Raising Robins

Defiance All Around

Bruce flipped a chair around. He was so angry that he couldn't speak. He knew that he should never spank a child while angry but for once couldn't help it. By God he wanted to break out the paddle, but Damian was still very much a child, at only eleven.

Damian knew the drill but still stood there, defiantly.

"If you put me on patrol, maybe you wouldn't have nearly shattered your ribs." Damian said.

Bruce stood, grabbed the boy by his upper arm and swatted him hard against the seat of his pants, lay him across his lap and pulled down his son's uniform trousers and briefs before raising his hand and giving a hard swat that resounded with a pop. Damian yelled out. He had never been spanked so hard. He yelled out and tried to wriggle away.

"Oh no you don't." Bruce said, sternly, pinning the boy down and raining down swats. He spanked hard and fast, one swat per word. "You don't get to endanger yourself or fight with your brothers."

Damian wiggled around, still, before getting free and running away in just a shirt. He ran right into Dick, who was nervously waiting outside the door.

"Father is trying to kill me!" Damian screamed.

"It's just a spanking. Shut up and take it." Tim said, walking past with an orange popsicle.

"Tell Father to stop!" Damian pleaded.

Bruce walked across to the door, through Damian's room. Damian was hugging onto Dick's thigh, who was lifting Damian's shirt to see how bad the "bat print" was. Just pink. Dick sighed.

"Dad, do you really have to wallop him? I mean, he's, like, eleven."

"Your point, Richard?" Bruce asked, losing patience and barely wanting to entertain the conversation.

"C'mon Dad, he's had enough!"

"He's had exactly TWO swats. Damian Thomas Wayne, march yourself back to your bed. I need to talk with your brother."

Damian let go of Dick's leg and walked back to his bed.

"You know the infraction, you know the price."

"Dad- I don't mean to interrupt... I just... want it to stop. I'll take the spanking for him, even."

"You know the price for interrupting, Richard. Go wait on the edge of your bed."

Dick balled up his fists and pointed a finger in his father's face. "You have NO right."

"You're. Off. Patrol." Bruce said. "One week. Get it together Richard, and maybe I'll reconsider."

Bruce looked to Damian's bed. He was gone and so was the uniform that was lying on the floor, previously. He looked up to see the curtains billowing in the wind, where the bat signal was.

Bruce's phone rang. Shit.

"Jay! Tim! Suit up!" Bruce said, running down the stairs. Something was not right. Tim threw out his popsicle stick and ran down the stairs after Jason, who made fun of his brother's brainfreeze-face. 

"Now's NOT the time." Bruce said, as they crowded into the elevator, behind the clock. They took the Batmobile and Bruce briefed them on what he knew.

"Filtration masks. It's Scarecrow."

"And Robin is out in this?"

"Hm. Apparently so." Bruce said in Batman phase. Short. To the point.

When they located the skylight, Damian was climbing up through the manhole onto the roof of the GCPD building. Bruce swung atop from a higher building. Tim and Jason were awaiting directions to start off a fight.

"Robin." Bruce said. He pointed in front of him. Damian belligerently and begrudgingly walked towards his father. He put a hand tightly on the boy's shoulder, placing a tracker on the suit, secretly. 

Commissioner Gordon detailed the massacre that was actively happening downtown in Chinatown. Time was of the essence and Bruce called to his sons below to start heading to Chinatown.

"Thank you, Commissioner. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I have to teach some discipline to Robin."

Commissioner Gordon raised an eyebrow.

"I, uh, think he wants to spank me in private." Damian said. 

Gordon sighed. "I don't condone hitting kids, but if you keep them in line that way, fine. Don't leave lasting bruises. It's the law."

Batman nodded and turned Robin around, sat atop a heating duct, and pulled down Damian's pants and briefs as he defiantly crossed his arms. 

Batman spanked Robin for only five minutes, as that was all that time allotted but it was harder than ever. Damian openly sobbed before being sent to stand on the corner of the roof.

"Pull up your pants." Bruce ordered. "You're in public."

"It hurts too much. It stings."

"Have it your way." Bruce said, shooting a grappling hook. Alfred will be by with the Batmobile in eleven minutes. Get in and go to bed.

"Yes, Batman." Damian muttered, butt out in the wind. He felt childish and as soon as his bottom stopped smarting, he pulled up his pants and waited for the Batmobile in the alley behind.