Artist/Author: rosesofred
Title: Battle Brat
Fandom: Alita Battle Angel
Summary: Ido kind of adopts Alita and they agree there has to be a discipline system in the house since Alita has no idea how to human. Ido teaches her how to be a safe, responsible human-cyborg, complete with drinking tea, fluff, and plenty of uncomfortable conversations.
Notes & Warnings: spanking
It started out with Alita coming home late one night after Ido had made it clear he didn't want her out past dark. "What's the big deal?" She'd argued.
He'd given her a firm look and lecture that she seemed to ignore, but he was happy to see her home and safe so he let it slide. Unfortunately, her disregard for her own safety became very clear when she'd followed him out tonight and they found themselves caught in a dangerous fight with homicidal cyborgs. If he hadn't been so focused on fighting for his life and hers, he would have put her over his knee right then and there, he was so furious with her. She'd fought like a warrior, like nothing he'd ever seen, but regardless of her fighting capabilities, she'd still put herself in danger by disobeying him.
Their walk back was silent, neither wanting to say anything until they were back in the safety of the good doctor's home. Ido felt his jaw tensing every time he thought of that moment when he'd seen her beside him, the fear he'd felt at thinking she was going to die at the hands of those cyborgs. "Sit down Alita." His command was short and sharp but he tried to keep his voice from sounding too angry.
Alita shot him a wary look but complied, sliding herself quietly up onto the exam table in the clinic. "You seem angry."
"Of course I'm-" Ido turned away and closed his eyes, his temper flaring a bit. He needed to keep a level head if he was going to deal with this but the fact that she seemed completely unaware of her action's consequences made the father in him furious. He just wanted to protect her, keep her away from the outside world that would tear her apart and sell the pieces for money, but he couldn't do that if he lost his temper and did or said something he'd regret. He turned back to her, his tone softer. "Alita, you must be more careful."
“Why? Didn't you see me fight? I was strong enough to take them."
"That's not the point. What if you hadn't been stronger than those cyborgs? They would have killed you."
"But they didn't!" Alita's voice went up slightly, frustration clear in the way she scrunched her face at him. What was his problem? He was acting like she was some helpless human kid, completely incapable of caring for herself.
Ido gave a heavy sigh and ran his hand over his face. "Are you hurt anywhere? Any cracks or breaks?" He looked over her briefly, examining her closely for any signs of breakage.
"Nothing hurts, I'm just tired."
Seeing nothing that needed tending to besides a few chips here and there on her body, Ido decided to wrap up the brief exam. "Why don't you go upstairs and get ready for bed. I'll be up shortly so we can have a talk."
Alita slid off the table, her steps a little heavier than normal as she marched upstairs. It made her mad that Ido was acting like she couldn't fight. So what if she hadn't known she could fight before she ran after him? He wasn't her father, he didn't have any control over her. If she wanted to go out at night she had every right to!
When she got to her room, Alita slammed the door with a little more force than she meant to but felt satisfied regardless. She looked around for something to punch or tear up but couldn't find anything so instead ran up to the wall and gave it a kick. "Oh, shit." Alita let her head drop back and groaned, hating her own power. Of course her kicking the wall would leave a hole in it, she was a cyborg not a human.
Downstairs, Ido couldn't help but feel concerned at hearing a loud thud followed by a muffled groan. He was sure his young charge was probably throwing a small temper tantrum at having been scolded, as his own daughter had done so on numerous occasions. He found it was best to let young ones unleash their pent up anger, let them shout a bit, and only step in if it escalated or they began breaking things. He didn't hear much else as he changed out of his hunter clothes and into more comfortable attire, so he took the time to clean up a bit and make some tea.
After a good half an hour had passed since they got home, Ido made his way upstairs with two cups of tea, knocking gently on Alita's door with his knuckle. "What?" she shouted from the other side.
"Can you open the door?" He waited patiently as she took her time moving off the bed and getting to the door, finally opening it and standing in the doorway. "I brought you some tea, it will help."
She stared at him for a long moment before taking the mug he offered, stepping aside to let him in. As he walked in he got a sense of deja vu, having had very similar discussions with his own daughter before in this very room. He took a seat on the wooden chair on the side of her room blowing gently on the mug in his hand.
"Make sure to blow on it before you drink, it's very hot."
Alita rolled her eyes but blew on it for a second, taking a sip quickly after and making a pained face when it burned her tongue. "It's hot!"
"You should listen to me more often, it would save you a lot of a pain you know."
Alita slammed her mug down on the dresser beside her and folded her arms in front of her. "What did you want to talk about?"
Ido felt his mouth pull momentarily and gave a small sigh. He had to discuss this with her or she could end up in pieces out on a street corner and it was his responsibility to keep her safe. He had accepted that responsibility when he'd decided to take her in and there was no use denying his duty now if he wanted to keep her alive. "We must discuss your reckless behavior tonight."
"It wasn't reckless! I was just defending myself, and you!"
"Yes but you wouldn't have had to defend yourself if you'd listened to me in the first place and stayed inside."
"You're not my father, I don't have to listen to you," she mumbled.
"What did you say?" Ido set his mug down on the small table beside him.
"I said you're not my father. I don't see why I should have to listen to you."
"You're right, I am not your father and you're not my daughter. But I care for you Alita, I want to see you safe and in all one piece."
"I can defend myself, I don't need you to care about me Ido." Alita started pacing back and forth, her nerves shot from the recent battle and late hour.
"I feel it is my responsibility, seeing as I took you in. I need you to listen to me if you are to stay here, Alita." This was it, this was the point he needed to make. If she accepted, he could have order in his house and maybe keep Alita safe and healthy, but if she refused he could risk losing her. He wanted her to accept his proposal, because if she didn't he would have no choice but to let her leave and risk her life out in the iron city. He really hoped she would see how much he cared about her and realize he was only doing any of this for her. Not because he wanted to, he never wanted to, but because he had to. No parent ever wants to punish their child or charge, but eventually they must if they want to keep their loved one alive and well.
"What, so you're saying that I have to do what you say or I’m out?"
"Not exactly, no. But if you find what I'm about to offer too uncomfortable, something you don't think you want, you are free to leave."
"So what, then? What is it?" Alita stopped pacing and faced him now, closer than she was before.
Ido sat up, placing his hands on his knees. "If you want to stay here with me, there will be rules. I understand that sometimes circumstances prevent rules from being followed, but if you intentionally break any , there will be consequences."
"Like what?"
Ido cleared his throat, surprised and relieved that she would at least hear more about this before immediately rejecting it. "Well, for tonight I would ground you."
"Ground me? What is that?" Her face changed to one of puzzlement and she sat down on the bed, facing him.
"It would mean you can't leave the house for a while, or that you'll have things taken away until the grounding is over."
"How long does a grounding last?"
Ido actually had to think about it now that it was really happening. With his daughter he would usually ground her for a week if it wasn't a very serious punishment. What Alita had done was incredibly dangerous and outright defiant, but it was also obviously her first time ever being punished, so he would have to go easy on her. "Let's say three days for this particular offense."
"And after three days?"
"After three days, your grounding is lifted, you are forgiven and we move on."
Alita couldn't wrap her head around the idea of being punished and forgiven. Was that common, to just be forgiven after paying some sort of penance? It felt almost like a weird type of currency to her, like you pay a certain amount to receive forgiveness and therefore relief of guilt. Except she didn't feel guilty about tonight, and she remembered that she was suppose to mad right now. "Forgiven for what? I haven't done anything wrong." She crossed her arms again and scowled.
The doctor sighed, seeing the defiance return to her soft features. Punishing a cyborg with no memory or history of discipline would be a challenge in itself, but convincing one that letting him care for her was the best option would be the true test. "You may not see it that way at the time, but that's part of what punishment is for. Building character, teaching lessons."
There was a long silence between them before the cyborg laid back on her bed with a grunt. "So if I want to stay here, I have to agree to this?"
"I'm afraid so, yes."
Alita sat up again and fixed him with a look. "IF I agree, I have my own condition."
"Of course."
"I get chocolate for dinner from now on."
Ido chuckled a bit and picked up his tea again. "How about I give you chocolate as a reward? For when you've been good."
"When I've been good? Like for not breaking a rule?"
"For doing as you're told."
Alita scoffed but actually considered it. "And I'd get to stay here, and you'd give me food and clothes and chocolate?"
"Absolutely. I'll care for you like my own." Ido felt a tinge of happiness in seeing her genuine interest. Maybe this really would work between the two of them, him the cyberphysician, her the reckless cyborg. "Although I should explain the other punishments."
"There's more?" she looked surprised at the idea of having more consequences than just being grounded.
"Depending on the severity of the offense, yes. I may never have to use any of these, but you deserve to know they’re a possibility."
"So what are they?" she leaned forward and moved around so her elbows were on her knees, her head in her hands.
"Let's see. Grounding of course, perhaps some extra chores around the house like cleaning. I might have you work in the clinic with me or run errands. Then there's time outs, mouth soaping... I might have you write lines or give you an early bed time. Then lastly there's, well, spanking." He looked uncomfortable as he said the last one, but only because he hated doing it. If Ido could go his whole life without having to spank someone he loved, he would. But if it meant keeping them out of danger, he certainly would without hesitation.
"Wow, that's a lot to take in. Is mouth soaping as awful as it sounds?" Ido nodded sympathetically. "And line writing? That's just writing a lot of lines?"
"To get the message across, yes, I'll have you write a certain line over again until the message sticks."
“And what’s a time out?”
“A time out is when I tell you to stand or sit somewhere, usually to give you time to think about what you’ve done.”
"So what happens if I don’t?"
"Well, that would warrant a punishment, though it would be rather small considering. I'd probably just scold you."
"Scold?"
"I'd lecture you."
"Oh so like you are now?"
Ido gave her a tight smile. "I suppose."
"What's spanking?" Alita readjusted again, getting up this time to get her tea and come back to sit on the edge of the bed.
The doctor froze momentarily, realizing that she had probably never been spanked before in her life. How would he explain this to her? He crossed his legs and cleared his throat, taking a sip of the tea again. "I would only use that for serious offenses, ones where you are in serious danger, or possibly if you repeatedly break rules. But spanking is very harsh, and... physical. Normally, if I were to punish you that way, I'd have you lie over my lap and then I'd-" Ido looked over to see Alita's eyes bulging out, a look he couldn't quite recognize on her face. "Well I'd smack your backside until you were repentant."
There was a long pause before Alita finally spoke. "What? I'm not doing that!" She got up on her feet and stood there, staring at him like he was crazy.
"I'm not particularly keen on it myself."
"Then don't do it!" she spilled some tea as she moved her arms but she couldn't care less right now.
"Don't give me a reason to." He set his jaw, determined to stay resolute.
"I'm not agreeing to that, it's ridiculous." Her face changed into one of a stubborn child, a look Ido was all too familiar with.
"I'm sorry you don't like it but it's part of the deal Alita. I would very much like it if you stayed here with me, where I can keep you safe. But if you really can't consent to these terms, you are free to leave." He really hoped she wouldn't, but he held his ground regardless.
She paced back and forth for a few silent minutes, her brow furrowed and mouth held tight in thought. She slammed her mug down on the dresser again, turning to face Ido once more, hands on her hips. "Fine."
"You agree to this? To follow the rules and accept the consequences?" Ido put his mug aside too, having finished the last of the tea.
Looking him in the eyes, Alita took a deep breath before mumbling a somewhat reluctant, "Yes."
Ido got up from his seat and took a few short steps towards her, scooping her into a hug. "It will be ok, Alita." She visibly relaxed in his embrace, slowly raising her arms to return the gesture. "You should get some rest now, it's very late."
Alita rolled her eyes and smiled, happy to finally have that whole awful conversation behind them. "Fine, I'll go to bed. Goodnight, Ido."
Ido kissed the top of her forehead and gave her a warm smile. "I could tuck you in if you'd like." She looked at him confusedly. "Come on, I'll show you." He had her get on the bed and crawl under the sheets, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her. Taking the top of the blanket, he laid it just below her neck, tucking it in around her. "Good night my angel." He put a warm hand on her shoulder before giving her one last forehead kiss, smiling at her warmly. He felt so happy inside to know she was safe, warm, and neatly tucked into bed. She was his to care for now and he would not let her down.
Alita smiled back at him, mumbling a sleepy “Goodnight.” He felt like a father again, like a proud father in fact. Even if he was angry with her for disobeying him, he was very impressed with her amazing fighting skill. He was proud to say the least. But she didn't need to know that, not while she was in trouble for being reckless. He stood up and gathered the empty mugs, turning out the light as he went and shutting the door gently behind him. He smiled to himself all the way down to the kitchen until he remembered that tomorrow was Alita's first day of being grounded and that he would have to enforce it.
Chapter 2