How could this have gone so wrong? Robin struggled against the two thugs holding him upside-down, they had grabbed him mid-leap.

"Hah hah hah, we could smash his pretty little head into the concrete easily."

"Sure could, get him back for Brian's arm."

"And Henley's ribs..."

"Ow! The fucker just kicked me in the face!"

ow, ow, OW! His arms were being twisted painfully behind his back, blood was rushing to his head, and his legs and feet were uncomfortably bound together. How do I get out of this? Tim could see his vision was getting blurry...but through the blur he saw...Was that Nightwing?

"I'm coming little bro!" Nightwing said under his breath as he bounded through the room, sending out batarangs to tangle up the thugs, his fists aimed at two unsuspecting men holding his baby brother.

Oh God I hope he's all right! Please let me be in time, please!

His fists smacked into the back of the men's necks, causing them to let go of Robin, whom he caught in his arms. Sirens rang out from the parking lot. Sweat dripped down the back of his spine, yet he felt chilled to the bone. How could this happen, why didn't the boy listen to him? More importantly, how was he going to get out of
here?! Some of the men were getting away, but Nightwing was certain the police could probably take care of the rest. He slipped back up the stairs just as fast as he had come in. A police helicopter was landing 20 feet away. He glanced a peak at Tim, who was staring up at him in...anger?

"I'm okay, man, put me down." Robin hissed through his teeth.

"What?!" Nightwing couldn't hide the shock in his voice from the surprise of such...such disrespect!

"I'm totally fine! You're embarrassing me!" The teen snapped.

"Oh really? I'll show you something embarrassing." Nightwing was furious. He dropped Robin into a standing position, then, right in front of the cops and some newly arrested robbers, turned him around, shoved his cape aside, bent him over and landed five, stinging, rapid-fire smacks to the boy's backside.

"Ha ha!" One of the thugs laughed, "The little one was out past his bed time!"

Robin was sure his face was as red as his costume, and he was afraid his backside would be so all to soon as well. Nightwing now had him by his upper arm and was marching him away from the scene. Ouch! Robin's arm was beginning to cramp up from where Nightwing was holding it. He had insisted they walk, not fly', home, and throughout the long journey Nightwing remained completely silent. Probably contemplating my demise, thought Robin. Ok, my arm is probably going to have bruises around it tomorrow, maybe if I asked him to let up-

"Hey, could you-"

"Not one word more." Snarled a very pissed off Nightwing. Oh damn, oh damn. I'm sooo in trouble!

As soon as the pair reached the apartment, (slipping in through a more secretive entrance) Nightwing pushed Robin into a chair he had plopped down in the middle of his bedroom, not even bothering to take off his costume before starting the lecture.

"Of all the disrespectful things you've ever done to me, this definitely takes the cake, boy. First, to totally disobey me, leaving the apartment when I asked you not to. It was a pretty simple idea, and pretty easy to follow as well. Secondly, putting yourself, alone, in a an unknown situation, where you could have been killed. Do you
ever go out on a mission with Batman without looking into what you're about to do, not just busting in unprepared? Jesus, Tim! When I think of all the stupid mistakes you've made tonight I-"

"Wait! Dick, before you bash on me any further, let me tell my side of it!" Robin jumped up to face his brother.

"Fine. Speak."

"Oracle called me and said you needed help. So, I decided that was a good enough situation canceling out what you said, for...umm...your own safety."

"Robin," Nightwing stared directly into the boy's eyes, "Did you tell her I told you not to go out tonight."

"Umm, well..." Robin broke the eye contact to nervously stare at the floor, "I didn't. I lied to her."

The realization of all he'd done just came to Tim's mind in an abrupt shift. What had he done? Tears began to form in his eyes, though he willed them to stay there. Robin would not cry in front of Nightwing. No way.

"You lied to Barbara? That's terrible!" Dick stopped the tirade that was on the tip of his tongue. First things first, "So she gave you the information, and you left to take care of things on your own, huh?"

"No! Well, not exactly, I was starting what I hoped you would help me finish. You just arrived a little later than I thought."

"Look, Robin, there was more involved in the Electronics store robbery then just your typical theft job. No one could just waltz in there and stop them. I had to think my steps through. And you know all this," he declared angrily, "why all these mistakes?"

"I don't know." Robin truthfully remarked, "I guess I wasn't thinking clearly?"

Tim's posture wasn't strong or straight anymore, he looked defeated as his shoulders slumped over and his head bent at angle that would only allow a view of all things three feet tall in the room. That was good, meant he wouldn't try to argue his side' much more.

"Well, besides that obvious one." Nightwing took a deep breath, "I think I know why. What would Batman do if you had behaved this way with him?"

Nightwing looked down on the upset boy, wishing he could comfort him, but knowing instead that that would have to come later. After years of being Bruce's son, a lot of mistakes were painfully' brought to his attention, with enough care to where he still remembered those lessons now.

"B-batman?" Tim stuttered, "I, uh, I'm not sure."

"That's because you would probably never disobey Batman to this extreme. He would have stopped you when you whined about it. I made a mistake by just joking it off. The disrespect you've shown to me lately, Timothy, has become out of control. Even though I am younger than your other mentors, and maybe a bit more like you, that doesn't mean I don't deserve the respect you give to Bruce and Alfred everyday. I want you to be able to relax around me, don't get me wrong. But also listen to me when I'm serious. Take me seriously."

"I do take you seriously, Dick!" Tim cried out, tears of guilt and shame now spilling freely down his cheeks, "I just messed up! I promise I won't let it happen again!"

"It's alright, calm down," Dick pulled Tim into a tight hug, "I know you did. And I know you won't. But you'll still have to pay the consequences, Bruce never gave me a reprieve, and while at the time it seemed like B.S., it's only now I realize how important those lessons were. I'm not going to let you get away from punishment, and end up like all those jerky kids out there who can't even tell right from wrong. Bruce entrusted me with your care, and I'm not going to let him or you, down."

Tim didn't know what to do. A part of him wanted to yell out some cheesy line, like, 'You're not my father!', or beg Dick not to do it, or to run away, but another part of him knew it was what he deserved.

"Come on, Tim, lets get this done. I think we'll both feel a hell of a lot better after it's over." Nightwing switched places with Robin, then sat in the chair, moving the boy to stand in front of him.

"I think you know what to do." Nightwing waited as Robin unhooked his cape and took off his belt and boots. Robin could feel his cheeks burning with shame. Never had he thought Nightwing would have to spank him, never. He was embarrassed to have behaved so badly to get into this situation, but every fiber in his body was telling him to move away from the danger of pain, while his mind knew it would give his guilt a release.

Nightwing, impatient of waiting, yanked a surprised Robin down over his lap, and took down his tights to reveal a very nervous and pale bottom. Who ever thought I would be going through this, from this view? I used to vow that I'd never spank a kid, no matter what they did, but that was also back when I was one.

"Robin, what is this punishment for?" Nightwing questioned.

"Aw, come on," Robin groaned, "we already went over this and-"

SMACK

"Ouch!! Okay, okay! I disobeyed you and left the house. I...uh...lied to Oracle and went ahead to the store without you. I wasn't prepared...and uh..."

"Did what when I saved your soon-to-be-sorry little ass?"

"Oh! And I was very disrespectful to you in public." Robin's heart skipped a beat. That was very, very bad and unusual of him. He was not a rude person, was he?

"I'm sorry." He offered, though he knew it wouldn't be enough, duh, boy wonder!

"Not as sorry as you're going to be."

Nightwing had taken off his gloves, so the smacks were biting, flesh-on-flesh hits. At first, it surprised Robin, he hitched his breath and tried not to cry out as the first spanks hit his vulnerable backside. The sting was almost bearable at first, but then as the smacks piled up, it felt as though they sunk in as deep as his stomach, or maybe that was just humiliation and guilt he felt boiling there. Nightwing soon moved to the boy's upper thighs, spanking in earnest, waiting for Tim to give up his calm facade and actually cry out and give in, but the kid just gripped his leg tighter. But he had to be hurting, his bottom was bright red and radiating heat! After a few well-placed swats, Robin began to howl aloud, he just skipped yelping and hissing altogether.

"Ow!" The boy cried out, "P..please Dick! S..Stop! I promise, never again..."

He trailed off and soon began crying aloud again when Dick didn't stop and showed no signs of doing so. But he did thrust his hand back to protect himself, only to have it caught and trapped. Tim felt so miserably vulnerable, and even somewhat scared. Finally, he lay limp over Dick's knees, sputtering apologies and dampening the Berber carpet. Dick knew it was enough. He stopped, released Tim's arm, helped the boy pull up his tights, and then, the best part of forgiveness, pulled him upright into the biggest, most loving and caring embrace Tim had ever felt.

"I love you Tim. Please don't ever scare me like that again. I think you took away what was left of my youth." Nightwing joked as he used his thumbs to wipe away the tears tracking down Tim's pinkish cheeks, and then peeled off the uncomfortable and somewhat soaked mask.

"I love you too Dick. I, I don't know why I was so rude to you," He felt more tears welling up in his eyes, "I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. I really am." Sobs hitched in his throat.

"Whoa, calm down there, buddy, it's okay. Everything's ok between us now." Dick hugged Tim closer to him and lightly kissed his forehead, "I'm sorry I didn't pay more attention to you. God knows it had to be boring, stuck here all day."

Nightwing took his time comforting the still crying boy, gently holding him in his lap so as not to cause him further pain. Both guys rarely got physical comfort, from any of their family. And though the Bat family was great, at times it seemed more like a work situation. They only thought about criminal and crime, and not each others needs, sometimes until it was too late. Dick felt simultaneously terrible and good about punishing Tim. On one hand, someone needed too, and according to both boy's upbringing it was the right thing to do. And on the other, Tim looked up to him, he didn't want the kid to be mad, or worst, afraid of him. But Tim was anything but afraid as he held onto Dick, thinking about his actions and the consequences following. It was rightly deserved. Ah! But it hurt sooo much! The boy squirmed and scrunched his face up.

"Ok, time to get cleaned up then to bed, alright?" Dick said to Tim as he set the boy on his feet and began to push him toward the bathroom.

"Tell you what, Tomorrow, if you're up to it, we'll go out to a movie and the arcade or something, I'll get some extra time off. It's not like I don't owe it to you."

"Really?!" Tim couldn't believe it. It was like a reward or something, "That'd be great Dick. And you don't owe it to me, I should be old enough to entertain myself. But who am I to say no to some 'quality time' beating my older brother at video games."

"Beat moi?! No way, this is my town, and I rule that arcade! I hold so many high records, you couldn't even count them all in one day or even more so, beat them."

"Whatever! I'd like to see if that's really true, cough cough liar cough cough and then prove to you that the Timster rocks in all things, especially electronic things, may I remind you, Dick Grayson' ."

"Oh yeah, just because you can break into computers and figure out puzzles and shit, doesn't give you any room in virtual tennis, football, basketball, baseball or any of the finer sports which, huh?, You don't participate in."

"Cause I'm too busy kicking butt! Starting with yours, tomorrow."

Dick doubled over with laughter, yeah, the kid was one to talk, in his particular position. While Dick continued his enthusiastic laughing, Tim made a run for the bathroom shouting, "First dibs!!!!", for the whole neighborhood to hear.

"Damn." Dick smirked as the door slammed in his face.

It was good to be an older brother. All he had to do was wait for the brat to come out, and then he'd pounce.

END

Author's note: Thanks for reading! This was the first fic I ever wrote, back when I was in high school. It's alright but I promise I can do much better. I just need to sort through my fics and figure out which ones I'd like to upload. If you have any ideas of what you'd like to see me write about, especially if it can fit in m/m corporal punishment, just let me know!