Frank and Ty entered the house quietly and Frank immediately turned to help Ty out of his coat and boots, kneeling in front of his secondary Dominant to show his respect. He set Ty's enormous shoes down by the door along with everyone else's, and was allowed to stand. He turned to see Josh peeking out of the living room with a smile, but when he saw the grave expression on Ty's face, and Frank's mild nausea, his smile dropped.

He came over and took Frank's hand immediately, his eyes widening when Frank flinched at the touch. He looked at Ty, "Daddy, what happened?"

"Let's just sit him down first, he's had a tough day, chiot."

Josh steered Frank into the living room and sat him down, crouching down to help Frank out of his sneakers as Ty lay a blanket over his shoulders. Frank looked at Josh and swallowed, a twisted curl of disgust made the corners of his mouth turn, "A nasty old man tried to grope me in the store."

Josh's eyes widened, looking frantically between his two partners for any semblance of dishonesty, but from the stoic expression on Ty's face to the resentful maw that Frank's features had become, he could no longer hope. He put his hands on Frank's shoulders and gave him a reassuring squeeze, "It's okay, Frankie, you're home now, and you're safe with us."

"I'm okay." Frank lied, surprised when his voice came out in a warble. He looked down and pulled the edges of the blanket closer over his chest, "Is he here?"

"He's upstairs in his office." Josh whispered and stepped aside as Frank got up and traipsed out of the living room. He slowly made his way up the stairs, unable to look at anything other than the floor, his sanity and tears hanging back by a margin. He reached the door to Gerard's study and knocked lightly, opening when he heard the offer to enter. He stepped into the warm and cozy wood-paneled office, shutting the door with his foot.

"How was your outing?"

Frank looked up, unable to answer, unable to stop his lip from wobbling and tears blurring his vision. He could see the faint shape of Gerard's body as he rose from his chair, growing larger as he crossed the distance between them. It was the mere touch of his Dominant's hands on his biceps that had his tether finally snapping. He let out a small sob and buried his face in Gerard's chest, crying surprisingly loudly, and breaking the silent reverie that had once taken over the book-shrouded workspace. Gerard wrapped his arms around his submissive and held him, remaining silent as he knew to do until Frank had gotten the first wave of tears out of his system.

He moved them slowly until he was able to sink into the comfort of a velvet armchair near the crackling fireplace, and lowered Frank into his embrace once more. He wrapped Frank up in the safety of his arms and held him, giving his forehead a kiss, "Whatever happened to upset you so astronomically, I promise you, you don't have to feel embarrassed about your reaction," Gerard paused and took a small breath wherein which he took one of Frank's hands into his own, "If it upset you this greatly... I know it was for a good reason. I'm honored that you feel safe enough with me, my prince. You don't have to share with me if you don't want to, no one is forcing you."

Frank sniffed, wiping his eyes on the corner of the russet-colored blanket, "Some guy tried to touch me in the store and Ty had to pull him off. I just... I froze. I could have defended myself and...and I didn't. And I didn't get to buy you gifts and- and..." he trailed off, feeling a tangent of pure nonsense burning its way up his windpipe, yearning to spout forward but he stopped it, knowing he would blow the entire thing out of proportion.

"Someone assaulted you?" Gerard whispered, his voice growing six shades colder, a stern cadence that was akin to an unimpressed father.

"Well, he- I mean, he touched my arm at first and then over my chest and I know he was probably going to try something else but-"

"Ty stopped him?"

"Yes, sir." Frank felt more saliva fill his mouth as he fought back tears, hiding his face against Gerard as he relived the moment that was already so vivid.

"I'm glad he was there."

"Me, too." Frank sniffed, "He ran off before Ty could do anything. Glad, though. I don't want Ty in trouble."

"My boy, you were assaulted in a department store and you're worried about someone else?" Gerard sounded rather incredulous.

Frank looked up at him, "Well, what if Ty had punched him? Even if he didn't have charges against him, he could have had a civil suit. He could have broken something in the store and been arrested again. And it would be all my fault."

"Absolutely not. You did nothing wrong. If it was anyone's fault, it's that deplorable excuse of a human being who just goes around touching unconsenting people." Gerard spat angrily and took Frank's jaw firmly in a two-finger grip, forcing the quivering submissive to look at him, their eyes locking, "You are not to blame for what happened and I don't want to hear any of it coming from your mouth, do you understand? Blaming yourself for a scenario that could have happened will only take up unnecessary prevalence in your mind."

"B-But..."

"Speak."

"What if it already is?" He whispered, almost apprehensive.

Gerard paused as the realization sunk in, eyes still unwavering in their stark and vilifying gaze. Still, something in his eyes immediately changed, a hint of undertone that had Frank's stomach clench and jump up into the sanctity of his ribcage. He leaned in toward Frank, his voice a deadly whisper, "If it's already nestled so firmly in your brain, as you say, then perhaps we need to shake it loose. Perhaps we need to give your mind a reset altogether."

"I'd like that," Frank breathed out, answering honestly, "I'd love to not think about this for a while."

Gerard let go of Frank's jaw and gave it a gentle caress with the back of his index finger, "You know where and how I want you."

Frank bowed his head, "Permission to leave, sir."

"Go."

He hopped from Gerard's lap, surprised that he was able to keep himself upright despite how shaky his hands were, and picked up his discarded blanket, folding it up with haphazard neatness. He exited the warmth of the study and crossed the hallway into their playroom. He had to admit, he did miss the old playroom a lot, as it held many memories and vast accounts of sentimentality, but their new room had so much more. They got to decorate and design it together this time, coming to a compromise on how they wanted it.

The tiled floor had been removed and replaced with a softer surface, a familiar one that was still easy to clean - wood. But not just any wood. Frank had been insistent that they find a floor that fitted their new playroom perfectly. He didn't want to just walk into a hardware store and pick from a sample. It had taken him almost a month until he realized he would rather keep the floor they had. They had brought in a contractor to rip out the flooring in as few pieces as possible, and found someone local to shape and install as much as possible. Their new room was a fair size bigger than the old one, and they decided to keep the original flooring centralized to the room where they would be standing more often, and fill in the gaps around the edges and skirting with a similar grain. The walls were no longer a mix of wooden panels to soundproof. This time, they had gotten in a different contractor to add insulation to the walls before they were covered with a new layer of drywall and beautiful wallpaper. The pattern was reminiscent of an old stone castle. Frank had decided to not paint the walls red, unlike most pictures he had seen online because, despite liking the color and the mood that the red added to the room, he felt it to be overwhelming if it were constant. Instead, he and Gerard settled on lighting that could be changed, both in brightness and color - Josh said it was called LED.

That was until Frank got sad about the big change and took the wallpaper down on two of the walls. Now, as he looked at it, they had two faux-stone walls adjacent to each other, and the opposing walls- one was wood panel like their old room, and one wall was pure mirror from floor to ceiling. The ceiling was also mirror to an extent. Frank had told Gerard that he didn't feel safe with the entire roof of the room being mirrors just in case one of them fell. In lieu, they had a section of mirror above the bed, and had painted the rest of the ceiling black to match the lighting fixtures.

Their black wrought iron bed sat in the middle of the room, the stockade headboard pulled away from the wall just enough to allow for head or hands to fit comfortably through the humiliating holes. There was a set of shelves built into a hideaway in the wall above the headboard where their essentials sat - mainly lube and cuffs and a gag or two within easy reach. Beside the bed stood their cross, the big black X with cuffs at each point leered at Frank from where it stood so nonchalantly. In front of the cross, on a black mat, stood their spanking bench, just a foot or two aways from the bed. The furthest corner from the door had their wooden chair, and in front of it, in the middle of the open floorspace, hung their suspension bar that had been secured to the ceiling. Along the wall from wooden chair to the opposite corner was the mirrored wall that Frank adored, mainly because the perverted submissive loved watching Gerard fuck him in every position.
There was a black sex chaise in the middle of the mirrored wall, the curved lines of the chair had been custom made to the exact curve of Frank's back when arched so that when he lay in the chair, he fit in the folds perfectly, allowing his Dominant to do what he pleased without worrying.

The wall to the left of the door was where all of their glass shelves stood, their props and toys standing erect and proud, triumphant in their taunting and gleeful in their perverted pride. Frank had decided to hang their gear in a closet rather than just out in the open, and that closet stood beside the last glass shelf, within its mirrored doors was everything from their latex to their harnesses and shining lube. He remembered the bittersweet feeling of creating this room, knowing that there would still be the same aspects as the old playroom, but it would also be entirely different. His new playroom was beautiful, but walking into it everytime, it made him feel somber.

Frank got undressed as quickly as he could and laid his clothes on the small table right by the door. He opened the cabinet above the small side table and took out his play collar, fastening the buckle behind his neck. He went to his spot on the Persian rug, kneeling at the foot of the bed with his head down and his palms up. Frank closed his eyes and took in as deep a breath as he could muster, exhaling shakily as he tried to center himself.

The door opened a minute later and Frank watched Gerard's boots in his periphery, walking to a wheeled-cart in the corner that he liked to use to hold his props rather than laying everything on the bed. He could hear the soft rattling of metal on metal, but not in the way that reminded Frank of a chain. It sounded independent, almost. Coins? No, that was far too heavy. He decided to stop guessing and to trust his Master.

"Do you consent?"

"Yes, sir."

"Safeword? I won't be gagging you today."

"Pineapples, sir."

"Do you want it to hurt, boy?"

"Yes, sir."

"One to ten?"

Frank paused, remembering their pain training and the scale they had set out, "I would like at least a six, sir."

Gerard hummed, "Lay in your chair, boy. Get comfortable."

Frank was surprised but he obeyed, getting up from his post at the end of their bed to slide into the leather chaise. He wiggled his ass into the dip of the chair with his back against the gentle incline, his knees lifted with the slope, his toes curled against the floor. Gerard wheeled the cart over and Frank looked up at him, admiring the beginning stages of grey hair that had begun growing at Gerard's temples, the silvery wisps shadowing the same facets of his wrinkles. Frank had never really noticed the creases at the outer corner of Gerard's eyes, or perhaps, they hadn't been there before. Frank liked to think that he was the reason they were there - because he made Gerard smile.

He watched Gerard crouch down and clip a black cuff to each side of the chair, taking Frank's wrists to bind them down and out of the way. Gerard put on a pair of black nitrile gloves and sprayed Frank's entire torso with something he assumed to be rubbing alcohol, or a disinfectant. Either way, he was now sterile. He coughed softly and licked his lip, grimacing at the burn on the tip of his tongue. He closed his eyes for a minute as Gerard sprayed him with something else, a light mist akin to deodorant, but not as fragrant. His skin tickled and he smiled, enjoying the sensation, but his bubble was almost entirely popped when his Master spoke again, "I'm going to start now. Do you remember the procedure?"

Frank had no idea what he meant until he opened his eyes to see Gerard holding up a needle. He felt his stomach knot up immediately, his heart jumping a pace faster than it had been. He swallowed, "The, uh, procedure, sir?"

"When I come toward you, what do you do?"

"Oh, I inhale, sir."

"And when the needle pierces the skin?"

"I exhale until it's over, sir."

"Good boy."

Frank watched intently as Gerard stood beside him and leaned down, placing a hand down on Frank's pectoral muscle. He let out a nervous laugh as Gerard uncapped the needle, "No forceps, sir?"

"Forceps would make this procedure exceedingly difficult." He whispered, "Inhale, boy."

Frank obeyed, taking in a nice deep breath, his eyebrows furrowing as Gerard used his hand to guide the needle in and pierce through. He exhaled as he felt the tell-tale 'pop' of the needle breaking through. It hurt surprisingly less than he remembered the first time, but his skin still throbbed and the alien ache of a foreign object under his dermis still made his wriggle.

"It hurts less." He whispered shakily, his voice wobbling as Gerard picked up a second needle.

"I sprayed your skin down with some Lidocaine first. I don't want you writhing. We will leave them in until the anesthetic wears off and you start feeling it."

"God," Frank muttered under his breath and watched Gerard lean down, steady hands repeating the process much like the first time. It became a routine between them, a dance not of cat and mouse, but of predator and cornered prey. The inhale of the submissive, the sadistic smirk of the Dominant, the clenched fists unable to move, the steady hand guiding the needle, the break of skin and the exhale from them both, all of it encored by a moan from Frank's lips. And so on it went, over and over again. Frank had started crying somewhere around the sixth needle, his tears falling into his hair as he tried to stop his chest from hiccuping and ruining his Dominant's work.

Gerard ran a hand over Frank's goosebump-riddled skin, fingertips grazing over his sternum, "Such a good boy. Let it out. We're halfway, we can take a break."

Frank let out a sob as he watched Gerard remove his gloves and grab a gentle wipe, cleaning up the dried blood that had run toward the crease of his armpit. He sniffed pathetically, "Halfway?"

"Halfway." Gerard reassured, "Fourteen down, fifteen to go."

"Fuck." Frank whispered weakly.

"If you take it like a good boy, I'll consider finally piercing your nipples." Gerard countered and Frank looked at him, unable to help the little laugh that slipped out.

"R-Really?"

"Why not?" Gerard leaned down to kiss Frank's sweaty forehead, "You deserve a reward."

"It's starting to feel really tight." Frank tried to move his shoulder, vividly aware of the fourteen needles nestled in the left side of his chest.

"It will. The Lidocaine is wearing off now. This second part is going to hurt so I need you to stop me if it gets too much. Do you understand? I won't push you any harder than you need."

"If I don't come first," Frank wiggled, also just as strikingly aware of the erection curved and rested against his lower stomach.

Gerard gave Frank's dick a swift flick with his fingers, earning an indignant yelp from the latter. Gerard eyed him devilishly, "If you come without permission, I will start connecting these needles to an electrode."

Frank let out a whimper, some part of his hindbrain knew not to question it and that Gerard would almost definitely do what he had threatened. Frank sighed softly, "I'm not joking, sir. I don't know if I can hold off this time, I'm sorry. It's a lot."

"Would you feel better if I put a ring on you?"

"Thought you could only do that if I'm soft?" Frank asked curiously and saw Gerard almost smile as he got up from his crouched position.

"Yes, you should. Do as I say, not as I do." He went and dug around in one of the containers on the nearby shelf, returning with a bottle of lube and a black silicone ring. He put some of the watermelon-slick on his fingertips and lubed up the ring before he held Frank's dick in his hand and stroked him slowly. He slid the silicone over the head of Frank's cock, making sure to carefully slide it down over his piercing and down the length. Frank moaned shamefully, his toes curling and his feet lifting, whining at the touch that he had been craving. He watched Gerard stretch the silicone with all five fingers on one hand, the other hand gathered Frank's balls up carefully as he slipped the ring around the base of both, adjusting it very gently to avoid any unnecessary pubic hair pulling.

Frank grunted at the immediate sensation of tugging from his taint, and the incredibly full feeling that now resonated at the tip of his dick. He huffed quietly, his entire body full of sensation from intense pain to intense pleasure. He let out a small whine as he readjusted, tugging on his cuffs weakly, watching Gerard wipe his hands and pull on a clean pair of gloves. The area where the needles were burrowed was now beginning to burn, the skin stinging with every movement of his chest and every labored breath. He looked up at the ceiling and caught sight of himself sprawled out over the sweaty lounger, his cheeks and chest were both the same shade of pink that matched the hue of his aching erection. He closed his eyes, hissing in pain when Gerard's hand touched his chest.

"In," Gerard instructed and waited for Frank to do exactly that before he continued adding needles to his design. Frank exhaled as the needle exited, his thighs now tense and shaking. The pain blossomed brighter each time a new through-and-through puncture was created.

By the time the last needle had been shafted through his flesh, Frank was sobbing and begging for it to be over, his skin burned on his face from all the tears, his throat raw from the hiccuping screams. But it was nothing in comparison to the white hot pain that coursed through his veins and made his bones simultaneously feel like jelly and lead.

Gerard wiped his forehead with the back of his wrist, "All finished, my boy. You've done so well, I'm so proud of you."

Frank just let out a small sob and looked up at him with the widest eyes. He sniffed softly, "Lemme out, please, sir."

"Do you want me to pierce you still, or are you tapping out?"

Frank let out a groan and flopped back again, "Fuck."

"Frank, you don't have to push yourself like this. I don't want you to burn out." Gerard stated, his voice tinging with concern.

Frank shook his head, "I can do two more."

"Frank-"

"If I wanted out, I'd safeword. I'm still coherent, I'm not in my subspace, sir." Frank looked at him, "I'm in fucking agony, it can't get worst in this general region."

Gerard threw his gloves out and went to fetch the jewelry he had previously mentioned, leaving Frank alone to lay in his chair. He stared up at himself and was finally able to catch a glimpse of the design that Gerard had scarred into his skin. He tilted his head, his eyes filling with tears when he saw the heart-shape made out of steel and white plastic cap. He lay back and tried to relax again, knowing that it would soon be over. The pain, anyway. His body was thrumming with adrenaline rather than anxiety. He was grateful for the change, grateful for his Dominant, and grateful that he was able to escape from the world and from his brain even for a moment.

Gerard returned into view and slipped on a pair of gloves, opening the prepackaged forceps that had been baking in their little UV light sterilizer. He ignored the sudden cold of the steel on his nipple, surcharging his nerves once more, and just knowing it would all be worth it.