Work Text:
Will hummed to himself as he drew. His daddy had left him alone this bright Saturday morning, heading to the farmers market to get some fresh fruit and vegetables for dinner that night.
“Will darling, can I trust you to be a good boy and stay at home, by yourself?”
“Of course daddy! I can do some drawing. Or I can play with Mr Bear and Mr Trumpton. Or, ooh, can I build a pillow fort?”
Hannibal smiled, ruffling Will’s hair.
“Maybe leave the pillow fort to when Matthew is here this afternoon. How about you draw me something cheerful? A nice summer scene to make us forget about all the snow?”
“Okay daddy!”
“No opening the door to anyone. And no sneaking into the kitchen. You can have a snack when I get back, I won’t be gone long.”
“Can I have baby pancakes when you get back?”
Hannibal had made Will pikelets the previous weekend, Will naming them baby pancakes due to their size.
“Of course, my dear.”
Hannibal had only been gone for two hours when he walked back into the house. It was quiet. Hannibal put the grocery bags on the ground.
“Will?”
Hannibal frowned. It was unsual for Will not to come running to the door when he got home.
Hannibal walked through the house, checking each room. When he got to Will’s room, he was shocked at the scene before him.
Totally oblivious to his daddy, Will was busily drawing on the wall opposite the bed, using his pastel crayons to create a happy beach scene on the pristine paint.
“Will!”
Will continued to draw, tilting his head this way and that.
“Oh hi daddy!”
“What are you doing? Step away from the wall this instant!”
Will slowly stepped away, crayon still in hand.
“I’m drawing a picture for you daddy. Like you told me!”
Hannibal walked over to Will slowly. There were pastel crayons strewn on the ground, some which Will had trodden on and were squashed into the floorboards.
“We do NOT draw on the walls in this house.”
“But…”
Hannibal grabbed Will’s upper arm, hard, pulling him out of the room and down the stairs.
“Owww! Let go daddy! You’re hurting me!”
Will squirmed and tried to free himself from his daddy’s grasp, which only served to anger him further. Hannibal delivered two swift slaps to Will’s backside.
“You know better than to draw on our walls, you wicked little boy.”
“I’m not wicked!”
“And what did I say about talking back to daddy?”
Hannibal dragged Will into the study and over to the corner.
“Hands on your head. Right. Now.”
Will pouted but complied.
“I am beyond angry Will. Don’t you dare move one inch or so help me, I will spank you so hard you won’t sit down for a week.”
Tears prickled in Will’s eyes.
“I’m…I’m sorry daddy.”
“It’s too late for apologies Will. Now daddy has to spend time cleaning up the walls instead of preparing a day of fun for us. I’m disappointed in you Will.”
Those last words cut to the quick, and Will began to cry. He turned to look at Hannibal.
“Puh…please daddy, I’m sorry.”
Hannibal could have broken just then. He could have gathered Will in his arms and rocked and soothed his boy. Told him the wall didn’t matter, that they could clean it up together.
But Hannibal needed to stand firm, discipline his boy as he had been disciplined.
“Nose to the wall. Immediately, Will.”
The tears continued to fall as Will did what he was told.
Hannibal left the room and collected the groceries from where he had left them by the front door. He took them to the kitchen and unpacked them, putting the perishables in the fridge and the other items into the pantry.
Hannibal then took out his cell phone, going back to the study to make the phone call, making sure Will was in earshot.
“Yes, hello Frederick, it’s Hannibal…no, no, everything is alright. Yes, lunch is still on. I know you and Matthew were going to bring some cupcakes from the bakery downtown for dessert. Only I’m going to request that you only bring enough dessert for three.”
Will’s head whipped around and Hannibal gave him a look that made Will turn his head back towards the wall.
“No, nothing’s wrong Frederick. It’s just that Will has been exceptionally naughty today and I don’t think he deserves dessert.”
Will whimpered and stomped his foot once. Hannibal gave a small smile.
“Oh don’t worry Frederick. I will. Alright, see you both later. Goodbye.”
Hannibal hung up and walked over to Will.
“No whining Will. You need to take the first part of your punishment like a big boy. Because I thought I could trust you to stay home alone for a few hours.”
“But daddy, I’m sorry!”
“Well you can think on that a little more while I go upstairs and clean your drawings off the walls.”
Will sniffled a little as Hannibal left the room.
…
Hannibal changed out of his clothes into a pair of jeans and a sweater. He went to Will’s room and regarded the drawing on the wall.
It was a beach scene, with bright blue water. There was a smiling shark and lots of fish in the ocean. A jolly yellow sun, also with a smiley face, was drawn high up on the wall.
On one side of the beach, he had drawn Frederick and Matty. He knew it was Frederick because the stick figure had a cane and a mouth set in a straight line. Will had drawn a smiling Matthew beside him, complete with two ears on the side of his head that stuck out just that little bit.
On the other side of the beach were Hannibal and Will. They were holding hands and had big smiles on their faces. Will had drawn Hannibal in a suit, even though they were on a beach, and besides Will was a dog; Hannibal guessed it was Winston.
Hannibal couldn’t help but smile. Above the figures of Will and Hannibal were speech bubbles. Will’s read: Your the best daddy in the universe!
Above Hannibal’s? I love you to the moon and back, Will.
Hannibal felt tear’s prickle in his eyes. It was a beautiful drawing, full of childlike wonder and bursting with love. But Will needed to learn his lesson: that walls were not for drawing on.
Getting a cloth from the bathroom and wetting it slightly, Hannibal began to clean the crayon off the walls, not before sending Frederick a quick text message.
…
It had taken him more than an hour to clean everything off the wall and floors.
When Hannibal came back downstairs, he went straight to the study. Will was still standing there, hands on his head, nose to the wall.
Hannibal sat on the big leather chair in the middle of the room.
“Come over to me please Will.”
Will turned around and walked over. His face was red and puffy from crying.
“I saw your drawing Will. I’ll admit I didn’t have a good look at it earlier.”
“I’m sorry daddy.”
“I know you are. But you must take your punishment like a big boy.”
Hannibal patted his lap and Will very slowly arranged himself over Hannibal’s legs.
“I want you to count out loud. Twenty times, I think.”
Hannibal pulled down Will’s shorts and his underwear. Will trembled, soon to be interrupted by the first contact of his daddy’s hand on his bottom.
“Ooof….one.”
Remarkably, Will kept his composure until he reached fifteen. At that stage, he began to cry and kick out.
“Nooo daddy…please stop…I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“I know you are darling. Only five to go, then it will be over.”
Will began to sob. Hannibal remained resolute and once Will had calmed down a little, he resumed.
“Ni..nineteen….twenty!”
As soon as Hannibal was done, he pulled up Will’s pants gently and the boy climbed into Hannibal’s lap, wrapping his legs around Hannibal’s waist and burrowing his face in his neck as he cried.
“There there, my dear darling boy. It’s all over now. You did very well.”
Hannibal rubbed his back and soothed him as he cried.
“I’m so so sorry daddy. I’ll never do it ever again. Ever!”
“Oh I know. And you took your punishment very well. I’m so proud of you.”
Will pulled back slightly, not too much, his bottom still on fire from the spanking. He sniffed and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand.
“You…you are?”
Hannibal took a handkerchief from out of his pocket and wiped Will’s eyes and nose.
“I am. Some of the great artists painted on walls. And while I am not advocating it in our house, I am pleased with your talent. And your heart was in the right place.”
“You are the best daddy in the universe.”
“And I love you to the moon and back, my dear Will.”
Will wrapped his arms around his daddy’s neck and kissed his cheek, sighing happily.
…
After Will’s punishment, Hannibal had given him a soothing bath and rubbed some cream into his bottom, dressing Will in his puppy boxer shorts and cargo pants over that.
Frederick and Matty arrived for lunch and the boys immediately went to play in the living room. Will eyed the bakery box Frederick carried in with him sadly.
“My daddy said you were naughty today.”
Will shrugged, embarrassed, and not wanting to talk about it. His bottom ached as he sat on the floor, playing with his train set.
“What did you do, Will?”
“I drew on the walls?”
“Is that all? Boy, your daddy’s strict!”
“I know. He says I hafta take my punishment like a big boy. And I did.”
“You’re a good boy Will. Better than me.”
“I’m not better than you Matty! We’re the same.”
Matty grinned at Will, always the equalizer and the peacekeeper.
Soon enough, Hannibal called the boys in for lunch and the four of them tucked into hot pumpkin soup, fresh bread and homemade macaroni and cheese.
The boys helped clear the table, and Hannibal brought the bakery box to the table. Will looked at it with tears in his eyes and sighed.
“Maybe…maybe I’ll go through and play with my trains. While you have dessert. Daddy, may I be excused?”
“Just one moment, Will.”
Matty shot Will a reassuring smile, but the tears began to form and threatened to spill onto the table.
Hannibal opened the box and inside was not three, but four delicious looking bakery cupcakes, each with a decorative chocolate disc on which was written each of their names.
Hannibal held out the box to Will.
“You took your punishment well, darling. Here.”
Will’s face lit up, and he looked at his daddy.
“Really? I can have dessert?!”
“There’s one in there with your name on it, isn’t there?”
Will nodded and carefully took out his cupcake, placing it on the plate in front of him.
Hannibal then presented the box to Matty, who took his, then Frederick and then took the last one out for himself.
“Bon appetite everyone. Thank you for bringing dessert, Frederick.”
“Thank you, Uncle Frederick.”
“Thank you daddy.”
“You’re welcome. Although I don’t know if I’d be giving my boy cupcakes if he’d just drawn on my walls. That Ralph Lauren paint is fifty dollars a gallon.”
Will bit into his cupcake. It was moist and rich and delicious. Soon, the boys were finished, with chocolate and frosting covering their mouths.
“You boys may take your plates through, then wash your hands and faces please. Then, I think I remember something saying something about pillow forts earlier?”
Will’s face broke into a massive smile and he launched himself at his daddy, kissing him with his sticky face.
“Oh thank you so much daddy. We will build the best fort ever, won’t we Matty?”
Matthew nodded, looking on at Will and his daddy with a hint of longing.
“C’mon Will, let’s build this fort.”
Will picked up his plate but paused before he left. Leaning down to his daddy, he whispered in his ear.
“I love you daddy. To the moon and back.”