Seven months later

Frank stood in their kitchen, staring aimlessly at the view outside of the window as he sipped on his coffee. He had been living in his new house for a month now and it still felt surreal. Granted, he had been living in California for almost four months, jumping from hotel to hotel, short-term house rentals were their norm until the beginning of November. It was now almost December, and he still had yet to grow accustomed to the change.

He still remembered the entire process, watching the house come to life, the entire structure of one house being subsequently cut down the middle for the two couples, each having their own side with their own space and a shared backyard. It worked, everyone was close enough, but never in each other's space.

He blinked in surprise when the front door opened, smiling when he saw Ty and Josh walk in for breakfast as they always did on a Saturday morning. He poured Josh some coffee and made Ty his green tea, waiting patiently for Gerard to come downstairs. Josh smiled, sliding Frank the small stack of mail that had been delivered, and lay his sleepy head on Ty's shoulder.

He was so glad that things had begun so easily here, no one had to rush to a new job and fret about work hours. Ty had quit his job with the carnival and was now pursuing his leather and wood business full-time, Frank had yet to figure out what he wanted to do, Gerard hadn't set a foot anywhere near politics since they left Jersey but, instead, had started his own business as a consultant in legislation with Josh as his assistant.

Frank began making breakfast, cooking some bacon and eggs for the other two whilst he and Gerard, who had recently become vegetarian for Frank, would be having their omelets. He stifled a yawn behind his hand, smiling when he heard his Master descending the stairs.

"Morning."

"Hi, sir." Josh greeted brightly, followed by a grumpy huff from his daddy, who still hadn't come up from the bottom of his tea mug.

Gerard walked into the kitchen and gave Frank a gentle kiss, smiling down at him, "Good morning to you, too, busy boy."

"Hi, papa."

Gerard hummed and kissed the shell of Frank's ear before he slid into his seat at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper. Frank slid him a cup of coffee and turned to flip the bacon, slipping across the kitchen to begin the toast.

"You have a letter here, pixie." Ty offered as he also muffled a yawn, going through the stack of mail as his own invasive way of keeping himself occupied.

Frank turned, frowning, "Me?"

"Uh-huh." Josh leaned in to look, "That's your name right there."

He took the letter that Ty was halfway through opening, and pulled the letter out, his frown deepening with immense confusion. Gerard looked up at him, "What does it say?"

Frank cleared his throat, his hands shaking, "Dear Mr. Way, on behalf of California Culinary Academy, I am pleased to congratulate you on our acceptance of your partner, Frank Iero, into our program. As you know, C.C.A is the most exclusive program in the area and we have accepted only the finest applicants since our founding in 1977. We were very impressed with Frank's skills and abilities as you have stated, and gladly chose him from our pool of applicants to enroll in our program. In order to ensure Frank's official enrollment into our program, please fill out and return the enclosed forms no later than January. Receiving the necessary information as soon as possible will help us facilitate his enrollment. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Our telephone number and email address are located at the bottom. We look forward to hearing from you both. We are delighted to accept Frank into our program and feel confident that he will make a great addition. We trust that your whole family will be pleased with the curriculum providing a safe place for Frank to learn and adapt his culinary skills. Thank you for choosing to apply to our program. Yours sincerely, Ashley Kemp."

Frank looked up from the letter, staring at Gerard with wide eyes as Josh and Ty both grinned smugly, clearly in on the plan. Gerard just looked up at Frank with the most innocent expression, "I wonder where that came from."

Frank let out a shriek, tackling Gerard in a hug that almost threw him from his seat, making everyone else laugh. He showered Gerard's face with kisses, grinning and crying at the same time, so overwhelmed with sudden emotions that he hadn't expected at seven in the morning.

Gerard patted his back gently and smiled, "Congrats, my prince. You deserve to follow your dream, too."

Frank clung to him, wiping his face. He turned to look at Josh and Ty, "Is this why you guys were randomly making me cook for you last month?"

"It started out that way," Ty shrugged, "We needed a portfolio of your skills. But then we just ended up enjoying your food. You only needed four dishes to apply."

"You made me cook for a whole week!" Frank huffed and Josh hid his face in Ty's neck, stifling his own guilty giggles.

Ty smiled at him, "What can I say, pixie, you make wonderful food. Neither of us can cook for shit."

Frank was too happy to be mad at them, not that he would in the first place, he loved cooking for his family. He turned to give Gerard another kiss before he yelped and shot up, running to rescue the bacon that was still sizzling away.

He managed to finish breakfast unscathed and give everyone their food, remembering exactly how they liked it. Gerard always liked his omelet with a sharper cheese with some bell peppers and a slice of wholewheat toast on the side, Josh liked scrambled eggs and white toast and his bacon shredded on top, Ty liked his eggs in the fridge and as far away as possible, where he would eat just bacon and tea for breakfast despite Josh trying his best to make Ty eat something substantial. It was a fight they had every weekend, and every weekend Ty would insist that he didn't like eggs, it was the texture. And Frank ate whatever was easiest, just happy to be there.

They all sat and ate breakfast and discussed their plan for the day: Ty and Josh had planned to go out and find Christmas trees for both sides of the house, one for each polycule, and then get lunch. Frank looked at Gerard for any sort of guidance about their day, so used to when Gerard was incredibly busy, but his Master just shrugged lightly. He had no plans on the weekend as always, and Frank grinned happily. He turned to look at Josh, "I'm gonna bake us all some cookies, I think. Start the festive season a day early."

Josh grinned, "Good. You can't bake them tomorrow anyway, you have plans."

"I do?"

Ty rolled his eyes, "It's my birthday tomorrow and he is adamant that we celebrate it."

Josh pouted, "You're just grumpy because you think you're getting old."

"When you find a grey hair in your pubes, then we'll talk," Ty muttered as he chewed sullenly on a strip of bacon.

Josh just grinned and leaned in close, "Well, I happen to find older men very sexy, so checkmate, you geriatric."

Ty threw him a scowl but there was a smile playing at his lips. He brushed his knuckles over Josh's cheek, whispering something delicate in French that had Josh melt in his chair. Frank giggled and looked at Gerard, "Do I dare ask what he said?"

"Not while you're eating." Gerard replied as he cut into his toast and took a bite, "Or while I'm eating, mind you."

Frank smiled and eyed Josh, getting a sheepish smile in return. He got up, clearing their plates before he gave everyone a kiss, and went to shower. He climbed the stairs, smiling to himself.

He followed the same rituals as he did back in Jersey, except now, Gerard worked from home and they didn't need to get up as early anymore, and Frank was so grateful. He took his shower, knowing that he had yoga later this evening with Ty and Josh as his daily exercise, and he also got to watch them practice Jiu-Jitsu which was always a horny and sweaty foreplay for the two of them. Frank was just horny enough to observe, but too little to get involved. Josh had already opened Ty's eyebrow scar twice already, and as hot as it looked, it made Frank's balls want to jump back into his body.

He finished his cleaning routine and got dressed, pulling on a tight little turtleneck that he had cropped himself, and a pair of flared pants in a pretty teal color, tucking his hair behind his ears and adjusting his collar.

He hopped down the stairs and saw that Gerard was now alone, reading his newspaper at the table. He smiled brightly and leaned down to look at him, "Hi there."

"Don't you look pretty today." Gerard smiled and gave him a kiss, "I see you've taken the opposite route that you did at the beginning of the year in regard to your trousers."

Frank looked down, "You don't like bellbottoms, sir? I thought you would, they're very 70s, I think. Weren't you about twenty back then?" He grinned and Gerard looked up at him with genuine surprise, quickly covering it and looking at his newspaper, not giving Frank the satisfaction of a retort. Frank pouted, "Aw, come on, sir. I was just kidding."

"Oh, really?"

"Of course," Frank smiled, "Everyone knows you were twenty in the 60s." Gerard eyed him from atop the newspaper, his eyes hardening into a gaze that wiped Frank's smile almost entirely. He swallowed and looked down, playing with his fingers, "Sorry, sir."

"I appreciate that you get more and more comfortable with me every day, and I love that you are finding yourself again after that toxic relationship, but you will do well to remember where we draw the line, understand?"

"You're not mad at me for making fun of you?"

"Why would I do something like that, my prince?" Gerard set his newspaper on the table, "Is that what he used to do?"

"He didn't really like my sense of humor in any capacity, so I guess at some point I just shut it off." Frank shrugged, "But I'm sorry I didn't remember the line."

"It's perfectly okay, you were having fun at my expense, and I wouldn't want it any other way. Just be self-aware of when to stop next time." Gerard looked at him, "Besides, you got your facts incorrect."

"I did?"

"Very much so. I was twenty around the same time as Mary Magdalene. We used to drink together." He shrugged and picked up his newspaper again as Frank let out a raucous cackle. He smiled simply, sipping the last of his coffee, and looked at his giggling submissive, "I could have made a rather ill attempt at trying to insult you right back, but I don't think I could."

"Why not? I won't be upset, sir."

Gerard smiled, "I haven't found anything on which I could laugh."

Frank immediately went pink, "I- Oh, I... I mean... I- Well, you..."

Gerard got up to put his mug in the dishwasher and gave Frank's flustered face a kiss, "You start on those cookies, I'll be right back." He walked to the stairs and turned to look at Frank over his shoulder, "Besides, sometimes I take pity on you, boy."

Frank looked up, "What, why?"

"Being the same height, shoe, and clothing size for the rest of your life as you were in the sixth grade must weigh heavily on you." He said before ascending the stairs, leaving Frank grinning.

He smiled as he opened his recipe book, scrolling on his tablet for a cookie recipe that would suffice for them all and could be turned into a separate diabetic batch as well. He settled on some chocolate crinkle cookies and began hunting for his ingredients and tools. He set everything on the island counter and began measuring, smiling when he saw Gerard returning, a little folder under his arm.

He began pouring all of his dry ingredients into a bowl as Gerard perched himself on one of the chairs to face his submissive. Frank began sifting flour, "Whatchu got there, sir?"

Gerard looked at it, "Our contract, my boy."

Frank frowned and looked at him worriedly, "What, why?"

"Well, when we started, we agreed that after a year, we would revisit it to see if we needed to make any amendments or things to add, and renew it if we wanted to do so." He set the lengthy contract on the table and Frank was immediately hit with a strong wave of nostalgia, looking at the ginger tea ring on the front and remembering all the highlighting he did within the pages.

He smiled and added the measure of cocoa to the bowl, "Oh, sure. Of course. Why don't you go first, sir? I wouldn't know where to start."

Gerard opened the contract to examine it, "Where do you stand on your hard limits?"

"Blindfolds isn't so bad now, I still have an 'orange' on tickling, and y'know, sharing is okay with just Josh." Frank eyed him hard. He may have been accepting but he had a limit, and the limit began and ended with a pink-haired pup.

Gerard took out his pen and added the amendment, smiling as he did so, and looked at his submissive again, "Are you still happy with your safe signals?"

"Yes, sir."

"Excellent." Gerard looked at the contract, thinking to himself, "Frank?"

"Hmm?"

"I would be remiss if I said I was one hundred percent happy with this contract," He looked at it and then at Frank, pursing his lips. Frank froze suddenly, a spike of anxiety punching him in the stomach and making his knees buckle.

"Wh- Why?"

"I don't think it's fitting for us anymore. The parameters of our relationship just don't work." He set it aside and Frank looked down into the bowl of dough, his chest suddenly felt too tight, his hands trembling as he fought to hold onto his spatula.

"Oh. I see. Um... Do you not want to be a part of the lifestyle anymore, or what? Or is it... Is it me? Do you just... I mean, I... I know we haven't been able to do as many scenes while we were waiting for our room to be done but, I..." He trailed off, frowning, unsure of what else he could say to try and persuade Gerard into changing his mind.

"I'm afraid not, Frank. If it were as simple as that, then it would have been resolved beforehand. And that is the reason why I brought it up before the one-year mark."

"I understand."

"I'm glad you do." He pauses, "Please, don't be so upset."

"I'm fine." Frank lied as he looked up, "I mean, I'm surprised but it doesn't change anything between us."

Gerard frowned, "Frank, of course, it changes things. It changes the very definition of this relationship."

"Into what?"

"Frank, I don't want us to renew this contract." Gerard put a hand on the bound pages and Frank froze, staring at it again, the weight of Gerard's words finally sinking in.

"At all?"

"At all."

Frank nodded and went back to folding in his three eggs, unable to process the sudden announcement he hadn't expected at all. He looked at the recipe, ignoring the way his mouth wanted to fill with saliva and his eyes blur with tears. He wasn't going to cry. He wouldn't allow himself.

"Frank, why are you crying?"

"Am not." He sniffed as he grabbed the dough and began kneading it with his hands, his chest raging, his heart beating so fast, it felt like a hummingbird trapped in his ribs.

"Frank, the reason I don't want to renew this contract," Gerard took in a deep breath, "Is because I want to create a new one, a different one. One that defines us differently than this one that I have had for so long. One where I can call you my husband."

Frank froze, almost dropping the cookie dough, he stared at the magnets on the fridge. He swallowed, his sudden spike of anxiety warped as he remembered Ryan doing exactly the same thing. But there was something different this time. And he was startled to realize that this time, unlike the last time it had been forced onto him, he wasn't afraid. Which scared him even more. It was something he had never expected for himself, the ability to end a contract and not be tied to someone was exactly why he liked the idea of his own relationship. This was entirely different.

He glanced at Gerard as he set the ball of dough on the counter and wiped his eyes with the back of his sticky hands. He looked at Gerard properly, "For real?"

"I know you didn't want a big spectacle, or for me to make a fuss, so I figured this would be the best way."

"Y-Yeah, it is. I would have kicked you in the teeth if you went on one knee- Don't you dare." He added when he saw Gerard grinning, "Don't. I'll say 'no', I swear to God."

"Are you saying 'yes'?"

Frank pursed his lips, eyeing him for a second before he nodded and went back to kneading. Gerard smiled and made a quick note on their old contract before he put it back into his file, "I'll have a new one made."

"Dope."

"Do you want a ring?"

"You have one already, don't you?"

"...No."

"Gerard-"

"Yes."

Frank exhaled shakily, coming to terms with it as he wiped his hands and began rolling the dough flat, having to keep his hands busy to stave off a panic attack. He cleared his throat, "That's pretty cool. Can I see it?"

Gerard reached into his pocket and pulled out the little black box to open it, turning it to show Frank the ring nestled inside. He eyed it and looked at his Master, overcome with even more emotions, "Now where the fuck did you find a ring with a diamond shaped like a coffin?"

Gerard smiled, "Is it okay?"

Frank looked at the simple silver band with the little diamonds all the way around, the medium-sized black stone sat in the middle, surrounded by the same inset diamonds. He nodded, taking it carefully to look at the stone, "What is it?"

"I believe that is a salt and pepper diamond." Gerard set the box down, "I know a normal diamond would have bored you, and even more so a ring without any stone."

He set it back in the box, "Don't wanna get it all gross." Gerard nodded and put the small box back in his pocket, watching as Frank began cutting out various shapes with cutters and placing them on a tray. He glanced up when he noticed Gerard watching him, "Were you expecting something more?"

"Honestly, I was expecting a bigger panic and I'm still waiting for it."

Frank let out a shaky laugh, laying a Christmas tree-shaped cookie on the tray carefully, "That's why I'm baking."

Gerard smiled and got up, walking around the counter to take Frank's face in his hands, "I'll leave you to it. You can finish baking and process everything, I'll be in my office, okay?"

"Yes, sir." Frank whispered, looking up at his Master, his stomach jumping and twisting. He whimpered softly, melting on the spot when Gerard kissed him. He opened his eyes and leaned into the touch before he watched Gerard pack up his stuff, "Sir?"

"Hmm?"

Frank wasn't even sure what he wanted to say; it was everything and nothing at the same time. He had so many things he could have said, but nothing seemed good enough. He put his hands on the counter gently and let out a small sigh, "Nothing, sir. I'll see you in a few minutes."