Like Father, Like Son
By Nelson
Connor’s body slammed against the wall with the momentum from Angel swinging him away from the door, halting his attempt to escape. He slumped down to the floor, looked up at the man who was his father, who although weak, was obviously more a match than Connor had anticipated when he tried to flee the room. Gunn and Fred watched from the opposite corner, feeling a certain sense of satisfaction to see Angel deal with his headstrong son.
Angel loomed over him and announced, “Daddy’s not finished talking.”
Connor kept his newfound seat on the floor, and cast an uneasy glare at Angel. Angel continued his speech. “What you did to me…was unbelievable, Connor. It won’t be ignored.” It took great effort for Connor to maintain eye contact with the dark vampire, but he was somehow able to manage it. His hands were cold with the blood rushing to his belly to still his nerves. He waited to hear what his father thought would be an appropriate way to deal with the situation. Until now, all Angel’s attention had been focused on trying to win Connor over, but Connor had a sneaking suspicion that tactic was through.
Angel said crisply, “Get up, Connor.” He didn’t bother to offer a hand to help him, further convincing Connor that Mr. Nice Guy was gone for the day. Probably forever. He stood cautiously to his feet and chanced a glance over at Gunn and Fred. They glared back at him with a look of “you’ll get yours now” on their faces. Connor didn’t miss the irony in what Angel said next, right after his last thought. “Now, the question becomes…what do you deserve?”
Connor noticed Gunn’s head tip back slightly in a haughty posture, clearly anxious to hear just what it was Connor deserved for his behavior. Connor was hoping Gunn’s expectation that he’d be spanked was dead wrong. He had chalked the comment up to a cruel joke, but now he wasn’t so sure. Gunn’s words from earlier pelted his memory, “That’s right, Sparky. Daddy’s coming home, and I’m guessing there’s going to be a spanking.” “A spanking” he had said. Connor had never been spanked before, but he knew what it was and didn’t exactly want it to happen. He was a warrior after all, and the only thing he meant to do now was engage in a hand-to-hand with his father - not a hand-to-butt. The very thought of it was severely humiliating and he intended to do everything in his power to overcome Angel if that’s what he had planned. He swallowed saliva back down a parched throat and met Angel’s eyes. Angel gripped his arm, not to help him to his feet, but apparently to keep him in the room. Connor could tell by the strength of Angel’s hold that the only way out would be to tear his arm from his shoulder, and that wasn’t an appealing prospect either.
With his fingers fixed firmly in the meat of Connor’s bicep, Angel said without turning from his boy, “Gunn, Fred, please go out and close the door behind you.” He added ominously, “Connor and I need some quality time together.” With a faltering glance at Connor, Fred led the way out of the office and Gunn closed the door behind them, the click of the door’s latch sounding much louder than it was in the deafening silence that loomed in its wake.
Once alone, Angel broke the silence barrier and said, “I love you, Connor. I plan to do everything in my power to make you what you should be, not what you want to be, although I doubt you’ll appreciate my methods.” He reached out, and with a flick of his first finger and thumb, had the button loose on Connor’s fly and the zipper pulled down before Connor could get his mind around what was happening. With his pants unfastened, Connor realized the reality of Gunn’s threat was about to happen. He kicked and struggled, writhing to get out of Angel’s grasp. The vice-like hand maintained its grip on his upper arm, securing Connor where he stood, keeping him from fleeing when he launched into action. After a firm shake to get his attention and halt the struggling, if only briefly, Angel stepped right into Connor’s personal space, and spoke to him only inches away from his nose. “Stop fighting me. I will win, every time.”
Lacking the confidence he was trying to portray, Connor sneered, “You didn’t win the last time.”
Angel nodded and said with a slight smile, “You’re right. I let my guard down.” Then with all seriousness, he continued, “You’ll find I’m a fast study, Connor. It won’t happen again.” He maintained his position in Connor’s face and Connor pulled back slightly. His breathing had gone shallow and he felt the fingers of fear twisting in his groin. He felt a moment’s relief when Angel leaned back to give him space, but it was immediately chased away by his nerves when Angel used his grip on his arm to pull him over to the chair still sitting in the center of the room from their reunion conversation minutes before. Connor immediately began to struggle again, pulling his full body weight backward against Angel’s efforts, even as he was dragged closer to his fate. With every step, the fly of his pants shifted apart a little more, and he felt them hanging lower on his hips by the time Angel upended him across his legs.
Angel’s arm fell across his back then looped around his waist in a stronghold, then he hitched his shirt up, exposing the loosened waist of his pants. Connor was shocked at how effective the position was in keeping him in place and in making him feel the uneasy sensation of vulnerability. His legs and arms flailed in an attempt to get away but it was useless. The only thing that was happening was that his pants were working off his hips even more, and he could feel the waistband pressing across the crest of his buttocks. That wasn’t the intended result at all. Angel’s fingers hooked into the back of the slipping, dirty jeans, and yanked them down with one sweep, helping them off Connor’s behind. As many battles as Connor had been in, this situation was by far the most unpleasant – unpleasant in a different sort of way. Captured in Angel’s grasp, he felt defeat and a sense of humiliation with his butt pointed toward the ceiling over his father’s lap. As if having his jeans around his knees wasn’t bad enough, it got worse when his underwear were pulled down well below his ass. His mind allowed a brief thought to the fact that Gunn and Fred were just outside the room but it quickly shifted gears to concentrate on the hard hits his backside was taking from his father’s large palm.
Connor’s struggles increased when he felt the sting spring to life in his rear end, hurting far worse than he could have imagined. Angel kept bringing his hand down in a determined pattern that followed the same path over and over, repeatedly striking ground that had been covered. Connor managed to get his hands around back and tried unsuccessfully to cover his behind. Angel released his grip around Connor’s back to grab his protective hands, and Connor took the opportunity to vault to his feet. He lost his balance when his legs ran against his downed jeans, and Angel’s hand whipped out to grab his arm, keeping him on his feet.
“I’m glad you got up, Connor, but it’s not going to be for long. We aren’t finished here by a long shot. But, I needed to take my belt off anyway so this works out fine for me.” Connor’s face was red from hanging over his father’s lap and the flushed countenance fell into an open expression of surprise. Angel continued, “Saved me from having to call for Gunn’s. You wouldn’t want him to see you with your pants down, getting your little butt spanked, now would you?” With one hand on Connor’s arm and one at his buckle, he deftly released his belt and tugged it through his belt loops.
“You can’t!” Connor argued and the blood rose immediately to his face when he heard his voice crack.
“Oh, but I can,” Angel said with a steady stare. “Not only can I, I will. And, I’ll do it well, trust me on that.” Connor had to take baby steps against his pants when Angel pulled him roughly back toward the chair and once again, effortlessly tossed him over his lap. He didn’t bother to pin Connor’s hands. Instead, he warned, “Put your hands back here this time, they’re going to get smacked with the belt. I don’t expect you’ll try it again if it happens once.” Immediately, he started bringing the belt down, repeatedly striking Connor’s backside.
“AH! Quit it!” Connor demanded through clenched teeth. “You can’t do this!”
“It looks like I can,” Angel answered calmly. “And, pretty well, I might add.” The belt continued to stroke Connor’s already-reddened backside and he felt tears of shame and frustration pool in his eyes. The floor immediately below his nose began to blur, angering him further. A sob coughed through his tightened throat, and he bit the inside of his palm to staunch any others from slipping through. He had the forethought to catch himself before his hand tried reflexively to cover his butt, considering, and for the first time heeding, his father’s warning. Angel was wielding the belt in fast, deliberate strokes, criss-crossing his butt with flaming welts. Connor saw a tear pelt the wooden floor, and spread in a darkened pattern.
Angel tightened his hold when he brought the belt down across Connor’s exposed thighs, and as he expected, the boy writhed more intensely across his lap. He felt the body tremble beneath his forearm and Angel said, “Let it out. Don’t try to be a man, Connor. You’re still a boy. MY boy. Remember that.” Against everything in Connor’s being, the sobs came without hesitation to the open invitation offered by his father.
Angel paused the spanking, and Connor mistook that for a sign it was over. He gulped on his tears and cleared his throat enough to speak. “I hate you,” he muttered with a shaky voice as he tried to push himself off Angel’s lap. Angel stubbornly held him in place.
“I have no doubt. In case I had a doubt, your dumping me in the ocean sort of gave me a clue. Whether that changes or not, is not my concern right now. What I am concerned with is straightening you out. You’ll either learn to behave, or we’ll repeat this episode every time we need to. Do you hear me?”
His question was met with a grunt from the boy across his knees, and more struggling to get up. Angel said, “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you think I was finished? Wrong.”
Connor’s mouth fell open and with a strained voice he argued, “You can’t mean to do more! Just leave me alone…leave me alone…!” He increased the concentration of his efforts to get off Angel’s lap, and more importantly, his butt out of its defenseless position, but Angel effortlessly held him where he was.
“You think what you just got was enough for what you did? Sorry, no. You’re just lucky I don’t have a paddle, but I’ll rectify that the next chance I get.” With that, the belt was discarded and Angel started spanking anew with his hand. Over the stripes of the belt, the heat was intense, more so than the first round. Connor felt his resolve slipping severely and finally, away entirely. He broke down in full tears, begging with no regard for his dignity, for Angel to stop. Sensing the change in his son, Angel gave him a few more solid whacks against his sit spot, and considered his work finished for the moment. When he released his grip a second time, Connor didn’t immediately catapult upward as he did before, not even seeming to notice the restraint was removed.
Angel said gently, “It’s all right, Connor. It’s over for now.” Even after Angel spoke, Connor didn’t immediately get up. After a few moments, he shifted his weight, and slid backward onto his knees, covering his face with his hands. “Get up,” Angel said, rising to his feet. He took Connor’s wrist and pulled him up with him. Broken, Connor allowed his father to hold him while he cried. Suddenly, he pushed away and tugged at his pants, finally aware of his nakedness and disgrace.
Angel said, “You’ll be fine by morning, Connor. One of the perks of being the son of two vampires is that you heal quickly. But, I’ll take care of that tomorrow. You’re getting another spanking for what you did.”
Connor hissed, “I don’t think so. You’re not doing this to me again. Ever.” He noticed the trembling in his weakened knees from all the struggling, and couldn’t imagine going through that again. If it was meant as a deterrent in addition to punishment for past wrongs, Connor was sure it was working.
“I will. Tomorrow. Count on it.” Connor looked warily at Angel and saw he meant every word just by reading his eyes. Hard, dark eyes bored through Connor until he had to look away, defeated.
Angel walked toward the door, and Connor waited until his back was turned to wipe his hands over his face to scrub the tears away. Angel leaned through the door, and motioned for Fred and Gunn to come back in. He turned back to Connor and said as Gunn and Fred entered the room, “You owe these two an apology for keeping them worried all summer.”
Looking at his two caretakers, Connor said simply, “No.”
“Obedience, Connor,” Angel said while straightening up tall with his hands on his hips. “It’s an important concept you need to learn unless you’re ready for more of what you just got.”
Deterrent, yes. He didn’t want more any time soon. With as much sincerity as he could muster, Connor said in almost a whisper, “I’m sorry.”
“Very good,” Angel said with approval. He turned his attention to Gunn and Fred, and asked, “Fred? Would you fix him something to eat, please?”
With an embarrassed glance at Connor, Fred said softly, “Sure.”
She paused on her way out when Connor said behind her, “I don’t want anything to eat.” Unsure of whether or not to proceed, she waited for further instruction with her eyes settled in a question on Angel.
“I don’t remember asking you what you wanted,” Angel said pointedly. In answer to Fred’s questioning expression, Angel said, “Go ahead.” She moved toward the door again to go to the kitchen. Angel said to Connor, “You’ll eat.”
“I will not. You can’t make me,” Connor said with a firm stare at his father. He didn’t quite cross his arms, but defiance permeated his being. “Even if you spank me again, you can’t make me eat.”
“Let’s see about that,” Angel said. Angel took his arm, and started back toward the chair eliciting an immediate response from Connor.
Connor pulled with all his strength, twisting his arm to get it out of Angel’s strong grasp, and felt the fingers tighten to the bone. “Nooooo…!”
“I thought you’d had enough for now, but apparently, you didn’t learn a thing,” Angel said, sitting back in the chair. “Let’s just get these back down,” he said, reaching for Connor’s pants.
Keenly aware of the leftover sting in his backside and the fact Gunn was now in the room, Connor realized eating wouldn’t be so bad after all. “Wait! I’ll eat, okay? I didn’t mean it!” he said with panic in his voice. Then, more softly he requested, “Just don’t spank me again. Please.”
Angel already had the fly released but he hesitated and looked up at his strong-willed child. “Are you sure about that?”
“Quite sure,” Connor said tersely.
“If you’re sure…,” Angel said with eyes narrowed at his son.
“I SAID I was,” Connor said hotly, then reeled his attitude in just a bit, before Angel was unwilling to negotiate again. “I’ll eat. I’m sorry.”
“Good,” Angel said. “I’d hate to think *I* had to take more swats on that behind if it belonged to me.”
He stood to his feet and dragged Connor behind him by the wrist to a corner in the room and Connor tried one-handedly to rehook his jeans. Angel pointed Connor’s nose directly in the center of the corner and leaned close to his ear. “Move a muscle from here and I’ll have your pants down, and you back over my lap so fast, you’ll see the world spinning.”
Connor turned his head slowly over his shoulder and looked directly into his father’s eyes. He saw the comment was not a threat, but a sincere promise. “O-okay,” he stammered slowly.
“Nose in the corner,” Angel said. “I’m right behind you, so don’t even think about trying anything.”
Angel stood behind Connor with his arms folded making sure he stayed where he was told. “Angel,” Gunn said from behind him. Angel turned with eyebrows slightly raised at the beckon. Gunn motioned with his hand for Angel to come closer. With a look back at his son to ensure he made no move to bolt, Angel walked over to Gunn.
“What is it?” he asked, positioning himself so he could see both Gunn and Connor. His eyes continually moved from Gunn’s to the corner.
Gunn jerked his head toward the corner and asked, “You aren’t going let him stay here, are you?”
“That’s none of your business,” an angry voice said to the wall.
Angel commented immediately, “Connor! No talking while you’re in the corner.”
“I can talk if I want to talk,” he said petulantly, but without daring to turn from the corner. Having to sniff after speaking sort of took the wind out of his sails, but he wasn’t sorry he said it - not until he heard movement behind him.
It was Angel walking quickly to the corner. Connor turned around, and pressed his back into the wall with his hands raised toward Angel when he heard the approach. “I’ll be quiet!! Go away!” Connor said, cowering away from Angel. Angel grabbed him by the arm, and after only one spanking, Connor already had the instinct to cover his butt with his free hand. Angel’s palm connected with a sharp swat where Connor couldn’t cover, and the force nearly lifted him from the ground.
“AH! OW!” he exclaimed, tears springing fresh into his eyes.
“Do you still want to talk?” Angel asked, still clinging to Connor’s arm.
“No, I don’t,” Connor said. Angel released his arm, and Connor turned back to the wall without being told to, cradling his butt with both hands.
When Angel turned back around, Gunn’s brows were raised and he uttered a quiet, “Whew.”
“As for your question,” Angel said making his way back across the room, “he WILL be staying here.” He looked back over to the corner and added, “He’ll stay here and learn how to behave appropriately.”
Connor’s shoulders slumped with Angel’s words as he realized just how Angel meant to teach him appropriate behavior. Fred came back into the room with a sandwich and chips as Gunn continued talking. “But, it’s not safe. WE’RE not safe as long as he’s here.”
“He’s staying?” Fred asked, stopping in her tracks.
“He is,” Angel said, taking the plate from her hands.
“But, I thought…,” she said, “I mean, after what he did…”
“He’s staying,” Angel repeated resolutely then directed his voice toward the corner, “Connor.”
Connor waited, not sure if he should turn around or not, until Angel called to him a second time. “Connor, come here.” He turned around slowly and looked at his father under lowered, wet lashes, his head tipped slightly downward. He shuffled his feet, moving toward Angel apprehensively until he noticed the sandwich he held. Angel took the sandwich over to the desk and sat it down with the glass of milk Fred brought back.
“I don’t suppose you want to sit down to eat?” Angel asked and waited for a response.
“No. Thanks to you,” Connor said.
“I’d watch my mouth if I were you,” Angel warned. “That’s one of the things I won’t be tolerating any longer while you live here.”
“I don’t WANT to live here,” Connor said.
“Good,” Gunn said. “I don’t want you here either.”
Fred quietly added her two cents’ worth. “Angel…I…I’m not sure I do either. After what he did to you…I mean…”
“Listen up, guys. Connor is staying,” he said firmly. Looking at Connor when he spoke next, he said, “He’s a child. My child, whether he likes it or not. I’ll be keeping an eye on him, a close eye, and I’ll straighten him out whenever he gives me a reason to.” Connor stood next to the desk with his eyes fixed on Angel, saying nothing. “We will NOT have a repeat of what he did to me, will we Connor?”
Connor’s eyes dropped and he found something to focus on that didn’t include Angel’s eyes. Barely audible, he said with a sharp single shake of his head, “No.”
“You’ll address me as ‘sir’ in this house, Connor.” Connor’s head snapped up and he gave Angel a venomous stare. “Answer me correctly, with respect.”
“I don’t respect you,” he said. “I can’t respect a demon.” Angel straightened up, and started toward him again, and Connor backed away, gripping his backside. “I’m sorry! No, sir. NO, sir.”
“Good,” Angel said. “You might not respect me, but you’d better be acting like you do. Do you understand me?”
“Yes,” he snarled.
“I beg your pardon?” Angel asked calmly.
Connor swallowed hard and after a glance at Fred and Gunn, he answered appropriately with a soft, “yes, sir”.
“Eat your sandwich,” Angel said.
“I’m not hungry, and I’m not being mean,” Connor said miserably. “I think I’ll throw up if I eat right now.”
“Eat what you can. If you throw up, we’ll clean it up,” Angel answered stubbornly, not giving an inch.
Gunn couldn’t help a chuckle at that. Angel looked over his shoulder at Gunn questioningly. Gunn said, “Sorry, man, but I see where he gets that hard head.”
“I’m not like him,” Connor said, only proving Gunn’s point.
“You’re just like him,” Gunn said.
“Connor, like it or not, you do have some traits that are like me.” Connor was catching on and kept his mouth shut. Angel continued, “For example, we’re both fighters. You’re a warrior, but I’m a champion. I have every confidence that I can change you into a champion as well.”
“I don’t want to be like you,” Connor said.
Angel laughed and said, “I can understand that; I really can. I didn’t want to be like my father, either. Unfortunately, we don’t get a choice.”
“Too bad.”
“Now, you see, THAT is the kind of comment that I find to be disrespectful. I’ll warn you only once.” Connor turned his head as if to look away, but maintained eye contact. Angel laughed mildly at his own erroneous handling of his son, and shook his head thinking over the time he had spent with his son. “I’ve been so busy trying to be your friend, I haven’t been acting like your father.” Turning serious he said, “That’s going to change, son. If I had acted like your father from the time you came back, none of this would have happened.” Connor watched him and listened intently, not sure he liked where this conversation was going. “You’re going to live here, do as you’re told and treat everyone you encounter with respect. If you don’t, you’re going to find yourself over my lap with your pants down, and I’ll be having a heart-to-heart with your backside. Do you hear me?”
Connor took a moment to think and then answered, “Yes, sir.”
Angel leaned forward with his elbows on the desk, and looked at Connor sincerely. “I’m sorry I didn’t handle things better when you came back, Connor. I really am. Do you forgive me?”
Connor frowned at the apology, trying to reconcile the man who just left him with a stinging, throbbing behind with the one issuing a heartfelt apology before him. He struggled with an answer, unsure how to respond. “Yes” would mean he approved of Angel’s new and improved parenting techniques. “No” would surely be considered disrespectful and he had already gotten the one and only warning he had coming. He decided to go down the middle and answered, “I guess so.”
“That’s a start,” Angel said. He pulled Connor into a hug and Connor stood stiffly in his arms. “Whether you believe it or not right now, I love you, Connor. I’m going to do right by you, and that’s a promise.”
Something inside Connor stirred and he softened just a little. He wasn’t used to such expressions of love and tenderness, and he couldn’t understand the warring emotions running through him. Part of him wanted to throw his arms around his father and hug him back, while another part wanted to be alone and nowhere near Angel or the others. Angel pulled back and still holding to his arms, he leaned forward and kissed Connor’s forehead firmly.
He met Connor’s eyes when he leaned back and said, “Eat, son.”
Connor looked at the sandwich and then over to Fred. “What is it?” he asked.
“Bologna,” she said. “Just like you like it.”
“No tomatoes?” he asked hopefully.
“No tomatoes,” she said with a slight smile. Despite how upset she had been with Connor, she couldn’t deny that Angel had effectively dealt with his actions. In spite of herself, she went to him and tenderly hugged him. “Are you okay?” she asked.
Looking to his father before answering, Connor said, “Yeah, I’ll live, I guess.”
“You be good, now, so your Dad doesn’t have to do that again,” she said.
Connor caught Angel’s eye and asked, “You’re not going to make me call you ‘Dad’, are you?”
“Not today,” Angel said. “Eat,” he commanded again. “Don’t make me tell you again.”
With one hand on his still-pulsing backside, he used the other to scoop up half the sandwich, and he took a bite. He looked at Angel for approval. Angel nodded and said, “Good boy.” He took a seat at the desk, and without thinking, Connor leaned against it, jumping away swiftly when he landed a sore cheek against the edge.
“Ow,” he complained under his breath, rubbing regretfully at his behind.
Angel noticed and said, “It won’t last forever. With the way we heal, it’s probably already better from what it was when I was finished.” Connor nodded confirmation wordlessly. “Do you know what my father used to say?” Connor flicked his eyes to Angel, and shook his head, having no idea. “He used to say, ‘this hurts me more than it hurts you’.”
“That’s got to be a lie,” Connor said, acknowledging the pain in his ass.
Gunn agreed, “No doubt. A lot of parents say that, though.”
Angel smiled and said, “It IS a lie. I can tell you, it didn’t hurt me in the least. Well, maybe my hand a little, but that’s it.” With his gaze settled on Connor, he said, “What you did to MAKE me spank you, hurt me.”
Tears accumulated in Connor’s eyes, and he mumbled, “I’m sorry,” around a mouthful of bologna sandwich. He couldn’t understand it, but something in him made him seek Angel’s acceptance. Not able to do it with words, he sought his father with his eyes.
Angel got up from the desk when he saw the glistening irises imploring him. Connor saw the tenderness in his father’s face as he neared him, and the bologna sandwich felt like it was stuck in his throat when he tried to swallow it. Connor couldn’t understand how Angel still cared after the horrible thing he had done to him. Angel pulled his child to him again when he reached him, and hugged the lean body tight. He said, “I love you, Connor. We’re going to work through all this. I know this is hard on you, but you’ll get through all these changes, and I’m going to help you.”
Connor sniffed back a sob, and said into his father’s shoulder, “Help?”
“That’s right,” Angel said, stroking his young boy’s back. “You might not always like the form that ‘help’ takes, but it WILL help you.”
Connor uttered a deep, shuddering sigh, and allowed himself to enjoy the embrace a little bit. He suspected he was going to be getting a lot of help in the future. He only hoped he would be a quick study…just like his father.
The end
