Finding The 4077th

Another Kid

Another smack, and again. "I'm sorry! ” Chris wailed. “Papa! hou op!"

"Don't say I didn't warn you!" Hawkeye snapped. He didn't understand what Chris said, he didn't even know if it was English or Dutch, Chris's crying made it difficult to recognize. But it didn't matter, Hawkeye knew what his kid meant.

"You're going to have plenty of this until you learn your lesson!”

*SMACK!*  *SMACK!*

Chris cried louder as tears streamed down his cheeks. His lip trembled. His bottom throbbed. And just like that, it stopped. It only took a couple of seconds but it felt like hours to the boy.

Hawkeye let the sobbing child go and pulled his underwear and pajama bottom up.

He looked at his crying child and sighed. He hated this, he stroked Christopher's hair and told his son how much he loved him, and that everything was forgiven. Chris curled on his side, and looked at Hawkeye with his big blue eyes. They were red and puffy but his kid still looked adorable like this.

Chris sniffed and his dad kissed his forehead and stroked his hair.

“I'm sorry!" Chris babbled and cried while he rubbed his bottom under the covers.

“Shhh! You're okay." Hawkeye soothed and sat on the edge of the bed. Stroking the child back. “It's alright. You're okay"

"I'm sorry! And it hurts!"

Hawkeye's heart broke at the sad small voice. He loved his kid so much. But also needed to be firm.

“You know better than to get out of bed!" Hawkeye said sternly. “What did I say? Didn't I warn you? "

Chris sniffed and said "Yes, sir " He picked up Wally from under his pillow, Radar's bear seemed to like sleeping there, so Wally liked that too. He burrowed himself under the blankets, face peeking out.

"Then please promise me you won't do it again, understood?"

Chris nodded then looked up at him with teary eyes. “Okay."

Hawkeye then explained to Chris that his behavior was a bit odd and that people didn't like being watched at night. He talked about people's privacy and about respecting that.

Just like when Hawkeye had a date when the door closed they needed privacy. He taught Chris that one on a weekend of R&R.

Hawkeye knew his kid understood adults needed their space sometimes, as he had lived in a brothel for a few months. Hawkeye's suspicion was correct, and Chris understood. Not that the child knew what the adults did but he knew that they did something without kids or other people present. Adults only.

The ladies he spent some time with, did that adult stuff also and made sure he didn't come close, so it must be important.

He pulled a face but stayed in his hotel room as Hawkeye went and had his fun with some woman. And he really stayed in his room. The noises he heard outside the doors of the ladies' place were not fun at all.

Hawkeye never wanted to explain that to a ten-year-old, but locking the doors simply doesn't work and this was the lesser one of two evils.

He hoped Chris stopped his stalkerish ways, he really tried to explain how it made people feel. It made people feel unsafe and Chris knows that feeling well.

Chris's face was blushed from underneath the covers, only his face was visible.

He felt so stupid. Why couldn't he be normal, he just needed to check on people, but he never wanted them to feel bad. He sniffled.