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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: 1043 -:- 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
- 16
- 17
Any words with a * in front of them are lines directly from the show.

Frau = Mrs.
Ja = Yes
Bruder = Brother
Onkel = Uncle
Nein = No
Danke = Thank you
Auf Wiedersehen = Goodbye
Kommandant = Commander
Luftwaffe = The German name for their Air Force
Leutnant = Lieutenant
Gute nacht = Good night

At their new house…
True to their word, the money from London had arrived a week later. He’d been expecting a check, so seeing the two armed guards with duffels of money was somewhat of a shock. It literally reminded him of something out of a gangster movie. Hogan had gone along with the armed guards and Frau Klink, both to translate for her and to make sure nothing shady happened. After hearing about how some of the Americans had treated the German citizens, he had left nothing to chance.
While they’d been gone, Klink had helped Wolfgang, Fritz and Hans pack their things into the moving truck. In the spirit of not having to move a lot of stuff downstairs, they’d left the two beds that his adopted nephews used up there. The decision was also a practical one, as both generals wanted to make sure that their nephews had someplace to sleep whenever they stayed the night.
But they’d already decided that his mother’s old room would become their storage room, as neither one of them ever expected to have anyone else visit them in their home. Even so, they’d also elected to put a new bed in there anyway, just in case. Prior life experience had taught Hogan that preparing for ‘just in case’ when possible was always the best plan of action.
Then the older man had given his family a few hugs goodbye. At first the younger general had hung back, giving his friend some privacy to say his goodbyes. But when Ingrid had noticed that, she’d grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the others. Having seen firsthand how formidable she could be, the former senior POW officer had opted not to argue with her.
“You and Willie must come see us soon, ja?” she’d asked him in German, wrapping him in a hug. “You both have done so much for us, and Wolfgang has much to discuss with the oldest of his younger bruders. I am sure Hans and Fritz would like to visit with their onkels as well, son.”
“Sure, Mutter. I’ll tell Wilhelm you’d like him to come visit you guys,” Hogan had replied, still slightly unsure of himself around Klink’s family. Even if she had pretty much adopted him, this was all still new territory to him. Besides, he had been raised with manners, and those manners dictated that you didn’t just insert yourself into someone else’s family gathering.
“Nein, not just Willie. I would like very much for you to accompany him, Robert,” she’d told him, giving him a no-nonsense look to accompany her words. “I would like to get to know you better. Clearly my middle son adores you, and Willie has rarely let anyone get close to him. So if he cares for you, that tells me that you are someone special indeed. Besides that, you are part of the family now. And I expect to see both my youngest and middle son soon.”
The American could only nod, because what else was there to say to a declaration like that? “Um, okay. Yeah, we can do that…whether Wilhelm wants to or not,” he’d stated with a devious smile, remembering what Klink had told him before about that. “Family is important, you know.”
Then he’d inquired if their new beds from the next town over would be delivered and assembled that night, making sure that they had somewhere to sleep that night before they left. After all, he wasn’t just going to let everyone sleep on the floor at their new place! That would just be rude.
Ingrid had confirmed it and laughed as she’d shaken her head. “You will make a fine match for my son, Robert. I can tell that already,” she’d said as she’d given him another hug and let him go. “Danke again for all that you have done for us.” Once the four of them had gotten into the truck, they’d called out the window, “Auf Wiedersehen!”
“Auf Wiedersehen!” the two generals had repeated as they waved goodbye. After the truck had left, they’d looked at each other for a moment silently and debated their next move.
“Well, I suppose we should probably go and find a place a bit closer by that sells beds, Wilhelm,” Hogan had finally asked. “This is your turf, not mine. Where’s there a furniture store that’s open?”
After pondering that for a moment, the German general had responded, “I think I know of one, and hopefully it is still in business. But I am driving!” he’d added.
Rolling his eyes, the former senior POW officer had replied, “Fine, whatever. Let’s just get going!”
Luckily for them, they’d found a place that was still in business in their town. Both officers had decided to purchase king size beds, but for different reasons. Klink wanted one because he liked to sprawl out everywhere when he slept, since he enjoyed what some people called ‘skydiving’. Meanwhile, Hogan wanted plenty of room to roll over and not have to worry about falling off the bed.
After three years of sleeping on a small barracks bunk, the American had thought a little luxury was in order. They’d also bought a coffee table, a sofa, a reclining chair, and a dining room set. The set included four chairs and a small dining room table. While it wasn’t that big, it didn’t need to be. The only people primarily using it were going to be the two of them.
In addition to those things, they’d bought another king size bed for their guest bedroom. The queen ones that Fritz and Hans had used – and would still use when they came to visit – were still in decent shape, but the same could not be said about the bed that Klink’s mother had used. That one was nearly falling apart, so they’d gotten rid of it.
Since the purchase was a large one, the shop owner had promised to deliver all the furniture by the end of the day. The generals had thanked him and returned to their new home to unpack their things. Klink had taken his old room, while Hogan had taken Wolfgang’s old room across the hall.
Right after they’d entered the house, the German general had unexpectedly given his troublemaker a single swat on his butt. SMACK! It wasn’t the hardest one he’d ever received, but it had still been decently firm.
The younger officer had jumped in surprise. He was fully healed up by now, so it didn’t cause him any undue pain. But he’d still glared at his friend, his face flushing as he remembered that they still had a score to settle. “Hey, what was that for?” he’d demanded to know.
Annoyingly, the former Kommandant had only given him a shrug. “Merely testing,” he’d replied nonchalantly as they’d begun to unpack their stuff. He’d decided earlier that the best way to test if his brat was actually one hundred percent recovered was to do such a thing out of the blue. That way, he’d get a genuine reaction and not a faked one.
While he’d been satisfied that the younger general was one hundred percent recovered now, he was still angry about having to drag the information he’d wanted out of his friend. So as part of the discipline process, he’d decided to make his troublemaker wait.
Klink had also decided to make his brat wonder if he would opt to spank him any time soon at all! For all his former senior POW officer knew, he might be waiting hours, days or even weeks for his punishment to happen. And that was all part of the mind game.
After that one swat, Hogan had been on his guard. After three hours of nothing else happening, he’d become tenser than usual. Even though their initial unpacking had only taken an hour, his mind still wandered often. And obviously, they’d still had to do things like put away their silverware, linens, food and the like. It had just taken him longer to do his part because of his musings.
By the time six hours had passed, he’d been near the end of his patience. Yet he’d had a brief reprieve when their furniture was delivered. They’d had to set up their bed frames, make their beds, and decide where to put the recliner. The sofa was the easy part, because there were only so many places one could put a six foot sofa. But everything was still heavy to move around nevertheless, and so they’d both needed a shower after breaking a sweat.
The American officer had gone to clean up first, changing into his pajamas afterwards. As he’d been getting dressed in his room, he’d heard his self-appointed disciplinarian close the bathroom door and turn on the shower. The normalcy of it all had left Hogan feeling frustrated beyond belief, but he’d known better than to bug Klink to fix the problem he was having.
Still, it’d been utterly killing him to keep his mouth shut. And as he didn’t know how much longer he could continue on if he kept focusing on the situation at hand, he’d figured that he would sort his clothes in the dirty laundry basket into piles to wash later on.
After checking all the pockets out of habit, he’d found two pieces of folded paper in his dress uniform jacket pocket. Grabbing them, he’d walked out to the living room and sat down on the new sofa. Now he opened one of them curiously, wondering what they were.
The first paper was on a normal type of stationary. It was a short letter, which read:

Dear General Hogan,
So I wanted to give you my congratulations on being a general now, ‘cause I know that’s important and all. But I wanted to make you this drawing to remember all of us by too. I know it’s not much, General, but it’s my gift to you. I made the drawing before the war ended, which is why we’re dressed like the way we are and stuff. It’s also why I signed it with my old rank instead of my new one. I was gonna give it to you as a ‘just because’ gift, but I thought this was a better reason to do it. That being said, I really hope you like it, sir.
Your friend,
Captain Andrew Carter

Then Hogan opened the second paper and smiled. Carter had drawn a sketch of the five of them in their old uniforms outside of Barracks 2, with all of them grinning and having their arms over each other’s shoulders. The image was very detailed – almost like a photo – and was drawn on a thick canvas paper. While Hogan knew that stuff could be expensive, this picture was worth it. From left to right stood LeBeau, Kinch, him, Newkirk and Carter. On the bottom right hand corner, his demolitions expert had signed ‘Sergeant Andrew J. Carter’.
“Damn Carter, you’ve got some serious skills,” he breathed. He couldn’t wait to show Klink the drawing, and he wondered what the older man would think of it.
“What has Captain Carter done now? Should I be concerned about something exploding any time soon?” Klink inquired in an amused tone of voice as he came out of the bedroom in his nightgown, holding a book in his hands. “And language, Rob.”
He sat down in the reclining chair and smiled faintly when he saw the canvas paper his troublemaker was holding. “Ah. I was wondering how long it would take you to find your friend’s present. May I see it?” he asked, putting the book on his lap and holding out a slender hand.
“Um, sure,” Hogan responded in confusion as he handed it over. Klink’s words made no sense at first, until they swiftly clicked into place like a puzzle piece.
“Hold on a minute. You knew Carter made me something and didn’t even bother to tell me about it?” he asked, feeling torn between confusion and irritable. The former senior POW officer was still feeling tense after that swat earlier, and now he was reminded of it again when he’d managed to forget. Damnmit!
“Of course, Rob. I figured you would find it eventually,” Klink said distractedly as he looked over the drawing. “You know, you’ve got a very talented young man on your team. He obviously does excellent work, because this drawing is very lifelike,” he complimented as he handed Hogan back the drawing.
Narrowing his eyes, the American general replied, “And just how did you know that, Wilhelm? I think this time, there’s something you’re not telling me.”
“What goes around comes around,” the tall German said with a shrug. “Though to answer your question, I know because Carter gave me a drawing as a congratulations gift as well. It was very detailed, almost like a photo. Which reminds me, I need to buy a frame for it so that I can hang it in the living room,” he added. “I promised him that I would, and it will look very nice on the wall.”
“Really?” Hogan asked, feeling touched that the young officer would do such a thing for his friend. “Can I see it?”
“Perhaps later on, once it is safely in a frame. I would hate for the paper to get damaged in any way,” Klink pointed out. “That is why your captain wished to speak with me alone. He said that he wanted to give me my present first, so that it would be extra special. He did not wish for me to feel as if he only done such a thing because he had given you a present.”
With a shake of his head and a smile, Hogan replied, “That sounds like Carter. He’s a good guy.”
Nodding, the German officer responded, “Yes, he is.” Then he picked up the book he’d brought out and began to read it.
Puzzled by the abrupt end to their conversation, the former senior POW officer stared at the older general for a moment. When the older officer still said nothing more to him, Hogan let out a dramatic sigh and laid down of the sofa. It was costing him every scrap of willpower not to beg Klink to finish what they’d started at Stalag 13, but he was managing to control himself. He was sure that he could do this, and he would find the patience he needed to do it somewhere as well.
Two hours later, Hogan reconsidered that certainty. He’d been doing nothing but staring at the ceiling, his mind whirring as he pondered what Klink might use to spank him with this time. Yet they still had to get that far first, and the former Kommandant showed no signs of initiating anything of the sort!
Letting out a low growl of frustration, the American rolled onto his side on the sofa and stared determinedly at the tall German. He remained completely silent as he attempted to project his thoughts at Klink somehow. How one person could make him this irked was beyond him, but it was happening anyway.
Behind the book he was pretending to read, the older man had a smile that Hogan couldn’t see. He knew damn good and well what he was doing, and it was all being done on purpose. He was well aware that his brat couldn’t stand being ignored, so part of this was payback for not telling him about his family sooner.
Even so, he had to give his friend credit for not harassing him about finishing what they’d begun back at the camp. He knew it had to have been exceptionally hard for the younger general to do, which was what finally made him give in.
He also remembered that Hogan had previously stated that the shameful factor helped make things sink in more effectively for him. And of course, there was something else he needed to address as well.

Settling the score…
After forcing the smile he had to disappear, Klink closed the book with a deliberate snapping sound. “Alright, Robert. Get up and follow me,” he said, rising out of the chair and walking over to the sofa.
Wondering what was going to happen now, Hogan looked puzzled. “Um, okay. Where are we going, Wilhelm?” he inquired as he stood up.
“To the bathroom,” the tall German replied causally. Then he reached out and took ahold of his troublemaker’s hand, dragging him in that direction.
“The bathroom?” Hogan repeated, letting himself be drug along. What’s Klink up now? he pondered. “Why?”
“You will see soon enough,” came the vague reply.
“Look, every time you’ve told me that in past, it’s never ended well for me. Could you be a little more specific?” the American general inquired as they reached the bathroom entrance.
“In a moment, yes.” Then Klink let go of his hand and pointed to where the sink was. “Go stand over there.”
A familiar feeling of discomfort came over Hogan as he followed the directive given to him. While he hoped that his gut feeling was wrong, that had never been the case any other time. He could think of only one reason why they would both be in the bathroom at the same time, and it jibed with an offhand comment the former Kommandant had made once before to him.
“Okay, so…why are we in here together? And why did you just close and lock the door?” he asked, his feeling of unease growing by the minute.
Klink turned around, wearing an evil smile as he explained what was happening. “Because, my dear Robert, I am going to wash your mouth out with soap as part of your punishment. Or did you think I had forgotten the many colorful metaphors that you used at Camp Ashcan?”
“WHAT?” the former senior POW officer exclaimed. He could put up with a lot of things, but this was where he drew the line! “You’ve lost your fucking mind if you think I’m going to let that happen,” he added.
“And there is yet another example of your foul mouth. A proper gentleman should not use such filthy language,” Klink scolded him.
Yet while he’d been talking, his brat had covered his mouth with both hands and backed up towards the shower. “Now, come here and stand by me.”
Hogan shook his head quickly, unwilling to cooperate in the slightest way with his self-appointed disciplinarian on the subject. Due to his mouth being covered, his words were slightly muffled. “Uh-uh. Nope. You can just forget it, because I’m not doing that,” he responded.
Letting out an irritated sigh, the German general replied, “I said come here and stand by me, young man. Do not make me drag you over to the sink,” he warned.
But his troublemaker only shook his head again. “No! That’s embarrassing, and just…no!”
Was Klink crazy? He wasn’t a little kid, damnmit! He was almost forty, and that was something everyone seemed to conveniently forget most of the time.
“You just never seem to learn, Robert,” Klink said as he stalked over to his friend and grabbed him by the hand again.
Then he pulled him back over to the sink as he said, “You always insist on making life difficult for yourself. Now quit being a brat and stay right there while I soap up the toothbrush. If I have to drag you over here again, you will be very unhappy indeed. Do you understand me?” he asked.
Rolling his eyes, the American officer snapped, “Yeah, I understand what you said. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to listen to it. I’ll put up with a lot from you, but I won’t put up with this! Who or what gives you the right to even think you can do this to me?” he demanded to know.
“Your mother, if you must know,” the older man said calmly, turning on the water to wet the toothbrush. “She granted me full permission to discipline you as I see fit, telling me that “My son needs a keeper.” She also requested that I do so on both her and your father’s behalf if I thought the reason was something they would not approve of.”
The evil smile returned as he set the toothbrush aside and began to later the soap, making sure to create plenty of suds while he talked. “To be fair though, I did ask if she wanted me to go easy on you at any time if I were to spank you on their behalf. I believe her exact response was “Heck no! Make sure you do it just as hard as you would any other time. Robbie has years of back-talk and disrespect to catch up on.” So as you can see, I have every right to do this to you, Robert,” he explained patiently.
Hogan watched the tall German lathering the soap, eying the growing pile of suds with dismay. He wasn’t happy about the answer he’d been given, but he also knew that the former Kommandant wasn’t lying. Mostly because he could still hear in his head what his mother had said to him on the subject.
“I’ve already asked Wilhelm to keep an eye on you, and to bust your butt whenever he feels it’s needed. Which he said he’d be happy to do, and he also said that he’d do it on both my behalf and your father’s. And no, he won’t go easy on you during those times either.”
The last thing that the younger officer wanted was for his mom to hear that he’d directly disobeyed her when she’d told him to do something. While Emma Hogan was generally a laid-back type of person, she wasn’t one to tolerate disrespect. Not from anyone, and certainly not from her own son. Hogan had done enough extra chores in his lifetime from being flippant and mouthy to prove that much. And really, it was just soap. It probably wouldn’t taste that great, but it wouldn’t kill him either.
Still, he had to protest this sort of treatment on principle. “But Wilhelm, you’re not supposed to put soap in your mouth. It says very clearly ‘Do not eat’ on the label. And I’m an adult, so I’m allowed to swear if I want to,” he huffed as he folded his arms instead.
“Not around me, you are not. I find swearing to be the lowest form of communication, something that only a stupid person would use. Tell me, Robert…are you stupid?” Klink inquired, ignoring the ‘do not eat’ comment.
Raising his eyebrows, Hogan responded, “No. Still, I –”
“And that sort of filthy language is also something that an individual who is well-spoken would not use. Only someone who is ignorant would do so,” the older officer interrupted him. “Now, are you well-spoken or not?”
The American general had a nasty feeling that he was being played again, but he answered the question anyway. “Well, yeah. But –”
“Then that settles the matter,” Klink said adamantly as he made sure the toothbrush had plenty of sudsy lather on it. “You are neither stupid, nor are you an ignorant person. Therefore, you have no need to use such language.”
Once he’d done that, he stood in front of his brat and added, “Now open your mouth, troublemaker. I will be scrubbing your teeth and tongue with this, and you need to hold still so that I do not accidentally choke you with the toothbrush. Do not close your mouth or spit the soap out until I tell you it is okay to do so, either. Do you understand me?”
Hogan rolled his eyes and groaned, not wanting to admit that those were some valid points. “Yeah, I understand,” he grumbled unhappily.
In a last-ditch effort to get out of the situation, he gave the older man his best puppy dog eyes expression. Unfortunately for him, it didn’t work this time. His friend was dead set on completing his task, so he wasn’t falling for it like he normally would.
“A nice try, Robert, but I will not be deterred. Now, open your mouth!” Klink said irritably. “Make sure you stick out your tongue as well, so that you do not accidentally swallow the soap.”
Looking as sulky as he possibly could, the younger man reluctantly opened his mouth as he’d been directed to do. Then he stuck out his tongue, positively hating his life right now. “Ahh,” he said gloomily.
“Good boy,” Klink praised his brat, knowing that this had to be extremely embarrassing for Hogan. He knew he hadn’t liked having his mouth washed out with soap as a kid either. Still, it’d been extremely effective the one and only time that he’d thought to use such language within his parents’ earshot.
“Just hold still, and do not fight me. The sooner you cooperate, the sooner we can move onto the next part of your punishment,” he stated.
Before the former senior POW officer could fully process what that meant for him, he felt the toothbrush begin to scrub his teeth. Being as he couldn’t taste the soap on them, it wasn’t too bad. It was kind of a weird feeling to have his teeth brushed for him, but not overly terrible. Then his self-appointed disciplinarian began to brush his tongue next, which caused him to jerk away impulsively.
“Ewww, that tastes gross!” Hogan exclaimed, spitting the soap into the sink. “Blech!” he added, spitting more of it out as well.
With a growl, the tall German snapped at him, “You were warned, Robert! Now I must start all over again.”
“Please don’t, sir. It tastes absolutely horrible. You’ve made your point already, and that’s that you don’t want me to cuss. I’ve got the concept,” the American general replied hastily.
With a long-suffering sigh, Klink looked at his brat as he turned on the water and began to lather the soap up again. “I do not feel that I have, young man. Every instruction I have given you so far you have willfully disobeyed. I told you to come and stand by me after you backed away, and you blatantly refused. So, I had to drag you back over to where you had been previously. I told you to open your mouth, and you refused to do that too,” he said.
“You were directed not to move, yet you jerked away from me. You were also specifically told not to spit out the soap, but you did that as well. Not to mention that when I originally informed you of what was going to happen, you used such unbecoming language yet again,” he explained.
Then the former Kommandant turned off the water again and held up the now-sudsy toothbrush. “So, let us try this again. Open your mouth and stick out your tongue, Robert.”
“I’m not going to! Like I already said, you’ve made your point. And I won’t let you do that to me again,” Hogan said rebelliously as he stomped his foot. “Now move out of my way so that I can unlock the door and leave.”
“No!” Klink shot back. “You claim that I have already made my point, but you are being brattier than ever before. We still have the second part of your punishment to handle after this, as I am sure you are aware of. Yet you are delaying that coming to pass, when you are the one who was begging me to finish it back at Stalag 13!”
Rolling his eyes, he reminded Hogan of what it was. “In case you have somehow forgotten, Robert, that punishment is a lengthy bare bottom spanking. Which, by the way, is already not going to be pleasant for you. And you are only making it worse with every minute that you do not listen to me!”
The older man glared at the younger one, unable to believe how defiant his former senior POW officer was being over a little bit of soap. “Above all, you are wearing my patience very thin right now. So, unless you would prefer to hold some Tabasco sauce for a few minutes in that insolent mouth of yours instead, you will cooperate with me! You have already been told what to do, and I will not say it again, troublemaker.”
The two generals locked eyes and stared at each other, each unwilling to break down from the challenge that Klink had issued. Yet Hogan decided to look away after a full minute had passed as he stared at his feet. He’d tasted hot sauce once before, but he hadn’t liked it at all as it made his stomach upset. He didn’t eat spicy foods for that very reason, and he knew that the German officer didn’t eat anything spicy either.
But his brother Wolfgang did, which is why they even had any hot sauce in the house to begin with. He’d wondered why the former Kommandant had asked his brother to keep the half-empty bottle of it. Well, now he’d found out why.
As he made a mental note to throw the bottle in the trash, he gave in at last. “Fine. Just hurry up and get it over with…sir,” he griped as he opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue again grudgingly.
“Good boy. See? That was not so difficult, now was it?” Klink said in a soothing voice as he began to scrub Hogan’s teeth with the soapy toothbrush again. He was fully prepared for the American officer to jump away from him again when the German general began to scrub his tongue, but he stayed right where he was. True, Hogan was squirming in place and giving him an increasingly dirty look. Nevertheless, he endured the punishment anyway.
Once he’d made sure that he had meticulously scrubbed every inch of his troublemaker’s mouth with the soapy toothbrush, he backed up just slightly so his brat would be able to access the sink when the time came. “We are almost done with this part of your punishment. But do not spit out the soap yet, Robert. I want you to close your mouth and swish it around for thirty seconds without swallowing it. Nod if you understand what I have told you to do,” he said.
Hogan could honestly say he never wanted to experience this ever again in his life. The soap tasted terrible, and it mortified him to have his self-appointed disciplinarian doing this to him. The only thing he was glad about was that nobody could see this happening to him right now.
When Klink had stepped away from him, he’d thought it was finally over. Yet he’d guessed wrong. And when the next directions were given to him, he gave the former Kommandant a look of sheer indignation before he slowly nodded.
After receiving the nod, Klink looked at his watch and added, “And…go!” He alternated looking at the seconds hand on his watch and keeping an eye on his former senior POW officer, who was doing exactly what he’d been told for a change.
He was positive that those thirty seconds seemed to drag on forever for his friend, and he was also sure that the younger general was relieved when he said, “Okay, young man. Go ahead and spit out the soap, and you may brush your teeth if you would like. This part of your punishment is over with.”
Then he watched with amusement as Hogan immediately spit out the soap, making various noises of disgust. At one point, his troublemaker almost grabbed the soapy toothbrush to brush his teeth and tongue. Luckily for him, he remembered just in time what that one had been used for!
Klink began to laugh as he watched the American officer quickly grab his own toothbrush and put the toothpaste on it instead. Then Hogan proceeded to remove all traces of the soap out of his mouth for the next five minutes, scrubbing furiously the entire time.
“It’s not funny, Wilhelm,” his brat complained as he shut off the water and wiped his mouth. “That was just cruel. I’ve never tasted something so horrid in all my born days!”
“I found it quite amusing, Rob. I have never seen anyone brush their teeth so thoroughly before,” Klink pointed out with a half-smile. “By the way, that part was on behalf of your parents, as well as myself.”
“Yeah, you would think that. But you wouldn’t think it was so funny if it’d been you,” his troublemaker pointed out while ignoring the rest of that sentence.
“Ah, but it has been me. Exactly one time, after which I learned not to use such words,” the older officer informed him. Then the smile faded away as he added, “And now it is time for the second and final part of your punishment, Robert.”
Hogan could feel his stomach tightening again, remembering what his self-appointed disciplinarian had told him regarding that subject earlier. “Oh boy. So, what am I supposed to do next?” he asked warily.
Klink unlocked the bathroom door and opened it, stepping out into the hallway as he spoke. “Next? You are to go and put your nose in that corner, for starters,” he stated firmly, gesturing to the wall that was to the left of the sofa.
“Huh?” asked the younger officer in surprise. That wasn’t something I was expecting to hear, he thought.
“Did. I. Stutter?” the former Kommandant asked slowly, glaring at his brat. “Do as I say, young man!”
Well, he didn’t need to be told again. The American general almost ran out of the bathroom as he scrambled to get over to where he’d been told to go. And as he moved toward the aforementioned corner, he almost tripped over his own feet in his haste. For better or worse, Klink had apparently decided to take pity on him in that aspect. And thank God for that, he thought. I don’t think I could’ve held out much longer.
The tall German just shook his head in amusement as he watched the swift movements. Once Hogan was standing in the corner, Klink left the hallway and walked over to his friend. He made sure to move at a leisurely pace, heightening the anticipation and giving himself time to fully slip into his role.
Feeling absolutely silly as he stood with his nose in the corner like a little kid, Hogan was secretly happy that he’d been able to avoid begging Klink to spank him. At some point, his life had taken a serious detour if that was even something he needed to worry about.
He wasn’t too happy about what had just happened, though. Even though he could see the logic in what he’d been told, that didn’t mean he had to agree with it.
Still, his self-appointed disciplinarian had remembered what he’d said before about these types of situations. This was obviously a tactic being used to make him feel embarrassed, something that was confirmed when he heard the older man’s voice near his ear and jumped in surprise.
“Geez, make some noise or something next time, would you? You move way too quietly,” Hogan griped. It got him an immediate swat on his butt and a stern response.
“Do not presume to tell me what to do, Robert. Now, put your hands on your head. Lace your fingers together as well, and keep them there until I tell you otherwise,” Klink said resolutely.
Sighing in resignation, Hogan obeyed the order as he responded, “Yes, sir.”
He knew the game by now, or at least he thought he did. When he felt his pajama bottoms yanked down to expose his bare behind though, he wasn’t entirely sure of that anymore. “Hey! I –”
“You will remain completely silent while you stand with your nose in the corner. Like any naughty boy, you should be thinking about why you are in trouble yet again while you wait. Furthermore, you will refrain from moving from this spot while I gather the tools that I need to administer your discipline. If you do so, you will receive a much worse spanking than you have already earned yourself from being stubborn previously. Do I make myself clear?” Klink interrupted him, warming to his role. If Hogan wanted humiliation, he could easily do that. He had prior experience with these matters, after all.
Unwilling to risk angering the tall German further, Hogan nodded once. No talking meant no talking, and he wasn’t going to be tricked that easily. But he wasn’t used to having his bare behind exposed until after he was already over Klink’s lap. And so, when he felt a gentle pat on his butt, he visibly jerked at the unexpected light touch. Thankfully, he was able to keep his hands on his head anyway.
“Good boy,” Klink said in an approving tone of voice. “And I can see you from where I am going, so do not play games with me! I will return for you shortly.”
Then he just shook his head as he left to gather what he needed, making sure he really could see his troublemaker at all times. While he’d been bluffing a minute ago about his brat making his spanking worse for himself, he hadn’t been lying about how pleasant it would be. Or rather, not be. Yes, it was already going to be somewhat worse due to Hogan’s prior uncooperativeness, but it wouldn’t go any further than the new plan he’d made.
As it didn’t take him overly long to find both items, the older officer sat down quietly and set the implements on the sofa next to him. Then he let Hogan stew for a little bit as he considered how it was best to do this, watching with a half-smile as the younger man across the room shifted from foot to foot nervously for a few minutes. If there was one thing Wilhelm Klink was quite accomplished at, it was being a disciplinarian. And he knew just what it took to get through to people who were thick-headed.
Meanwhile, it felt like an eternity since Hogan been standing in the corner, waiting for his punishment to begin. He could feel the cool air brushing across his rear end, and he was grateful that it dried the moisture on his skin that was left over from his shower. Especially as he’d just been in the slightly steamy bathroom a few minutes ago. If being spanked on a dry butt hurt, he didn’t even want to picture how it would feel on a wet one!
Yet he had to admit that standing there in such a way had a profound effect though, as it kept his mind focused on what was yet to come. As he’d been told to do, he considered exactly why he was going to be punished this time. The incident with Schultz and his stupidity in not telling Klink about his family sooner came to mind, but he couldn’t think of anything else.
What’s he gonna use on me? More importantly, how badly is it going to hurt? Hogan pondered, wondering just how much worse he’d managed to make things for himself with his actions in the bathroom.
The German general could tell by the fact that Hogan had stopped moving around that he was deep in thought. He waited until after his friend been standing in the corner for about ten minutes before he cleared his throat, moving onto the next phase. “You may turn around now, Robert. Keep your hands where they are and walk towards me, stopping on my right hand side,” he directed.
He’d made sure that the pajama bottoms still covered the front bits, but Hogan’s behind was completely unprotected. Of course, both implements were where his brat could clearly see them on the sofa once he turned around.
As if the universe decided he needed to find out the answer to the questions on his mind, he heard the command from Klink and jumped again. Damnmit, the former Kommandant really did move far too silently. When had he even returned to the room?!
When he turned around, the first thing he saw was the older man sitting on the sofa. His eyes automatically searched for any implements nearby, and he gulped as he saw them. The wooden ruler and the plastic spoon with holes were what had been chosen. Neither one was a friend of his. Not that any implement was a friend of his in that respect, but some things hurt less than others.
Deciding he ought to get moving quickly before he made his self-appointed disciplinarian even more upset, the American trudged over to the German officer. After he got there, he stopped on Klink’s right hand side and looked at his feet.
Now that he was here, he let himself feel the full amount of shame in what was going to happen to him. As previously directed, his hands remained on his head, and he stayed silent while he awaited further instructions to be given to him.
“So, young man,” Klink began, drumming the ruler gently on his thigh. “You should know first of all that I am being merciful by spanking you tonight. I was originally going to wait another two days to do so.” As he spoke, he watched Hogan swallow hard, shaking his head silently in protest of that idea.
“However, I am a fair individual. You have not requested for me to punish you once since we left Luxembourg. and I am aware that must have not been easy for you to do. Is that correct? You may give a verbal answer to my questions,” he added as an afterthought.
“No sir, it wasn’t,” his former senior POW officer replied cautiously, feeling extremely tense by now.
“I can assure you that you did very well by obeying my instructions. In turn, I will be lenient with you by not making you wait for those two days to be up,” the former Kommandant stated in an even tone. “Now tell me, Robert…why are you going to be spanked like a naughty boy? Or why is it happening yet again, I should say?”
Feeling his stomach beginning to form knots, Hogan responded to the inquiry. “Because I didn’t tell you earlier about Schultz seeing our tunnel. I also didn’t tell you that he knew of all the stuff we did during the war when I told you about everything else.”
He already knew this was going to be extremely painful to him, and he questioned his sanity yet again as he continued to talk. “In addition to that, I didn’t tell you about your family being alive. And finally, because you’re still mad about all the stuff that I told you about back at Stalag 13…which I haven’t cleared my slate with you on yet,” he finished glumly, feeling quite sorry for himself already.
Nodding in confirmation, his self-appointed disciplinarian told him, “I concur that all of the above are true statements. Now, is there anything else you would like to tell me about, Robert? Before I wear your bottom out, making you sorry that you ever engaged in such unacceptable behavior?”
It was only meant to be a causal question. Thus, it came as a surprise when the response he got was anything but casual.
Shaking his head frantically, Hogan said, “No! No sir, I swear! I’ve told you everything, I promise!”
Shit, had he forgotten about anything somewhere along the line? Or was this just a mind game to mess with his head? He dearly hoped that he hadn’t, or things could get ugly fast.
Raising his eyebrows at the unusually panicked reaction, Klink spoke to him again. “Very well, then. I am going to put you over my lap now, alright? And then I am going to make you an extremely sore, very well-spanked little boy for your foolish actions.”
Even as he marveled at how well his friend could act and be believed while doing it, the younger general felt the knots in his stomach turn to lead. He remembered quite well how tenderized his butt had been after the last time he’d been told that, thank you very much. So he couldn’t say that he was looking forward to a repeat performance.
“Yes, sir. And…and then we’re square? You’ll forgive me?” he asked quietly as he let himself be guided into place over the older man’s lap. The hated yet familiar position was strangely comforting to him somehow, though the idea of the imminent pain to his rear end wasn’t.
With a sharp nod at the hopeful inquiry, Klink gave his troublemaker a response as well. “Affirmative. As soon as this punishment is all the way over with, you will be completely forgiven for everything. Your slate with me will also be wiped totally clean as well. But you will have shed many tears by the time that happens, I can promise you that,” he warned.
“I understand that, sir. I’m sorry for upsetting you in the first place,” Hogan whispered as he squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to see the first swat prepare to land, nor did he want to see what implement was used first.

Wiping the slate clean, part one…
“I hope that you mean what you are saying this time, Robert. I really do,” responded Klink as he picked up the wooden ruler. After much debate, he’d decided in the end that it would be best to get the worst implement out of the way first. Raising it in the air, he stated, “Here we go,” as he brought it down.
SMACK! The first swat hit one of his brat’s sit spots, triggering a most interesting reaction. Hogan literally yowled like a cat, leaping upward and backward at the same time. Amazingly, he landed on his feet as he rubbed the smacked area. “Owww!”
“Robert, get back over here,” the former Kommandant ordered, even as he attempted to figure out how his friend had performed such a move.
“Sir, please. That hurt so much just now! Please, use something different to punish me,” the American begged. As he spoke, he moved backwards so that he was just out of the tall German’s reach.
“Young man, I am giving you exactly two choices. Either you can either get back over here willingly, or I can come and get you instead. Either way, you are going to get a well-deserved spanking. But rest assured you will not like the consequences if I have to drag you back over here,” Klink threatened, wondering if he’d have to do just that for the second time tonight.
It seemed to work, because his friend returned to his side before draping himself over the older general’s lap of his own accord. “See, look! I’m cooperating with you. But sir, please. Please, I’m begging you. Don’t use the wooden ruler on me! It hurts too bad,” Hogan pleaded desperately.
With a sigh, Klink grabbed his former senior POW officer around the waist to hold him there and pinned his legs as he spoke. “Regrettably for you, I picked something that would hurt a great deal on purpose. You were quite disobedient when you were given instructions to follow in the bathroom earlier. And you neglected to tell me that my family was still alive, Robert! You put me through all that mental anguish for days, and now I am repaying you in kind with an equivalent in physical pain.”
“Wait, hold on. You’re gonna punish me for days?” his troublemaker asked in an alarmed tone of voice, hoping to all that was holy that he’d misunderstood that statement. “I just wanted you to be able to enjoy your time with me in the United States without feeling obligated to go see your mom. I wasn’t trying to make you upset, or hide anything from you either! Please, you have to believe me!”
“I believe your intentions were pure, that is true. But the fact remains that it backfired. And no, I will not be punishing you for days. Just for tonight, but you will wish days had passed when I am through with you!” Klink informed him. “Now, be a good boy and take your punishment.”
After lifting the ruler again, he brought it down six more times on the younger general’s sit spots. As he’d done before, he alternated between the left one and the right one with each swat.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! “Owww! Owww, OW, OW!” he exclaimed, the wooden implement already beginning to sting. Those spots were the most tender part of his butt, and his self-appointed disciplinarian knew it quite well. The ruler wasn’t a friendly implement either.
He was in the process of debating whether or not he preferred wooden or leather ones when more swats landed on his sit spots. SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
“Aaagh! Sir, please, that’s really painful,” Hogan griped. Normally he was okay for a little while before he started complaining, but starting off with those swats to the most sensitive part of his behind hadn’t been in his sitting down ability’s best interests.
“It is supposed to be painful, Robert. Did you think perhaps that your punishment was going to be enjoyable?” inquired Klink dryly as he continued to punish Hogan with the ruler.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
“Oww, Owww, OW! No, but it shouldn’t sting this badly though. At least, not yet. OW!” the American responded as he focused on not squirming around. Not that he really could, mind you, since his legs were pinned this time. His friend also held him tight around the waist, so there was no hope of another escape attempt either. “OW, OW!”
“I do not see why it would sting any more than normal, as you are fully healed from the hairbrush spanking you received back at Stalag 13,” Klink told him, changing the focus of the swats to his buttcheeks while they had their conversation. “Believe me, I checked before I did anything else. Four times, as a matter of fact.”
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
“OWWW! Four times?” Hogan repeated as the fire started to burn hotter in his rear end. When had the former Kommandant checked at all, let alone that many times?
Being as nobody ever got the answer to anything by just mulling it over, he asked the question out loud. “OWW! When did – OW! – you – AAAGH! – do that four – OW! – times, sir? OWWW!”
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
As he continued to spank his oftentimes disrespectful charge, Klink explained how he’d accomplished that. “The first time was the single swat I gave you hours ago,” he began, never letting up with the ruler once. “I had to test you unawares, to be sure you would not lie to me about what you could handle.”
“OWWW, OWW! That’s what you meant by ‘just testing’?” his brat demanded irritably. “What makes you think I would lie to you about that?”
For the sheer idiocy of that question, the tall German gave him two hard swats to his sit spots, one on each side. SMACK! SMACK!
“Yes. And because, Robert, you are the same mulish troublemaker that saw fit to convince me that ‘you were just fine’ and that ‘you could handle the spoon’ on our last night at Stalag 13. Despite the fact that you could barely get out of the bed and walk to the bathroom, you harassed me all day concerning the matter!”
When he recalled the memory, Klink frowned and delivered two more spanks to that same area. SMACK! SMACK!
The difference between these and the two other ones was that these two were especially firm. He’d known very well that Hogan would not have been able to handle any sort of punishment on that occasion, as he’d proven with the few swats he’d given to Hogan with his hand that evening.
As he’d done earlier, Hogan yowled and started squirming somewhat. This wasn’t pleasant at all, and the only comfort he currently had was knowing that this would end with him being completely forgiven for everything.
“OWW, OWWW, OWWWWW! I’m – OW! – not mulish. – OW! – I just – OWW, OWW! – wanted to get – OWW, OW! – this over – OWWW! – with that night! OWWWW, OWWWWW!”
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
Geez, his butt was quickly being toasted already. The last time he’d been the unfortunate recipient of the ruler, it hadn’t hurt this much. Then again, he’d only had his butt warmed up slightly with it that night too. His emotional release had come in the form of the belt instead.
Luckily, the German general decided to switch the focus back to his buttcheeks again, and he let out an audible sigh of relief despite the situation he was in.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
With a smirk, he replied, “Whatever you say, Robert. And are you doing alright?” While he knew what a sigh sounded like, it was a rather unusual sound for Hogan to make during a punishment. Afterwards, certainly. But during the main event, no.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
“OWW, OWWW! Yeah, as – OW! – best as – OWWW! – I – OW! – can be right – OWW! – now, I guess,” his former senior POW officer gritted out. “OWWW! I’m – OWWIE! – just glad – OWWW! – you – OWWW! – aren’t swatting my – OWWWIE! – sit spots – OWW! – anymore, sir. OWWWIE!” he admitted as he blushed red from the shame of admitting that.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
“OWWW, OWWWWIE!” he added, his tail feeling like a well-done piece of meat still over a high flame from the pain. “You – OWWWWW! – were saying – OWWWIE, OWWWWIE! – before? OWWWIE, OWWWWIE!” he cried, unable able to even remotely hold still any longer.
“I…stop moving around so much, Robert!” Klink ordered as he tightened his grip on the squirming American. “I realize that this hurts quite a bit. But it will hurt a lot more if I strike you somewhere that I do not mean to, simply because you moved!”
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
“OWWIE, OWWWWIE, OWWWWWWIE! I’m trying to, but please!” Hogan begged as his eyes began to water, unable to hold out much longer as he continued to thrash around. “OWWWW! Please, please stop! OWWW! Please, I’ve learned my lesson. I swear, I’ll be good! OWWWWWIE! I promise, sir, I promise! Just please! OWWWWWW!”
The older man managed to tune out the begging he was hearing, but it wasn’t easy. It took a great deal of focus to temporarily harden his heart to the sorrowful cries of his brat. But he would be sure to provide some much-needed comfort after all of this, that was guaranteed.
“I cannot, Robert, and you know it. Anyhow, the second time was when I bared your bottom while you stood in the corner,” he explained patiently.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
“I glanced at it then to be certain there were no marks of any type left on your behind. As I saw nothing there, I felt it was safe to continue with on your punishment. I checked again once you were over my lap to be sure of that, as you had jumped when I had merely given you a gentle pat there prior to that point,” he added, keeping an eye on his target so that he wouldn’t go too far.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
“And finally, I made absolutely sure of it once more after you placed yourself back over my lap. As you can see, I have always looked out for you, Robert,” he admitted with a heavy sigh. “Even if I am certain that you are not overly appreciative of such a gesture at the moment. And I will continue to do so for as long as I am able to. You can be very certain of it.”
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
While the younger general appreciated the explanation, he also knew that his old nemesis the lava had arrived.
That being said, he knew he was very close to that emotional release as he continued to beg for leniency. “OWWWWIE! OWWWWIE, OWWWIE, OWWWW! Sir, I’m sorry! I promise you, I’m sorry! Just please, stop…stop…stop punishing meeeeeee! OWWWWIE!” he wailed pitifully.
Right on schedule, he tipped over the emotional ledge and began to sob. Damn it all if his tail wasn’t in agonizing pain, but at least it was all over now. While that should have made him ecstatic, he had a nagging feeling that he was missing something fairly obvious about the whole thing. Yet he paid it no mind, choosing instead to lie there and cry himself out.

Aftercare and some bad news…
Klink shook his head as he tossed the ruler off to the side, where neither he nor Hogan would step on it when they eventually got up to go to bed. He wasn’t happy about what he felt was needed once he had managed to calm his troublemaker down. In addition to that, his bottom was already red from the wooden implement, so he’d have to change where the focus was for the next round.
But first things first. He rubbed the former senior POW officer’s back, making sure to use the familiar circle motions he always used as he talked.
“Sssh, sssh. Sssh, Robert, it is okay. Please calm yourself down, because I need to tell you something important. Sssh,” the tall German soothed him.
Meanwhile, he was steeling himself to do what needed to be done. He half-wished he hadn’t made the promise to never lie or joke about his friend’s punishments to him, because it was quickly becoming an annoying trap that he’d caught himself in. Still, an officer never broke their word to anyone, and what was done was done.
After a few minutes, Hogan was able to talk again, though he still hiccupped occasionally. “What is it, sir? Are –” He hiccupped a few times before attempting his question again. “Are we even for everything now?”
With a world-weary sigh, the former Kommandant replied, “Er…no. That is what I needed to tell you,” he announced sadly. Yet before he could continue his explanation, the American general reacted to what he’d just been told.
Hogan felt his stomach bottom out when he heard those words. “Did you say ‘no’?” he whispered, unable to believe his ears. Klink had never lied to him before about all of this, so what had changed?
He didn’t know whether to feel betrayed or just pissed off as he squirmed and tried to get off of the older officer’s lap. Not that he was making any progress in that respect, but at least he was trying!
“But you promised we would be after this was over with! So that means that you lied to me,” he said accusingly, finally settling on pissed off.
“Let me go! I trusted you to keep your word, and you lied instead of being honest about your plans from the start! How could you do that?” Despite his anger, his voice of reason was repeating that there was still something that he was missing.
Abruptly, his mood changed into feeling betrayed instead as he subsequently asked, “Why, Wilhelm? I’ve always cooperated with you on this, even when I didn’t want to. And I told you the day that the war ended that I’d submit to whatever punishment you thought was fair. There was no need to lie about it, to give me false hope. I would’ve still complied with your final decision anyway,” he finished with a heart-wrenching sob.
Well, fuck. Now Klink had to clear up their current miscommunication before they went any further. And the first step was offering an explanation while attempting to keep his temper under control. While he could appreciate where his troublemaker was coming from, that didn’t mean it was true. And he abhorred being called a liar to boot.
“Robert, I did not lie to you. So I would appreciate it if you did not accuse me of such a thing,” he said through gritted teeth. “You merely cut me off before I could properly explain everything to you.”
“Bullshit!” Hogan responded fiercely as he wiped away the tears in his eyes.
Why was he crying this much over being lied to? He didn’t know, but he felt as if his world had been shattered. Though what he didn’t understand was why he felt that way. It’s not like this was the first time anybody had deceived him, but this felt different somehow.
“How do you figure that? If what you’re saying is really true, then explain it to me. Because I’m not understanding where you’re coming from,” he demanded angerly.
“I am trying to do exactly that, but you need to be quiet before I can!” the German general snapped at him, ignoring the curse word in favor of clearing up the current issue.
Once the former senior POW officer had fallen silent, he cleared his throat so he could speak. “Ahem. As I was saying before, I did not lie to you, Robert. I have not – and will never – lie to you. About anything, not just your punishments,” he added. “I do not believe in lying. It is far too much work. Then one must remember to whom they told the lies to, not to mention what they were.”
He kept a tight grip on his friend, who had stopped squirming long enough to hear the reason behind what had caused their misunderstanding. “If you recall correctly, I did not say when this was over with, meaning this particular spanking. I said when your punishment is all the way over with. I cannot help it if you wrongfully assumed that everything is completely done when it is not. There is still one more round to go for you tonight,” Klink informed him with a slow shake of the head.
Hogan digested the explanation that he was being given. On one hand, it was good to know that the former Kommandant hadn’t lied to him. Yet the fact that he was supposed endure another round of spanking when his butt was already this sore made his stomach clench uncomfortably. After looking around the room to give himself a change of scenery, he saw the ruler on the floor. And seeing the wooden tool revealed to him the reasoning behind the persistent nagging feeling he continued to have.
Feeling somewhat dumb for missing that little detail earlier, he asked slowly, “One more round? With what? Didn’t you already use both implements?” he questioned, getting a bad feeling about what the answer would be. While he wasn’t sure if he preferred a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer right now, it wasn’t going to end well either way. As if in agreement with the stray thought, his rear end pulsed furiously.
Thankfully, the American general seemed to be catching on to what he was trying to say as he calmed down. Which is a good thing, Klink determined as he spoke again. “I am afraid not, Robert.”
With a small shrug, he added, “I have only used the ruler so far. I have not touched the spoon since I sat it next me. But to answer your question though, that is what will be used next. Do you have any other concerns before we begin again?”
“Y-yes,” Hogan stammered, his clenched stomach doing backflips now.
“Why, sir? Why would you cause that emotional release with only the ruler if you intended on using the spoon on me as well? I still don’t understand,” he confessed, blowing out a breath of hot air.
“I did not tell you earlier about all of this, as it was not what I had planned on when the night began. Had I followed my original course of action, we would not be having this conversation right now,” the older man informed him.
“While I detest telling you this, you are the one who made things worse for yourself, Robert. I did warn you in the bathroom what you were doing, you know. Yet you kept on being uncooperative at every turn, nevertheless. Beyond that, this is a finale of sorts. A finale is supposed to be the most intensive part of anything,” he pointed out.
“I –” Hogan opened his mouth to complain, only to quickly shut it again. He had been warned, that was true. But damnmit, that soap had tasted disgusting! Was he just supposed to sit there and meekly take it without any complaint at all? Apparently so.
His feelings were all over the place presently, bouncing between anger and frustration. Yet when he went to voice his opinion on the subject, he remembered that Klink had told him that the mouth-soaping was on behalf of his parents as well, which made things a lot more complicated. And after taking everything into account, he had exactly two choices the way he saw it.
Option number one: suck it up like the adult he was and weather the remainder of his punishment. Seeing as he didn’t want to leave his new friend forever, the idea had a lot of merit.
Yes, he was still pinned down and unable to move right now. But he also knew if he stated his intentions to pack up and move out, the tall German would let him up without a fight. After all, Klink had been willing to never see him again after three days the night the war had ended, and all because the German officer didn’t want to cause a potential rift between him and his family/friends.
Option number two: Leave, as in permanently leave. Move out of this house, leave Germany altogether, and return to the United States. That idea had some merit too, although not as much as option number one. Furthermore, there were several problems he’d have if he went that route.
First and foremost, the Army Air Force had stationed him in this country. He had an important job to do here as soon as his new orders came through, which the government was trusting him to do. So if he left Germany permanently without being told to do it, he’d have to resign from his command first to avoid being labelled a deserter. And while the United States military generally didn’t shoot deserters, he’d heard what had happened to Private Eddie Slovik at the end of January. He couldn’t say he was keen on the idea of being shot for desertion as well. Not the way I want to end my career, he thought.
As the officer leading their espionage/sabotage ring, London had been the ones to inform him originally about the Army private. They’d wanted him to be on his guard in case he tried to masquerade as an escaped POW and request assistance from the Unsung Heroes. They’d also thought to tell him when Slovik had been executed, ensuring that he wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.
He didn’t want to leave the military, damn it. Like he’d told his mom, he was a career officer, and he enjoyed serving his country. Leaving also meant that he’d be out of a job, which meant no income of any kind. Hell, he might not even be able to leave Germany if they thought he’d deserted, since he didn’t have a passport. The only identification he had on him was a military ID, which was used in its place. Besides that, said ID had both his name and picture on it. It’s not like he could deny who he was when the proof was right there in black and white!
Second of all, he no longer had an apartment – or anywhere else – to live in the United States, as he’d given his termination notice before they’d left Connecticut. That meant that he’d be homeless, unless his parents let him move back home. Not exactly something he wanted to do with his fortieth birthday coming up in a few months.
If he did that, he harbored no doubts that his mother would bust his ass anyway. She’d specifically ordered him to “listen to Wilhelm”, after all. Plus, they now knew how effective this sort of discipline was, which meant he’d probably find himself back in the same situation he was in currently. And when she learned of why he’d left and the hurt feelings he’d caused by doing it, he’d be in a world of trouble. He hated to admit it, but that last statement was assuredly a ‘when’, not an ‘if’, as his mom had a way of prying information out of him.
Well, shit. The second option was definitely out. There was no way he was going to destroy his career, become a deserter, piss off his parents and inevitably leave the man he cared so much about. As a friend! Just as a friend, he added hastily in his head.
It would make Klink feel terrible, like he’d done something wrong. That he could say with almost complete certainty. He’d worked so hard to prove to the older general and his family that he wasn’t the typical jackass most Germans seemed to view the American people as. If he opted to leave now, it would only make him a liar and prove that he couldn’t be trusted.
If there was one thing Robert Hogan wasn’t, it was a liar. The whole Unsung Heroes operation and everything to do with it aside, he was a very honest man. Besides, it would destroy any faith his adopted nephews had in Americans as well. There was no way in hell he would do that to them!
In addition to everything else, he’d already promised that he would submit to whatever punishment the former Kommandant felt was fair. Come to think of it, he’d been trusting his friend to not permanently damage him in any way since their whole arrangement had begun.
The tall German had never broken his word in that regard, and he had never been cruel about this either. If anything, he’d gone out of his way to avoid causing him, Hogan, any unnecessary pain. So, it seemed as if there was only one thing he could do. He didn’t have to like it – that wasn’t part of his promise – but he had to do it.
At long last, he sighed heavily before he began to talk. “You know, my butt hurts so much already that I don’t think it can get much worse than it is now. I’d like to move on to other, more pleasant things…so just do it, sir,” he said reluctantly.
Meanwhile, Klink had been sitting there quietly while all of this was going through Hogan’s mind. He had no way to know what the former senior POW officer was thinking, of course. Yet he’d observed that his troublemaker had been silent for nearly five minutes, a record for the normally talkative American. While he was relieved when the younger general had finally spoken, he had to be sure everything was still okay between them.
“You are sure?” he asked, his voice betraying the hesitation in his tone. “You were very quiet for a long time, and that is highly unusual for you. I do not want to cause a problem between us, Robert. At the same time, I am only doing what you requested of me after the war ended. It does put me in a bit of a bind.”
Hogan blew out a long breath and nodded his head slightly. “Unfortunately, yeah. As it stands right now, I really wish I weren’t. But it’s still my best option overall, and I can tell you more about that later on if you want. For now, let’s get on with it.”
“Being as you are certain of your decision, I will,” the older officer responded quietly.
Then he grabbed the spoon and added, “Your bottom is already red, so this should not take too long. I will make this spanking as quick as possible, alright?”
“Yes, sir. I understand. Thank you for not drawing it out,” Hogan replied softly as he shut his eyes, touched by the thoughtful kindness and consideration Klink showed to him even now. He didn’t deserve a friend like that, not when he acted such a jerk continuously to the tall German. Really, he didn’t.

Wiping the slate clean, part two…
“You are welcome, Robert. Here we go again,” the former Kommandant told him as he raised the spoon and brought it down on the tender sit spots repeatedly.
He’d decided to focus on that area this time while he was calming his brat down from the previous round, so that this punishment could be sped up. Besides, he’d mostly focused on the buttcheek area prior to this.
Being as the younger man’s behind was still very sore, it got an immediate reaction.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
Hogan’s eyes flew open as the spoon made its first impact, causing him to squeal in pain. “OWWWWWWIE! That hurts so bad!”
He didn’t know how long he was going to last, given the fact that his tail had already been pretty well-tenderized by the ruler. And the only other time he’d experienced the spoon, it’d been the first thing that he’d been spanked with. “OWWWW, OWWWWIE, OWWWWIE!”
Even back then, it’d been pretty painful. Each swat had felt like two, due to the plastic snap-back effect that the spoon had. Of course, the holes in it had only added to the painful effect.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
“OWWWW, OWWWWWW! Have mercy, sir! Please, it hurts so much,” he said desperately. He was doing his utmost best to hold still, but it was a battle he was quickly losing. And the sharp smacks to his sit spots weren’t helping his cause any, either!
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
“OWWWIE, OWWWW! Please, I’m sorry! I’ll listen to you from now on, I promise! Sir, I promise!”
He’d honestly tried to hold still, but he’d also ultimately lost the battle. Once he realized that, he begun to squirm around again, grateful that he couldn’t move very much due to the secure hold he was in.
On his end, this was quite possibly one of the worst things Klink had ever had to do to the American. He resolved that from now on, any punishments that required this level of correction would be divided up into two different ones. That way, neither one of them would have to experience this ever again.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
He wasn’t the sadistic type, and it was killing him to not throw the blasted spoon across the room and beg for Hogan’s forgiveness instead. Yet the last time he’d tried to be merciful about this type of thing, it had provoked a fight between them. Instead, he used the memory as ammunition to harden his heart as he continued the punishment.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
“OWWWWE, OWWWWIE, OWWWWIE! I’m sorry! OWWWW! Please, I’m begging you! OWWWIE, OWWWW! Whatever you want, sir, I’ll do it! OWWWW, OWWW, OWWWWWW! Just stop! OWWWWIE! I can’t take it, please!” the younger officer pleaded.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
He was still hanging on, if just by a thread. But when one swat struck a particularly sensitive part of his sit spots, that thread was cut. It caused him to let out a scream of utter agony, followed by tipping over that emotional edge again.
SMACK!
“OWWWWWWIE! Stop, stoooooop!” he cried out as he started bawling again. Then he let himself ride the emotional tidal wave for the second time tonight, And all the while, he was praying to whoever could hear his thoughts that they were square now.

Comfort and explanations…
Heaving a sigh of utter disgust with himself, Klink chucked the plastic tool across the room near the ruler. He knew what he wanted to do, but he wasn’t sure if Hogan would be receptive to the idea. If he wasn’t, that was fine. Not ideal, but fine. He could still comfort his friend. But this way was far better, in his mind.
The first thing he did was help the tearful American get to his feet. Then he made sure that his former senior POW officer could stand up on his own – without swaying unsteadily – before placing two pillows on his lap. Even as he opened his arms, Hogan backed up a few steps away from him.
“Robert, please come over here,” he requested softly.
Being as he was still reeling in the unexpected second release he’d gotten tonight, his ears hadn’t caught up to what his eyes were seeing. That being the case, he thought that the German general still wasn’t through spanking him yet when he’d said ‘please come here’. And needless to say, the idea made him highly agitated. So he took yet another step backward, shaking his head rapidly.
“Please, no. Don’t spank me anymore tonight! Please, please!” he said with a frantic shake of his head as panic rose up inside him. “I’ve learned my lesson! I swear, I really have!”
“I am going to do no such thing,” Klink informed him adamantly as he held his arms open. “I only want to comfort you, should you choose to let me. I can promise you, nothing else will happen tonight,” he explained as it occurred to him that maybe Hogan wouldn’t accept his offer.
“I only wanted to hold you while I did so, like I did that night at Stalag 13. I feel it offers far more comfort. But I understand why you do not want to,” he added with a crestfallen look as he dropped his arms.
With a sad sigh, he closed his eyes. “I would not want to go near me, had I been through everything you have suffered tonight. Thus, I cannot blame you for feeling that way, and I harbor no hard feelings toward you in this matter.”
Even though he was still crying heavily and was quite upset, a small part of his compassion forced its way through to give him a short message.
Rob, he only wanted to comfort you. So go to Wilhelm, it insisted stubbornly. Don’t make him feel bad for doing what you asked him to do.
Letting out something that was a cross between a sigh and shuddery gasp, Hogan slowly walked the few steps back to the sofa. Once he’d gotten there, he tapped his friend on the arm lightly and waited for his eyes to open.
“I…I didn’t realize what you were trying to do at first, or I would’ve done it a lot sooner. Is…is the offer still open?” he asked hesitantly as he hiccupped a few times.
Klink managed a faint smile and a small nod at the unexpected question. “For you, Robert? Always,” he replied, making sure the pillows wouldn’t slide around. “Come here.”
Then he helped the American carefully sit on the pillows, both of them wincing at the hiss of pain he uttered. Once Hogan was situated, the tall German locked his arms tightly around his former senior POW officer and said, “Before we have any further miscommunications, I want you to know that your punishment is completely over, and all those transgressions are forgiven now. You did so well,” he soothed, rubbing circles on the younger man’s back.
“You impress me every day with how strong you are, little one. I do not know where you draw all of your strength from, but it is amazing nevertheless,” Klink confessed.
“For that matter, I do not know how you always manage to remain so strong. I could not do what you have done. I…well, I simply cannot put my feelings about that into words,” he added with a shrug.
Hogan had only heard the words ‘little one’ from the former Kommandant a few times before. While he didn’t mind ‘brat’ or ‘troublemaker’ either, he decided that he liked this term far more. It was a shock to realize just what he’d been through tonight when he added everything up, since there was quite a bit going on with him right now.
He’d been thoroughly spanked – and he definitely meant ‘thoroughly’ – on his bare bottom to the point of tears tonight. Not just once, but twice. He was still crying somewhat, with his butt still bared. To top it all off, he was sitting on some pillows on Klink’s lap like a well-chastised little kid.
By all rights, he should’ve been humiliated beyond all reason. Yet he found that he wasn’t. In fact, he felt oddly content instead.
Is it too much to ask that I just spend the rest of my life here, on Wilhelm’s lap? Because as weird as it seems, I’ve never been more at peace than I am right now, he thought.
Wanting the close proximity he’d had with the older man the night that the war ended, Hogan leaned his head against his chest. And after hesitating for a few seconds, he embraced his friend as tightly as he could.
“I couldn’t tell you, sir. Sometimes I wish I knew myself, because it’d be some helpful knowledge to have,” he responded after his tears had ceased flowing. “I know you’re part of it, though.”
Klink was thrilled that his former senior POW officer felt comfortable enough to embrace him. Hell, he was happy that his brat was relaxed enough to lean his head against his, Klink’s, chest. But he had to ask the question on his mind.
“Me? How could I possibly be a part of how you draw strength in any way? I am not a brave man, Robert,” he informed him.
“Aren’t you? You’ve managed to survive two World Wars, sir,” responded Hogan with a shrug before he snuggled closer to his friend, taking advantage of not having to appear perfectly in control for the moment.
“And you ran the only POW camp in Germany with zero escapes, not to mention stood up to the Gestapo a few times. I’d say that’s pretty brave,” he pointed out.
“I survived both World Wars, that is true. Even if I did only survive the second one because I was running a prisoner of war camp for most of it. But everything else was due to your influence, troublemaker,” his self-appointed disciplinarian replied.
“Little one,” his brat corrected.
“Little one?” Klink repeated in a bewildered tone. “I do not understand.”
“I like the term ‘little one’, better. Not all the time, mind you. But at least for tonight, if you don’t mind,” the younger general informed him, using a cautious tone when he talked.
With that said, he took one of the German officer’s slender hands and placed it on top of his head, the fingertips resting near the part of his hair that laid on his forehead.
Klink smiled as he acknowledged the unspoken request, beginning to toy with Hogan’s hair as he spoke. “Very well, then. Everything else was due to your influence, little one,” he amended with a chuckle.
“Thank you,” Hogan responded with a smile, enjoying the feeling of having his hair played with as he gave the older man a quick squeeze.
“But standing up to the Gestapo had nothing to do with me, sir. That was purely the Iron Eagle,” he said in a serious tone of voice.
“As for the camp’s record, I’ll admit that part was all my doing. But you couldn’t have known that I’d always keep you safe. Even given the situation, you had to have been on edge every time the brass got mad at you. And I know that you had to have wondered each time if I’d bail you out of trouble, or if this would be the time that I’d leave you to hang. Heck, I know I would’ve felt like that if it’d been me. Just the fact that you didn’t defect says a lot about your courage,” he added.
“I –” What am I supposed to say to that? Why does Robert always manage to leave me speechless? the tall German pondered.
“I would never defect,” he finally said. “I follow an officer’s code of honor. As you know, that means you do not merely disappear to save your own skin and leave your men behind. That code of honor is also why I could not accept your generous offer to become an ‘official’ member of the Army Air Force. I thought about it, do not misunderstand me. But I would not be able to live with myself if I had,” he admitted.
“True,” the American general allowed. “I’d kinda figured that might be the case, but I felt like it didn’t hurt to offer anyhow. There are times when I’m too close to the situation, and I misread either it or the people involved. Sometimes I even forget the important details in the heat of the moment. I did that earlier, you know.”
“What do you mean, Robert?” his friend inquired curiously, wondering what that was supposed to mean. “I know that previously when I asked you if you were serious about me continuing the punishment, you mentioned something about ‘you really wished that you were not, but it was still your best option.’ You also said that you could tell me more about it later on.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, Hogan asked, “So I take it you want to know what I was talking about when I said that. Am I right?”
“Yes.” Klink didn’t trust himself to say more than the one word right now while he waited to hear what his former senior POW officer had been thinking earlier.
The younger man nodded and recapped the thoughts that had been going through his head prior to his spanking with the spoon to Klink. As he finished them up, his jaw was set in a hard line when he spoke.
“As you can see, I really had no options at all. My own situation with my parents aside, I wasn’t about to do that to my nephews, and I sure wasn’t going to do it to you. But illusions are nice things while they last, aren’t they?” he said.
With a shrug, he added, “And besides, I’m the one that asked you to do this to me. It’d hardly be fair if I weaseled out of it when the situation got tough. That just wouldn’t be right.”
The former Kommandant stilled, his hand dropping to his side as he quit toying with his brat’s hair. He was processing all of this information that he’d been told, and it made him want to cry. Well, that simply wouldn’t do.
If nothing else, they’d be quite the pair if they both sat here and became all emotional like that. He was a general in the Luftwaffe, damnmit! Generals weren’t supposed to cry at the drop of a hat like a woman would. It just wasn’t manly.
But his emotions weren’t listening to the rational part of him at all, and to his horror, he felt his own eyes begin to water. No, no, no! Stop it, Wilhelm! he screamed at himself. Get it together! Was he getting emotional just because his troublemaker had remembered what he’d said before? Or because he was obviously a major factor in Hogan’s decisions? This was not acceptable.
Hogan felt the slender hand drop away from his head, so he turned to look at his self-appointed disciplinarian questioningly. “Sir? Are –”
He cut himself off as he took in both the expression of sorrow on Klink’s face and the silent tears. Oh, hell. What’d I say? he thought as he reached up to wipe a tear away with his thumb.
“Hey, hey. Don’t be greedy. Only one of us gets to have an emotional breakdown per night, and I was already on the schedule. You’ll just have to wait in line,” he joked in an attempt to make his friend feel better.
Normally, that would’ve worked. He was a smart-ass with plenty of wit, and usually his jokes could at least trigger a faint smile. But not tonight. Frowning, he considered the problem thoughtfully before he crossed his arms and huffed loudly, as if he was annoyed. That had always worked before, therefore it should work again.
Or not. It was as if the older man didn’t see him for some reason, which was a huge issue considering that he was as close to him as two people could possibly be. With a sigh, he removed Klink’s arms from around him and gingerly got to his feet.
His butt was in complete agony, but like he’d done with his stomach in the fight with Wolfgang, he ignored it. He had a far bigger problem currently, and that was figuring out what had his friend so distressed. Then he pulled the tall German to his feet, almost falling backward when he met with no resistance at all.
As he guided them both towards Klink’s room, it occurred to him how strange it was to be the person offering comfort instead of receiving it. He remembered the night he’d first been spanked with the hairbrush, and how the older general had gone out of his way to provide quality aftercare for him when all was said and done. Thus, he was definitely going to take this opportunity to repay the favor.
It was slow going, but they eventually reached Klink’s room, with Hogan guiding his self-appointed disciplinarian towards the bed. While he wasn’t sure what he was going to do once he had them situated, he knew he’d better think of something quick. Thankfully, he worked so well off-the-cuff, or he’d have been screwed long before now.
They stopped by the bed, and the younger officer pulled back the blankets for them. “Go on, Wilhelm,” Hogan told him with a gentle nudge. “I’ll be right behind you, but you have to get into the bed first. Besides, this position is a little bit easier for me to talk to you in then the one I was previously in.”
Klink only nodded silently and obeyed the directive, making sure he scooted over so that his brat could lie beside him. The silent tears still flowed as he wrapped his arms around his middle tightly, staring off into space.
The American already knew that his rear end was going to scream at him for what he was about to do later on, but he didn’t care. Making sure no expression of pain showed on his face, he slipped into the bed as well and tucked them in under the blankets. Being as he was laying on his side, he’d be hurting come morning for sure.
He positioned himself right next to the German general and tossed a leg over him like he’d done the evening London had delivered the package to him. Afterwards, he pried the older officer’s arms free from his midsection and draped them over his own loosely, giving the former Kommandant the chance to put them wherever was comfortable for him. Then Hogan wrapped him in a tight hug, making sure that one hand rubbed soothing circles on his back while he whispered soothing words to his friend.
To be perfectly candid, he didn’t have a clue if any of what he was doing was correct. But he knew that these things worked to make him feel better, and the example that he’d always been shown was all he had to go on.
“Sssh, sssh. Sssh, Wilhelm. I don’t know what’s wrong with you right now, but it’s okay. Honestly, it really is. Just let whatever it is you’re feeling out, and you can talk to me about it when you’re ready,” the former senior POW officer offered awkwardly. “Um, I mean if you want to. You don’t have to, of course. But it’d help me to understand why you’re so upset.”
Damnmit, he didn’t have experience dealing with this type of thing! He only wished he knew what had brought all of this on. Had he said something offensive? He didn’t think he had, but he knew that he tended to shoot off at the mouth sometimes. And while he recognized that not everything revolved around him, he’d been the last one to say something before all of this had happened. So to him, that meant that he’d screwed up somewhere.
Meanwhile, Klink felt like the most useless individual in the history of mankind. He’d only been trying to offer his remorseful troublemaker some comfort before they had any serious conversations. That much he’d been doing decently well with.
Then Hogan had gone and told him what had been on his mind before he’d received the second round of his punishment. Those thoughts, along with his own tension as of lately, appeared to have triggered an unwanted breakdown.
What kind of person was he to cause another one such pain and then let this type of thing happen? Now his friend was in the awkward position of comforting him when it should be the other way around!
He focused on wiping his eyes so that he could see, but it was doing little good with his monocle fogging up. And when his brat had pulled him to his feet, he hadn’t offered any resistance.
When they’d gotten to the bedroom, he’d set his monocle on the nightstand so that it wouldn’t rust before he’d felt the nudge and heard the request. It’s not like he could see out of it right now anyway, and this way it wouldn’t get broken.
Then he’d followed the request, since he needed the time to pull himself together. And he’d almost managed to achieve his goal when the American had pulled his arms free of his, Klink’s, stomach and draped them over his own body instead.
The simple gesture had set off a new wave of tears, and Hogan rubbing his back wasn’t helping them to stop. If anything, it was making him feel worse about putting the younger officer into such a precarious position.
And did he have to make those soothing sounds as well? While he appreciated the thought, it wasn’t helping him to calm down. So he tried to move away, needing the distance between them to get his bearings.
Hogan could feel Klink trying to curl up into a ball under his hands, so he made sure his leg was securely draped over the older man’s body before tightening his grip.
“Uh-uh, nope. You can be upset or whatever. That’s perfectly fine, because we can work this out together. But don’t push me away, sir,” he requested. “I’m trying to help you, but you’ve gotta work with me here. I’m not a mind reader.”
“Why?” Klink inquired bitterly after a minute or two, once he’d found his voice. “I am not worth your time, and I have caused you nothing but misery. It seems like I cannot do anything right, but that is the story of my life. I have been a terrible friend to you. Putting you in this uncomfortable position of having to calm me down because I cannot not keep it together does not help matters.”
“Don’t talk like that,” Hogan responded sharply, ignoring his last sentence and unwilling to hear his friend put himself down in any way.
“You do plenty of things right, I’ll have you know. And you’ve never caused me any misery, not in the sense that you’re thinking of. I’ve earned every spanking you’ve given me,” he added. Surprisingly, the childish word wasn’t bothering him for once as he talked. “I might not have been thrilled about getting them, but I can’t deny that they were well-deserved.”
“I do plenty of things right? That is laughable,” the older man replied with a shake of his head. “Name one.”
“I can name several. You always kept all the prisoners safe, and you trusted your senior POW officer to keep your head out of the noose every time versus arguing with me. Which, by the way, anybody else would’ve done and ended up dead for their efforts,” the younger general pointed out.
“And you’ve always treated us with respect. Heck, you heard what I told your mom and Wolfgang about all of that. I wasn’t trying to paint you as noble that night, I’ll have you know. I was just describing the situation as I saw – and still do – see it.”
The German appeared to be unconvinced of what he’d been told so far. “That is all part of being a decent human being, Robert. I was merely doing my job. If there is nothing more one can say about me than I managed to do a job correctly, it only proves my point,” he said glumly.
“Well, you've also been nice enough to offer me stress relief in the form of these spankings as well,” Hogan added with a shrug. “What I’m trying to figure out is what made you so upset all of a sudden. Did I offend you somehow?” he asked, wanting to cross that possibility off the list.
“No, little one. You did nothing wrong in any way,” Klink told him firmly.
“I do not fully know why I am so upset tonight. All I know is you informed me of what you had been thinking about earlier in the evening, and then this happens,” he said, motioning to himself and sounding disgusted. “It is despicable. A German officer should not be having this sort of breakdown!”
“Hey, you might’ve just hit the nail on the head, sir,” the former senior POW officer said thoughtfully. “A breakdown. That’d explain a lot, now that I think about it.”
“Would you care to explain what you are talking about? As is normally the case, I am not following your train of thought,” his self-appointed disciplinarian reluctantly admitted.
“The war. That’s what caused this to happen. War is about the most stressful situation a person can be in,” Hogan responded simply. “It even tops blackmail, because you know exactly what the terms are with a blackmailer. You know when and where the threat is coming from if you don’t satisfy their requirements, along with how long you have to follow them before it’s over. War, on the other hand, is a constant unknown to all of the above.”
He made sure to meet the older general’s eyes as he explained. “Plus, breakdowns are normal if somebody is overly stressed out. They happen all the time. You’re not the first person to suffer one. Nor will you be the last. Have you been under any stress lately that you haven’t mentioned to me?” he asked curiously.
Klink let out a caustic laugh. “You have no idea. Things were already extremely bad in Berlin by this past February. Tensions had been running high, people were snapping at one another, and still others were either defecting or committing suicide. But the day I got the news from you and Schultz – the day you both showed me the newspaper saying that Hitler was dead – it overwhelmed me. I had been a loyal member of the Luftwaffe, fighting this war under the promise of a new and better Germany. And out of nowhere, it was all gone,” he whispered.
“I did not know what to do. I was well aware that you were the only one of my prisoners who would not immediately shoot me if offered a loaded gun and the chance to do it. In addition to that, I knew the Allied forces would arrive shortly to liberate Stalag 13. That is why you saw me pacing while you were talking to General Patton. I recalled what you had said before, which was that you would keep me safe. But I also recalled that you had mentioned nothing of the sort regarding my men. Leutnant Schultz and I may not always agree on things, but he is a good man. So is Corporal Langenscheidt. And many of the others are as well. That is why I snapped at you that day, Robert,” he finished with a guilty expression.
Hogan used his index finger to push one corner of the former Kommandant’s mouth up, mimicking part of the motion needed to smile. “It’s fine, don’t worry about it. How could I expect you to take me at my word? You didn’t know about any of this yet, and surely a mere prisoner couldn’t do everything I’d promised you I would do, right? No hard feelings,” he said with a nod.
“Besides, you made me an offer a long time ago to listen if I needed someone to vent to. And if I remember correctly, you also –”
He cut himself off abruptly, his eyes widening in horror when he remembered the other part of that conversation. Grabbing a nearby pillow, he pulled back the blankets as if he were going to get out of the bed.
Forcing his voice to sound calm, he said, “Hang on just a minute.” Then he put the pillow to his face with one hand as he lifted the other one and reached behind him.
SMACK! SMACK! He smacked his still-bare butt twice, making sure they were hard swats.
“OWW, OWW!” The pillow muffled the screams of pain he let out though, which was good since he didn’t want to hurt the German’s ears or make him feel worse. After lowering the pillow, he looked at a clearly confused Klink.
“Sorry about that,” he said causally.
His friend looked at him with a puzzled expression. “Er...why did you just do that?” He’d never seen such a thing done before, so he wondered could’ve possibly what had sparked it.
“Penance,” the American general informed him in a rancorous tone of voice. “I'm so sorry for letting you down, sir. I just now remembered that I never once offered to let you vent to me, even though you lent an ear to make sure that I could do it quite a few times.”
He shook his head, utterly hating himself right now. “But meanwhile, I've been a selfish jerk. I deserve every swat I just received from you – and a whole lot more – for not even considering your needs. Obviously, I'm the one who’s a terrible friend, not you.”
“Robert, that is not true. You are the most loyal friend anyone could ask for,” Klink insisted stubbornly. “In any event, you did have an operation to run. I could hardly expect you to be able to drop whatever it was that you were doing to just to lend an ear to me, your warden. Even if I did not know what was going on at the time, that changes nothing.”
“Yeah? I saw the endless piles of paperwork you were always doing, and I’d have thought that you’d want to relax in the evening. Yet you sure managed to find the time to correct me anyway, to give me a chance to decompress,” Hogan responded with a bleak sigh.
“Trust me, I had support at every turn for what I was doing. London, my team...I had people out the wazoo to lean on and ask for help if I needed it. Besides that, the only reason I would've ever gotten shot is if I was found outside the wire, which I knew was a risk each time I did it. Come to think of it, I knew what the risk was before I ever came here and took command of my team,” he added.
“But you? Officially, you had nobody but yourself, and you always had random Gestapo visits to deal with on top of everything else. We both know how trigger-happy and hot-tempered they can be. And unofficially, you had me. That’s it. I should've been there for you as well, but I wasn't. All the support I had to lean on, and yet I couldn't be bothered to make sure you were doing okay too.”
Then he grabbed the pillow again and gave himself two more swats again on his behind, making sure these ones were exceptionally hard. SMACK! SMACK!
“OWW, OWW!” The pillow muffled the shrieks of pain as it had before, but his tail was throbbing even more angrily then it had been previously.
“Stop doing that, or you will permanently injure yourself!” the tall German admonished.
“So?” his troublemaker retorted with a look of antipathy aimed towards himself. “It might knock me down a peg or two. Someone’s who’s permanently injured couldn’t possibly be as cocky as I always am, right?”
Klink looked at him in disbelief and replied, “What do you mean, ‘so?’ We have been through this before, and I do not want to have to discipline you because you purposely hurt yourself! I will give you another spanking for that nonsense – once you have fully healed, of course – if you keep this up,” he scolded.
He’d expected the warning to make his friend realize that he was being idiotic and calm himself down. But the reply he got was the last words he ever thought he’d hear out of Hogan’s mouth.
With an unwavering expression of determination, his brat asked him, “Do you promise?”
“What?” the German general asked with a baffled expression, not understanding what was being asked of him. He hadn’t promised anything recently except one thing, and he knew that his former senior POW officer wasn’t asking about that. Needless to say, he felt like he’d missed something at some point.
The younger man looked at him like he was stupid as he explained slowly, “If I manage to hurt myself, do you promise you’ll spank me for it? Because I truly feel like I deserve it right now for being a numbskull.”
Okay, maybe he hadn’t missed something! Klink sighed and responded, “Robert, I told you long ago if you needed such a thing, you simply had to ask me. I will always make sure that your needs are met, so long as it is in my power to do so.”
Sighing, he added, “And yes, I meant it. I would prefer not to have to do that, but I will if it becomes necessary.”
There was silence for a few minutes, both of the generals lost in their own thoughts as they contemplated this new layer of their friendship. As per the status quo, Hogan was the first to break the silence.
“Look, we're not going to get anywhere with this pity fest. Let's just agree that we're both terrible friends. That way, it means we’re both good friends instead. Just like in math class," he stated with a shrug.
The older man only shook his head, unwilling to even try to understand math had to do with their situation. "I shall take your word for that, Rob," he said, offering a half-smile at last.
“Hey, there's the smile I like so much! I was beginning to think I'd never see it again,” replied his former senior POW officer with another huff of mock annoyance.
The concept of Hogan huffing in annoyance because he'd thought that he'd never see him, Klink, smile again was completely ridiculous. Still, it made him break out into a full-fledged grin. “You are extremely silly sometimes. I hope you are aware of that, Robert Hogan.”
“Now tell me something that I don’t know,” teased Hogan with a slight nudge to his friend's shoulder. “You looked like you were trying to tell me something before our conversation derailed. Do you remember what it was?”

Setting the ground rules and consequences…
“Hmmm? Oh, yes. I was thinking about the rules that I needed to inform you of,” Klink told him, loosening his grip on his brat so that he could toy with his hair again. He enjoyed doing that, and if what had happened earlier had been any indication, Hogan enjoyed having it done.
“Rules, sir?” inquired the younger general curiously while he snuggled into the hug he was being given, providing silent support with his mere presence. The last thing he needed was for Klink to become upset again while they talked.
“Indeed, little one. Rules. You know, the things that you have made a habit of bending or breaking wherever you go?” the German officer asked with a raised eyebrow.
“I’m aware of what ‘rules’ are, thank you. Anyways, I’m listening,” said Hogan as he cocked his head.
“They are simple. We will make any and all major decisions together, for starters,” Klink began, ignoring his friend’s claim to know what rules were.
“I will keep an eye on you, as your mother requested me to do. And I will continue to discipline you whenever you misbehave. At the rate we are going, I feel confident that I will see a change in your behavior by the time I retire,” he teased.
“So, by next month then? That’s pretty ambitious, Wilhelm. Good luck with that,” Hogan replied playfully as he gave his familiar lopsided grin.
“Knock it off, Rob,” the former Kommandant told him with a chuckle. “Or I will remember those words, and I will also make certain that you receive your birthday spankings as soon as the clock strikes midnight. When your birthday rolls around, of course.”
The American officer widened his eyes in mock surprise. “You mean you weren’t already planning to do that? How disappointing. And here I thought you were always prepared for anything,” he said with a laugh.
“You are not surprised that you will be receiving them this year, then?” asked Klink in a curious tone of voice.
“Nope. It’s a golden opportunity for you to get some swats in, and you’d have to be pretty dumb to turn it down. Besides, I’m gonna be forty this year. Just think of how much you could space out forty swats over the whole day,” Hogan responded cheekily.
The German general rolled his eyes at how flippant his troublemaker could be. “Your insolence appears to know no bounds, but I like it anyhow,” he stated.
“You do? You’ve complained about it often enough,” his friend asked as he raised his eyebrows.
“That may be true, but I have grown to enjoy your antics,” Klink admitted as a sly grin crossed his face. “So, when is your birthday?”
“October 31st, 1905,” came the prompt reply. “I’m a Halloween baby.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” murmured his self-appointed disciplinarian. “Everything else about you is unusual, so why not that too?”
“I’m not unusual, I’m just very stubborn. Stubbornness is a strong Scorpio trait, by the way,” Hogan informed him. “When’s your birthday?”
“November 1st, 1896,” Klink responded with a sheepish look. “I am a Scorpio as well.”
“That makes sense. You’re just as stubborn as I am,” said his friend playfully. “Though it does make things easier when we celebrate our birthdays. And I was just reminded of something you might be interested in knowing.”
“I am not as sure of that as you seem to be. Still, please continue,” the older man requested politely.
“Well, you just promised me that you’d give me my birthday spankings this year, right?” Hogan said as the familiar spark of mischief appeared in his eyes.
“Yes, I did. Your point is?” Klink inquired.
“My birthday is on Halloween, like I just told you. Do you remember when we began this arrangement?” his troublemaker asked, grinning as he waited for the puzzle pieces to click into place.
The tall German thought back to that day before he answered the question. “It was in 1944, obviously. I also believe it was in early April, if I –”
He cut himself off when he saw the knowing expression on his former senior POW officer’s face. “Your birthday occurred after we started it,” he breathed in surprise. “Rob, are you asking me to give you the birthday spankings that you did not get then, in addition to the ones for this year? Or did I misunderstand you somehow?”
“Nope, you got it in one,” Hogan confirmed with a nod. “That’s about the most direct request you’re going to get from me, unless something changes.”
“I can do that, I suppose,” Klink informed him after he’d thought it over. “It does mean I can space out the swats further during the day. Or all at once, should you decide to be particularly bratty when the time comes.”
The younger man nodded happily as he said, “Sounds good, but remind me to make a note for myself later on. I’ve got to remember to be extra annoying that day,” he said with a smirk.
“I shall write the reminder for you personally,” his friend stated wryly as he rolled his eyes.
“Thank you. Anyways, was that it for the rules, then?” Hogan asked.
“Yes. Do you have anything to add to them?” his self-appointed disciplinarian responded.
“Yup. I think the two of us need to find the time to take some kind of cooking class. We’re two bachelors who can barely make anything, and I like a wide variety of foods. I don’t know how to make them, but I know that they taste good. And I’ve got no clue at all how to make any German dishes,” the former senior POW officer said reasonably.
Klink considered that suggestion for a moment. He didn’t see how they were going to do that and work a full-time job, because it was impossible due to time constraints. Yet he also knew that his brat had a knack for accomplishing the impossible. “I agree with you on that subject.”
“Good. Oh, and I’ve got one more thing I’d like to ask,” Hogan added.
“Which is what?” the German general inquired.
“Well, I kind of enjoyed being able to sit down this past week, you know. It was a refreshing change. So, I’d like to know if you plan on punishing me like you did tonight for every little thing. Or if not, then what the deal is with that rule,” replied his friend.
“Not that severely for every single thing, no. Only events of major importance like we did before. Minor infractions would result in something similar to the reminder spankings you received the last few months of the war,” Klink told him.
“As I am sure you are aware, the next few years are going to be tense and uncomfortable for everyone. I want to be sure that you do not get yourself hurt by doing something foolish. As I stated previously, I am only trying to look out for you, Rob,” he added.
“That makes sense, I guess. I keep telling everybody that I don’t need a keeper,” Hogan complained as he blew a breath of air upward.
“You are correct, you do not need a keeper. You need a staff of keepers,” the former Kommandant teased.
“Ha-ha. Anyways Wilhelm, I’ve got a question for you,” said the American general hesitantly.
“Go ahead and ask,” Klink responded.
“Would you mind if I stayed in here with you tonight? It’s been a long day with both of us having been put through the wringer. That being said, I’d really prefer not to be alone. And I don’t want to leave you alone either, because what I saw earlier really scared me,” Hogan informed him in a soft voice.
“I would not mind. That is a very good idea,” replied the older officer in a serious tone of voice, touched by the concern.
“Thanks. Besides, you know how easily I get cold,” his troublemaker added with a wink.
Klink studied his friend for a moment while he thought about a good comeback. “Are you using that same lame excuse you gave me before when you decided to become an octopus impersonator?” he deadpanned.
Hogan shrugged and asked, “That depends. Is it working?”
Rolling his eyes, his friend told him, “Yes, though I maintain my belief that you are an oddball.”
“But you know you’d be bored if I wasn’t,” the younger general teased him.
“An accurate statement, because I would be. I like how much of an oddball you are, Rob. God help me, I really do,” the tall German confessed.
“Does that mean you’d like me to do my ‘cute’ act for you again?” Hogan inquired innocently.
“Do not push it,” his self-appointed disciplinarian responded with a mock growl. “Now go to sleep, little one. You have had a hard day.”
“I can do that,” his brat mumbled as the weariness from everything sank in. “Sleep well, Wilhelm, and good night.”
“Gute nacht, Rob,” replied Klink. Then he switched off the light, letting the peacefulness of sleep overtake him.

DAS ENDE DES ERSTEN TEILS (THE END OF PART ONE)

A/N: Private Edward Donald ‘Eddie’ Slovik was executed by firing squad for repeated desertion attempts from the United States Army on January 31st, 1945.
Military IDs weren’t invented until 1999, but I’m altering the time frame. Hogan had to have had something to prove who he was, and I think a passport could’ve been too easily destroyed by the enemy since they were made out of paper.
When I learned about positive and negative numbers in school, they taught us that two negative numbers balance each other out, becoming a positive number. In essence, Hogan was saying that if they’re both terrible friends to one another, that actually makes them really good friends instead. (I never said math made sense, I’m only telling you what I was taught.)
I know Bob Crane’s real birthday was July 13th, 1928, which makes him a Cancer. And I also know that Werner Klemperer’s real birthday was March 22nd, 1920, which makes him an Aries. But I like the idea of Hogan being born on Halloween, as well as them both being Scorpios. Scorpios are notoriously stubborn, and the two generals definitely fit the bill!
I hope you enjoyed reading how Hogan and Klink have gone from merely tolerating each other to being good friends. The sequel to this is called A Passion Born Of Ice & Flame, which continues the two generals’ story. It will be slash, however. Hopefully, you’ll stay tuned! But if not, I hope you enjoyed this. Oh, and I thank you for reading it as well. :)
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