Off The Naughty List

Summary: Jack’s been on the naughty list for a long time. Now that he’s a guardian, North figures it’s time to pay the piper. Also includes this prompt from nothfN: Being put to bed by a loved one
Warning(s): Spanking; spoilers for the movie Rise of the Guardians; AU
Author’s Note: Also inspired by the picture of North paddling Jack by Arkham_Insanity over on DeviantArt. Check out their work. It’s seriously awesome!

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“So what do we do now that we’re officially guardians?” Jack asked. He and North were back at the North Pole. All of the other guardians had returned to their homes and their bases of operations. Jack was the only one without a proper home, though now that the children saw and believed in him, he at least wouldn’t be alone when he returned to the town.

“Well, Christmas might only come once a year, but we’ve a lot of work to do before it happens,” North said. He wandered through the workshop, calling out instructions to the elves and the yetis.

“And I’ll just be in the way.” Jack grinned, hiding his true emotions. “Yeah, North, I get it. I’m about the fun times of this. But you know what? I’m glad we got to do all this. I’ll leave you to your workshop and the elves.” He looked at one of the elves, struggling to carry a large wooden block, and reached out to steady it. “Hey, you okay there, little guy?”

“Actually, Jack, I think you should stay here.”

Jack blinked and focused on North, who’d turned round to face him. The big man’s usually jolly face was serious, matching his tone of voice. While ordinarily, Jack would have made a sarcastic comment, North’s words prompted him to ask, just as seriously, “You mean here? In the North Pole? Why would I want to do that?”

“Everyone else has their own place to live. Where they belong,” North said. “You only recently had people start believing in you. You have had no time or chance to build a place to call your own. I would be honoured if you would share my home with me.”

“Honoured?” Jack repeated. “You didn’t want to know about me before the Man in the Moon decided I would be one of you.”

“Jack.” North stepped forward and put one hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. “You didn’t want to know us. You were proud and happy about being alone. About needing no one.”

It hadn’t been that long since Jack had had his memories of a family. His parents. But even when he hadn’t remembered them, a big part of him had still missed it. Especially when he’d seen Jamie with his family. Jack couldn’t help but slant towards North, even as he asked, “You sure you want someone who’s always been on the naughty list living with you?”

“I think we can deal with that.” North grinned and squeezed Jack’s shoulder, then turned and carried on walking towards the other end of the workshop, calling back over his shoulder, “Follow me.”

Surprised, Jack headed after the bigger man. As he walked past them, he heard two of the little elves chattering; and when he looked at them, both looked back at him with wide, sympathetic eyes. Like they wanted to warn him about something.

North opened a door at the other end of the workshop and stepped through. Jack followed the bigger man, the door closing behind the two of them, and looked around the room.

It was a bedroom, the bed white with a soft comforter on it. There was a small table with a lamp next to it that lit the room with a soft yellow glow. There were shelves all around the room, filled with different toys and games.

“Wow,” Jack murmured, turning in a full circle. “This looks a bit too small to be your room, North.”

“This is not my room, Jack,” North answered. “Like you, I was not always a guardian. I had a family. I had a son. This was a room I had made in memory of him. Now, if you want it, it’s yours.”

Jack walked slowly over to one of the shelves. He reached out and took down a spinning top, turning it over in his hands. “My little sister would have loved this,” he murmured, before putting it back in place.

“We have all lost people important to us, Jack. But there is nothing to say we cannot choose to be family.”

Jack turned to look at North, who was sitting down on the edge of the bed. He was about to respond to the man’s comment when he spotted what the older man held in his hands. “What is that?”

“It’s a paddle.” North sat on the bed with his legs slightly apart, holding a wooden paddle in his right hand. The word Naughty was engraved on the paddle. North patted the paddle gently against his opposite palm as he continued, “You’ve been on the naughty list for a long time, Jack. A paddling will wipe the slate clean. Let you start over.”

“Why would I want that?” Jack’s voice wasn’t nearly as certain as he thought it should be. He swallowed hard, unable to tear his eyes from the paddle North held. “I don’t want you to paddle me.”

“As I said, Jack. You’ve been on the naughty list for a long time.” North patted his knee. “Bend over, son. We’ll get rid of all that naughtiness and you can start over.”

“Son?” Jack repeated.

“I don’t have a son anymore,” North said softly. “You don’t have a father anymore. I believe there is an emptiness we can fill in each other.”

Jack couldn’t tear his eyes from the paddle in North’s hand. For decades, he’d lived without any rules. Any consequences. He’d been able to do what he wanted when he wanted.

But he’d been alone. No family. No friends. Barely tolerated by the rest of the guardians. And this? What North was offering? Jack’s mouth turned dry and his stomach turned over. He took two steps towards North and then his body froze up. He raised his eyes towards the man’s face, unable to hide his silent plea.

It was almost a relief when North reached out. One large hand wrapped around Jack’s wrist, drawing him forward. Placing the paddle next to him on the bed, North grasped Jack’s waist in his other hand, lifting him and settling him in place over his knees.

The next moment, Jack felt cool air ghost across his backside as North eased his pants down, baring his bottom. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited, unable to keep from tensing up.

The first crack of the paddle made him jump. It wasn’t nearly as painful as he’d feared, but it did sting. The surface covered more than half of his bottom and all North had to do was move it slightly further down so the wood impacted his sit spots and thighs in the next strike.

The next several strikes from the paddle weren’t any harder, but the sting culminated as North continued bringing it down steadily.

After about ten smacks with the paddle, North began using a bit more strength behind the swats. Jack began to shift and squirm over the man’s knee, tiny little whimpers escaping his lips as the fire began to slowly build. “Please….”

“Your behaviour has been reckless. You’ve put not only yourself at risk, but the children you are sworn to protect.” North continued bringing the paddle down, using it to emphasise every word. “Jamie chipped a tooth, but it could have been a lot worse. It could have been so much worse, son.” He brought the paddle down in a much harder swat on the last two words.

Jack yelped, loudly, and threw his hand back to cover his bottom. “I’m sorry,” he sobbed out. “Please. I only wanted to be seen.”

North paused, but it was only to move Jack’s hand out of the way and hold it against his back. And then he resumed the swats with the paddle, though they weren’t as hard as the last one he’d given out. “I know, son. We’re starting over now. And you won’t ever need to worry about not being seen again. I see you now. And I always will.”

Jack began to sob, slumping over North’s lap. He’d been alone for so long; no one to see or believe in him. No family. No friends. And now? Now, he had everything he could ever have wanted. “I want to stay,” he choked out.

“And you will stay, son,” North promised. “You’re here, with me, now. You have a father now.”

The tears increased, much harder now. Jack could barely see as North lifted him off his lap, pulling his pants back into place and then cuddling him.

Jack threw his arms around North, around his father, and sobbed out, “I’m sorry, daddy.”

“I know. I know you are, son,” North soothed, rocking him until his tears slowed and finally died down.

Yawning, Jack curled into his father’s arms, clinging to him. “I’m sleepy,” he whispered, almost unable to believe it.

“A paddling will tend to do that to you.” North shifted position, pulling the blanket off the bed and stretching out, settling Jack on top of him. “If you sleep like this, it’ll keep the weight off your bottom. But you’ll heal fast. By morning, the effects of the paddling will be completely gone.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience.” Jack nestled his face into the crook of his father’s neck and sighed, letting his eyes close.

“You’re not the only one to get into trouble, son. Sleep now. I’ve got you. I love you,” North whispered in Jack’s ear.

“I love you too, daddy.” Those were the last words Jack spoke before sleep overtook him.

The End