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Jeongin entered the pool house, arms laden with plastic shopping bags presumably full of drinks and snacks. He set his car keys and sunglasses on the table before going to put the groceries away. It had been hot out that day, and he was really looking forward to a fun weekend with his hyungs. As soon as he stopped being outrageously anxious about the fact that one particular hyung, the one whom he loved more than anything in the world, hadn’t answered his phone at all that day.
“Hey, has anyone seen Seungminnie hyung?” he asked no one in particular. His fingers shook a little as he closed the mini-fridge door. Sweeping his dusty brown hair away from his eyes, he sighed, puffing out his cheeks, and glanced at the patio, where a few of his hyungs had gathered already.
Changbin and Jisung looked up sharply from the card game they were playing around the small campfire. Minho opened his mouth first though, not bothering to look up from his cards, fiddling with a marshmallow in his other hand and blinking slowly.
“Seungmin is getting his ass handed to him in the house as we speak.”
Jeongin froze as the three older boys continued their game of cards. He came to the door and bit his lip, unease stirring low in his stomach. It had only been a week since his boyfriend’s last punishment and that had him reeling for at least two whole days … how had he earned himself another one so quickly?
“As in …?”
Jisung nodded, and Changbin wrinkled his nose. Minho sipped his drink, acting as spokesperson once more, “As in the whole thing, yeah.”
“What’d he do this time?” Worry and fear laced the youngest’s voice, despite his efforts to stifle it, and this time Jisung piped up.
“What he always does; he just mouthed off at the wrong time.”
Changbin smiled fondly, his eyes sparkling in a way that only happened in regards to Seungmin. “Like … the wrongest of wrong times.” He slapped a card down onto his lap lightly and Jisung groaned at whatever was on it, tipping his head back against the lawn chair, rolling his eyes.
Minho chuckled at the other boys’ game, but reassured Jeongin pointedly, his voice low and kind, “He’ll be fine, Innie-ah, he was asking for it. You can go in if you want, I’m sure hyung would let you be there.”
He turned back to the card game, flicking his dark hair away from his eyes, as if he didn’t just put Jeongin’s entire mind and heart at ease with just two quiet sentences.
Jeongin tried to make it look like he was not hurrying to go inside, but the older boys knew about his crush, and smiled fondly when he rushed to finish putting his things away and walk to the kitchen door, kicking his sandals off quickly before entering.
“He’s so cute.”
“They’re both adorable.”
Chan and Minho’s house was simply laid out, and noise traveled well in the wooden rooms. A modest kitchen led to a long, connected living and dining space, which then led to a hall of bedrooms and a bathroom. Minho had insisted on a quiet, almost sterile aesthetic for their home, which everyone had protested at first, but in the end … the peace and calm that the soft, muted style brought became everyone’s saving grace. Something soothing to come home to at the end of a long day, with no blaring patterns or bright colors. Jeongin involuntarily started breathing easier when he opened the big brown door and was washed over with a gentle wave of soft browns, whites, and light greens.
The young man had no sooner shut the kitchen door behind him and shook off his sweatshirt than sounds from the living room reached his ears. A sharp, high-pitched smack! followed by Chan’s soft, low, and serious voice,
“I said you look at me, Minnie. Listen to hyung, you’ll be alright.”
Whereas Jeongin flinched at the smack, his heart pinged at the gentle firmness of the words. Chan had that soothing effect on people, like a cool breeze that almost knocked you over, but you didn’t dare be offended by it. Jeongin idled by the entryway of the house, listening hard for any sounds of distress coming from Seungmin in response, and upon hearing none, slowly began tiptoeing across the kitchen into the living room.
Chan, seated on the sofa, looked up as soon as Jeongin rounded the corner. “He’s fine, Innie-ah. You can come sit, but no distractions, yes hyung?”
The oldest of their little family was wearing his softest of clothing, something he made an effort to do during punishments, being careful to avoid any unwanted reactions, considering some of the younger boys’ tumultuous pasts. Soft, grey sweatpants and a black hoodie made his usual kind atmosphere multiply by hundreds, if that was even possible. His dark hair was swept out of his eyes to give his little brother his entire attention and concentration, something the younger apparently openly and adamantly yearned for.
Jeongin swallowed hard, feeling some strange, warm feeling replace the unease in his belly, and nodded sincerely. “Yes, hyung,” he whispered, eyes sporadically flickering, going from Chan to finally lock onto Seungmin. Without moving his gaze, he sank to the floor on the other end of the living room, knees cracking upon descent, and held his breath carefully, watching the scene take place. He felt like he was in church, a sacred air replacing the oxygen and a muffled peace hovering over everyone.
Kim Seungmin was kneeling in front of Chan, his dark brown hair already dampened with sweat and sticking to his forehead and temples, and his eyes beginning to sparkle with moisture. His hand gripped his other wrist behind his back, and his shoulders quivered slightly with each breath he shakily took too quickly. Despite his boyfriend sitting behind him across the room, his eyes did not move off of Chan’s face. He was still clothed, although the front of his white button-up shirt was ripped open, displaying a few inches of quivering bare chest, and his shoes were tossed in a corner, ignored. His right cheek looked to be slightly redder than his left.
That must have been the smack Jeongin heard when he first entered the house.
This was about to be a long, important session.
Chan looked down at Seungmin with a searching but steady gaze, his elbows propped up on his knees and his hands folded thoughtfully in front of him. He looked the younger boy up and down and when Seungmin gasped and stuttered through a particularly hard breath, he nodded slowly, his gaze softening, and whispered,
“It’s okay, Minnie … you’re okay … keep breathing …”
Jeongin noticed Seungmin pursed his lips in concentration, his eyebrows notching slightly in overwhelming emotion, and kept blinking up at Chan, blind trust and need reflecting in his eyes. A hint of fear and desperation flickered through his face before being replaced by a fuzziness … anticipation and a barely contained broken heart.
After a long few minutes, Chan’s voice broke both boys out of their heads.
“Stand up, please.”
Jeongin’s stomach plummeted when Seungmin didn’t move a muscle. He watched as more tears filled the older boy’s eyes, brimming but not overflowing as he looked up at Chan from his knees. Seungmin had always been known for being stubborn to a tee and was the only one of their friends ballsy enough to push Chan way past the point of disrespect, but he always … always had a reason, a deep-set need to do what he did.
Chan’s gaze sharpened slightly, and he cocked an eyebrow. “Seungmin,” he growled lightly, to which the boy on his knees frantically shook his head, tears falling loose now, a pained desperation flickering in his eyes. The fear came back to his eyes and Jeongin’s heart lodged in his throat. Please, Channie-hyung … he pleaded silently, he needs you so badly right now. Please … please, save him.
Sighing, Chan reached down and grabbed Seungmin gently underneath his armpits as if he were a toddler and hoisted him up on his feet, standing him between Chan’s knees. Wordlessly, keeping eye contact with Seungmin, who was steadily weeping, Chan unbuckled the boy’s belt and patted his knee, gesturing for Seungmin to lay across his lap.
Once again, the boy didn’t move, and while Jeongin feared for his life, Chan merely shook his head in mild exasperation and a hint of fondness, and manhandled Seungmin over his knees gently, wiping the boy’s tears and pulling his dark hair back as he did so. Once the crying, hiccupping young boy’s legs were tucked under one of Chans, the older boy leaned down and began rubbing his back, saying softly,
“Minnie-ah, baby boy … if you need something, you need to ask for it. I’d much rather push and pull you around than add extra to your punishment because you decided to be stubborn instead. Now, breathe, darling …” Chan’s big hands smoothed soothing circles into Seungmin’s back, shoulders, and neck, and soon, he stopped hyperventilating and floating further into his head … dangerous territory to be lost in during a punishment.
“I’m going to start soon, honey. Listen to my voice now and focus on the sounds you hear. I’m right here the whole time, even when it gets quiet. Especially when it gets quiet.”
Chan started by slowly pulling Seungmin’s jeans and boxers down past the swell of his ass to sit comfortably around his knees, and rubbing his strong hands up and down each cheek, harder and then softer, to desensitize the skin a little, something he made a great effort to do with some of his more sensitive boys, taking care to help their bodies relax and trust him completely … even if their minds were already there, sometimes they needed a little help, and their hyung was always more than willing to do so.
“Is there anything you’d like to tell me, that you think I should know before I start, Seungminnie?” The older man stopped rubbing and placed one hand firmly on the back of Seungmin’s neck, a comforting and grounding feeling that Jeongin was intimately familiar with; the back of his own neck prickled just watching.
Speak up, something, anything! The young bystander pleaded inwardly, eyes drilling into Seungmin’s broken-looking form, ears aching for any notes or whispers coming from his boyfriend. Tears burned in his eyes when Seungmin’s mouth remained closed and his head shook the tiniest bit, causing Chan to sigh and shake his head slightly, worry beginning to shadow his expression.
“Alright. Remember I love you … I’m right here … and I will never leave you,” he whispered, his soft words making Seungmin’s shoulders tense visibly, and Jeongin swore he saw a tear fall straight from his eye to the floor underneath his face. He folded his hands tightly in his lap and blinked his emotions back. Whatever was bothering Seungmin so badly that pushed him to ‘ask for’ a spanking … it was definitely being dealt with; his demons fighting tooth and nail with Chan’s angels and losing.
The first smack immediately pulled a whimper out from behind Seungmin’s tightly clenched teeth, but the ten or fifteen or so (Jeongin for sure wasn’t counting) that quickly followed were enough for him to loosen completely over Chan’s lap and hang his head in relief. Jeongin watched wide-eyed as Seungmin relaxed and became utterly compliant, letting the smacks wash over him like warm water on a cold morning. It was hypnotizing.
Chan was now once more rubbing hard circles into the round flesh of Seungmin’s now red bottom, murmuring praises in his soft, stern voice, and shifting his knees so the younger boy was more comfortable but also tipped forward slightly so his sit spots were easier to access. Jeongin winced, knowing what was coming.
Seungmin was stubborn, for sure, but Chan was patient.
The oldest warmed up quickly, and was soon laying into the younger’s bottom, right where his hips met his thighs, peppering sharp smacks to the most tender area and waiting for Seungmin to crack. Tension and anticipation flooded the room as the sharp spanks grew in number and soft whines flew from Seungmin’s mouth … but the boy still refused to speak.
“You’re taking this so well, little one … and I’m so proud of you …” The soft praises coupled with a harsh smack caused Seungmin’s eyes to clench shut, mouth still sealed stubbornly. “I just wish I knew what was hurting you … what’s going on in your head, baby?”
Jeongin once more felt his eyes and throat burn as he watched his boyfriend slowly be taken down a peg and gently coaxed out of his head, the sounds of the spanking almost making him wince by association. Taking a deep breath, he stifled the urge to scream and interfere with the careful and calculated scene unfolding on the living room couch.
“Minnie-ah …” Chan’s whisper somehow was heard by both boys even over the sound of his hand covering every inch of Seungmin’s sit spots in swats, “I’m not letting you go. I will never let you go. Please … talk to hyung. Tell me what’s wrong …” Jeongin stared up at Chan, watching the elder’s face wrinkle in concern and love, “I’m here to help you, baby boy,” he finished, his other hand settling on the back of Seungmin’s neck once more, rubbing comfortingly.
Seungmin openly began sobbing softly then, one hand shakily moving to cover his mouth as his eyes squeezed shut and his entire body began to shake with the effort it took to stifle his cries. Jeongin pinched his wrists hard to hold himself back from leaping across the room to hold his boyfriend’s head as he cried. Chan slowed his spanks and leaned over Seungmin’s back, his other hand gently reaching down to take Seungmin’s hand in his, removing it from over his mouth and pinning it to the small of the boy’s back as he continued.
Without the aid of his hand covering his mouth, Seungmin clenched his lips together, biting down hard and whining through his nose at each spank, the soft sounds rising in pitch and volume until a particularly harsh smack made him lose all his control and wail loudly, brokenly, his voice cracking miserably in the middle.
“I’m right here, Minnie … it’s getting real quiet …” Chan tipped Seungmin back down to move on from his sit spots, now covering the rest of his bottom evenly, reigniting the fire that he began at the start of the punishment. Seungmin sobbed brokenly at each smack, his voice echoing slightly off the walls of the living room. Jeongin closed his eyes and prayed for the strength to see through to the end of his boyfriend’s spanking.
“… Hy-hyung-ah …” Seungmin gasped, and both Chan and Jeongin visibly relaxed, breathing twin sighs of relief. Chan landed a few more swats before taking a break, rubbing the tight and shaking muscles of the younger’s back and shoulders.
“Yes, baby?”
Seungmin’s eyes blinked open and his mouth gaped open and shut as he gasped and stuttered through breaths, staring at the floor and trying to decide what to do or say, turmoil evident in his body and expression. Chan’s low, calm voice made him blink hard and whimper,
“… please, he-help me, hyung …” He shook his head repeatedly, a frequent tic he had. “… I need … you, please, I’m sorry …” he whimpered, his voice raspy from crying as he gasped to catch his breath.
Without missing a beat, Chan murmured, “What are you sorry for?”
“For – for mouthing off j-just t’ get you t’ hit me …” the younger sobbed, his voice thick with emotion, and he hung his head in shame.
Jeongin’s chest seized and something painful swept through his body leaving him breathless at his boyfriend’s words. He watched as Chan reached down to run his fingers through Seungmin’s hair, an unreadable expression now on his face. The oldest waited until Seungmin was no longer quivering to speak, his soft voice commanding the space gently,
“Why did you feel like I needed to hit you, Minnie-ah?”
Seungmin’s shoulders sunk as he wailed softly, “I don’t kn-know, hyung … I swear, I’m sorry …” he leaned into his hyung’s hand in his hair and let the tears fall freely, smacking onto the floor beneath him.
One loud spank landed across the middle of Seungmin’s bottom, and he jolted, startled. Chan’s voice followed, low and deadly serious.
“That’s not an answer, baby.”
“Fuck …” Seungmin gasped as the burning in his ass surfaced once more.
“That’s not an answer, either. And I don’t mind spanking you all night to get you to tell me what I want to know.” The older boy started up again, the sound of flesh hitting flesh resounding across the living room.
Seungmin’s fists slammed into the floor as Chan spanked him, rhythmically. He groaned through gritted teeth and lethargically cried. It was only when Chan took a break to knead the bruising flesh in his strong, gentle hands that he whimpered, completely and utterly broken,
“It’s g-getting so b-bad, hyung, I … I’m bad …” One of his quivering hands reached for Chan’s ankle and his fingers gathered the fabric of his hyung’s sweatpants, holding on for dear life.
“Kim Seungmin,” Chan’s soft, insistent voice broke through the air like a knife, and Seungmin only cried harder. The oldest reached down and cupped the boy’s face in his hand, wiping his tears and grounding him with his touch. “You have never … not once in your life, been bad. Do you hear my words, little one?”
“I’m – I’m tr-trying,” Seungmin hiccupped, still gripping Chan’s sweatpants in his hands, shaking through his breaths.
Chan rubbed Seungmin’s back with his other hand, and calmly whispered, “You’re my baby, Minnie … I’m not angry. It’s okay that you needed me, it’s okay that you needed to be settled. I wish I’d known sooner, so you didn’t have to act out like you did. But, it’s behind us now, right? I’ve got you, okay? You’re safe … my baby is safe …”
Leaning down oh so slowly, Chan moved Seungmin’s shirt up to press a delicate, feather-light kiss to the small of the boy’s back, triggering a choked sigh of relief out of the younger.
While he desperately itched to hold and soothe his boyfriend, Jeongin’s chest slowly relaxed, and he breathed deeply in relief now that the cause of Seungmin’s behavior was out in the air and he could finally forgive himself with Chan’s help.
“Let’s finish, yeah?” Chan softly whispered and patted the boy’s back when Seungmin nodded in relief, biting his lip softly and preparing for the last of his spanking.
Twenty smacks completed the punishment. Twenty quick, quick pops and it was over. Seungmin only yelped at the last five-ish, his hands shaking where they hung near his head and breath stuttering, but he remained totally relaxed until the end.
Jeongin had to stifle his brimming emotions watching Chan gently pull Seungmin back together, righting his clothes and rubbing his back and shoulders for several long, sacred moments, and then gently easing him onto his knees between Chan’s legs. Seungmin, with only slight trembles wracking his smaller frame, propped his head up on his arms folded across Chan’s knees, and looked up at his hyung with the world in his eyes, still blinking tears away every few seconds, with red nose and cheeks shining in the late afternoon sunlight. He licked his chapped and bitten lips and stared up at Chan with nothing but trust and need, mind visibly and blissfully blank.
Chan ran his fingers through Seungmin’s hair and smiled gently, his own eyes slightly wet with affection and adoration that he never bothered to hide from anyone. Seungmin leaned into the touch and hiccupped adorably, blinking slowly as he came back to himself. Chan watched him take deep, slow breaths, softly brushed his bangs from his eyes, and let the boy nuzzle his face into his palm before he whispered,
“Are you ready for me to hold you now?”
Seungmin’s face wrinkled in a beautiful pain at the question, his bottom lip sticking out as he tried to stop the ugly sob from coming out, the one he’d been holding in throughout the entire afternoon, but he was easily defeated when his body demanded comfort. He held his hands out shakily to be held and closed his eyes, letting Chan pick him up as if he were a child, scooping him up and settling him in his lap, surrounding him with comfort and warmth. His big arms wrapped around Seungmin’s back and shoulders, and he began rubbing and patting, humming low in his throat as he did so.
Jeongin let out a breath and felt his body relax completely, seeing his love cared for in such a way, and he settled down a little against the living room wall, letting his breathing return to normal. The warmth in his belly grew, and small clouds of fog encroached onto the edges of his vision as he watched Seungmin and Chan share a nervous system for a quiet moment.
Seungmin snuggled further into Chan and sighed, his hand feather-lightly patting against the older man’s chest in a shaky beat as he calmed down, something he did with all his hyungs when he let them hold him. Something about it helped him to breathe, and they all quickly caught on to how much it meant to him. Chan returned the same rhythm of pats to the middle of Seungmin’s back between his shoulder blades, and they curled further into each other like they fit together. Jeongin fought a surge of jealousy, but stayed put, watching silently and fingers itching to soothe and comfort his boyfriend as well.
After several long and quiet minutes, Chan stopped humming and leaned closer to slowly whisper something to Seungmin that Jeongin couldn’t hear, and stood up, Seungmin still in his arms. Slowly, rocking slightly and soothing the boy like a baby, he walked across the living room to where Jeongin was sitting, and knelt down in front of him. Nodding and smiling softly at the younger boy, Chan placed Seungmin in Jeongin’s lap, turning the boy and tucking his head into the youngest’s shoulder, Seungmin sighing and whimpering only slightly. Chan placed a gentle, comforting hand on Jeongin’s shoulder and pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads before giving them some privacy and leaving for the kitchen, no doubt to fetch some water and cooling cream for Seungmin and his stinging backside.
The second Seungmin was placed in his lap, Jeongin’s arms encircled the boy tightly and protectively, and Seungmin curled into the embrace, Jeongin feeling every muscle and bone under his hands meld into him, lighting him on fire in the best way. Seungmin sniffled every few seconds but seemed to be content just to sit and be held. He seemed to breathe Jeongin in like steam. His eyes closed and fingers wound tight into the fabric of Jeongin’s hoodie, he snuggled closer, burying his face in his boyfriend’s chest and settling into their little bubble of space, ignoring the outside world for now.
“Are you alright, my love?” Jeongin whispered, watching his breath ruffle Seungmin’s dark curls. The warmth in his belly rose and settled in his chest, and with a soft smile, he realized that the feeling was just Seungmin. The connection they had flowed freely between them like a friendly breeze, living and breathing together.
His boyfriend blinked his beautiful eyes up at him and gave a tiny nod, a quirk of a smile echoing on his red, tempting lips. His fingers that were clenched around Jeongin’s hoodie relaxed and he subconsciously began to pat slowly, softly, directly over Jeongin’s heart, to the same tempo that it beat.
pat pat pat …
“… he didn’t let me go ...” Seungmin breathed, and it wasn’t a question nor a statement. He was reassuring himself through Jeongin. Checking in.
pat pat pat …
The younger nodded quietly and pressed a kiss to the top of Seungmin’s shiny curls. “He didn’t let you go, Minnie …” he replied, his heart surging gently in time with his pulse, flooding him with a lovely feeling.
pat pat pat …
“… and I’m safe …” Seungmin blinked up at him, eyes going in and out of focus as he settled in his headspace.
pat pat pat …
Once more nodding, “And you’re safe,” Jeongin settled against the wall, curling his legs up around Seungmin and holding him close.