Lincoln Burrows could not believe that he was driving over to a police station. If that wasn’t enough, he was going there to pick up his little brother for unruly conduct.

Michael Scofield was in many ways the smartest person that Lincoln knew, but for a smart little guy, the boy could be a complete idiot some times.

Like tonight.

The little runt was supposed to be watching LJ in the apartment while Linc worked overtime during the holiday. And what was worse was that Linc knew exactly where the kid had gone.

And he had thought that he’d made it quite clear that Mike wasn’t allowed at the party.

Entering a little hastily into the police parking lot, realizing a little too late that maybe that wasn’t the smartest tactic in entering a police locale.

LJ whimpered in his car seat behind him. Lincoln, forcing himself to calm down, eased into a parking spot and shut the car off.

It had been two years since he had gotten Michael out of foster care, five years since their mother had died and still Lincoln was afraid that something worse was bound to happen. As if it wasn’t bad enough having had a kid at eighteen, he had to also look after his kid brother.

His kid brother who was way smarter than the crap he’d pulled that night.

Sighing, Lincoln eased out of his seat. He leaned into the back seat, taking LJ out of his car seat and shushing him so the toddler wouldn’t break out into hysterics.

“Shh, quiet LJ. You’re okay,” he told the baby in his arms.

LJ did settle, resting his small head on his Daddy’s chest and for all the world not caring about anything but easing his small thumb into his mouth.

Lincoln walked into the station, walking by drunks and shoplifters and ladies yelling obscenities at the cops handling them. He covered LJ’s curious head, turning the little face towards his chest. He tried not to look to long at the pierced and tattooed youths that lined a wall. Kids not much younger than him, or heck his same age even.

Kids as young as Michael.

“Hello Officer…Linley,” Lincoln started as he reached the desk seeing the office’s nametag.

Officer Linley looked up from a notepad, nodding.

“Yes, how can I help you?” the officer replied kindly, though he eyed Lincoln strangely.

For once, Lincoln couldn’t get mad. After all, it was nearly two in the morning and he was carrying a baby into a very indecent situation.

Lincoln sighed.

“I’m here to pick up my brother, Michael Scofield.”

“And you are?”

Lincoln reached into his back pocket, grabbing his wallet.

“Lincoln Burrows, his brother,” replied Lincoln, flipping the wallet open to show his license.

“Brothers, huh?”

“Yeah,” Lincoln said, hating always having to answer the question. “He took my mother’s maiden name.”

Officer Linley nodded, turning to look for the name in his computer. It was a pretty busy night, it being New Year’s and all. Not that it wasn’t a busy night nearly every night in Portland.

“Scofield, Michael? Fourteen? Caught with a drunk driver?”

Lincoln set his jaw, nodding. A drunk driver, huh? Wow, he was going to kill his brother.

“Well, since he wasn’t drunk, and he seemed to be the only one trying to talk the other boy out of driving when their party was crashed, there were no charges filed on him. He’s free to go, no fine. Though, I wouldn’t take that as lightly as it sounds. Your brother could have been in a very dangerous situation. He’s lucky that the car hadn’t left the parking site.”

Lincoln nodded in agreement, thinking that Michael might not be feeling so lucky in a little bit.

“I’ll just page Detective Jenkins and let him know someone’s here to pick up the kid.”

Lincoln tensed.

“Detective? I thought that he wasn’t in any trouble.”

Officer Linley offered Lincoln a small smile.

“Actually, I think the Detective took a liking to him. Probably because he was the youngest in his group. Odd as it is, he should have still been in holding. But, then again, she’s like that.”

Lincoln nodded. His brother did have an innocent look to him. And, unluckily for Lincoln, the kid had skipped a few grades and was making friends with older kids. Kids who apparently liked to party and drink. Kids much like Linc had been as a teenager and up until two years back, when LJ’d been born.

He didn’t have to wait long.

Michael came strolling down a hallway, a nice looking lady besides him. Mike’s head was down, and he was just allowing the detective to guide him, not wanting to see his brother’s anger.

Because Michael was smart enough to know his brother would be pissed.

“Lincoln?” the detective asked once they’d reached him.

She had a calming sense to her. Surely she’d been mother the hell out of Michael.

Lincoln nodded, shifting LJ and offering his hand in greeting.

“Detective Jenkins?”

Jenkins smiled, taking his hand.

“Michael mentioned you’d be coming soon enough to pick him up.”

Of course he had. Michael liked to talk. Half the time, he was saying things that he most definitely shouldn’t be saying. Like blurting out to him that Lisa was pregnant before Lisa had even fully entered the apartment that one day so many lifetimes ago. He noticed things most people overlooked like that.

Lincoln nodded again, not really sure what to reply. He just wanted to take the boys home and get to bed.

“Well, I’m glad you did come. Michael seemed to think you’d be too mad at him to come. Thank you for proving me right.”

“Um, you’re welcome,” Lincoln said unsure.

Detective Jenkins dropped her arm from Michael’s shoulder, giving the slump teen a weak smile.

“It was great talking with you, Michael. But, I think you’ll understand if I say I hope never to see you back here again.”

Michael cringed. He knew what Jenkins meant, but did she have to say that in front of his brother? As if Lincoln would need more incentive to be mad at him.

“Goodbye Detective,” mumbled Michael, talking the last few steps to his brother’s side.

“Bye, Michael. Goodbye Lincoln. You stay out of trouble and have a happy new year.”

Michael looked up enough to offer her a small smile before looking back down. He felt Linc’s grip on the back of his neck and allowed it to lead him away.

Michael had been in the station for almost two hours. He had had to wait for his brother to get home. Then, Lincoln would have seen the note that Michael had written about leaving LJ at Melinda Duer’s house next door. He’d only written the note in case of an emergency. He had expected to be home by one, a whole half hour before his brother was to arrive.

He had had to call Melinda, giving her the awful news that he was in jail. He could hear both LJ and Cassidy, Melinda’s three year old daughter, crying in the background and knew that he’d woken then.

Melinda hadn’t asked too many question and Michael had been grateful. Lincoln, however, hadn’t been too happy while talking to the lady. She was almost a bad a drunk as Lisa, LJ’s mother, was turning out to be. Lincoln did not think she deserved to keep Cassidy, let alone care for LJ.

And to top that off, it appeared that Michael had offered to care for Cassidy the next day, so that she could properly get drunk in peace.

“What the fuck were you thinking, Michael!”

Michael refused to answer as he was led towards the car. He knew his brother had a lot he wanted to say, so why bother interrupting him?

Lincoln shook his head as he watched Michael remain silent. He glanced at LJ, hoping the kid hadn’t picked up on the bad word.

Reaching the car, Lincoln finally released his brother. He took another moment to try and calm down as he strapped LJ back into his car seat. LJ, now suddenly wide awake started to wiggle and whine at the return to the restraint.

“Be still, LJ,” Lincoln instructed him. He clipped the little seatbelt around his son’s leg and eased it shut. LJ had a way of wiggle out of his car seat and stroller and it drove Lincoln crazy thinking of the many ways the kid would get hurt doing that.

“Noooo,” whined LJ, pushing at his seatbelt.

“You leave that,” Lincoln said sternly, taking the little boy’s hands away from the belt. Not that LJ knew how to undo it. “And you stay in the seat, you hear me?”

LJ pouted. But he did stop his wiggling. He seemed to notice that Lincoln was in the mood to play around tonight.

Good. At least one boy was listening to him.

Lincoln backed out of the car and turned towards Michael. The kid hadn’t moved a muscle since he’d released him.

Lincoln shook his head. He grabbed Mike’s arm and led him to the other side of the vehicle, opening the passenger side door.

“I want to sit with LJ,” said Michael stiffening his body up to make it harder for his brother to move him.

Lincoln frowned. Funny how the first thing that the kid finally said to him was a request to keep his distance. Lincoln shook his head.

“Get your ass in the car, Michael,” Lincoln said through gritted.

Everything inside Michael told him to move, told him to get inside the car and to stop talking. But sadly enough, some of that smartness wouldn’t quite reach his lips.

“I’ll get in the back,” Mike said, twisting to get the backdoor door and slip in.

Lincoln couldn’t believe his brother’s nerve. Scoffing, he gripes Michael’s left arm, twisting the boy around and placing three hard swats on his brother’s backend.

“Oww! Lincoln!”

“Get in the car while you still can, Michael,” Lincoln told him, releasing his brother’s arm.

Michael turned to glare at him, eyeing the opened passenger door but not moving to it.

“Michael, do you not want to sit comfortably the whole ride home?”

Michael, saved from his comment about how he was already not going to be feeling comfortable after those swats, was interrupted by a slightly familiar voice coming towards them.

“Michael! Michael!”

The brothers turned towards the voice, slightly surprised to see Detective Jenkins coming towards them.

“Detective?” Lincoln said wondering what had brought the lady out to them.

“Hello boys,” she said, smiling at them as she reached their side. “I got back into my office, and I noticed that you’d left your jacket behind. So,” She handed Michael his jacket, seemingly not noticing the tension between the brothers.

“Thank you, detective,” Lincoln said for his brother, not bothering to wait for his brother to find his voice again.

She nodded, glancing at the two. She was at least a good ten years older than Linc and she had a few years experience as a detective on top of her many years on the force that she was sure she’d just walked into something.

“I’m surprised to have caught up with you.”

Lincoln rolled his eyes, noticing what she was doing. He was grateful for the darkness of the night.

“We were just heading out. But, I’m glad you caught us. Have a good night, detective.”

Lincoln gave his brother a final push towards the open door and deciding to move towards his own seat.

Michael watched him, and then gave the detective a warm smile.

“Happy new year, detective,” he said finally moving slowly towards the door. Then, taking a leap of hope, Mike glanced to the backseat.

And, sure enough, LJ was trying to slip out of his car seat.

Michael smiled to himself.

“LJ’s getting out of his seat again.”

Lincoln groaned, glancing at his son. LJ’s little legs were coming towards his chest in a move to get out of the seatbelt.

Lincoln shook his head. So that’s how he does it, he thought. He tapped on the back window, bringing the two year old’s attention to him.

“I can see you.” he tells the kid. LJ froze. He’d never actually been caught.

Quickly, LJ straightens up his legs and gives his Daddy a huge smile. Lincoln tries not to glare at his son.

“Stay,” said Lincoln pointing at the boy and hoping that the little boy will finally actually listen.

Michael caught LJ’s eyes as Linc slipped into his seat. He winked at the kid, knowing that somehow being mad at the baby always seemed to calm his brother slightly.

Finally, Michael got into the passenger seat and closed the door. He waved slightly at the detective as they pulled out.

“You’ve lost your mind,” Lincoln told him a block away from the station at a red light.

Michael scoffed, twisting away from his brother to stare out the window.

Lincoln glanced at him, shaking his head. He didn’t know what it was but lately his sweet baby brother was turning into a real pain in the ass.

He drove the rest of the way in silence and pulled into a parking spot near their second story apartment.

“Go upstairs and get ready for bed,” Lincoln instructed, tossing his eyes towards his brother.

Michael caught the keys and followed Linc’s movements getting out of the vehicle. However, instead of finally listening to the little voice in his head he instead disobeyed his brother again.

“Bed? I’m not tired,” he lied as he rolled his eyes at his brother.

Lincoln slammed his hand on the top of the car, startling both Michael and LJ. Michael jumped a step back and in his seat LJ began to cry.

Deflated slightly from his anger by the sound of his frightened son and Michael’s movements, Lincoln counted to ten and pointed towards the stairs.

“March your ass upstairs Michael. Now.”

Michael, realizing he’d taken himself a bit too far there, turned around immediately and dashed up the stairs.

Lincoln got LJ out of his seat not surprised that the second the kid was freed he clutched to him like his life depended on it.

“Alright, LJ. You’re okay buddy,” he said to the teary baby in his arms.

LJ whimpered, burying his sad little face into Lincoln’s coat. Which made Linc remember Mike’s jacket. He shook his head, opening the passenger side door and grabbed the forgotten jacket. For a smart kid, Michael always seemed to be forgetting things.

Like the fact that a week ago, when he’d asked about going to a new year’s party, Lincoln had forbade him.

Locking the car down for the night, Lincoln headed up the stairs and towards his apartment, hoping that his baby brother had enough sense left in his head to have done like Linc had asked of him.

Luckily enough, as he entered the apartment, Linc heard his brother in the bathroom.

Walking over to LJ’s playpen, Linc placed the little boy inside it. Sure, at two LJ could very well climb out of the pen, but so help him if he did.

“Play for a bit here, baby. Daddy’s gotta deal with your Uncle Mike.”

LJ sniffed, tightening his hold on Linc’s coat. And damn for a two year old he was strong.

“No, Daddy! Stay,” he whined, not wanting to be left alone. He felt something wasn’t right and Daddy’d been yelling and he’d seen Daddy hit Uncle Mike and he just wanted comfort.

“LJ, I’ll get you soon as I’m through with Michael. Now, please settle down.”

Michael stepped out of the bathroom as Lincoln gave up trying to place LJ into the pen and instead turned on the TV for the little boy. Linc turned to him as he was flipping through the channels for something kiddie safe.

“Get in the room, Mike, I’ll be in with you in a moment.”

“Lincoln?” Michael said, suddenly scared of the upcoming punishment. He tended not to realize things that were happening to him, focusing rather on all others around him.

And right now, he could tell his brother was mad.

“Jesus fucking Christ Michael! Get your ass in the room. Now.”

“Daddy?” LJ said, startled at the actions his Daddy was taking.

LJ clutched to Linc’s pant leg, tugging at it to get Linc’s attention. Linc chose instead to ignore him for the time being, finally found an old cartoon movie that would surely have LJ asleep within minutes and set the baby down in the center of the couch.

“Watch cartoons, L, okay? Let Daddy deal with Michael and then we can all go to bed.”

Lincoln stood up, kissing LJ’s head and ignoring as LJ immediately stood up and walked to the armrest of the couch as he passed by it.

Michael was sitting in an old pair of boxer shorts and a long sleeved tee shirt. Neither of which were his pajamas and both of which were Linc’s and considerably large on Mike’s small frame.

Mike sat picking at a scab on his knee completely ignoring his brother’s appearance. Lincoln slapped lightly at Mike’s hand, getting both the teen’s attention and getting him to stop picking at his scab.

“Stand up, Michael,” he said wanting to get it over with and behind them.

Michael slowly stood and quickly turned his backside away from his big brother, taking a few steps back.

“Please don’t spank me, Linc.”

Lincoln scoffed. His kid brother really did have some nerve.

“The way I see it, you had enough chances at avoiding this all night.”

Michael trembled slightly as Linc sat on the bed and motioned him forward.

“I’m sorry, really I am, Linc. I didn’t mean to leave LJ for so long. And I never would have gotten into the car with Joshua drunk like that.”

“Well, that’s all good and all except for the fact that I told you that you couldn’t go to the party. Or, was that whole conversation and bitching session just my imagination?”

Michael took a few more steps backwards reaching the wall.

“I asked you a question, Michael.”

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Lincoln shook his head.

“Come here, Michael.”

“No, Linc. Please.”

“If I have to get you, it’s going to be a lot worse,” warned Linc.

Michael hesitated. He really couldn’t think of how this could get worst. Surely Lincoln wouldn’t belt him for this. But, just to be sure…

“Are you going to belt me?”

Lincoln frowned.

“If you don’t stop questioning and disobeying me at every turn, there’s a very big possibility of that.”

Michael considered the threat. He was still pretty sure that Lincoln wouldn’t make a grab for his belt. For one, he wasn’t wearing one. Also, Michael didn’t think that Lincoln would belt him with LJ around. Not when Linc and Lisa were constantly fighting over LJ’s custody lately.

When Linc did opt to use the belt on him, which had only happened a handful of times, there was no way to avoid the reprimand. Linc was pretty goal oriented. Whatever he set his mind to, he tended to achieve. Both good and bad.

So, as long as Lincoln didn’t make a grab for a belt, Michael thought that he might have a chance at talking his brother out of it.

“Lincoln, I promise you, it won’t ever happen again. And I didn’t leave LJ for the whole night, I swear. It was just supposed to be for an hour or two and then I was going to be back!”

“The perfect plan,” Linc added sarcastically. “And I wouldn’t ever have known, right? That was the plan, right?”

Mike bit his lip as he nodded.

“Then that’s lying, Michael. And you know I hate it when you lie to me!”

Michael sniffed back a few tears. This whole talking Linc out of spanking him plan wasn’t working. In fact, he might just have made his brother even madder.

And so, seeing as how he didn’t have any other cards to play that wouldn’t turn against him, Michael used the LJ guilt card.

“But, Linc you can’t! What if LJ hears you! You can’t spank me with him around! If he tells his mother -”

Lincoln crossed his arms over his chest, not looking like the words had much helped Mike’s case.

“Do you feel like waiting a week for a simple spanking?”

“Simple spanking?” Mike repeated in an almost outrage.

Clearly, his brother must have overlooked the fact that Michael was a few pounds underweight and Lincoln tended to spend his free time at a gym. There was nothing simple about a spanking from Linc.

“Like you said ‘fore, I could grab for the belt.”

Michael shook his head. He hated feeling like this: anxious and nervous. Sure, he knew that his brother wouldn’t fatally wound him, knew that the spanking would only hurt his bottom and injure his pride, but he couldn’t bring himself to accept it happening to him.

“But, Linc, I’m fourteen!”

“I know how old you are, Mike. I was there, remember? And I couldn’t give less of a shit about it. You’ve got to the count of three.”

“Noo!” replied Michael, pressing himself firmly against the wall. He hated the counting almost as much as the spankings themselves.

And yet, he still didn’t move.

“One,” Lincoln started, dropping his arms to rest his hands on his thighs. Which unbeknownst to him, tended to flex his muscles slightly.

Michael sniffed, hastily wiping a stray tear away.

“Two,” continued Lincoln.

Michael thought he might start to hyperventilate. He wondered stupidly if Linc knew CPR.

“Three,” Lincoln finished, getting to his feet and walking over to his brother’s side.

“Nooo!” Mike said, putting his hands up and trying to keep Linc away from him. “Lincoln, don’t!”

But he was ignored and Lincoln grabbed one of his raised arms, tugging him forward and to his side. Using his free hand, Lincoln placed five hard swats on the boxer clad bottom.

“Oww! Ah! Oww! Lincoln, stop!”

Lincoln did stop, but it was just to drag him over to the bed and take a seat.

“I hate counting, Mike,” Linc told him, as if Michael didn’t already know and share the same feeling.

Regardless, Lincoln tugged at the boxer shorts causing them to easily drop to Michael’s ankles. Just as quickly, he was placed over Lincoln’s thigh and Michael closed his eyes.

With a final plea, which again went ignored, Michael dropped his head to his arms and tried to focus in on separating himself from the pain.

Problem with that however was that Lincoln seemed to know about this little tactic of his. And the swats were a little too hard for even he to ignore.

Lincoln wrapped an arm around Mike’s slim waist, tucking him in against his stomach. The last thing that he needed at the moment was for the kid to tumble off his lap and knowing Mike’s luck he’d get a concussion or something.

“I want you to think about all that could have happened to you, Michael. For a genius, that was some dumbass stunt tonight!”

That said, Lincoln pushed aside the hem of the tee-shirt Michael was wearing to get a clear view at his target. He wanted to make a damn good lasting impression, but he still wanted to be careful of his brother and not bruise the kid.

He landed two swats to the center of Mike’s clenched cheeks. The spanking started, Lincoln moved to another spot placing two more swats down.

Michael’s a smart kid, so Lincoln rarely feels the need to lecture him. He’d said to think about his actions and he had no doubt that his little brother was doing just that at moment. So, instead he focuses on roasting the boy’s bottom and making sure Michael never acted so stupid again.

“Ow,” Michael whimpered as Linc landed a series of swats to his sit spot.

“Stop, ow, Linc please!” he continued, but his brother’s gone deaf all of a sudden and he’s ignoring him.

Michael started to wiggle around on Lincoln’s lap. He wanted out of the position, back on his feet. He hated being spanked, hated that his brother was disappointed in him. The pain he could handle, he’d felt plenty of pain during his time in foster care, but the fact that the spanks were delivered by his big brother made it hard to ignore them.

“Quit moving, Michael!”

“Noo! Stoop!”

Lincoln landed two hits on his thighs, move harder than the rest.

“I said stop moving!”

“OWW!” sobbed Michael kicking out his misery and not having the strength to stop his fidgeting.

Lincoln covered the whole of his backside once more. He was satisfied to not that the pale white skin was turning from a rosy pink to a darker red. One that Michael would be feeling clear into the weekend three days away.

He didn’t hear the grasp by the opened doorway, but he did feel the tug on his arm. Looking down, he was surprised to see LJ, face streaked in tears.

“LJ? What’s wrong?” Lincoln asked, stilling his swatting hand to rest it on the toddler’s head.

“Stop, Daddy! Stop it!”

Michael looked over his shoulder through his own stream of tears. He groaned, seeing his nephew pleading his case. Sobbing, he dropped his head onto the bed, covering his head with his arms in slight embarrassment.

He hoped the kid was too young to remember this scene later in his life.

Lincoln sighed. He knew that he wasn’t finished with Michael, but he couldn’t continue with LJ present. He would have liked to be able to finish the punishment the next day, but it wouldn’t be fair to any of them. Michael never did well waiting for his punishment, afraid that until it was all carried out he would still be mad; and for that matter LJ would surely get all worked up again.

Better defuse the matter now.

“LJ, go watch TV, baby.”

LJ shook his head still tugging at him.

“No!”

Lincoln turned hard eyes at his two year old.

“Excuse me? Listen buddy, I told you me and Michael had a matter to discuss. I told you to stay in the living room. Now, please, go back down the hall and sit on the couch.”

“Nooo!” cried LJ. He glanced over to his uncle taking in the angry color to Michael’s backside.

Lincoln sighed.

“Mike, get up.”

Michael shook his head. He didn’t want to move. He wanted to bury his head deep into his arms and never come out.

Lincoln, getting fed up quickly with both of the boys ignoring him, gave Michael a hard swat.

“OWW!”

“Get up, Michael!”

“Daddy!” cried LJ.

Michael got shakily to his feet. Linc’s shirt was long enough to nearly reach the teens knees and the feel of the cotton across his blazing bottom made him cry out.

Linc sighed at the sad state of both his brother and his son. Life was really not making this easy on him.

“Stand in the corner and wait for me,” he said sternly, standing up himself and picking up the two year old.

Michael scurried over to the free corner besides the window and the dresser. It was a tight fit, but it was better than standing behind the door and possibly getting hit with it.

Carrying LJ like a football, Linc headed out of the room and back into the living room. LJ, for his part, was kicking and crying out.

“LJ, cut it out!” Lincoln told the boy as he placed him back on the couch.

LJ cried out, reaching out for his Daddy. Lincoln wrapped his arms around the small boy, trying to shush him. The last thing he needed was for someone to hear both boys screeching and calling the cops on them or something.

“Shh, easy LJ.”

LJ whimpered, wrapping his little arms as far around Linc’s neck as he could.

It didn’t take too long to get the babe to quiet down. His thumb found his mouth and soon his eyes were sliding shut. It was already almost three in the morning and none of them should be awake.

Carrying his son over to the play pen, Lincoln lowered his sleeping son in and covered him with the abandoned blanket there. Leaving the TV on, he hoped that the sounds coming from it would be enough to diffuse the sounds that would be coming from the bedroom soon enough.

Back in the bedroom, Michael looked over to the doorway every so often. He wiped the tears and snot on his face off on the shirt.

He couldn’t believe that he was in this position again. He knew that when it came to him, his brother was pretty damn strict. Everything else in Lincoln Burrows life seemed irrelevant and his brother could care less. The only things that seemed to register in Linc’s head were Mike and LJ.

Michael leaned his head against the dresser to his right. This corner thing really took a lot out of him. Sometimes, he hated thinking. The coolness of the wooden dresser against his forehead relieved his inner train wreck some.

Lincoln cleared his throat coming into the room. He saw his brother, leaning against the dresser and hands fumbling with the he of the overlarge shirt. Both of which he wasn’t allowed to be doing while he spent his time in the corner.

“Ahem!”

True to form, Michael didn’t hear him at all. Too into his own thoughts, the teen didn’t even hear his brother approaching him.

Linc sighed, knowing that there was no way that he could even punish the boy. There was just no way to break his little brother of over thinking. In fact, Lincoln’s main goal as guardian to the little Einstein was to get the boy to think while he was away from his constant watch.

Tapping the kid on the head, softly but conveniently so that it hit the dresser it was leaning on, Lincoln finally got his brother’s attention.

“Ow,” groaned Michael as he turned for the wall and looked over at Linc.

Noticing his brother finally, Michael turned his teary eyes up towards Linc and wrapped his arms tightly around his waist in a hug.

“I I’m s-sorry, Linc!” he cried out, twisting his head to bury it against his brother’s chest.

“Michael,” started Lincoln, not in the mood to make nice while he still had to get back to punishing the boy. Afterwards, he’d be all for it, but not would really not work.

“Pl-please L-linc, please! I’m so so-sorry! I know I wah wasn’t sup-posed to leave! I’m sorry!”

Lincoln gave in, wrapping his arms around the skinny frame. But, he still refused to talk. There was one thing in giving a crying Michael comfort and a complete other thing that he would forgive him fully and let the rest of the unfinished punishment go.

Michael’s tears started to dry out and the wet spot it’d made on Linc’s shirt was barely out of the norm. Mike was a drooler in nature and there was no doubt that the teen would want to curl up with him that night. Mike was not good at dealing with his feelings alone. Especially if his feelings were insecurity on that his brother might be mad at him.

“Come on, let’s get this thing finished.”

Michael shook his head. He was certain that he couldn’t physically take any more punishment for the night.

“Oh yes, Michael. Now come on.”

Linc used his hold on his brother to frog walk them back over to the bed. Mike’s hold around Linc’s waist tightened.

“Please! D don’t!”

But soon, Lincoln had Mike back in position.

“Keep your hands away, alright. Or I’ll start over.”

Michael tensed. Start over?! Was his brother crazy!

He clenched his hands tightly together, making certain that there would be no way that this ‘session’ was starting over.

Lincoln went right into it, slapping his hand hard on Michael’s bared bottom.

The smacks came in rapid succession, two in each spot before moving onto another. Each swat got a reaction from Michael. Lincoln could only hope that LJ wouldn’t awaken again because he wouldn’t be able to start spanking for a third time.

Covering the teen’s butt cheeks twice over, Lincoln figured the kid had had enough. They were both tired and he really did want to get to sleep.

“Alright, Mike. Almost done here. I want to make sure you remember this alright?”

Michael nodded quickly.

“You know better than leaving here unless you tell me! Especially if LJ’s with you. When I tell you no, you better believe I mean it!”

That said, Lincoln placed the next set of five swats on Michael’s sit spots.

“Oww! Agh! Lincoln! Pleeasse!”

“And if you ever go anywhere near someone driving drunk again, this will go far worse for you!”

A few more swats met his sit spots and Michael went limp over his lap.

Michael sobbed into his arms, not even noticing that he was not longer being spanked or held down.

“Breath Michael,” Lincoln said, rubbing his brother’s back. He was doubtful that he was heard over the sobbing, but he continued to usher words of comfort.

A few minutes later and Michael’s sobbing was finally dying out. Lincoln picked him up, standing him between his legs and hugging him tightly.

“’m sorry!” Michael whimpered leaning heavily into the hug and holding on tightly to Linc’s neck.

“I’m sure you are,” Lincoln told him, kissing his head and tussling Mike’s hair.

Taking that as a sign that it was okay to seek comfort, Michael leaned forward and climbed onto Linc’s lap. His sore butt touched Linc’s thigh he whimpered.

Lincoln moved Michael around so that he wasn’t touching anything.

“How about you get into bed now then?” Linc asked a few moments later, already standing to place Mike in bed before he felt a response.

Michael nodded, though he really didn’t want to let his brother go. Maybe he could convince Lincoln to stay with him.

“Oww,” he whimpered as the mattress touched his throbbing backside.

“Roll onto your stomach, don’t be stupid,” Lincoln told him, passing his hand through Mike’s hair and softening his harsh words.

Michael did as suggested, sighing in relief at the more comfortable position.

“Okay, now stay there and get to sleep.”

Lincoln started to walk away, heading towards the opened door when Michael called him back.

“Lincoln.”

“Huh?” Lincoln looked over his shoulder and tried not to smile at his brother’s predictability.

“Can’t you stay?”

Lincoln smiled at him.

“I’ll be right back. Let me get LJ.”

Michael nodded, settling back comfortably into the pillows.

Lincoln walked back over to the living room. He wasn’t too happy to find the little boy seemingly wide awake.

“LJ, don’t you ever sleep?” he said kneeling in front of the playpen.

LJ didn’t respond, just kept looking at him. Lincoln noticed that there was wetness on the little cheeks. LJ had been crying, but apparently he’d already stopped. He’d most likely heard Michael’s punishment and then he had cried out, but Linc hadn’t heard him over Mike’s sobbing.

At least he had stayed in the pen this time.

“Aw, baby, I’m sorry.”

He picked up the little guy, settling him against his chest. LJ’s little body didn’t lose it’s tension as he sank against Linc’s hold.

Linc sighed heavily. What a way to start the year.

“LJ, I’m sorry you had to hear that baby,” he told him, sitting on the armrest of the sofa. He wanted to reassure LJ before Mike saw him. Mike was way to emphatic for him to not notice the distress the baby was in.

LJ whimpered slightly, clutching tightly to the front of Linc’s shirt.

“Mickey cry. Daddy no stop,”

“I know, bud. I’m sorry you had to hear that. But, Mikey’s okay, I promise. You wanna see him?”

LJ nodded, sobbing softly and finally relaxing in his Daddy’s arms. Lincoln sighed in relief. He would hate to think that his son feared him.

Reentering the bedroom, Linc nudged his brother towards the wall. Kicking off his shoes, he climbed in with LJ and finally settled in for the night.

Michael curled up on his right side, tossing an arm over little LJ and burying his teary face in Linc’s shirt.

“Mike, you okay?” Linc asked, passing his hand over his brother’s back.

“Uh huh,” replied Michael not bothering to look up.

LJ watched Michael closely. He was trying to judge if his favorite uncle really was okay. He was kind of mad at his Daddy, seeing how he kept making Uncle Mike cry and stuff. But Michael did look fine, even if he didn’t really sound it. But just in case…

“You ‘kay?” LJ asked, resting one chubby little hand on Michael’s head.

Michael nodded.

“See, he’s okay, LJ.”

LJ looked back at him as if saying ‘I had to check for myself’. Lincoln kissed his son’s forehead, holding him tightly on top his chest resting his arms besides Michael’s.

LJ yawned, settling his head down on Linc’s chest and instantly falling back to sleep.

Linc sighed in relief. One down, one to go.

“You gonna sleep soon?”

Michael twisted his head to look over at his brother. He wanted to be mad at him, really he did. But he could see how worried Lincoln had been. He could remember how much his brother always hated discipline him and he hated putting him in the position. So, eve though he wanted to be mad at Lincoln for causing him pain he was only mad at himself.

“Hey,” Linc said in a soft stern voice. “Don’t think like that,” he added knowingly.

“What?” asked Michael in denial.

Raising an eyebrow, Lincoln lowered his hand from Mike’s back to ‘pat’ his still sore bottom.

“Do try me, little brother. I know you better than that.”

Michael grunted, burying his head once more into Linc’s shirt.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

“You don’t need to be, kid. Least you think you weren’t punished enough?”

“Uh uh, I’m good,” was Mike’s quick reply.

“Alright then,” Lincoln said smiling at himself. “Nothing to be sorry about.”

Twisting slightly, Lincoln was able to plant a kiss atop his little brother’s head without bothering his sleeping son.

“Okay then. You fine sleeping like that?”

“On my stomach?” Michael asked sniffing. “Not much of an option.”

At that, Lincoln rolled his eyes.

“I meant with just the tee. Want me to get you some pants or something?”

Michael shook his head. He neither wanted anything else to touch his sore bottom as he did for his brother to move.

“You sure?” Linc asked. Because he was pretty certain Mike would act all weird in the morning. Usually, he milked a lot of sympathy after a spanking and Linc doubted the next day would be any different.

Regardless of it being the New Year.

He had no problem leaving Michael or LJ running around naked. If they felt comfortable that way (and LJ was learning to use the potty and not pee all over the place so that was also helpful) then he could care less.

“Yeah. Don’t move.”

“Alright then,” Lincoln risked another twist to kiss Mike’s head. This time, LJ did register the move but only tightened his little fist clutching Linc’s shirt.

“Goodnight, Mike.”

“Night Linc. Night LJ.” And a final yawn and Michael too finally slipped into sleep.

Lincoln let his own eyes finally slid shut. He really hoped this wasn’t a forecast of hat the New Year would hold.

End.