ONE: Vanilla on My Hands

37: I've Never Known That One's Blush Could Match Their Knees

Frank woke up begrudgingly, hidden under the folds of bedding, he really didn't want to wake up. He felt blissfully content, sliding one hand under the pillow to pull it closer to himself, grumbling when he felt his shoulder being shaken. Someone was clearly trying to rouse him from his slumber and he had to admit after last night, it was the best night's sleep he had in a long time. Frank muttered something into the pillow, wishing to go back to sleep and have a few more minutes.

Frank shifted under the comforter, feeling sore; the kind of sore after a good workout or a long run- Or the best sex of his life. It didn't feel as bad as the first time but he definitely knew that he could get used to the sore and satisfied feeling.

"Frank," He heard nearby; the voice that was so soothing, but there was an edge to it. The voice of authority. Frank knew exactly who was trying to wake him up from the moment that he spoke. He opened one eye to look over to the source of the voice had come from and saw Gerard with definite bed hair- Sex hair? He looked too awake for whatever time it was, but Frank knew he could definitely get used to waking up to that face every day. Gerard leaned over, "You need to wake up, boy."

"M'awake," Frank spoke thickly, rubbing his hand over one eye, trying to shake the curtain of sleep that was wrapped around him. He propped himself up on his elbows, stretching out before he looked at Gerard, taking note of the fact he was currently dressed in pajama pants and a worn-out looking t-shirt. He definitely wasn't wearing anything in bed last night before Frank fell asleep after their second time having sex after dinner, so clearly he had gotten up and dressed before waking him. Frank tilted his head, "What time is it?"

"Time you got up," Gerard told him as he got up from where he had sat on the side of the bed. Frank honestly had no idea what the time was but there was sunlight coming through the cracks in the curtains. It could have been seven or it could have been ten and Frank had no idea as he sat up, stretching his arms out above his head, his body slowly starting to wake up, "You need to get dressed and meet me downstairs in the kitchen. Five minutes, boy. Don't keep me waiting. We have a lot to go through this morning."

"Do we?" Frank frowned. In his mind, all he had left to do was the rest of his contract.

"I need to discuss some of the rituals with you," Gerard answered as he walked towards the door. He looked back at Frank over his shoulder, "Please don't keep me waiting."

"Okay, sir," Frank nodded, watching Gerard disappear out of the bedroom. For a second he just sat there with the duvet bunched around his waist, still coming to terms with the fact that he was back in this bedroom- His bedroom. It was all still so new and overwhelming; it was a lot to take in. All Frank knew was that he had five minutes to get up, get dressed, and meet Gerard in the kitchen. Frank threw the blanket off himself and swung his legs off the bed. He stood up and stretched again, feeling the in his body now that he was upright. He padded over to his closet and grabbed some underwear, a smile playing on his face as he threw them on, the memory of last night playing through his mind vividly. He couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he grabbed a t-shirt and threw it on quickly.

It wasn't until he was out in the hallway, heading toward the stairs to find Gerard, that he realized he needed to pee. The urge to urinate took over his need to go downstairs straight away but Frank didn't want to have to go back into his room. That seemed far too time-consuming when he had probably used up most of the five minutes. Frank wondered if it would just have been easier to go downstairs and ask to excuse himself before they got any work done, but he couldn't wait that long. He looked down the hall and saw that Lindsey's bedroom door was open. She must have been out, probably running like she had done the first morning he had spent with Gerard. Frank could see her bathroom and it seemed like the best option if she was out already. Frank scurried down the hall and ducked into her room, trying his best not to be nosy while he went into the en-suite bathroom, finally relieving himself.

Frank couldn't ignore how sore he felt while he stood there, not really thinking about anything else. The sore sensation creeping up his back and towards his shoulder blades- it was unusual and not what he had expected. He reached around, pushing his shirt up and out of the way, rubbing the small of his back, hoping to alleviate some of the tender pulls as he massaged. He wondered if it had been the new position he had been in last night. Had that really been the cause of this soreness? Frank thought it was the reason until he swore he felt something on his back that made the ache suddenly sting. He finished, muttering 'what the fuck' to himself while he flushed the toilet, and walked over to the sink. It felt like a cut, but Frank had no recollection of cutting himself or doing anything that meant he would have injured himself.

He twisted and lifted his shirt up before he gasped; all across his back were red welts ranging from small pale-looking grazes to long angry-red lines that disappeared up under his scrunched shirt. He stared at the cuts that littered his back and down his back, his eyebrows raised when he saw faint dotted spots where the skin had been broken. He lifted his shirt as high as he could, bunching it up around his neck, and saw more red scores across his shoulder blades. He was unable to look away from his own reflection in the mirror and unable to think of anything other than how they had gotten there. He remembered more of last night and not just their first time in the closet but their followed dalliance before Frank had passed out in bed; how Gerard had practically pared his skin with his nails across Frank's back during sex. In the heat of the moment, it had felt phenomenal and Frank hadn't even thought about the fact that Gerard was scratching him and marking him, leaving cuts that littered his back. The pain mixed with the pleasure had driven Frank crazy; something he hadn't felt for such a long time when it came to sex.

Frank tried to reach around, running his fingers over one of the longer welts on his back. It stung to touch and he hissed at the slight pain that radiated from the area. He couldn't help the smile that was playing on the corner of his lips at the thought of being marked by his Master. It definitely had an effect on him and made his stomach twist and knot up at the sight. He had gotten a little lost in his own head while he had been admiring what Gerard had done to him. He hadn't noticed that he was no longer alone until the bathroom door opened fully and Lindsey walked in, letting out a loud shriek when she realized that someone was in there. Frank yelped and spun around, pulling his shirt down swiftly as he backed right up against the sink. His heart hammered in his chest at the fright of Lindsey walking in so quietly. She was definitely back from her run; still dressed in all of her running gear with her hair scraped back into a haphazard bun. She stood there, one hand on her chest while the other one clung onto the door frame, looking at Frank like she had just seen a ghost.

"What are you doing in my fucking bathroom?" Lindsey hissed angrily, eyeing Frank as she caught her breath.

"I-I-I-" Frank stammered, "I g-got lazy. I needed a pee... I thought you were out-"

"So you used my bathroom?" She choked out, her voice colored with shock and disgust at Frank's audacity. She did appear much calmer now, but still highly displeased, "What the fuck is wrong with yours?"

"Nothing, nothing," Frank backtracked fast, hoping that Lindsey wasn't going to be angry with him for too long, "I'm so sorry. I didn't think- I just did-"

"Relax," Lindsey waved a hand, sighing as she pushed a flyaway hair out of her face. She scowled slightly at him as she put her hands on her hips, "I'm not Gerard so I'm not going to scold you. If you'd have used his bathroom then I know he would be furious... Just- Next time, please, dear God, use your own bathroom."

"Okay," Frank nodded, holding onto the bathroom sink as he ducked his head down, "I'm sorry, Lindsey. I promise- I swear, it won't happen again."

Frank went to leave, he knew that he was running late to meet Gerard downstairs. God knows how he was going to explain this to him. At least Frank had a reason for running late. Lindsey stopped him with a hand on his shoulder, smirking at him smugly, "So, I take it, my advice helped?"