Frank sat on the wooden bench beside two out of three of his partners, his ears filled with excited chatter and Christmas music. He fastened the laces of his rental skates and sat up, fiddling with his fingerless gloves. Gerard had already finished fastening his ice skates and was waiting near the door to the ice rink, smiling at him. He looked at Josh, watching curiously as he got up and slid gracefully onto the white surface. Frank turned to Ty and watched him fiddle incessantly with his beanie. He was so nervous that he couldn't even bear to form a perverted thought over Ty's leather gloves.

"Have you... done this before?"

"Have you?"

"No, sir." Frank whispered softly and turned to see Gerard skating out onto the ice with Josh spinning carefree circles around him. He swallowed, anxiety swirling into his stomach. They made it look so easy, and yet, the wobbly mobs of couples and children who were trying to sweep laps around the large arena seemed to do the exact opposite. He looked back at Ty and was surprised to see the same hesitation resting on his facial features.

Frank got up, taking shaky steps toward the opening of the rink. He took a step onto the ice and gripped the ledge, his ankle immediately feeling as though it were made of glass. He glanced up for help, relieved to see Gerard waiting for him not two paces away with a kind and patient smile on his lips. He held out a hand for Frank, allowing him the push he needed to let go of the outer edge. He had an iron grip on Gerard's hand, panting under his breath.

"Just relax. You'll be fine. I've got you," Gerard reassured quietly, "With each step, angle your foot outward, not inward or straight. Kick off gently and follow with your body. There we go. That's my boy."

Frank's gaze jolted between his feet and his Master's face, following his instructions as Gerard pulled him along, skating backward. He felt himself wobble again and he tried to correct himself but his feet automatically tilted inward, dragging his knees with the rest of his lower half. He cried out in fright as he fell, huffing as two pairs of arms caught him. Josh and Gerard helped him back onto his feet, keeping him upright as he trembled, his tiny wave of confidence had washed ashore too quickly and had already begun ebbing back with a strong current of anxiety that he, foolishly, hoped not to feel so soon. Gerard let go carefully, keeping his arms outstretched just in case. Josh held on a moment longer, waiting until the nervous shakes subsided before he took a smooth step backward.

There was a moment of pause as Frank locked eyes with Gerard before he just fell backward again, his legs giving out entirely. He hadn't even moved from the wide-legged stance they put him in, but his body just decided that it was going on strike. He landed on his back, hitting the ice with enough force to wind himself, the last remaining smidgeon of oxygen punched from his lungs. He stared up at the stadium spotlights, dazed and mortified, wishing that the ice would crack beneath him and swallow him whole. Gerard's face came into view, smiling down at him as he held out his hand, "You're doing great, my prince. It's not an easy sport to master, especially in the first half hour."

Frank took his hand and slowly sat up with the aid of Josh's strong hands on his shoulders. He coughed, his chest filling with icy-cold air, his back and coccyx throbbing from the fall. He sat there holding Gerard's hand, unwilling to get up, a solid anchor of fear had now completely weighted his confidence and prevented it from rising once more.

"Come on, Frankie, give it one more try." Josh urged as he managed to get Frank from an awkward sitting position onto his knees. Frank used Josh's stable body as his climbing post, getting himself upright after three minutes of internal screaming. He looked away from Josh's proud smile and toward the gate where Ty seemed to be having the same experience.

"No thank you, I'm just going to sit this one out. You guys have fun."

"Aww, come on, Frank-"

"No." Frank turned to look at Josh and put a hand on his arm, "I'm not having fun being afraid and I'd appreciate it if you respect my boundaries. I want to sit down. You have fun with papa, Ty and I can get some tea."

Josh touched his hand, giving him a gentle nod, "Okay. That's okay."

"It is." Gerard smiled and took his arm, guiding him back to the gate and helping him onto the bench. He exhaled in relief, getting a kiss from Gerard before he turned and went back out onto the ice with Josh. Ty sat down next to Frank and immediately began unlacing his boots.

"Fucking hate this." He muttered as he pulled the skates off. He tensed up suddenly and Frank looked at him.

"Ty?" Frank frowned. Ty looked as though he had been frozen in place, his eyes wide. Frank turned and touched him, "Ty? Hey..."

He examined him up and down to check for injuries and after a minute of confused searching, he realized what had happened. He crouched down, picking Ty's foot up to confirm that he had, in fact, put his sock-clad foot down in a small puddle of icy water. Frank got up and ran to his locker, opening his backpack and grabbing a spare pair of socks he had brought. He ran back and tried to put them in Ty's hand, but his fist was curled so tightly that he couldn't open it.

He stood to face him, making sure that Ty could see nothing but his face, "Ty. Tyler. Look at me, daddy. It's okay. Look, I brought new socks, okay? It's not the end of the world. It's an easy fix."

He crouched down and pulled Ty's socks off, replacing them with a fresh pair. He set Ty's feet down on the floor, careful to avoid any puddles, and went to fetch Ty's boots. He was so glad that he had already taken off his own skates, or this would have ended badly.

He helped Ty put his shoes on, ignoring the stares from the happy families around them. He laced the big boots for Ty, ignoring Ty's trembling attempts to do them himself. He stood up, making one last attempt to his locker for his own shoes and his backpack. He handed Ty his earphones, watching him put them on and deflate as he removed the overwhelming stimuli from his personal bubble. Frank let out a breath he had forgotten about and began putting his own shoes on, stuffing Ty's soiled socks into one of the side pockets.

He opened his bag again and took out a plastic container, offering the contents to his secondary Dom. Ty took out a Christmas cookie and began nibbling on it, watching Gerard and Josh float across the ice together. Frank snagged his own homemade biscuit and took a bite, proud that he had found a palatable recipe that could be enjoyed by all - including Gerard. He sat in silence, eating his cookies and watching his other two partners as they had fun together, skating circles around each other like cat and mouse. He knew Ty would eventually defrost and come back down to Earth, and Frank would be there to comfort him if he needed.

No one really knew what happened to him to warrant these out-of-body episodes or why certain things upset him so much, but no one judged him for it. And Frank had learnt from watching Josh, making mental notes on how to handle the situation. He was sure there was some tangible explanation, but he wouldn't want to pry if Ty was happy living his life as it was now.

Frank reached out slowly to touch Ty's arm, making sure that he was aware of the incoming embrace. He looked at him and leaned in, watching Ty move his headphones a fraction to hear, "Can I get you some tea from nearby, sir?"

"No, thank you. I'd... I'd appreciate it if you didn't go anywhere."

Frank was taken aback by the genuinely vulnerability, and he felt a piece of his heart melt, realizing just how much Ty trusted him if he was able to open up. He smiled warmly, "Yes, sir. I won't go anywhere. Unless... You can come with me."

Ty looked over at the small kiosk and back at Frank as though he were calculating the distance. He nodded, watching Frank pack their things back into his bag and sling it over his shoulder. He got up, well aware that Ty was right behind him, so close, in fact, that he could feel the warmth. He made his way through the crowd toward the stand, noticing that instead of taking his hand, Ty had decided to hold onto the back of his hoodie, a tight grip on the hood hanging down his back. He smiled, worming toward the concession and into the queue. He looked up at the sign, frowning, "I don't see green tea, sir. What can I get you? Black tea? Some chai?"

Ty looked up at the chalkboard sign, reading through his options, "Chai is good."

Frank took a step forward in the line and felt Ty's presence again, a comforting sense of protection in the large crowd. It really was as if he were out in public with a big grizzly bear as his entourage. He stepped up to the counter, "A flat white and a chai tea, please."

He paid for their drinks and put his change in the jar, stepping aside with his partner to let the next person in line get their chance. He turned to see Gerard and Josh skating together still, but now they had slowed down to a gentle stroll and seemed to be in the midst of a full-blown conversation that had Gerard laughing heartily.

He smiled and turned after a few minutes, stirring a sugar into his coffee. He put on a lid, disposing of the stir-stick, and took a test sip. When he was satisfied with his ratio of ingredients, he turned to see Ty grimace but take more sips.

"Not good, sir?"

"'S fine." Ty muttered, "Not my usual, though."

"Next time we can bring some of your tea with, okay?"

"I'd like that, pixie."

~

It was hours later and Ty had yet to leave Frank's side and with Frank being the ingenious little submissive that he was, he decided to utilize the opportunity. While Gerard and Josh went home to spend time together, Frank had roped Ty into being his bodyguard whilst he went Christmas shopping. And Ty, being the chivalrous protective Dom that he was, he could never decline.

Here they were about an hour later. Frank had walked the shopping mall at least twice top to bottom and had bought one gift for everyone - everyone except the bodyguard in question. Frank had asked him countless times to just let him walk around the store on his own and find something. He didn't want Ty to see his gift, after all. However, his request was met with a blatant 'no'. He scanned the aisles in search of the perfect gift, his brain running a mile a minute with various ideas. He turned to look up at Ty, "Sir?"

Ty let out a grunt, hypervigilant and on-edge. He was giving almost everyone the eye, sneering at anyone who even breathed in their direction. Frank sighed, "Can you please give me five minutes alone. Please? You can even set a timer. I just want to get your gift and I'll wait for you at a predetermined destination. How's that?"

Ty looked at his watch, "Fine. Grab whatever you need and in five minutes, we meet by the sunglasses. If you're not there, I'm unleashing chaos that Pandora herself couldn't even imagine."

"Yes, okay-" Frank cut himself off when he saw himself being on the receiving end of a scrutinizing eye. He swallowed, "Yes, sir."

Ty wandered off, putting his headphones on as he meandered down the aisle for deodorant. Frank immediately turned around and made a bee-line for the fitness section, his eyes on a pair of black boxing gloves. He turned into the aisle and slowed down, scanning intently. He stopped and picked up the box, reading the instructions and warnings on the side.

He was met with the smell he could only describe as 'nicotine decomposition', and he looked up, his eyes watering. He found himself standing far too close to very tanned, tall man in a white vest with a brown bucket hat and wrinkled lips. Frank blinked and immediately turned away, trying to ignore him, "You're awful cute to be all by yourself."

"Thanks. But I'm not alone, my...boyfriend," he paused at the word but decided to go along with it for safety-sake, "He's in the next aisle."

"But he ain't here."

"Yes, I see that, thank you," Frank stated firmly, his heart suddenly racing in his chest as a nauseating twist began to take hold of his stomach. There was a pause that made Frank almost consider looking up, but it was cut short when he felt a hand on his arm. He jumped, sending the box flying into the air and clattering to the floor. He spun around, his body freezing instead of the usual reaction he had - to fight back. He couldn't understand why this disgusting stranger had rendered him completely catatonic, but he was hoping that he would vomit all over him, giving him a chance to run. He felt the oxygen unable to fully reach his chest, his body hypersensitive to every touch, down to the feeling of hair follicles in his forearms. The yellow-white of this man's eyes contrasted with the icy blue of his irises, a combination that probably would have turned the same shade of green that Frank felt inside.

He was tall and skinny but Frank knew he could be overpowered, his leathery skin that seemed older than this man's supposed middle-age didn't do much to hide the muscle underneath. And the green-fade to his confederate flag tattoo only solidified Frank's surprise and horror. He felt the gnarled-knuckled hand caress his arm and he shrunk back against the shelves of sporting goods behind him, holding his breath in the hope that he wouldn't inhale any of the noxious fumes that emanated toward him. He could see from the movement of his mouth that this older man was talking, but the ringing in his ears managed to block out every single sound. There was a pause of at least ten seconds where Frank could focus on nothing but the hand skimming its way over his chest, leading down. He couldn't even bring himself to look away.

It was at that moment when Ty appeared, grabbing the man's arm and twisting it back behind him. He shoved him aside roughly and stepped ahead, putting himself between Frank and the alarmed man who had stumbled and was now clutching a shelf for support.

"I'm gonna call the cops on you, you hear me?! That was assault-" The man spun around and stared up at Ty, his voice losing cadence in his throat as Ty stared right back. He eyes him up and down and watched the way Ty's shoulders straightened from their usual slouch, adding a good few inches to his already impressive height.

"I think it would be best if you leave."

"You better watch yourself, redface." The old man practically spat, "They got this all on tape."

"Yes, they do. And they see you stalking my partner, accosting him and groping him without his consent. They can see that all I did was defend him whereas you..." Ty steps closer, "You were an inch close to sexually assaulting him. And you're lucky you didn't. Or your arm would have been shoved so far up your ass that you'd be fondling your own fucking tonsils. Now, get the fuck away from my partner before I call security."

The greasy old man eyed Ty before he turned and ambled out of the aisle, his tail between his legs. Ty squinted, waiting until he was gone for good, and then turned to Frank, who was positively frozen against his shopping cart. Ty put his hands on Frank's shoulders and gave him a squeeze, "It's okay, Frank. He's gone. He won't hurt you."

Frank just nodded, his body felt like lead, his mind unable to occupy a single thought for longer than a heartbeat. He was running on pure adrenaline now, and he felt violently ill. He looked up at Ty, his eyes filling with tears, feeling about as vulnerable as a baby turtle on the beach. He sniffed, wiping his tears on his sleeve. Ty picked up the box he had dropped and put it back on the shelf, "Let's go."

"B-But I haven't paid-"

"You can buy all of this online, boy. Let's get you home." Ty wrapped an arm around Frank carefully and at that point, he wasn't going to argue. Ty led him out of the aisle and Frank couldn't help but look around just in case. He looked toward the check out rows and stopped, his eyes widening with genuine surprise. He saw the tall man who had cornered him standing next to a short and wide woman with brassy blond curls and a leopard print tank top. The man looked up and immediately turned away, talking to the woman that Frank now assumed to be his wife.

He turned back to Ty as they walked out of the store, making their way to Ty's big black Jeep. Ty helped him into the car and walked around, climbing into the driver's side. He smiled and patted the steering wheel, "Hi, Marla."

Frank looked at him, "Marla?"

Ty looked at him, almost flustered, "What?"

"Who the fuck is Marla?"

"Oh, uh..." Ty cleared his throat as he started the engine, "It's what I named my car."

"Why?"

"Did you ever watch Fight Club?"

"When I was a teenager, yeah."

Ty nodded, "The main character's name was Tyler, well, it was the Narrator, but his alter ego was Tyler. And the only reliable woman in their lives was Marla Singer. And at one point, the only reliable woman I had in my life was this car. So I named her Marla."

"You like Fight Club?"

"My favorite movie. And not because it's just dudes fighting. I couldn't give a shit about the actual club itself. I like how ironically masculine it is, because it almost makes fun of itself that way. I like that it makes you question yourself and who you are as a part of society. Its handle on mental illness is relatable. Plus it has Edward Norton."

Frank let out a shaky laugh, "Edward Norton, huh?"

"Absolutely would fuck him." Ty whispered as he turned onto the highway. He paused and turned to glance at Frank, "Are you okay?"

"No," Frank sighed softly and looked at his fingers in his lap, "But that's okay. I will be. I just...feel a little gross."

"I know how you feel, don't worry. It passes. I'm just glad you're okay, pixie."

"Thanks for saving me, Ty."

"Always."