulled his son across his lap, adjusting one of the cushions to give Michael's ankle some support. Michael was already naked, so Darius didn't need to remove any clothing. There were no barriers to him lifting his hand and bringing it down in a firm, hard smack that he then repeated.

Michael let out a tiny yelp as he was positioned much quicker than expected; a louder yelp as Darius began to smack. He didn't even think about it before beginning to squirm and try to get away. It hurt. And he knew by the time Darius had finished, it would hurt so much worse that he'd be reduced to a sobbing little boy again.

He didn't say anything. Darius had somehow missed the fear in his voice when he'd protested earlier (or heard and ignored it). He didn't want to speak again and have him or Sonia notice it this time. He didn't want to lose Darius' respect by being afraid, and it might encourage Sonia to baby him, which would almost be worse. Especially since his fear was that he'd drop and be their baby boy for much longer than a spanking warranted.

Sonia watched with narrowed eyes and a very tiny bit of satisfaction. Michael could have been killed! They could have lost their son because he didn't want to listen! Noticing the stubbornness manifesting in the squirming and the clenched jaw as Michael attempted not to vocalize, she said in a very calm voice, "Why must you be so stubborn, Mikey? First you are stubborn and defy us, being a very disobedient boy and almost getting killed because of it... Now you are stubborn, refusing to react to the spanking you know you deserve! All your stubbornness will gain you is a sore bottom that lasts longer than it needs to...."

Michael clenched his teeth harder to keep from responding. If he responded, they'd hear his fear. And then he'd have to explain why he was afraid, because otherwise, they'd think he was afraid of them. And if they knew how difficult it was to stay adult after being spanked...how much he had to fight himself not to act like a child...they'd be disgusted and he'd lose them just like he lost his step-father.

Darius had noticed the way Michael was refusing to react to the spanking and he stopped spanking, instead rubbing Michael's bare bottom. He hoped the gentleness would help encourage Michael to give the response he needed to. "It's no use trying to outlast me, little boy," he said firmly, using the nickname without conscious thought. "All fighting your reactions will do is get you a longer, harder spanking. And it'll still end up with the same result."

Michael whimpered when Darius called him little boy. Along with the bottom rubbing, it served to make him feel so young and helpless. He could feel himself responding and had to tense up further to keep himself from dropping. 'I... Can't... he forced out through clenched teeth, shutting his eyes in shame. The fear had been obvious, even to himself.

"Can't what?" Darius prompted. He'd heard the note of fear in Michael's voice, but wasn't sure exactly what had caused it. He continued to rub Michael's bottom, as he'd been able to feel his son tensing up even more.

"Can't let go..." Michael admitted, with a tiny sob. "If let go... Not be stub... Stubborn... I act like a baby!" He sobbed again, this one slightly harder and louder. "Then don't grow up for days and don't wanna disgust you..." he admitted in a tormented tone, not elaborating further.

Sonia blinked. "That doesn't disgust us..." She glanced at Darius. "It... It feels good you trust us enough to be vulnerable like that..." She couldn't help being confused, not knowing what exactly he was afraid of.

"Mikey, we adopted you," Darius said, using the more juvenile nickname because it felt like it fit more. "We chose you. And even if you act like a little boy...if you need to act like a little boy...it isn't a problem. It wasn't the last time, and it won't be this time."

"Y... You won't be upset? You...won't dump me?" Michael found himself asking hopefully. For as much as he railed against the adoption originally, he'd quickly discovered he felt more secure because of it. The thought he'd lose his adoptive mother and father because of an inability to stay his age had tormented him.

"No, little boy. The only reason we're upset is because you were naughty and disobedient," Darius said firmly. "But we would never dump you. As I said. We chose you."

"Was... Was that why you were a naughty little boy?" Sonia asked, much calmer now that she realized Michael's actions had been fueled by fear. "Because you thought you had to be adult and..."

"...And adults don't let their parents make their decisions for them..." Michael whimpered in a shaky voice, still fighting submitting; but only because if he let go, he wouldn't be able to talk.

Sonia sighed and shook her head, letting out a string of exasperated Spanish, though it wasn't cussing this time. It was a lot of affectionate little names, while making it clear she thought Michael had behaved foolishly. "Silly baby... adults discuss potential life changing decisions with their families. You doing something dangerous, for no good reason, was not something we would ever accept. But if you had given us a good reason why taking this particular danger was necessary, we would have helped you make it as safe as was possible. You didn't even try to discuss it. You snuck off like a child."

"But I didn't think you'd change your mind... Papi forbid me..." Michael said, in a small voice. The name he called Darius indicated he had slipped some, despite his efforts.

"You argued and went against what we told you without giving a good reason," Darius pointed out. "If you'd talked to us, we would have found a way, if you'd had a good reason for doing so. Your Mami is right."

"I... I didn't have a good reason," Michael admitted reluctantly. "Just wanted to, cuz you said no, and thought I had to prove somethin..." he sniffled. "I was really naughty...deserve to be spanked hard," he finished unhappily.

Darius wasn't that surprised by Michael's admittance. Given what his son had just said, he suspected that Michael's actions had been a form of testing. "You are going to be spanked," he said. "But after it's over, you'll be forgiven. And you will always be our son." He raised his hand, preparing to start spanking again.

Michael whimpered softly, but didn't beg not to be spanked. Now that he felt more secure and not afraid of reacting in a way that would make his family upset... he felt guilty. He slumped over Darius' knee, crying softly, but submitting. "I'm sorry, Papi..." he whispered sadly.

"I know you are. We'll deal with it and then it'll be over. You'll be forgiven," Darius promised, before raising his hand and beginning to swat once more.

Michael yelped again, but since he was no longer holding himself in check, seconds later, he began to cry. Hard. And squirm uncontrollably. Having decided to stop fighting his reactions, he didn't try and stop any of them.

Shaking her head fondly and giving Darius a wry look, Sonia moved closer and took hold of Michael's hands so he wouldn't throw them back to block.

Darius continued to swat firmly. He was careful to hold back on his full strength, but continued to smack hard. His other arm wrapped tightly around Michael's waist, pulling his son tight and firm against his stomach.

Despite now believing he deserved a hard spanking for his actions, because he wasn't fighting his reactions anymore, it didn't take long before Michael began to beg childishly, "It hurts! Please, Papi, I'm sorry! I'll be good!" Had he been fighting not to drop, he would never have done that; he'd been in worse pain. But he wasn't fighting, and being over his father's knee being spanked tilted him tight over into the childish mindset and behavior he had been worried about.

"I know it hurts, son." Darius spoke gently, even as he continued to firmly smack Michael's backside, making sure every inch received attention. "But your actions could have resulted in you being hurt worse. You could have been taken away from us." He began to focus more swats to Michael's sit spots and the tops of his thighs.

"Don't wanna be taken way... B'long with you," Michael sobbed louder at thinking about not being able to return to his family. It was clear he'd got over being tricked into the adoption. He now wanted his family. He continued to squirm, unable not to, it hurt too much, but it was obviously a reaction and not fighting. It wasn't really helping. All squirming did was put his bottom in better position to smack.

"You belong with us and we belong with you," Darius promised. "And I'll keep on proving that to you. Even if you're naughty again."

"Love you, P...papi. Mami... N... Need you. S... Sorry was bad. Shoulda listened. Shoulda obeyed..." Michael's voice was shaky and his squirming was becoming weaker as he tired himself out.

"We love you too, Bambino..." Sonia said soothingly, squeezing Michael's hands gently. She'd been holding them firmly so he couldn't block the swats, but she could feel the strength in his grip loosening as he tired. She looked toward where Darius continued to smack. Their son's bottom was sunburn red. She couldn't help but wince at seeing it. Even though Darius was obviously being careful and regulating his strength, it would still be very painful.

But it was needed. Michael had deliberately pushed on something they couldn't budge on. He could have died. It was their responsibility to make certain he learned not to behave on that way. The spanking might hurt, but everything would be better for it.

"You weren't 'bad'," Darius disagreed. "You were naughty, but we'll deal with that. You'll be punished and then forgiven. You won't be naughty anymore. You'll be our good boy," he soothed, even as he began to swat a fraction harder and faster.

"I will! I'll be so good, Papi... Won't ever dis'bey 'gain!" Michael blubbered the promise.

Sonia bit her lip to keep from smiling. She knew that wasn't a promise Michael could hope to keep. He was too proud and liked to be in charge of himself. But she'd be happy if he at least learned to discuss things and listen. They didn't really want to run his life... Just protect him.

Darius knew that, despite what Michael was saying, their son wasn't likely to be able to keep that promise. As long as he at least made the effort, though, they could work with that...so long as Michael didn't do anything dangerous.

Darius finished with a final flurry of swats to Michael's sit spots and thighs, then stopped spanking and carefully moved Michael up and into his arms, on his lap, situating Michael so that Sonia could easily provide comfort as well.

Michael clung to Darius, sobbing. "Sorry.. I'll be your good boy..." he repeated, over and over. He was in a young mindset, needing to be comforted and cuddled by the older man. Not that he didn't need comfort from Sonia, but it was Darius who had punished him. He needed to feel forgiven.

Sonia smiled at the sight of Darius comforting their son. She quickly went to the pack they'd brought with them, locating and pulling out the ointment she'd known would be needed. She quietly brought it back and set it next to Darius, before gently rubbing Michael's shoulders and neck.

Nodding to Sonia in thanks, Darius carefully shifted Michael so that he could begin rubbing the ointment into his son's bottom and upper thighs. "I've got you, son," he whispered, kissing the side of Michal's head. "You're my good boy, and I love you. I forgive you," he promised.

Michael took a quivery breath and slowly calmed, Darius's words soothing him as much as the ointment did. He pressed closer, cuddling, needing the affection. "Love you, Papi... Mami... Thank you for coming for me..." he whispered, fighting a yawn.

"I love you too, Bambino. Of course we would come for you. We always will..." Sonia promised.

Darius cuddled Michael a bit tighter, stroking his hair and down his back. "We won't let you get taken from us," he promised. "No matter what."

Michael continued to cuddle and nuzzle, slowly falling into a drowsy state. "How we getting out?" he asked, almost as an aside in a tiny voice, obviously completely reliant on his parents...leaving everything in their control.

Sonia smiled, continuing to rub his neck and shoulders, careful not to dislodge him from Darius' grip. "O'Neill is waiting for us to contact him with our coordinates and then he'll bring a chopper in. Fly us out. Luckily, this cabin isn't directly in the woods. He'll have room to land in the yard instead of us having to hike out. We'll do that as soon as we've had time to make sure you really are okay."

Darius nodded in agreement with Sonia. "We can take a bit of time to make sure your ankle is healing as well as it should be. And time for you to rest," he added, guessing that Michael hadn't actually had any sleep since the mission.

"Yes'mam, yessir..." Michael agreed softly, pressing tight to his father. He quickly fell asleep, everything having tired him out.

Darius looked at Sonia and spoke in a soft voice. "I thought we could take him through to the bedroom. Stay with him while he sleeps. Then get some food in him when he wakes up."

"That sounds good. Let me go turn down the sheets..." Sonia whispered, looking at her husband adoringly. "He is so adorable, clinging to you... he is definitely bonded to you..." she observed, before quickly going into the bedroom and turning down the sheets. "If you want to stay with him, I will keep guard...."

"I'll stay with him." Darius stood carefully, with Michael in his arms, and followed his wife into the bedroom.

"I'll let you know if I see anyone..." Sonia said seriously.

"Thank you." Darius settled on the bed with Michael, positioning hs son so that Michael would be comfortable while still holding onto him.

****

It was two days later and O'Neil; had contacted Sonia, letting her know that his informant had confirmed that the goons believed Michael had drowned and had stopped the search for him. They were safe for now and only needed to let him know when they were ready for pickup. It had snowed again, so all trace of Sonia and Darius' arrival had been covered. The only reason they had for getting out sooner than later was they were living on canned food.

After eating breakfast and cleaning up, Darius turned to Michael. "How is your ankle feeling today?" He was going to check it anyway, but wanted to hear how his son was feeling as well.

Michael wasn't feeling quite as young as he was directly after the spanking, but he was still more submissive than usual. When Darius asked about his ankle, he was honest. "It feels much better than it did. I can walk on it, as long as I'm careful and don't overdo it."

Darius nodded. "I'll take another look at it. Make sure it is healing well. Then we can decide whether we want O'Neill to send the extraction team yet or not."

Michael nodded. "It's nice here, but I wanna go home..." he admitted softly.

Sonia smiled at hearing Michael's words. It always made her happy when he referred to their boat as home.

"We'll go home soon," Darius promised. They'd finished breakfast by this point, and he began to clean up.

Michael helped as much as he was allowed, but Sonia wouldn't allow him to do too much, even if his ankle was healing. She hummed contentedly, taking advantage of Michael's still slightly needy and young mindset to mother him. He was slowly returning to his more normal state of being confident and independent and she liked when he depended on them, since it so rarely occurred.

After everything had been cleaned, Sonia helped Michael to the couch, putting him in the middle so Darius had access to him as well, and then she brought out a puzzle she'd found. It wasn't something any of them tended to do normally, but it was something families did together and she wanted to do family to things. She was 'nesting'.

After checking over Michael's ankle, Darius settled with his arm around Michael, able to be in contact with Sonia as well, so that they could work on the puzzle together...as a family.

"This is nice," Michael admitted hesitantly. He'd always liked things that challenged him and made him look closely at objects. But he never would have thought to ask to do this with his parents.

"There's no reason why we can't do this at other times," Darius commented.

"Really?" Michael's eyes widened hopefully. He hasn't thought Sonia or Darius would tolerate, let alone enjoy, such a sedate activity.

"Maybe not all the time, but you're right that it is nice," Sonya said, giving a smile. "Just because it is not a thing we do a lot does not mean we can't enjoy it. Especially if you like it."

"We can make time...and we can get some of these. Order them so that we can pick them up the next time we get supplies for the boat," Darius said.

"I'd like that," Michael admitted, almost shyly. He didn't often express things he'd like if it wasn't specifically asked. Of course, he also didn't tend to relax often enough, or long enough for preferences in relaxation to matter. He was almost always working. or looking for the next job. When he wasn't doing that, he was just going along with whatever Sonia or Darius came up with.

Darius smiled at that. "We can make a list of activities we'd like to do as a family, so that we can order what we'll need," he said.

"That's a good idea!" Sonia pulled out her phone and brought up an electronic notepad. "We can start now!"

Michael smiled and relaxed against his father, letting his head rest on the older man's shoulder without thinking about it.

Darius just wrapped his arms a bit tighter around Michael. He might have pulled his son into his lap, but Michael wasn't as 'young' as he had been, so Darius wasn't sure if Michael would be comfortable with that.

They spent a few moments adding items to Sonia's list before Michael sighed happily, a thoughtful expression in his eyes.

"Penny for your thoughts, Bambino..." Sonia teased gently.

Biting his lip, Michael paused for a few moments before saying softly, "I'm just happy. I... I know I fought you about the adoption and reacted horribly... but even I can see it was the best thing that could have ever happened to me... for me. Even when I need to be spanked..." He blushed at admitting that he needed the correction.

"Nothing wrong with needing that," Darius said lightly. "Boundaries are pretty important. And even when you need correction, it doesn't mean that it's a bad thing. Sometimes it just means you need to test us as your parents." He didn't say it out loud, but given that Michael had lost his biological mother, and his stepfather had rejected him, it made sense for Michael to need to be reassured that Darius and Sonia wouldn't leave or abandon him.

"Yeah. I... I think I'm starting to get it..." He smiled crookedly, snuggling against his father and reaching over to hold Sonia's hand. "It doesn't make me as anxious, feeling the way I have been, anyway. I'm not as scared that there's something wrong with me for... for being grateful when you step in. For being thankful you don't let me get away with defying you..." he whispered, blushing darker.

"Because there isn't anything wrong with you," Sonia declared firmly, squeezing his hand. "We'd give you whatever you needed."

"Your mami is right," Darius said firmly, pressing a kiss to the side of Michael's head. "There is nothing wrong with you for feeling that way. And we're very grateful you trust us enough to give you what you need."

"You... You're good parents. Any little brother or sister I get is going to be lucky to have you..." Michael said softly.

Sonia found herself tearing up at that, sniffing and wiping at her eyes. "They'll be lucky to have you as a brother, Bambino...." she declared fervently.

"More than lucky." Darius kissed Michael's cheek and then reached out to take Sonia's hand, squeezing it gently.

"Love you, Mami and Papi," Michael said quietly, closing his eyes and beginning to fall asleep, trusting Sonia and Darius would take care of him.

"We love you too," Darius murmured, situating Michael so that their son would be comfortable while he slept.

Sonia gazed on both her men, fond love in her eyes. Her little family was currently safe and she was content. Life was good.

The End