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If You Want To Play Games, Okay...But I'll Win	By : WW2_Lover Category: G through L > Hogan's Heroes Views: 1065 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own ANY of these characters, ANY part of this series, or make ANY money from Hogan's Heroes. I'm just borrowing them for a little while. Any words with a * in front of them are lines directly from the show.

Chapter List
- 9
- 10
- 11
Any words with a * in front of them are lines directly from the show.

Luftwaffe = The German name for their Air Force
Kommandant = Commander
Guten abend = Good evening
Frau = Mrs.
Heer = The German name for their Army
Ad nauseam = A Latin phrase, which means ‘something that has been done or repeated so often that it has become annoying or tiresome.’
Fräulein = Woman
Nein = No
Danke = Thank you
Gute nacht = Good night

Inside Klink's quarters, day one…
Hogan woke up and looked at his watch to check the time, since he could see that it was dusk outside. He’d sent Schultz and Langenscheidt on their way earlier that day, as they had come looking for him after Klink had gone to bed. Fortunately, they’d caught him before he could do the same. That had meant he hadn’t been able to go to bed until he’d radioed London and gotten them to send a plane for the two former German guards. He’d also confirmed with them that Burkhalter was indeed Nimrod, but they said they would tell him more details when they saw him in person.
Right before they’d disconnected, Hogan had told London to give him three full days before sending the papers over. He’d explained it away by saying there was a lot more paperwork and other stuff to be done at Stalag 13 then he’d originally planned on, so the priority rush was no longer needed. London had acknowledged that request, and then they’d hung up.
Hogan had invited both the two remaining Luftwaffe guards to see the tunnels as well. He figured that given the two men were still under Klink’s command, it was an offer best made without the Kommandant’s knowledge. Surprisingly, both of them had refused his offer. Corporal Langenscheidt had said he’d take Hogan’s word for it, and Sergeant Schultz was still keeping to his ‘I know nothing’ policy. And while normally the new general wasn’t a hugging sort of guy, he’d given the young guard a big hug.
After that, he’d thanked Langenscheidt for helping to cover for the Heroes’ mission in Paris. Karl had awkwardly returned the hug, stammering that it was nothing before boarding the plane. He’d still been amazed at what Hogan told him was waiting for him in London…and he’d looked stunned that the Allies would be giving him an award instead of locking him up!
He’d given Schultz a hug too, although he couldn’t get his arms all the way around the fat sergeant the same way he could Schultz’s second-in-command. After telling Schultz the same thing about an award, he’d had something extra to tell him as well. When Hogan whispered in the Sergeant of the Guard’s ear exactly who Hogan had arranged for him to meet in Luxembourg after he was done in London – and that transportation was completely taken care of, but not to tell Karl about his extra stop – he’d thought Schultz was going to faint.
It was a good thing that he hadn’t, because the American general didn’t think even the two of them together could pick him up! Hogan liked Langenscheidt just fine, and he didn’t want the younger guard’s feelings getting hurt since he hadn’t been included in the extra stop. There was only so much that even he could do, after all.
The older guard had called him a “jolly joker” until Hogan repeatedly insisted that he wasn’t joking. Then Hogan had handed Schultz a package, with strict instructions not to open it until after he’d met the person in Luxembourg and they’d met up again. After that, Schultz also stammered his thanks and boarded the plane, still shaking his head in wonder. Hogan had waved to them both, happy to see matching grins on their faces in return before he’d checked the cooler.
Major Hochstetter was long gone by now, and a note in his cell told Hogan that he’d been picked up versus escaped somehow. Therefore, the camp was completely empty except for him and Klink. Satisfied, he’d grabbed all of his things out of his barracks and returned to Klink’s quarters.
Since it was just them now, Hogan saw no reason why they couldn’t share a single living space. It would save on heating supplies, and it would make sure they both had someone nearby if one of them needed help for some reason. Of course, he’d have to clear it with Klink, but it’d made sense to him. And if not, it wasn’t that hard to move his few things back to Barracks 2.
Not that he had much stuff to gather up when he visited the empty barracks, but it was the principle of the thing. Germany was a little far to go if he ended up forgetting something in the end. At that point, Hogan had taken off all of his clothes except his underwear. After folding them and putting them on the dresser in the guest bedroom, he’d gotten into the bed and promptly passed out cold.
To his amazement, it was now exactly 1900 hours (7:00pm), the time that he would normally be making an appearance here anyway for his nightly butt warming. He took that as a sign that what he was about to do was the right thing. Not bothering to put his shoes or his clothes back on, Hogan pulled on his pale blue bathrobe instead. After tying it shut, he wandered out into the living room.
Klink was sitting on the sofa, wearing his own dark blue bathrobe with the gold Luftwaffe eagle on it and enjoying a cup of tea. He looked well rested, which was good. “Guten abend, Hogan,” he greeted the other general. “I hope your headache is gone now, like mine is. The rest did me a great deal of good. Is Hochstetter gone yet?” he asked.
“Good evening to you, sir.” Hogan took a deep breath, steeling himself for what he had to do and what needed to be said. There would never be a better opportunity than this. Since the POW camp was empty, there was no one to hear them. He could scream out loud if he needed to and not have to worry about being discovered in a compromising position.
“Yeah, he’s gone now. So is my headache, thankfully. Which I’m glad about, because it was a real doozy. One of the passing American groups picked him up, according to the note they left in the cooler. And let me tell you, the note said Hochstetter was pissed when they grabbed him. So Stalag 13 is now completely empty except for us.” As he gave Klink an update, Hogan moved to the left side of the German general and sat down in his usual spot.
“I sent Langenscheidt and Schultz off to London to get their awards hours ago, since they came looking for me before I could catch a few z’s. A plane picked the two of them up, and we’ll be seeing Schultz again soon. But that’s a story for a different time,” he finished. Hogan’s nerves were unusually on edge tonight, and as he opened his mouth to speak, he found that no words would come.
It wasn’t that he was scared of Klink, mind you. Hogan wasn’t even scared of what he was certain was an upcoming spanking of the severe kind, unless he got incredibly lucky somehow. But his own feelings of guilt and shame were what was making him antsy instead. He could feel his eyes watering in anticipated dread and looked away before the tears started to fall.
He had to, unless he wanted to look like a complete wuss in front of Klink. Hell, nothing had even happened to him yet and he was already acting like this! The former senior POW officer felt utterly disgusted with both himself and his unexpected lapse into weakness as he fought to get himself composed again.
Klink had been glad to hear that the Gestapo officer was gone, especially as unless fate was feeling particularly cruel, they’d never see each other again. And he had a few things to say to his naughty brat as well regarding everything that’d happened earlier.
The former Kommandant hadn’t been trying to be cruel when he’d told Hogan’s mother of what had been going on regarding her son. Yet he’d still figured that the American would understand why he’d done it, even if he didn’t like it. That was his mother! Seeing as she hadn’t known just what being in a prisoner of war camp entailed, it had been good that he’d had been the one to set her straight.
If he’d known she was that big a gossip, the tall German would have never said a word to Frau Hogan about any of it. He’d just wanted her to know Hogan was alive and well, not lying dead in the wreckage of a plane somewhere. Everything else had come out somehow when she’d asked about her son, as well as things like how’d he been and what he’d been up to. If the younger officer truly felt that he could never go home due to that blunder, Klink would fix it.
How, the older man didn’t know yet, especially as he had yet to answer that question regarding himself. But Klink felt sure that together with the American general, they could figure everything out. If nothing else, he’d come to know that Robert Hogan hid a brilliant mind behind those beautiful brown eyes, and –
Klink stopped that mental train right in its tracks. He couldn’t afford to go there, and he wouldn’t go there. Not right now. He glanced over at Hogan, intending to open the discussion of earlier events…but what he saw made the words die on his tongue.
His brat’s shoulders were shaking, and if he really listened carefully, he could hear shallow whimpers. Those were the sounds one made when they were trying not to be heard crying, and a runny nose almost always accompanied them. Unfortunately, it was something he knew from prior experience.
That was when his sense of compassion regarding his brat kicked in, even before he quite knew what he was doing. Klink casually picked up the box of tissues and grabbed one before setting the box back down, making sure it was easily within Hogan’s reach. Then he popped out his monocle to clean the thing, even though the glass didn’t need it. Hopefully this way he’d be able to spare Hogan his dignity by making look like he’d just happened to set the box back down there.
After his monocle was cleaned and replaced in his left eye, Klink reached out and wrapped an arm around Hogan’s shoulders, pulling him close the way he had before and offering silent comfort the best way he knew how.
While he would have loved to give the American all the time in the world to compose himself, Wilhelm Klink was not a patient man. He never had been, which had been an issue for him on more than one occasion. So after a few minutes, he reached over and tipped the younger general’s face toward him, making sure he couldn’t hide. “What is wrong, Robert?”
Oh boy, here it comes. I don’t think I’m ready for this yet! the younger officer thought gloomily.
He had seen the box of tissues placed wordlessly nearby him, and he appreciated what the older man was trying to do. But while Hogan was trying to decide if he needed to blow his nose or not, he felt himself pulled into a half hug. The German officer’s body heat felt good, since it was beginning to get colder now. In addition to that, he could feel Klink’s steady heartbeat as his face was held in those slender hands.
“I’m sorry, I just…I don’t know. Nothing’s wrong,” he finally said unconvincingly as he tried to turn his head away, to not stare into those impossibly blue eyes.
“That is a lie. I want the truth.” Two simple sentences were all Klink said as he kept his troublemaker from pulling away from him. He would not let his former senior POW officer shut him out so easily, nor would he allow Hogan to lie to himself anymore. The war was over, so now they could talk freely without the need for a charade.
Klink’s long fingers continued to keep their grip on Hogan’s chin, even as his other hand reached up to stroke Hogan’s black hair. It was the same way he would comfort a child, and right now the younger man seemed to be struggling with something internally, the way a child often did.
Unable to get free, he closed his own eyes instead. Get a grip, Rob! You’re falling apart. Just tell Klink what’s on your mind before you finish driving yourself nuts! It was a good idea, and he intended to listen to it. But before he could figure out what he wanted to say first, he felt the hand not holding his face gently stroke his hair. The small gesture – even though it was done with no commentary – proved to help Hogan open up and explain what was going on inside his head.
“You don’t understand. I’ve been running this operation for the last three years, and espionage is dangerous. We all had to make sacrifices in the war, but as the senior POW officer in command, I’ve made more than my fair share,” Hogan finally said.
The words began to fall from his lips, and with each one the American felt a little better. “I won’t deny that I did my duty and did what I had to do. But that doesn’t mean I feel any better about it. I probably could’ve done some things without involving you so heavily, but…ugh, I dunno,” he added with a long sigh.
“I guess the best word to describe everything I’m feeling right now is guilt. Guilt and shame, because I still haven’t told you everything. There’s so much crap I’ve dragged you through since I’ve been here, and some of it I could’ve left you out of,” Hogan finished. He was torn between feeling relieved that everything was coming to light and being afraid that he’d be mocked for how he felt.
“Robert, you only did what needed to be done,” replied Klink, his arm still around his brat. He let go of Hogan’s face and gave his shoulders a squeeze as he talked. “I am not overly happy with the choices I have made in my life either. Originally I wanted to be a doctor, but I was not smart enough to pass the entrance exams. I never wanted to be in the military at all, as a matter of fact, but every man in my family has been for generations. Thus, it was expected of me. I had sometimes entertained the idea of being able to fly a plane as a young boy, so I joined the Luftwaffe.”
The German general sighed wearily before speaking again. “I had no plans to re-enlist in the military either after the first war, because I was done with having all the killing and death surround me constantly. But there was a draft, and so I was called back into service. At that point, I thought about joining the Heer. Ultimately, I obviously decided against it.”
“Why didn’t you join the Heer this time around?” asked Hogan, whose eyes had opened of their own accord out of natural curiosity.
Klink rolled his eyes. “And have General Burkhalter as my direct superior constantly? No, thank you.”
“But he’s that right now anyway,” Hogan pointed out. “So what difference does it make?”
“All the difference in the world,” said Klink evenly. “If another Luftwaffe general came along that outranked me, they could theoretically take Burkhalter’s place in that position. Even if they were both of the same rank, or even if the new man was of a lower one. Being in the same branch of the military overrides the number of pips in this case,” Klink replied.
“Pips?” repeated Hogan, unfamiliar with the term. “What’s a pip?”
Klink pointed to where the stars would be on Hogan’s uniform collar. “They are equivalent to your stars, Robert.” He let out a sigh and continued what he’d been saying. “I never even wanted to be the Kommandant here either, but I figured at least I could make sure those who were in my camp were treated well. Or as well as I could get away with doing, at any rate.”
A shiver rippled through the tall German as a few memories flashed through his mind. “I had seen firsthand how prisoners of war were treated in World War One, but only heard mere rumors of it in the war that just ended. Yet the rumors were disturbing enough for me, and I resolved to never be that sort of Kommandant. I do not know if you noticed or not, because I was focused on other things. But any time that my prisoners were threatened, I put whoever was making the threat in their place.”
Hogan nodded, wondering about the sudden backbone he’d seen displayed at times only for it quickly disappear again. “Yeah, everyone here noticed that. It seemed weird, considering most of the time you just kowtowed to whoever was visiting that day,” he said. “No offense.”
“None taken, Robert. I know that I was not the bravest man, that is true. But by bowing to everyone’s wishes, it kept them happy. And that meant that Stalag 13 was left alone for the most part,” Klink said.
“Except for Hochstetter,” Hogan felt compelled to add. “He seemed to like coming here a lot, even if nobody else wanted him around.”
Klink nodded and shrugged nonchalantly. “Indeed. As you have said many times, he needs a hobby.”
He was pleased with the small smile that crossed Hogan’s features. Then Klink gave the younger general what he hoped was a reassuring glance and squeezed his shoulders again. “Now, tell me all of it. I want to hear everything that has happened since you have arrived here.”
Hogan gulped hard as he nodded, the mood in the room quickly shifting to a more somber one with that request. “I’ll tell you, sir. But know this…I decided a long time ago that you deserved to know the truth after the war…the whole, unaltered truth. So I need you to hear me out, and to not interrupt me while I talk. It’s gonna be hard enough to tell you everything as it is, and I already know ‘livid’ is going to be a huge understatement when you hear everything that’s happened here in the last three years.”
Holy shit, this was a lot harder to say then he’d planned on. “And I already know there’s no way I’m getting off scot-free after all this, because you would have to be the most forgiving man on the planet for that.”
The younger officer took a deep breath, the sound shaky as he spoke the words he’d been dreading having to say. “So while I’m talking, I need you to decide how much you’re going to…to…sp-sp-spank me for all of this,” he managed to choke out. “And also what you plan on using to do it as well.”
Hogan’s cheeks flamed a dark red at the mortifying words. “This is extremely hard for me to say at all. Believe me, you have no idea just how hard it is. Still, I told myself a long time ago that I’d submit to whatever punishment you thought was fair for everything after the war. Even if it meant receiving several sp-sp-spankings from you.”
God above, why did he have such problems with that one word? “Obviously, I really hope it doesn’t. But that’s your call and your call alone, Kommandant. I’m a man of my word, and I’ll accept whatever you decide to do to me.”
With that said, the American closed his eyes, unable to look Klink in the face while he talked. He began to tell the tall German of everything he and his team had done, from the time the Unsung Heroes’ mission had begun up until the end of the war.
When the new general was finished speaking, he said, “That’s everything, sir. Now you know.”
In a small voice, he asked, “What…what are you going to do to me?” Hogan’s stomach was doing rapid backflips, and the terrible silence hanging in the air wasn’t helping it any.
Only the older general’s steady grip around his shoulders physically kept him from bolting into the night and never looking back. That small measure of comfort kept him sitting there and seeing this through, and the fact that Klink hadn’t shoved him away yet in anger or disgust helped as well. Hogan might have had his code of honor, but even he had limits regarding how much he could handle.
In an attempt to anchor himself more firmly emotionally, the American general fisted his hands into Klink’s bathrobe and rested his head against the German one’s chest. He already knew that could be rejected by his self-appointed disciplinarian at any moment. So he would take any comfort he could get for right now.
For an entire hour, Klink had sat there and said nothing at all per Hogan’s request. Though he really, really wanted to, he knew such a tale had be difficult to reveal. Absorbing the entire wild story all at once sent a variety of emotions through the tall German, but the most prominent one was waves of delayed worry mixed with anger.
That feeling was followed by pure anger at being constantly manipulated by his former senior POW officer all this time. From what Klink understood of all this, his troublemaker had thrown himself headlong into multiple situations where he could have been killed more times than he could count. And there had apparently almost had been a few times where Hogan had escaped by the skin of his teeth, in addition to everything else.
He’d been warring with how he felt the whole time, all while giving Hogan’s question the serious consideration it deserved. Knowing the silence probably wasn’t doing a thing for his brat’s nerves, Klink finally spoke, his tone cold despite himself. “Robert. Edward. Hogan,” he said, spacing out each word as he bit them off.
“Are you insane?” the former Kommandant demanded to know, wondering if Hogan was truly crazy or if he was just that big an adrenaline junkie. “You have just informed me of so many foolish things that you have done over the last three years, yet you somehow expect leniency from me? You put others’ lives at risk many times, not to mention your own! And –”
Klink abruptly cut himself off, realizing that he was raising his voice without meaning to. “What would you do in this situation, if our roles were reversed?” he asked Hogan, wondering if the decision he’d come to was too harsh.
He already knew what he wanted to do, but that decision was fighting with the desire to let his charge off easy. And the way the younger general was clinging to him like a life preserver wasn’t helping that desire any. Damn it!
Hogan heard his full name said in that cold tone of voice and mentally winced. It didn’t sound any better now than it had earlier. He also kept his head and hands right where they were as he questioned, “You mean if I was in your shoes, sir?” He was perfectly aware what he was being asked, but he was stalling for time anyway.
After Klink nodded his confirmation of that, the American general let out a long sigh. “Honestly?” he asked.
Hogan had a sudden, strong urge to be anything but honest with his answer! Yet he knew Klink would only see right through it, and the end result would guarantee that he’d be worse off. He sure didn’t need any help to do that, because he was managing it just fine right now.
After receiving another nod, Hogan made sure he was looking down at his lap first as the uncertainty returned to his tone. “I would spend the next three days completely wearing your butt out. You wouldn’t be permanently damaged from it or anything, mind you. But I’d make damn sure you learned such a severe lesson, there’s no way you’d never forget it. I couldn’t just let something this big go, even if I wanted to,” he said sadly.
He was already anticipating how badly his rear end was going to hurt, and those same thoughts caused his stomach to twist into knots. “But I’d forgive you for everything after the three days were up,” the younger officer added quickly. Despite his voice becoming small again, it was still full of hope.
“I thought as much,” Klink replied slowly, ignoring Hogan’s choice of language as a thoughtful look crossed his face. “We do appear to think a lot alike.”
He glanced over at Hogan, noting that his brat looked like a sorry little boy in a whole world of trouble. Which is exactly what he is, Klink thought grimly. While the fact that the American already showed remorse and guilt was a good sign, it didn’t change much in the way of things. His nephews had done something similar before, and the one time he’d let them off the hook when they had looked that way had ended up being a big mistake. The tall German liked to think that he learned from his mistakes, so that didn’t bode well for his troublemaker’s ability to sit down any time soon.
Klink let out a heavy sigh as he voiced his verdict, really wishing it hadn’t come to this. “Three appears to be the magic number tonight, Robert. It has been three years of your shenanigans, and we are here for the next three days. So I think a spanking each day with three different implements would be fair. It would not be all at once, though. A different one would be used on you each time,” he stated adamantly.
“Does that sound reasonable to you?” he asked his former senior POW officer. The older man wasn’t trying to embarrass him in any way, but he did genuinely want to know how Hogan felt about his decision.
“Yes sir,” the American general whispered, still looking at his lap as he felt his chest tighten in dread. A small part of it was caused by hearing verbal confirmation that he wasn’t getting out of being punished, but the bigger part was caused by the fact that Klink hadn’t said which implements he planned on using.
Figuring maybe he could get the answer to that question without asking it directly, Hogan spoke again, his voice sounding a bit shaky once again. “I just have one request regarding your decision, sir.”
“What would that be?” inquired Klink curiously, wondering if his troublemaker was going to try and wiggle out of this somehow.
Feeling his cheeks heating up again from blushing, Hogan stammered out his question. “Would you mind…that is, whatever you decide to use…ugh!”
He was having trouble thinking how to phrase this, and it showed. “Look, could you just start with the most painful one and end with the least painful one, sir?” he asked hurriedly.
“Trying to get the worst one out of the way first, I take it?” prodded Klink gently, making sure they were on the same wavelength as they talked.
Hogan shook his head. “No. Well, yes.” Oh, that’s not confusing at all, Rob, his inner voice said sarcastically. How about clearing that up a little, huh?
“What I meant was that something severe will obviously hurt more. But if it’s done when my butt is already sore from a prior punishment, it’ll hurt twice as bad,” he explained.
Although come to think of it, Klink’s idea made sense too. “Unless…unless that was your intention, sir,” he asked, praying with everything in him that it wasn’t.
Thankfully, Klink shook his head. “No. That would never be my intention, Robert,” he said firmly. “I am not cruel like that.”
Resolving to take pity on his unruly troublemaker, he told Hogan the rest of what he’d decided to do. “Yes, I can do that for you. Per your request, that would mean the belt tonight, a hairbrush spanking tomorrow, and a round using the plastic spoon with holes on the third day,” he said. The German general was watching Hogan carefully to be sure that he would be alright, not lose his composure.
Klink didn’t know what was going through his former senior POW officer’s mind right now. Still, he attempted to soften the verbal bomb he knew that he’d just dropped. “But I will not lecture you during those punishments, and I will not draw it out in any way. I will still make sure I cover your entire bottom, of course, do not misunderstand me. However, I will mostly focus on your sit spots if you wish,” he offered, hoping that would help his brat in some small way.
The older man recalled that Hogan had stated before those were the most tender areas of his behind, which meant that any swats to them would hurt far more than anything else he could do. And if it would help him reach his breaking point faster, then so be it.
While he’d had been glad to hear Klink wasn’t purposely setting out to make this agonizing for him, the implements he’d rattled off had made Hogan glad he was already sitting down. There was no way his legs would’ve supported him if he’d been standing up right now. He’d already been expecting this to be pretty bad, but the resulting announcement had actually topped his expectations!
And he wasn’t sure how to feel about the sit spots offer. That one was still a toss-up in his mind, but he knew he had to say something, and quickly. The American general’s face lost some of its color as he asked weakly, “Why those implements, sir? Those are all the worst ones.”
What have I done? Hogan though, amazed at how stupid he could be sometimes. I’m literally never going to be able to sit down again after Klink’s through with me. Oh man, this is the stupidest thing I ever did, he berated himself.
“Yes,” Klink agreed slowly. He actually looked unhappy about all of this as well while he explained the reasoning behind his decision. “One implement will cover everything that happened over the course of a single year. After each punishment is over, all the transgressions resulting in it will be forgiven and forgotten. After the third day is done, you will have an entirely clean slate with me. Well, so long as there is nothing else you have not told me about. And from what you said earlier, the first two years are when you put your life at risk the most.”
Klink sighed and stroked the younger man’s hair again, needing Hogan to understand why he was being so harsh about this. “I am glad in a way that I did not know about any of this before now, because I would have been worried sick about you each time you went outside the wires. You do realize that, correct?” he asked, making sure he caught Hogan’s eyes as he spoke.
“Worried about me…each time?” asked Hogan, wondering if he’d heard that right. “As in, you wouldn’t have stopped us from doing what we needed to do? You’d have just let us go out and trusted that we’d come back?” he finished in disbelief.
Given the fact he’d heard about Klink’s perfect ‘no escape’ record ad nauseam, he found that idea rather difficult to swallow. He wanted so badly to tell the German officer that Schultz had known about them this entire time in order to ease that guilt too, but he couldn’t do that.
The fat sergeant was still subordinate to Klink, and he’d been a good friend to the Heroes besides. Therefore, Hogan refused to ruin Schultz’s military career or cause him any problems. The only way he would ever mention it to the German general was if the guard himself granted him permission to do so. If not, it was just something he’d have to live with.
To Hogan’s amazement, Klink replied, “Yes. I admit I would have been very surprised to learn about everything you were doing. And I would have also been very upset at the risks you were taking, as I am now. But it is easy enough to turn a blind eye if one truly desires to. Sergeant Schultz managed to do it for years,” he pointed out in a reasonable tone of voice.
“Although I am sure that he probably knew something about what you were doing. He was almost always in or near Barracks 2, and I am certain that you had to plot your schemes while he was there at some point. Yet whatever he knew, it was obviously not enough to warrant informing me of it,” the tall German added.
It was only from years of perfecting his poker face that Hogan was able to avoid visibly reacting to that statement. Klink had just twisted the knife made of guilt deeper into his chest with his words, and he wasn’t doing it on purpose either. Come to think of it, that only made it worse. Resolving that he and the fat sergeant needed to have a short talk about the whole thing the next time they saw each other, Hogan continued to listen to the tall German speak.
Klink kept stroking Hogan’s hair absentmindedly as he talked. “And I trust you, Robert. If you had told your men that they needed to return to the camp even though I knew what they were up to, they would have done so. Not happily, but they would have listened to you. Every little bit of time you would not have had to spend hiding your operation from me could have gone towards helping end the war sooner,” he said.
“Of course, I would have had to be the heartless Kommandant with you at times as well, Robert. I will not deny that. But that would have only been whenever visitors came to Stalag 13,” he added.
Sighing wearily, the older man finished his thoughts. “But what is done is done. We cannot change the past, and we have other matters that need attending to in the present moment.”
Annnnnd those innocent proclamations just made me feel worse, Hogan concluded. “Okay,” he said gloomily as he reluctantly let go of Klink and stood up.
Damnmit, he already missed being wrapped in a comforting hug and having his hair played with. Yup, I’ve lost it, Hogan concluded.
“Awaiting your directions, sir,” he said sincerely and formally as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. Somewhere along the way, it’d become a new nervous habit of his.
“Head toward my room, Robert. I shall be there in a moment,” Klink replied.
“Okay. Wait, your room, sir?” Hogan asked, confused about why they were going in there instead of the guest bedroom.
“Yes, Hogan,” came the reply, along with a raised eyebrow. “I thought perhaps you would sleep better in the guest bedroom tonight without the fact that your punishments also take place there hanging over your head.” Good lord, you mean my troublemaker really did not think that far ahead? wondered Klink.
“Oh…right. You’re right, of course,” Hogan said, feeling dumb for not having considered that. It surprised him that the German officer had, though. Klink was turning out to be a far cry from the idiot everyone had thought he was! “I’ll meet you in there, sir.”
“Alright,” Klink said, watching the American general walk away before heading toward the guest bedroom himself. He needed to get the ropes he’d used last time, and he was sure they were still under the mattress where he’d left them. If not, they would have to improvise somehow.

Prelude to round one…
“Might I inquire just what you are wearing under your bathrobe, Robert? I saw your clothes folded on the dresser in the guest bedroom, and it is not as if you have a massive wardrobe,” said Klink as he entered the room. The ropes were held loosely in one hand as he spoke and headed for the bed to begin tying them.
Hogan looked up at the older man from where he was sitting on the bed. He figured he ought to sit down while he could, because he knew he wouldn’t be doing much of it come the next three days! “Just my underwear, sir. I haven’t exactly gotten the opportunity to sleep in just that during the last three years, so I seized the opportunity while I had it.”
“And you were not cold?” questioned Klink as he moved to tie the second rope to the bed.
Hogan shook his head. “Nope. I’m pretty hot-blooded, something that’s come in pretty handy with these ridiculously cold German winters.”
The subject of his clothes suddenly reminded him of something he’d been meaning to ask. “I do have a question for you, though.”
“So ask me,” Klink responded in a neutral tone as he moved to the other side of the bed and began tying the third rope.
Sucking in a lungful of air, Hogan asked cautiously, “Would you…would you mind if I continued to stay in your quarters with you for the next three days? Just until London sends that package over,” he added hastily. “Then we can leave, and I’ll obviously sleep in the guest bedroom.”
He recapped his thoughts from earlier to the older general, who had finished tying the third rope and moved onto the last one. “If you don’t mind, I mean. If you do, I can go back to my barracks. But I just thought –”
“Robert,” interrupted Klink as he finished his task and moved to sit next to Hogan. “That is fine with me, and it makes perfect sense. Why waste precious resources heating two buildings for only two people?”
His troublemaker had been babbling, which was something Hogan wasn’t normally did. Not to mention the subject matter had make Klink look like he’d been slapped, which Hogan saw and misinterpreted.
The younger man’s face fell as saw the shocked look and said quietly, “Yeah, I can tell you’re over the moon about the idea. Forget I said anything,” he replied, sounding disappointed.
Why the rejection disappointed him, Hogan couldn’t have said. Any normal person wouldn’t have even asked such a thing, and if they had, a ‘no’ wouldn’t have bothered them.
Blinking slowly, Klink mentally backtracked through their conversation. He was trying to figure out where it had derailed, because Hogan looked disappointed even though he’d said yes to the request! Robert asked me if he could stay here for three days…check. I said yes…check. He looks upset…but why?
Yes, that was where the problem lie. Did I do something…oh. Oh! Sometimes he was a bit slower at picking up cues, but he’d found the issue this time. Or so he hoped.
“Robert, I think we may have had another misunderstanding here,” the older general finally remarked with an amused shake of his head.
“What’s to misunderstand? I asked you a question, and you answered yes to it. But despite what you verbally told me, your expression looked like I just hauled off and punched you,” explained the American moodily. “It’s fine. Really. I’ll be okay.”
Yes, that was it, Klink mentally confirmed, happy that he’d figured it out. He really needed to work on controlling his facial expressions better.
“And you are telling me another whopper as you are prone to do, little brat,” the tall German stated as he nudged Hogan’s shoulder, trying to indicate in a non-verbal way to his troublemaker that he wasn’t upset about the idea.
“I looked that way because I was shocked you would want to be anywhere near me more than necessary, not because you offended me in any way. I would be happy to have you here in my quarters,” he added.
Since Hogan still didn’t look all the way convinced of that, he added another, more personal reason for his decision. “It gets lonely here, and you are excellent company,” Klink reluctantly admitted. “You exasperate me to no end at times, but my life is never boring with you around. I do believe you told me once that you always came to see me in my office to ‘brighten up my day’, did you not?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
I exasperate him to no end, but his life is never boring with me around? repeated Hogan mentally. That was an unusual way to compliment someone, but he supposed it was Klink’s strange way of saying, ‘I like you.’ Whatever, he could work with it.
“You’re not just saying that to make me feel better? Because I also remember you saying during that same conversation that I ‘could do with making your day a little less interesting.’ Not exactly a confidence booster there, sir,” Hogan felt compelled to point out.
“Yes, less interesting. You succeed admirably when you only focus on brightening it up, Robert,” Klink replied dryly with an eyeroll.
“And no, I am not only attempting to make you feel better. I do not generally say things that I do not mean. You may stay here with me, if that is what you would like to do. If I had my way, I would keep you around forever, but that is not possible.” Then Klink snapped his mouth shut and blushed, realizing how that could be interpreted.
“Well, why not?” asked Hogan, wondering why Klink was blushing. He knew how he’d like to take that comment, but he also knew for a fact that he was on the entirely wrong track now with those thoughts.
“I still have to figure out where I’m going to live after I leave here. Like I said before, I can’t go back home. I told you my mom is the town gossip, and I really wish I were kidding about her telling everyone about what you said. The entire town probably knows by now,” he remarked dejectedly.
It was his turn to blush at the idea of the not-so-subtle pointing, the loud whispers and the mocking insults he’d get if he returned to Stoneybrook. “I’d like to see more of Germany than just the inside of these wires, and…well, a native tour guide would be kind of cool. If you wanted to,” Hogan added, giving voice to the thoughts he’d had months ago. “We were always pressed for time whenever we went out, and the whole could-be-shot-and-killed-as-a-spy thing tends to kill the mood.”
“I-I-I don’t know,” stammered Klink as he was caught off guard. “P-Perhaps.” That hadn’t been the response he’d been expecting, and it generated an image of them holding hands as they walked down the street together. No! Knock it off, Wilhelm! his common sense screamed.
But Hogan was blushing for some reason as well. Why? the Luftwaffe general wondered, even as he forced the thought away.
Their conversation had obviously derailed at some point again, so he needed to get it back on track quickly. “I would…I would not be opposed to that idea, but we can discuss it later on. For now, just wait here.”
He grabbed something Hogan couldn’t see from his dresser, along with his boots before adding, “I will return shortly.”
After Klink had left the room, Hogan placed his face in the palms of his hands and groaned. While it was awesome that Klink had agreed to let him stay here for the next three days, he half wished now that he hadn’t asked. He was having more and more trouble with being around the tall German alone, in the sense that he was noticing things he shouldn’t be noticing about the former Kommandant. He was also thinking thoughts he had no business thinking about the older man as well.
And for a few seconds when Klink had said he wished he could keep him around forever, Hogan’s mind had shown him a picture of the two of them together. And not as friends, but as a couple! But why had the older man began stammering like that when he’d asked an innocent question?
You’re seeing things that aren’t there, Rob, his common sense tried to reason with him. It’s been a long time for both of you. As soon as you and Klink find some willing women and have sex with them, this tension between you two will disappear. You’ll see. Hogan just wished he were as sure of that as his common sense seemed to be.
Unfortunately, that was when the subject of his current thoughts chose to return to the room. Hogan heard the footsteps and looked up, his jaw dropping in surprise. “What the heck?” he said in a low voice. “Why are dressed like that? Aren’t you cold?”
Klink was dressed in his old uniform pants, the ones of a Luftwaffe colonel. He wore the familiar knee high, polished black jackboots as well. But that was it. From the waist up, he wore nothing at all. Such a state of undress meant that the long, thin dueling scar across his right side was visible, along with a few other ones on his back.
The placement of the dueling scar meant that it rippled whenever Klink moved, and the American general knew that a wound in that spot had probably hurt like hell when it was fresh. He’d also taken his monocle out at some point, presumably when he went to change. In addition to everything else, he held a belt in his slender hands. The overall effect was both spellbinding and frightening, as evidenced by the sudden clenching of Hogan’s stomach.
“Damn, you should go into the Hofbrau dressed like that if you wanted to get a woman’s complete attention,” Hogan said offhandedly, trying to hide the fact that Klink had his complete attention too. C’mon Rob, snap out of it! Think of Hilda! Or Tiger…anybody, as long as it’s a woman, his voice of reason yelled at him.
“Language, Robert. And I do not get cold that easily, so I am fine. Besides, I have more freedom of movement in my arms with no shirt on. And the boots help my feet to grip the floor better,” explained Klink patiently.
“However, I would like to know what makes you say such a thing. Do you really think that is true?” he asked. Klink turned in a slow circle, trying to somehow see what Hogan thought was so amazing that it would guarantee him a fräulein. He was also was complemented that his troublemaker had noticed how he was dressed. Or rather, not dressed.
“Have you looked in a mirror at all when you’re dressed like that, Kommandant? I mean, with your monocle in so you can see yourself properly, of course.” The American officer was unwilling to believe that even Klink was that oblivious. How can anybody possibly miss it when they look good? Most people are always aware of that type of thing, he thought. “I can’t picture any woman turning you down if you approached her dressed that way, not unless she was blind.”
Realizing he was treading way too close to dangerous territory, Hogan abruptly changed tactics. “Hey, maybe that was the problem you had when there were women here before. You were wearing too many clothes,” said the former senior POW officer with a smirk as he firmly pushed those types of thoughts away yet again.
“Very funny, Robert. I am a gentleman, and I would never do that. It would imply that I had improper intentions,” replied the German in a sour tone as he hid his amusement. He also stomped down the fleeting pleasure it gave him that Hogan thought he looked good, along with anything else related to that subject!
“We might as well get started. Up you get, and lie down on your stomach,” Klink directed his troublemaker. Then he pondered his options for a moment, trying to think about the best way to do this.
“If you take off your bathrobe first, I can drape it over your back like a blanket after I secure you in place. It would help keep you warm,” Klink mused. “Or I can just drape it over your eyes, like a blindfold. That way you would not be able to see what was coming,” he offered, trying to make this as easy as he could for his soon-to-be-sore brat. “Either way, it needs to come off so that you do not rip it.”
“Yeah, okay,” Hogan sighed, having been dreading this moment and enjoying the brief reprieve while it lasted. He removed the bathrobe and carefully set it aside before moving his hands to his waistband. Luckily, he was stopped by Klink before he got any further.
“What are you doing, Robert?” inquired the older man with a frown. Hogan had more twists and turns to him then the worst mountain road, and the Luftwaffe general was baffled about what he was currently doing.
Freezing in place, Hogan said slowly, “Um…doing what you said I had to do before? The two things I objected to, but that you insisted on starting the night Carter blew up the officer’s mess?”
He had a puzzled look on his face as he prompted the German general, not overly happy that he had to do so. How Klink could forget the fact that I’m supposed to bare my own butt and ask him to spank me – when he’s the one that said it in the first place – is beyond me, Hogan thought morosely.
“What are you…oh!” Klink shook his head as he remembered what he’d said before. “No, Robert. I can respect your courage in telling me everything you have done during the war, so that will no longer be necessary. Just get on the bed, please.”
He couldn’t believe that his troublemaker had both remembered what he’d said about that previously and that he’d been about to do it without being instructed to! It seemed there were many hidden layers to the younger general, and Klink found that he wanted to find them all.
“Yes, sir,” replied Hogan as he did what he was told to do. After getting comfortable and putting his head on the pillow, he watched Klink begin to carefully restrain him. “I think I’d be okay if you used my bathrobe as a makeshift blindfold for me, Kommandant,” he finally decided. “I’m sure it won’t make things any worse, but it might make them a little better.”
As Klink nodded silently and moved to drape said bathrobe over his eyes, Hogan asked, “You know that offer you made me earlier? You know, the spot thing? The sit spot one?”
The words were awkward, given the fact he had trouble making his tongue work. “I think that’d be the best thing to do for the next three days,” he managed to say, feeling utterly humiliated as he spoke.
“Alright. If that is what you would prefer, then I shall do that for you, my brat,” Hogan could hear Klink’s reply, but he obviously couldn’t see the tall German. Even so, the tone sounded affectionate and not mocking, which was good.
Then Hogan closed his eyes and then opened them again as a test, but the level of darkness under the bathrobe was the same. He could feel his limbs being tied down one by one, and as each one was bound, his stomach made more and more knots. By the time his last limb was bound, the former senior POW officer felt like the knots were tight enough to hold a ship to the dock.
It was at that point he heard the words, “Lift your hips slightly, Robert,” from Klink. Hogan complied with the order, hoping that the bathrobe over his eyes hid the blush on his cheeks as well. God, he hated feeling this low. But the upward swing of emotions afterward was so worth it, which was a slightly concerning discovery.
At times like these, it made the younger general seriously wonder if he needed some type of mental help to sort his life out. The cool air that caressed his bare butt wasn’t helping at all either. Rather, it was a form of psychological torture instead. Just the temperature change made his skin hypersensitive and tingly, which was the last thing he needed right now.
As he heard the whistle of a few test swings cut through the silence, Hogan blurted out, “I just want you to know that I’m sorry! I’m really, really sorry about everything. Heck, I’m sorry we even have to do this as well.” It was probably the dumbest thing he’d ever say, but he’d be damned if he could get his mind to work properly right now either.
“I am very certain that you are, and I am as well, Robert. But it needs to be done irregardless,” said Klink, his voice sounding oddly emotional. “You do understand that I am not so much angry at what you did, but rather the multiple risks that you took with your life?” He had to make sure his troublemaker knew he wasn’t just doing this for kicks!
“Yes, sir,” whispered Hogan, feeling oddly submissive at that moment. While the feeling was strange, it wasn’t altogether unwelcome either.
“And you also understand why that was not okay, even despite the war?” Klink asked him, making quite sure that they understood each other.
“Yes, sir,” he repeated in a whisper, his voice sounding choked up. “As long as you can honestly say you’ll care about me again afterwards, I’ll weather this somehow. I always do,” the American added gloomily.
There was a short pause and a heavy sigh before Klink answered him back. “I never stopped caring, Robert. I care about you now, and I will continue to care about you after this is over. Now, let us begin so we can put this part behind us.”

Round one: the belt…
“Just do it,” said Hogan in a trembling voice. It was nice not being in pain while it lasted, he thought sadly.
Immediately, he heard the leather whistle through the air. The first swat struck his bare butt a few seconds later. SMACK! Just as before, fire flowed under the skin where it had landed. Unlike before, Klink didn’t wait before he struck twice more. SMACK! SMACK!
“Oww!” Hogan cried out. It was even worse than he’d remembered, and the fact that his skin was oversensitive right now wasn’t helping matters for him.
“Owww, OW!” While he was trying to decide if the makeshift blindfold made things better or worse, he felt the belt strike his rear end several more times.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! “OW! OW, OWW, OWW!” He tried to kick his feet, but as the rope was tied to his ankles and the bed, all he could really do was wiggle his toes. Hogan was actually grateful for the ropes, because he knew there was no way he’d have been able to hold still for this.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! “OWW, OWWW, OWWW, OWW!” he hollered, wondering how he got himself into these situations.
True to his word, Klink wasn’t lecturing him. He wasn’t saying anything at all actually, and Hogan wondered fleetingly how he was holding up during all of this. Must be too busy lighting my tail on fire to say much, he thought mournfully before he gritted out, “Hey – OWW! – you doing – OWWW! – okay back there – OWW! – sir?”
There was a short, bitter laugh before he heard Klink say, “I am fine, Robert, although I do not know why you are asking me that. I could inquire the same of you, but the answer seems rather obvious to me.” The older general’s voice sounded strange for some reason to the younger man as the spanking continued on.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! “Just – OWW! – making sure. I’ve been – OW! – a whole – OWW! – lot better,” he managed to reply. Then he felt the belt start in on his sit spots, which caused an immediate, amplified reaction.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! “OWWIE! OWWW, OWWIE, OWWWIE!” Hogan squealed in pain, glad he didn’t have to worry about keeping his voice down any longer. Holy crap, those spots always hurt worse than anywhere else. He’d forgotten just how badly all of this hurt as his bare behind was thoroughly thrashed.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! “OWWWIE, OWWWWWIE!” he shrieked, tossing his head from side to side. Fortunately, his bathrobe was made of a heavy enough material that it stayed in place.
“God, this hurts so bad!” the American cried, thankful he was at least being spanked with this particular implement on the first night and not the last.
The belt cracked down on his sore buttcheeks again, successfully toasting them to what felt like charcoal. The results were terrible as Hogan screamed repeatedly, making promises to anybody and everybody who would listen that he was sorry, he’d learned his lesson, and that he’d never do anything so stupid ever again.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! “OWWWIE, OWWWWWIE, OWWWW!” he wailed loudly, certain he sounded pitiful.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! As the belt returned back to his sit spots, Hogan continued to repeat to the heavens how sorry he was. He pleaded for something to grant him mercy, along with anything else he possibly could think of to help him keep it together during his spanking. Anything at all would do, really. At this point, he wasn’t going to be picky!
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! Taking full advantage of the fact that he knew he was going to end up a blubbering mess anyhow, he let every ounce of guilt, shame and humiliation he felt right now wash over him in order to get rid of the feelings for the moment. And all the while, he continued to cry out in pain.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! The belt felt like it was biting into the tender skin of his sit spots, as if it could draw blood. The American officer also knew when he looked at his butt later on, it wouldn’t look anywhere near as bad as it felt.
Still, it didn’t change the fact that the lava was here once again, or that his bottom was sorer than it’d ever been before. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! “OWWWWIE! OWWW, OWWWWWW, OWWIE, OWWWWWIE!”
“I’m never gonna sit down again! OWWW! I’m so, so sorry! OWWWIE! Please, have mercy! OWW! Sir, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! OWWW! Please, please! OWW! Forgive me, I’m sorrrrrrry! OWWWWWIE!” he shrieked, right before he began to bawl uncontrollably.
Hogan hated beyond anything else how he felt right now, which was like a very sorry, very well-spanked little boy. The knowledge that he had to do this again tomorrow night and the night afterward only served to make him bawl even harder. And his rear end was totally on fire now, so even with different implements it would still be agonizing. Then he let his body go completely limp, past the point of caring as the tears began to fall in the darkness surrounding him.

The first round of aftercare…
The next thing Hogan knew, there was a dip in the mattress beside him. And for some reason, the inside of his eyelids seemed to be glowing. What the hell? he thought as he opened his eyes, only to shut them quickly as the light hit them. “What –”
But Klink cut him off before he could say anything else. “Sssh, sssh Robert. Just listen to me, alright?” He’d untied the clearly chastised American before he’d sat down next to him and moved the blindfold away.
“Sure. Too…bright,” Hogan managed to croak out tearfully, unable to figure out what was so damn bright that he couldn’t see. That bothered him, but he wasn’t in any shape to do much about it right now. Even so, he focused on pulling himself back together now that the worst part of it was done.
“Of course.” The dip disappeared as Klink quickly stood and turned off the lamp before making his way back to the bed. Instead of sitting next to him again though, Klink hoisted him to his feet.
Then the German general held him steady before he sat down, placed every pillow on the bed on his lap – which was two, as Hogan would recall later on – and carefully guided his contrite brat so that he was sitting on his lap.
The pillows helped to provide a cushion as Klink locked his arms around the American general, placing Hogan’s head on his chest as he cradled him. He reasoned that even though his troublemaker’s bottom was quite sore, this was a far more intimate way to comfort him. The pillows would provide ample cushioning as well, and the older man could prove in his own way just how much he’d come to care about Hogan since they’d first met.
Klink was just trying to figure out why he’d been screaming like that, because his brat’s behind was only a dark pink. It had been purple and bruised the very first time he’d been punished that way, but he hadn’t screamed this much then. Maybe Robert’s sit spots really are that sensitive, he deduced.
After all, they had been the main focus of the spanking. Per Hogan’s request, of course. He knew it probably seemed like an eternity to the American, but he’d glanced at the clock before and after the spanking. Surprisingly, it’d only lasted ten minutes.
Since the younger man was still slightly out of it, all he could do was let out a hiss of pain and say, “Owww!” Everything had happened pretty quickly, although that could be due to the current distortion of events going on at the moment as well.
“Sorry!” Klink apologized hastily, content to hold his brat and soothe him as he forced his heartbeat to return to normal. He could feel it slamming against his ribcage, and the screams Hogan had made earlier would be etched into his mind forever. It had been all he could do to not end the spanking after the first two minutes of hearing the pitiful cries, having had to fight his sense of compassion in order to continue it.
Yet his principles in that regard wouldn’t have let him end it anyway, even if he’d wanted to. And he was sure his troublemaker wouldn’t appreciate such a thing either, given his mulish penchant to see things through. Klink could, however, make sure that this particular implement was never used to spank Hogan ever again.
Unwilling to risk shifting his obviously sore charge again in any way, the tall German used the hand holding Hogan in place to rub his back and help soothe him. The other hand he used to stroke the American’s dark hair, which helped calm both of them down. God help him, but he could get used to comforting his brat whenever he needed it. Or even just holding him like this, really.
That thought alone was enough to send an icy chill down Klink’s spine, because he shouldn’t be this attached to his former senior POW officer. If for no other reason at all, he was a German and they had been official enemies during the war.
He was positive that Hogan’s friends and family would never accept a German officer – or any other German, actually – in the young general’s life. And even if Hogan told them to bugger off, Klink’s mere presence in his life would make things very uncomfortable for the tearful American in his arms.
With a start, he realized he would have to let Hogan go. He had hoped otherwise, but they could never even be friends. The older general knew what it was like to be ostracized from other people, so he definitely wasn’t going to be the cause of that for anyone else. As soon as London dropped off whatever package Hogan was waiting for, Klink would make sure the other officer left. He would also make sure that he stayed behind.
Taking a deep breath, he began to speak in his native tongue. He was well aware how much the American liked to hear it, and he knew Hogan could understand him just as well as if he were speaking in English. Might as well, he decided. It is now or never.
“Robert, please forgive me. I am so sorry, little one. You are so brave, and I have put you through so much needlessly.” Klink stroked his black hair, continuing to speak softly as his accent grew thicker with his distress.
“Your screams of pain will haunt me forever, and I will not ever lay a hand on you again in such a way.” It was Klink’s turn to have a shaky voice, but he prevented any other emotions from surfacing by pure strength of will. This was Robert’s time to decompress, and he could cry himself to sleep later over how guilty he felt.
“We will spend our last three days here together, and I will show you whatever sights you want to see in Germany. After that, you will leave and be out of my life forever. I hate to let you go, especially as I know that I will never see you again. Yet you are destined for success, just like a shining star. I can see that, but I…I am washed up, Robert. And I will not stand in your way, nor will I cause a problem for you by being present in your life in any capacity. You do not need that sort of negativity from your family or friends, and I will not be the one to create such a rift.”
Klink tightened his grip on the slightly quivering younger man, as if committing this moment in time to memory. “You will return to the United States a war hero, and I will stay here, helping to pick the pieces of my country. I have been doing that this entire time with my own life, so it will be nothing new for me.”
The German general could feel his eyes burn with unshed tears, tears that he forced away as he willed himself to stay strong for the American officer. “I shall make another call to your mother as well and tell her I was only joking about everything before. It is not the best damage control, but it will help somewhat. I can lie and say I was only one of the guards here, and that the real Kommandant was…was a horrendous Nazi or some such thing like that. Whatever you want me to say or do to make things right for you, I will do it. I, I…”
Klink trailed off momentarily, trying to think how best to phrase what he needed to say. “Above all, it was my utmost honor to know such an incredible person as yourself, Robert Hogan. Even if it was only for a brief period of time, I will never forget you. And once again, I am very sorry for everything that I have done to you.”
Having finished his emotional mini-speech, Klink went to carefully guide his former senior POW officer off of his lap for the first and last time. As he began to shift his weight to move both of them, he heard a low but firm, “Yes…and no.” That was it, just the three words.
“Yes…and no,” the same voice with an American accent repeated, and the older man realized it was Hogan! That assumption was confirmed as he felt Hogan gently touch his chest with one hand.
I obviously fell asleep at some point, he decided. I am not sure how, but I must have. It is the only explanation for why Robert has not leapt up and begun cursing me out yet. Klink’s brow furrowed as he tried to figure out when he’d fallen asleep. More importantly, where was his troublemaker? Was he okay?
“Yes…and no?” Klink repeated, switching back to English as he tried to regain his footing in the baffling conversation.
“You heard me. I said yes…and no,” Hogan repeated for a third time, blinking as he looked up at Klink with a weak but contented smile. He’d understood everything Klink had said to him in German as he was regaining his composure, but he needed to set the record straight right now. He hadn’t called in some of the numerous favors owed to him, only to have it all ruined by one hell of a misunderstanding.
Hogan wasn’t the sort of man to give up easily, and he was having a lot of fun delivering one surprise after another. The astonished looks he received after each one were both comical and gratifying to his ego, because he liked nothing better than doing something nice for someone else.
Besides, he reluctantly admitted to himself, I kind of like it right where I am at the moment. Klink’s heartbeat is oddly relaxing, even if it was beating a mile a minute earlier.
Nodding, the German general said, “I did hear you, but…what are you saying ‘yes and no’ to, exactly? I am afraid you lost me at some point, Robert.”
Rationalizing if this really was a dream that he should enjoy it before reality set in again, Klink made himself comfortable on the bed again, still holding the younger general in his arms in a firm grip. His slender hand kept stroking Hogan’s soft hair, seemingly on autopilot as he waited for him to clarify his cryptic words. He also decided that his favorite part of Hogan’s hair to mess with was the piece that always lay against his forehead as he toyed with it.

A long talk…
Having fully gotten himself under control and deciding he should get the most serious topic out of the way first, Hogan told him. “First of all, Kommandant, you will be laying hands on me again –”
“Nein! I do not think so, Robert!” interrupted Klink, horrified at the very idea. “I –”
“Shut up and let me finish!” ordered Hogan, his tone of voice like steel as he fought to convey what was on his mind.
Klink snapped his mouth shut in surprise. He’d never, ever heard his former senior POW officer use such a serious tone before. The closest thing to it had been the few times Hogan had told his men to pipe down during roll call. So this was something new. It was the voice of an officer used to giving orders and having them obeyed without question.
“Fine,” he said grumpily, focusing on rubbing Hogan’s back to calm himself down.
“Thank you,” Hogan replied. “Now, as I was saying before…we started this over a year ago, and I intend on seeing it through to the end. I’m not someone who just throws in the towel when the going gets rough, you know,” he added as an afterthought. “None of this is needless. It’s very helpful to me, and I’m also gonna guess that it is to you as well, sir.”
The question was asked before his mouth could run it past his brain first. “How could you having your bottom worn out possibly be helpful to either one of us?” Klink demanded. “You are insane. Do you enjoy pain? I cannot see why else you would willingly do anything like this!”
Hogan sighed as he gave the answer, his butt throbbing as a reminder of his words. “Because of the pain, sir.” Seeing the puzzled look appear on the German officer’s face, he elaborated.
“I don’t think you get it. I know I messed up, and I know it was on a gigantic level. But each of these three nights serves as both a punishment for my actions, which sometimes affected your life and career too, by the way. And it makes sure that my slate is wiped clean with you in the end as well.”
He tried not to think about the painful throbbing he felt as he continued. “Anyway, something big like that would have to have an equally big consequence. Or haven’t you ever heard the saying ‘the punishment fits the crime’?” he said reasonably.
“And no, I don’t enjoy pain. At least, I never did before. Lately, I’ve been questioning that myself,” the younger man admitted sheepishly. “I’ll let you know if I figure it out.”
“Why would you care if you wiped your slate clean with me, though? That is what I am not understanding,” asked Klink, ignoring the last bit of the American’s answer.
“And why were you asking me if I was okay? I should think that you would have had more important things on your mind at the time,” he said dryly.
“Because I feel guilty about everything, and it’s eating me up inside,” Hogan said simply, as if it were a perfectly normal thing to say. “Does all of this hurt a lot? You bet. Am I looking forward to the next two days of finishing this up? Hell no. But it means we’re square after everything is said and done, and that’s what matters. I know if I don’t nip this in the bud now, it’s just gonna make a bigger problem later on for both of us. I also know that resentment is a terrible thing.”
He did his best to get comfortable without moving his butt muscles, but it didn’t help much. “I was making sure you were okay too. I figured it can’t be easy on you hearing me scream, so I just wanted to make sure you were okay. That’s all.”
“That is…very touching,” said Klink quietly. “And I appreciate it.” Just the level of selflessness that sort of action took – to be worried about somebody else being okay while you were being spanked, especially when the person you were worried about was the one spanking you – was enormous. Oh yeah, it was obvious now. He so did not deserve this thoughtful, caring American in his life…in any kind of way.
Letting out a resigned sigh and ignoring the curse word, Klink replied, “Well, that explains your slant. But you have not explained how it helps me. Or did you not hear the part where I told you I will never see you again after our three days are up?” He knew Hogan wasn’t deaf, even if he did have selective hearing at times!
Biting back a smile, Hogan continued his explanation. He’d heard Klink mess up the English term again, and he also knew he was starting to wear the tall German down. “First of all, the word is ‘angle’, not ‘slant’. And if you’re going to sit there and insist that don’t you feel a lot better doling out some ‘much-needed German discipline’ to your ‘insolent brat’, you’re in serious denial, sir.” Hogan said, rolling his eyes as he made air quotes with his fingers.
Klink growled, unable to truthfully deny anything that had just been said. “I will get it right one day, I am sure. Assuming I ever get the chance to talk to an American again,” he responded.
“Somehow I doubt Germany will be a popular tourist destination in the future. Which reminds me,” he added. “What would you like me to say when I call your mother again and inform her that nothing I said about you was true?”
“Nothing, because you’re not calling her. What’s done is done.” Making a face of false outrage, Hogan let his gaze meet Klink’s. His brown eyes locked with a pair of impossibly blue ones as he spoke.
“I think I might be offended, sir. I happen to be an American, you know. Or are you planning on ignoring me for the rest of my life?” He’d heard what the other officer’s intentions were, that was true. Yet he was doing something he was very skilled at, which was ignoring what he didn’t want to hear.
“The rest of your life? What are you going on about, Robert?” inquired Klink, beginning to get a sneaking suspicion that he was being played again. For the love of God, I have clearly stated my intentions! How thick-headed can one man be? he pondered.
Hogan just rolled his eyes, simplifying what he’d thought had already been clear. “I’m not going anywhere without you, General. I’ve been plotting and planning everything almost constantly since London told us that ol’ scramble brains bit the dust. For the record, that was about four weeks ago, as we knew it before the rest of the world. As soon as I get that package I mentioned, the two of us have plenty of places to see.”
He let a mischievous smile play across his lips as he spoke. “And I should tell you that London and Palm Springs are only two of them.”
The smile faded as Hogan continued on. “Now, I want to make this very clear. If after all is said and done, you still never want to see me again, that’s fine. I won’t like it, but I can deal with that. But until then, you’re stuck with me. The Allied High Command owes me about a million favors, which is more than I can ever use in my entire life if I only use them on myself. So, I just called some of them in regarding you. You know, as a way to share the wealth. And I’m not going to let everything I’ve got so carefully planned go to waste!” his brat finished, have the nerve to sound indignant about it all.
“Robert, I do not wish to cause you any problems when you return home. Your family and friends will never accept that you have a German general in your life as someone that you care about! They will say you are mad, and you will be forced to choose between me or them. And I refuse to be something that causes a rift between you and anyone else,” Klink said triumphantly, figuring there was no way Hogan could argue that point.
But he’d figured wrong. “First of all, my friends and family are very tolerant people,” the younger man began.
“And anyone who doesn’t like who I talk to or associate with can fuck off and die. I don’t need that type of negativity around me anyhow. I don’t just let anyone into my inner circle…so if I do, it means they’re special to me in some way. And everyone that knows me is well aware of that. So there,” Hogan finished smugly.
Klink felt the familiar feeling of knowing he was going to lose the argument, but he took one more stab at it anyhow. “Language, Robert. And what could I possibly have that makes me ‘special’ enough to you to be in your inner circle?” he inquired, making air quotes with his slender fingers. While he had a hard time believing the words out of Hogan’s mouth, he could hear that they rang true.
“A lot of things, actually,” came the unexpected reply. “You’re incredibly perceptive when you want to be – like right now – you actually have a heart and a sense of compassion for others, you’re intelligent, and you’ve got a wicked sense of humor sometimes. Those are all things I like the people in said inner circle to have,” the American officer said confidently.
Oh, for the love of… Klink knew when he was beat, especially as Hogan had made several valid points. But there were still some things he didn’t understand. “Fine,” he admitted. “You win. But I need to know…why?” he asked wearily.
“Why would you do all of this? Why go to so much trouble for me, your jailer? I do not understand what you could possibly gain from any of this.”
Hogan let out a deep sigh, trying to figure out how else to say what had already been said. He might exasperate Klink, but the older man exasperated him just as much in return! “Um…I like a challenge?” he offered, not wanting to admit the real reason out loud.
Shaking his head at the weak excuse, Klink replied, “May I at least get the truth? If I am to be included in your schemes, I think I deserve to know that much,” he pointed out.
“Fine, fine,” Hogan said, not happy about having to admit it anyway. “I like seeing you smile, okay?”
“Robert…” warned Klink, growing tired of the verbal run-around he was getting.
“What? It’s the truth!” the American general exclaimed, not telling a lie for once. “I do! Geez, you ask for the truth from me, but then you aren’t happy when you hear it. There’s no pleasing some people,” he huffed.
“I somehow doubt that,” Klink deadpanned, wanting desperately to believe those words but not letting himself do so. He let a half smile cross his face when his troublemaker huffed, reasoning that if he had to be annoyed, then Hogan could just be annoyed too.
“Well, that and the fact I like to surprise people. Part of it feeds my ego, not gonna lie about that. But I also like making my friends happy. And I haven’t much opportunity to do any of the above since I’ve been here,” his former senior POW officer pointed out, choosing to nuzzle Klink’s chest like a cat so his facial expression would be hidden.
“Not to mention that being legally locked up puts somewhat of a damper on doing much of anything as well.” Hogan noticed that the German officer’s heartbeat had finally slowed down and that his accent had returned to normal, so hopefully he was out of the woods now.
“I am your friend?” Klink asked carefully. “I remember you said that you cared about me before. And apparently I am someone would you like to be a part of your inner circle, but a friend…” He trailed off as he waited for the other shoe to drop, his hand still playing with Hogan’s hair absentmindedly.
Hogan arched his back, rolling his shoulders and making it easier for Klink to toy with his hair. Being 'cute' had helped him once before, so he figured it might work again. And he enjoyed it too, because Klink’s long fingers on his head felt like a scalp massage. “Duh,” he said, his tone one that clearly conveyed the question ‘isn’t it obvious?’ without actually saying it.
“I’m not sure how this sort of thing works in Germany, but in the United States you’d have to be a friend before you can be part of their inner circle. After all, a person’s inner circle is made up of only their closest friends. And I sure wouldn’t do any of this for an enemy. So, consider yourself promoted…again,” he finished with a look of great satisfaction.
Choosing to ignore the cheeky remark, the new German general just gave the American one a look of disbelief, unable to believe the sheer stubbornness and grit of the younger general. “Robert, you really are crazy. You are also a pain in my butt,” he added, proud of having remembered a popular American phrase.
“Wrong again, sir. You’re a pain in mine,” his brat said cheerfully as a particular spark of mischief – the one that only showed itself when he was teasing Klink – appeared in his eyes. “Quite literally, I should say. And I’m not crazy. I’ve just got ‘a mulish streak a mile wide’ as you like to put it,” Hogan added, making air quotes with his fingers.
Klink shook his head and replied, “I only hope you find the meekest woman on the planet to marry, I really do. If you do not, your children will be able to work on any farm and blend in…with the mules!” he said teasingly. “And I am not babysitting them either, especially if I am watching my nephews at the time. Heaven forbid your children should get together with them, because I believe the world as we know it would end,” he finished with a mock shudder.
“Now who’s being over-dramatic?” questioned Hogan with an eyeroll. “And of course you wouldn’t be babysitting them. I’d like any kids of mine to grow up without being all stuffy and old-fashioned,” Hogan said playfully.
Narrowing his eyes in mock indignance, Klink asked, “Are you implying that I am stuffy and old-fashioned?”
“You said it, not me,” retorted Hogan with a teasing grin.
“Mmmmpf! You are one crazy general, Robert,” Klink said, his voice full of false exasperation.
“Pretty sure we’ve already established I’m nuts. Besides, it takes one to know one. So you must be a crazy general too,” Hogan replied as he started to laugh hysterically.
Raising his eyebrows, Klink inquired, “Do I want to know what brought on your sudden laughing fit?”
“Probably not, but I’ll tell you anyway,” Hogan managed to say between giggles.
“I just was remembering Newkirk and his impressions of you earlier. He really was spot on, though! Poor Schultz,” he added. “He was so confused!”
“Mmmmpf! Cease that laughing right now, you troublemaker!” Klink ordered, doing his best to sound irritated. Yet if he was judging by how his voice sounded, he was failing remarkably at it.
“Love to…if…you’d quit…doing that,” the American gasped out as he continued to laugh. “Do…the other one. You know…when…you shout my…name. And the…motion too!”
Letting out a deep sigh, Klink rolled his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. “Why me?” he wondered out loud. “What did I ever do to anyone to deserve this?”
Unwilling to admit he loved seeing his wayward troublemaker so happy, he made a show of looking annoyed as he shook a closed fist in the air. “HOOO-GAAAN!”
Looking back down at the younger man again, he asked evenly, “Are you happy now, brat?”
“Very much so. Danke!” was the joyful reply as Hogan grinned from ear to ear.
“Hey, why’d you stop rubbing my back? I liked it,” he added, his expression suddenly switching to a pout. “And playing with my hair? It felt like a massage, you know.”
“You are not welcome,” the German officer said irritably, giving the American one a dirty look. “Are you trying to be cute right now, Robert?”
Shaking his head, Hogan responded truthfully, “Not before, I wasn’t. But since you asked me so nicely…” He trailed off before spontaneously putting on his 'cute' act. He hadn’t practiced the whole thing in its entity before, but he worked best off-the-cuff anyhow. And Klink’s reaction to it is gonna be priceless, he thought gleefully.
First he widened his eyes, giving Klink the puppy dog look he’d practiced in the mirror at one point right before the war had ended. A full on pout accompanied it as he stuck out his lower lip and let it tremble slightly. Following that, he leaned into Klink and nuzzled him again, the same way a cat would. Finally, he snuggled into the older man and rolled his shoulders, letting out a low purr on impulse. “That’s the best I can do, sir. I hope you like it,” the younger general replied cheekily.
“I did not –” Klink cut himself off, watching the impromptu performance and feeling himself melt inwardly. Damn Robert for being so cute…and for doing it on purpose! Klink thought.
“Oh, never mind. I think I might just follow wherever you lead from now on. Doing otherwise appears to be a losing battle,” he muttered.
“It’d probably be easier for you,” Hogan agreed in a helpful tone, which was anything but helpful.
The tall German took a deep breath, trying to make sure he didn’t do anything to send his former senior POW officer into hysterics again. “I am not amused by your antics, Robert.” Of course he actually was amused by them, but he couldn’t let Hogan know that.
“Aww, I’m sorry,” Hogan said. His tone of voice appeared to be sincere, at least until the next words were spoken.
“Guess I’m just not funny enough to make you laugh tonight. But don’t worry, I’ll figure out something eventually,” he added with a wink.
Klink let out another loud “Mmmmpf!” before he could stop it. And as Hogan began laughing again, he instantly regretted it too. “Get up and put yourself to bed, you troublemaker! As you have made your position and views on everything quite clear, we have another long day tomorrow,” he said.
“Okay, okay. Man, some people have no sense of humor,” Hogan complained as he slowly got up, missing the close contact he’d had with the tall German as soon as he moved. And his sore butt was reminding him with every step that his atonement wasn’t all the way over yet. He wasn’t looking forward to the rest of it, but he was happy they’d cleared the air at least. “Are you at least going to tuck me in?” he inquired, only half kidding.
“And why, pray tell, would I do that?” questioned Klink in surprise as he also stood up. What kind of question is that? he pondered.
“Because it’s hard to put a blanket over yourself when you’re lying on your stomach,” the younger man replied crossly. “I’ve managed to do it before, but it’s not an easy thing to do.”
Klink considered the logistics of that statement for a few seconds and sighed. “I suppose, as long as you do not display any more insolence tonight.” He handed his brat his bathrobe and pulled up his briefs for him, causing an “Ow!” to emerge from Hogan. “I apologize, but you needed to fix your clothing,” he pointed out.
“Yeah, but it still hurts,” Hogan said. He moved to rub his behind, but his hands froze mid-motion. “Can I try to rub the sting out, sir? Or are you gonna swat me again if I do it?” he asked suspiciously, not wanting to go down that road a second time.
He also really wanted to make some sort of sassy remark like ‘only tonight?’ but resisted doing so. It would be interesting as well to see if the German general really tucked him in or not. If he did, cool. If not, well…he had plenty of sass left. That part was no problem, and it never had been one either.
Rolling his eyes, Klink said, “Since you asked me politely, yes. You may rub your bottom, young man.”
Klink could see the American fighting to keep from saying something undoubtedly snarky in reply, so he decided to be merciful. Instead of saying something else, he turned on his heel and silently headed back to the guest bedroom. After a minute or two of rubbing his rear end gingerly and putting on his bathrobe, Hogan followed behind him.
Once both officers were in the bedroom, the German officer stepped out of the way and let the young general lie down on the bed. After he’d made himself comfortable, Klink shook his head in resignation before carefully draping the blanket over Hogan.
Of course, he made sure to tuck the blanket in all the corners, the same way one would with a burrito. It wasn’t like he’d never tucked anyone in before, but he hadn’t expected to ever do it inside a prisoner of war camp! Sometimes, he really marveled at the strange turn his life had taken in the last three years.
“Would you like the door open or closed, Robert?” Klink asked him.
“Open, please. It’ll let the heat from the fire circulate better,” Hogan responded, his voice already sleepy. “Good night, Kommandant, ” he added as he closed his eyes.
“Gute nacht, Robert,” the German murmured as he turned off the lamp and left the room. Hogan had given him a lot to think about, and some quiet time would be useful for that. If nothing else, he was grateful Hogan that had said what he had. After all, Klink didn’t relish the idea of never seeing or talking to the American again!
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