Author's Note: Written for the October Prompt Challenge! My prompts were harvest, ghost and waiting. I had a hard time coming up with a story and working the words into it. Thank you ficwriterjet for letting me borrow your AU and for your advice! If you haven't read that story yet, you definitely should! Also, my story would make more sense if you did ;) Here it is: Hooked
Summary: Hook discovers that David had been quite serious when he said that there would be tutoring sessions. And that includes homework.
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these characters, and I’m not making any money from this story.
Warnings: spanking of a young adult. I do not advocate this behaviour in real life, only in fiction.

Tutoring Woes

Hook sighed heavily, elbow propped up on his desk and his head resting on his hand. He had hated school with a passion as a child, but there he was suffering through it all over again. He hadn’t thought that Charming had been entirely serious when he’d first mentioned tutoring. He was a man grown, and did not need to work on his penmanship or revise his history lessons. The King had been adamant though, and Hook really wanted to stay in his good graces because he was very much in love with Emma. And their alliance depended on David’s approval.

He sighed again, his eyes wandering to the vast lands that lay just out of reach through the window. He’d much rather be outside, accompanying David as he supervised and helped with the harvest. Harvest season was very important to the kingdom and was taking up much of David’s time. The King made a habit of taking his sons and Hook with him to teach them whenever he could. Even young Harry got to tag along every once in a while when they weren’t travelling too far.

Being outside in the warm autumn sun was much preferable to being stuck inside studying history. He flicked aimlessly at a page with the tip of his hook, but he couldn’t force himself to actually read the pages. He couldn’t even sweeten his day by exchanging smiles with Emma because she had lessons with Rumple all day working on her spells.

His head still propped up on his good hand, he mindlessly scratched at the table’s wooden surface with his hook. Drawing tiny patterns into the tabletop, as the wood easily yielded to the sharpness of his hand’s substitute.

“Killian,” Master Black’s voice drew him back to the present and he tiredly moved his head to look at him. “Sit up straight, please.” He scowled as he straightened his spine and forced his head up. “Where are your assignments?” Hook shrugged. He hadn’t done them. He had been much too busy riding and being outside, following David and Neal and learning about his duties to bother with school work. The Master couldn’t do anything about it anyway. He talked a lot – lectured, for sure – gave him more things to read and write, made him stay behind once after everyone else was allowed to leave, and threatened to tell Charming and Snow, but he hadn’t actually gone through with his threat. A fact, Hook had been taking advantage of, repeatedly.

“You didn’t do them? Again?” Hook shook his head. “Oh, boy,” Master Black sighed heavily. “What am I to do with you?”

He shrugged again, glaring at Master Black’s disappointed face. He didn’t expect an answer, did he?

“Well, it can’t be helped. – I’ll have to summon your guardian to inform him of your infractions.” He returned to his desk by the blackboard, grabbing a piece of paper to write a quick note. “You will, of course, finish your missed assignments, along with today’s.”

“What?” Hook asked incredulously, anger boiling up.

* * *

A guard was sent to summon the King with Master Black’s note, but only Snow White was present in the family room, as Charming had left the castle for matters to attend to on the grounds. He hoped to be back in time to fetch the boys and take them with him later that day. He had promised as much and he hated to disappoint them.

With worry, Snow read the note, ordered the guard to deliver it to Charming, and quickly made her way to the children’s classroom. Killian had not given them any cause for worry or concern since they had taken over his guardianship. He hadn’t been thrilled about the tutoring sessions, but he hadn’t complained – much.

She arrived to hear Killian shout at Master Black and quite obviously in the thick of throwing a very impressive tantrum. She was just in time then. Snow quickly threw open the door and was met with five pairs of eyes that were wide open in surprise. Sadly, the one person who she wanted to startle, seemed unperturbed as he continued his tirade, towering over his desk, fist clenched angrily and shouting abuse at the poor Master.

“Killian Jones!” she scolded, using her best Mom voice, as another curse left the young man’s mouth that certainly qualified to make the rest of the assembled party blush. Killian’s eyes snapped to her face and his angry expression briefly made way to a surprised look. “You watch your mouth, young man, or I’ll wash it out with soap!” Killian’s expression darkened again, and a blush crept up his neck to stain his cheeks, but he remained silent. “Now sit down while I talk to the Master.” He reluctantly did as he was told, scowling the entire time.

The Master quickly filled her in on Killian’s infractions. She listened carefully, while watching Killian closely out of the corner of her eye. He sat ramrod-straight, glaring at the desk and hand still clenched tightly. She nodded at Master Black, assuring him that she would be handling the matter, before making her way over to Killian’s desk. He didn’t look up to meet her eye and she stepped closer to inspect the damage to the desk that Master Black mentioned. It wasn’t very great, but nevertheless it was damage willingly done to a perfectly fine object that she wouldn’t condone. Putting her hand on Killian’s shoulder in comfort, she waited until he directed his impressive glare at her, before addressing him.

“Come,” she ordered, urging him out of his seat. “Let’s talk in the family room.” He followed her directive, not that he had much of a choice, and Snow could sense the anger boiling just underneath the surface, his temper threatening to erupt at the slightest provocation. She led him to the family room with a steady hand on the small of his back, and closed the door behind them. She took a seat, motioning for Hook to do the same.

“Now, let’s hear your side of the story,” she said lightly. “What happened?”

“It is all a waste of time!” he exploded, arm waving around agitatedly. Snow raised her eyebrow.

“Don’t shout at me, Killian,” she replied. “I asked you a perfectly reasonable question.” He huffed, angling his body away and glaring at the floor. “Let’s try this again.”

He remained stubbornly silent.

“I can’t help you, if you refuse to talk to me,” she said softly.

“What is there to talk about?” he asked angrily, leaping to his feet and throwing his arms about furiously. “I’m sure you’ve already decided that I’m at fault after that oaf of a tutor told you! – I hate sitting there doing nothing! I’ve been to bloody school already! I shouldn’t have to do it a second time!”

Unbeknown to both of them, David had been told about Killian’s trouble by the guard and had returned from his errands in time to hear the altercation between his wife and their ward. And he was far from pleased by Killian’s choice of words and tone.

He approached him in a brisk pace and grabbed his upper arm in a firm grip. Hook looked at him as if he’d seen a ghost. Anger making way to worry quite abruptly.

“Oh no, my boy, you will not talk to her like that,” David said in a dire tone, and quickly towed a surprised Hook to the settee that he had previously vacated. He sat down and with swift movements unfastened Hook’s trousers and slipped them off along with his underwear, before pulling him down across his left thigh.

“No!” Hook complained a bit too late. “Don’t!” But his demand fell on deaf ears, as David began to swat him sharply and in a furious pace.

“You do not raise your voice to us like that,” David lectured. “And you most certainly will never speak to Snow in such a disrespectful tone again.”

“Aye!” Hook agreed quickly since he was already in a fair amount of discomfort after only a short while and hoped to cut this ordeal short. David didn’t stop though, but instead focused on turning Killian’s backside a fiery red, while Hook twisted and wriggled in a desperate attempt to get away. “I’m sorry!”

“As you should be,” David agreed.

“Please! I’m sorry!” Hook said again, after another flurry of smacks. “Very sorry!” And finally David slowed his pace, albeit not the force behind the slaps. Hook still jerked with each powerful whack, his good hand wiping at his eyes before clutching the spread, as he struggled to catch his breath.

“What happened here?” David asked, pausing and resting his hand on Hook’s back.

“Now you ask me?” Hook said incredulously, twisting to glare at David. “Isn't that a bit late?”

“That was for your disrespect,” David replied. “Now we’ll talk about your other infractions. Tell me what happened today, or do I need to ask my wife?” Hook turned his head back, mumbling angrily, “You’re gonna do that anyway. Why bother listening to me?”

“Fine.” David looked at Snow expectantly. Hook made a memorable effort to push himself off Charming’s lap, but he was held fast. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Up!” Hook said loudly. “You cannot be serious about keeping me ov… here while you talk!”

“I’m very serious, Killian,” David said, tightening his hold on the struggling young man. “You’ve had your chance to tell me yourself.”

“But…” he huffed angrily. “It’s…”

“Yes?”

“It’s embarrassing,” he mumbled softly, darting a quick look at Snow White and blushing furiously.

“Yes, and that’s entirely your fault,” David replied. “Now, shush, I’d like to speak to my wife.”

“No! I’m sorry, okay? I’ll tell you!” He twisted again to look at David. “But please not in front of your wife.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s not up for you to decide,” David said, patting his back. “She has the same authorities as I do as your guardian. And if she ever decides to spank you, you’d be well advised to be compliant or you’ll have to answer to me.” Hook squirmed slightly, horribly aware that he was bare-assed over David’s knee, in the company of a woman. “Tell me what caused your temper to snap like that. Master Black sent for us because you haven’t been doing your assignments. Is that correct?”

“Aye,” Hook admitted softly and hung his head.

“Why not?” When it became clear that Killian wasn’t going to answer, David smacked him again.

“Ow!”

“Why not, Killian?” he repeated with another slap.

“I just didn’t want to, okay?” he replied angrily. “I hate school! I’ve been to school already! I know how to read and write!”

“That’s not a good enough excuse,” David replied, shaking his head at Killian’s insolence, and started to spank him in earnest. He immediately started squirming and writhing again, but David held him fast as he peppered his backside with sharp smacks. “We’ve had this conversation before, several times, if I remember correctly. I told you why tutoring is important. I know you can read and write and calculate. But my apprentice needs to know more than basic writing and sums. You need to understand the history of our people if you’re going to be of any use to me during court. You need to know about the families and the lands they hold around the castle, about the children they may pass the lands to. How many years they’ve been in power and if they’ve been in conflict with their neighbours.” Hook brought his hand down every few words, making sure that Killian was able to follow his explanation but also that he was in a fair amount of discomfort. “Being a competent strategist isn’t just for fighting battles at sea, Killian, and we both know you were good at that. Being a good strategist can also be the difference between keeping and losing a kingdom.”

“Aye!” Hook yelped. “I understand!”

“I really hope you do,” David said. “You will finish each and every one of your assignments and hand them in. – In fact, you will stay right here in this room with Snow and finish them today.”

“But you promised to take me with you today!” Hook complained loudly. “I’ve been waiting all week to accompany you!”

“That was before you lied to me.” David doled out a couple of harder smacks. “I asked you just the day before if you had completed your work and I recall a definite nod being your answer.” Hook didn’t have anything to say in his defence, so he kept quiet, yelping and whining with each slap. “Master Black also told me that you damaged your desk. Is that true as well?”

“Aye,” Hook admitted. “But it was an accident! I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“What? You fell and somehow managed to scratch a perfect smiley face into the tabletop?” David asked incredulously, increasing the force behind the smacks.

“Aye! No!” Hook wailed, the pain in his backside too great to take the spanking stoically. “I didn’t mean to! OW!”

“Well, until you can be trusted not to damage anything with your hook, it’s going to stay in its box,” David lectured. “You may wear the artificial hand, if you so choose.” By now Hook didn’t have any strength left to argue, he just nodded and wept his sorrows into the cushion. He only noticed that the onslaught had stopped when David gently nudged him off his knee to stand before him. Hook wiped at his face with his good hand, trying to hide the tears, as David bent slightly and pulled his pants back up to cover him. He should feel embarrassed about being dressed like a toddler, but he couldn’t find the energy to do so.

David stood, after fixing his trousers, and wrapped him in tight hug. He let him hide his face in his shoulder until his tears had mostly dried and his breathing had returned to normal.

“Have you learned your lesson?” David asked, holding Hook at arm’s length.

“Aye.”

“Good.” David nodded. “I believe an apology is in order. Then you will fetch your books, apologise to Master Black, and sit down over there until you’ve completed your missed assignments.”

“I’m sorry,” Hook said softly, angling his body to Snow, but keeping his gaze firmly on the floor. “For shouting at you and – and the cursing.”

“It’s okay,” Snow was quick to reassure. She rose to hug him too, and he melted into her embrace. “You’re forgiven.” She pulled back to look at him closely. “But do watch your mouth. I wasn’t kidding about the soap.” Hook blushed again.

“Aye.”

“The hook?” she demanded, holding out her hand and he carefully took it off and gave it to her. “Get your books now. Quickly.” She pushed him towards the door, watching with fond amusement as he rubbed at his butt.