Board of Education - By Rusty

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Story/Summary:  This is a punishment!fic. It disguises itself as purported BDSM, but there is no BDSM scene and no overt exchange of contracts or giving permission by the bottom. Nothing is explained. We're just given a punishment scene and it's just abuse, nothing more, without the background to back it up. Of course, Daniel's childlike reactions are another hint that this is nothing but abuse. If he truly wanted to be beaten, he wouldn't blubber--well, unless he knew his Dom would like it. In this, Jack's not a Dom, he's an abuser who's getting off on Daniel's suffering. In some ways, that makes him a sociopath.

Rusty lets us know right away what kind of fic this is--although I don't think that's his intention. He starts with the oft-used stereotypical anger display as Jack accuses Daniel for everything that has gone wrong that day/week/month/year as his justification for beating the crap out of him.

But that's not all. The story starts with the reader finding out that Daniel hates Friday nights. Why? Because Jack keeps a record of all of Daniel's fuck-ups and on Friday, he administers punishment. Let me point out that if this were a S/M or D/S scene, Daniel would be looking forward to this, not dreading it.

He sighed as Colonel Jack O'Neill tossed the small notebook on the kitchen table.

"Well, let's see what we've got ... looks like a real banner week, Danny ... late for mission launch, late for briefing, late with reports ... and that "safe" artifact that turned us all purple ... cute, real cute."

"Jack ..."

"Yep, a real banner week. Guess you're gonna be eating standing up for the WHOLE weekend."

"Jack, please ..."

"Danny, what was our agreement?"

"Uh, if I screwed up, you were gonna ... spank me."

"Uh huh ... but it doesn't seem to be making much of an impression. Think we're gonna have to up the ante. Danny, I don't like this any more than you do...

Jack goes on to tell Daniel that his mistakes could cost lives and he can't stop to think, he has to *obey* him no matter what. After Daniel goes upstairs to dress down to his "jockey shorts" Jack proceeds to do an internal "woe is me, I hate doing this to him" self-pity parade. Which is horseshit. Who's buying it? Not me.

Jack proceeds to the garage where he gets the "freshly freshly-cut bundles of switches" then goes upstairs and hugs Daniel from behind, telling him how much he loves him. Yes, the favorite beginning and ending of an abuser. BDSM partners don't *need* to soften the blow--but then, this doesn't resemble BDSM in any way.

Like any sadistic pig, Jack appears to "compromise" for "spanking," letting Daniel keep his shorts on for the paddle, but they have to come off for the harsher, meaner switches--the items that *will* cause damage. Daniel stutters his answers to Jack's questions with stereotypical predictability, and balks at the number Jack gives him.

"Let's see ... fifty with the paddle, thirty with the switches ... that's tonight; forty with the paddle, and twenty with the switches Saturday night ..."

"Oh GOD!"

"Sorry. Gotta be done."

Jack actually asks Daniel how he wants the paddle, then orders him to get the item for the impending abuse. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Jack sat on the bed and...

gently drew the trembling young linguist across his lap. Jack stroked his hair and said quietly,

"Danny, PLEASE for fuck's sake get your act together ... I HATE doing this ... I really do. For fun is one thing, but having to punish you ... Jesus! I hate it!"

"I'm sorry, Jack ... I know you do. I'll try harder ... I promise."

"OK, let's get this over with. Slow or fast?"

"F-f-fast?"

Jack handed him a folded washrag.

"Bite on this."

So Jack is both scolding Daniel for not wanting this while at the same time acting as if it's Daniel's idea to get this abuse. Daniel's sobbing at the end of it and magnanimous Jack holds him till he's cried himself out. *Then* he gives Daniel a choice: prolong the suffering and wait till after dinner, or get the switches over and done with. Daniel "chooses" now, of course. And because it's "gonna hurt really bad" Jack ties him down. Underwear removed and washrag in his mouth, Jack takes the "bundle" of switches--not one of them, all of them--and takes a few practice swipes on Daniel's ass before he proceeds to make Daniel scream and cry. Throughout, Jack doesn't give a shit, of course, despite how often he says he's sorry.

Saturday comes and Jack waits till just before dinner to administer the rest of the punishment. Daniel is filled with dread and hates Jack for making it hurt so much. Right before punishment time, Jack unbelievably says,

"I'll gonna take a shower ... then let's get it over with so we can enjoy the evening."

Daniel's not ready--who would be?--and while Jack's taking his shower, he throws himself on his bed, almost like a pouting child. When Jack's finished pampering himself, Daniel tells him he can't take the rest of the punishment. Jack brings out the emotional blackmail, acting as his savior instead of his torturer.

"Danny, Hammond wanted to suspend you without pay. I told him I'd take care of disciplining you instead."

And because Daniel's actually had the nerve to say *no* Jack punishes him for it, telling him that all of it will be with Daniel's shorts off. Not only that, but because Daniel wasn't *ready* for the punishment when Jack came out of the shower, he's going to get it all at once. What's Daniel's reaction? He caves to inevitable because he's an abused boy who's afraid of Jack. The tied-down punishment and Daniel's reactions are the same except that Jack can't finish his punishment:

Jack swiftly released him and carried him into the bathroom. Turning the water to 'cold', he played the hand-held shower nozzle over Daniel's abused ass-cheeks. Finally Daniel calmed down, turned, put his arms around Jack, and laid his head on the older man's chest.

"Thank you."

"Thank you" for stopping the punishment, I'm assuming, though with this Daniel, there's no telling. I have to mention that *cold* water is not a good idea under any circumstances. This isn't a burn we're talking about. So, moving on. And what happens next makes no sense whatsoever. Jack takes his "miserable young linguist" to bed and says,

"Danny, Danny, Danny ... what am I going to do with you? I can't finish this... I love you too much. But if I don't, and something happens to you, I'll never forgive myself. Damn it, Danny, what am I supposed to do?"

So, Jack's punishment is to somehow keep Daniel from getting himself killed? Yeah right. Daniel even agrees, claiming "I'm just a fuck-up." Except that Jack mysteriously tells him he isn't. Again, how magnanimous of him. Then he says,

"but I can't protect you if you don't try to protect yourself, Danny."

Excuse me? What does beating him have to do with protecting him? This is another oft-used phrase from an abuser, who uses it as if it's supposed to make sense, but it never did, never will. Amazingly--and what makes me sick--is that like any abused person, Daniel gets off the bed and retrieves the paddle so Jack can feel better, poor baby. But... wonder of wonders... Jack makes like the good guy, reversing roles so Daniel can feel even more worse.

"Finish it, Jack. For me."

"No."

"No?"

"No. From now on, whenever you fuck up, I'm gonna take the hits for you. I should have from the beginning ... if I can't train you without beating you senseless, then it's MY fault, not yours. And you're gonna give 'em to me, starting tonight. Fair's fair."

First -- who is going to beat Jack's ass? Hammond?

Second -- Daniel does what Jack tells him to do but since he's a wuss and can't hit hard like Jack, this doesn't have the same result. He uses the paddle, not the switches, and Jack's standing up, not tied to the bed. Jack also takes the hits "stoically," not crying and screaming like Daniel was. Afterward, Baby!Daniel's on his knees, kissing Jack's "abused flesh and wrapping his arms around Jack's legs," begging for forgiveness. Give me a break.

"What for? I TOLD you to do it. Get up, Danny ... let's go take a nice long shower, and then make love to each other, OK?"

Daniel nodded and hugged him tightly.

"God, I hated doing that!"

"I didn't exactly enjoy it, you know. Just try not to fuck up this week ... my ass is gonna be sore for at LEAST that long."

So... what about Daniel's ass? Oh, Jack doesn't give a shit. It's all about him and what he wants. And he shows how much by the following wannabe Dom attitude,

"NOW, Dr. Jackson, not ten minutes from now!"

"Yes, SIR, Colonel, sir, coming, sir!"

What's he talking about? Well, the shower, of course, although I had to go back and read that part again so I know what the hell Jack's hollering about. What I'm wondering about right about now is just exactly how are they supposed to have sex when Daniel can't even sit/lay down comfortably? How the hell is he supposed to feel good about Jack ramming away at his very sore ass as he's getting fucked?

Never mind. It's immaterial because we find out the aim of this little drama, as Jack chuckles to himself and thinks,

Guess it finally worked, huh, Danny?

No, it didn't. It only gave Daniel a false sense of security and amped up his sense of worthlessness. Good job, Jack. And good job to the writer for making me hate his piece of... fiction.