Frank stood in the doorway of Gerard's office, panting softly as he waited for some sort of instruction from his boss, waiting to be told to either come in or get out. He didn't move from the spot as they stared at each other in silence.

"Frank..." Gerard whispered softly and the latter merely nodded in reply, his stomach churning nervously.

The first thing that Frank noticed was the way that Gerard looked, his appearance so altered from when they had last been together. Frank was taken aback as his eyes roved over his old Master. Gerard's skin was slightly paler than he was used to- or maybe it was the light- and his eyes seemed rather sunken and darker around the edges. His suit was jet black, his shirt a deep purple, and his tie a dark fuschia but somehow still darker than Frank was used to. But it was the hair that stood out so much, his bright orange locks were gone, the styled and messy updo gone. What once was so bright was now a pale blonde yellow that lay messy to the side above his eye. Gerard seemed to be having the same thought as his eyes were obviously, and notably, staring at Frank's head with a slightly raised eyebrow. Frank looked down through the scrutinization, his hands clasped in front of him with his head down as he stared at his old shoes.

"Come in and close the door." Gerard ordered simply and Frank obeyed, closing the door behind him as silently as possible before he stepped further in, "What can I do for you, Frank?"

"I-..." Frank trailed off, mumbling under his breath as he shrugged, looking down yet again.

"Try again." Gerard set his papers down as he sat up in his chair, "Would you like a seat? You look out of breath."

"I-I ran here... From-" Frank rubbed the beginnings of a stitch in his side, "From the hotel."

"You ran?" Gerard asked and Frank nodded as the stitch subsided, he dropped his hand back down as he walked closer, "Why?"

"Be-Because I..." Frank cleared his throat, "Because I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For being such an idiot." Frank looked down, "I panicked because of Mikey and it happened after I fucked up with you, and I think I was still in subdrop and feeling like shit... I just felt like a failure to you and that I wasn't good enough."

"Frank. Don't be idiotic."

"I'm not, though. That's the thing." Frank sighed, "I've finally understood my mistakes, and that running out on us and safewording was my biggest one."

"Well, I'm not going to lie and say that it didn't hurt me, Frank." Gerard got up slowly and walked around the desk to stand in front of the pink-cheeked boy, a foot away from him against the desk, "You giving in so quickly was definitely something I didn't expect and it threw me."

"I know..."

"Why are you here?" Gerard then asked as he folded his arms over his chest, "Why are you really here?"

"I-I wanted to just... Start over." Frank chewed on his lip, "Properly. Now that I know what I want and who I want to be. And... With you."

"You just waltz back in here and expect it to be indubitable after what you did? You expect me to just forgive your indiscretions and welcome you back as though nothing happened?" Gerard asked simply, his tone making Frank shrink back, "You think because you run in here and say you're sorry that I'm supposed to be okay?"

"Well, I-?" Frank stammered as Gerard took a step closer to him, looking down at him with a hard gaze, "I just... I guess, I-"

"You want to be back in my life, Frank? You want to be back here with me where I tell you what to do and treat you the way I did? Why not have your freedom as you wanted? Free to do what you want."

"When I'm free to do what I want, I always seem to fuck up, and when I think for myself, it never ends well. When I'm with you... I feel like I belong there and I feel like... Like something fills a space in my chest that has always been empty but I got so used to it that I didn't realize how much it hurt." Frank sniffed and looked down, his voice cracking and ending his sentence, leaving it hanging in the air between them.

"You think all of that?"

"I do." Frank nodded, looking up at Gerard nervously. His heart was still hammering in his chest as Gerard stared back, his pale face devoid of emotion, it made it so much harder for Frank to try and gauge how he was feeling both inside and out.

Gerard didn't move for a moment, his lips pursed as he put his hands in his pockets, "Frank?"

"Sir?" Frank replied sheepishly as he tilted his head to the side and looked up at Gerard, biting on his lip as his tongue bar tickled the back of his teeth.

"You don't need to be sorry for what you did. You panicked and you had a moment of weakness. It happens to the best of us. I know I've done things that I'm not proud of in my life." Gerard explained, "If- If I do take you back, do you promise that, if you ever feel that way again, that you'd talk to me first rather than running away from me and safewording our relationship?"

Frank winced at that as though Gerard had screamed at him and thrown things, feeling as though he were on the business end of a lecture and a half. His cheeks grew pink as shame and guilt riddled his insides like bullet holes, "I know I fucked up with how I handled it, but it was the first time I've ever done this and I felt so inferior compared to your previous submissives. I guess I felt like you deserved better than me and that I wanted what was best for you. I didn't think that maybe you didn't want that."

"You're right, I could have found better and more well-behaved submissives than you, but I didn't. I have had well-behaved submissives before, and in all honesty, as much as I may have had feelings for them, it got boring and tedious. I decided on you from the start because you were fresh meat. You were going to be a challenge and I wanted that."

"Do you still?" Frank asked timidly, his breath hitching in his chest.

"Always, boy." Gerard whispered softly as Frank pulled him into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around his Master as a shaky breath filled his lungs and relief swept over him like a torrential rain over a much-needed drought, "Whoa, ease up, pup."

Frank shook his head as he buried his face in Gerard's neck, holding him tightly as Gerard's arms slowly wrapped around him, keeping him in place. Frank stood up on his toes to get a better grip, ignoring the protest in his already sore calves as he held Gerard so close, remembering what he felt like. He inhaled deeply, taking in the leathery-mint scent that he so sorely missed.

"I like what you did with your hair, boy." Gerard spoke softly in Frank's ear, "It suits you."

"Me," Frank scoffed as he pulled back and looked at Gerard, "What about you?"

"Oh, that," Gerard waved a hand, "Felt like something new. I had had orange hair for over a year or two."

"I like it." Frank smiled slightly, looking at the pale yellow of Gerard's locks.

"Frank?" Gerard began, his voice taking a sterner tone that made the latter freeze up slightly and shy away, "We need to have a talk."

"We do?" Frank asked as he slid into the chair across from Gerard's desk, watching the latter walk around the desk to perch himself in his own chair, "About?"

"How's Ryan?" Gerard asked out of nowhere and Frank's heart sank into his shoes and his mouth dropped open.

"H-How did you-? Were you spying on me?" Frank asked in outrage as he sat back in the chair, his usual initial reaction of defensiveness coming out before anyone even gave an explanation.

"Unclench, boy." Gerard waved a hand, "You do realize that I own that suite in which you stayed. I bought it from the hotel. If you so much as touch a towel, they let me know. And it just so happens that I got a phone call informing me that the tenant has just disappeared into my suite with a guest. And it just so happens that they had champagne and one of them left about an hour later looking far more than happy. Now, Frank..." Gerard leaned in, "Was it Ryan?"

"I..." Frank's defenses lowered then as even more shame and guilt set in, "I-I have a question first." Frank asked out, his voice quiet, "If I may?"

"Go on," Gerard replied curiously, obviously wondering what Frank found more important than his own interrogation.

"I heard somewhere that the suite I was in cost thirty grand a night, is that true?" Frank asked as he chewed on his lip, watching Gerard carefully.

"The suite used to cost that much but, as I said, I bought it years ago and I paid it off as is. The only thing I pay for is the amenities like water or room service or thousand-dollar champagne." The last part of the sentence that left Gerard's mouth was accompanied by a raised eyebrow and a disapproving down-turn of the corner of his mouth.

"Dammit, Lindsey," Frank muttered under his breath, scowling at a mark on Gerard's desk as he internally cursed out Gerard's wife.

"Answer me, boy. Who was it?"

"Ryan." Frank breathed out, blushing again as Gerard nodded, confirming his suspicions.

"And I suppose he was there for more than just looking at the moldings and drinking champagne, am I correct?"

"Y-Yeah..." Frank sunk down in his seat as his voice and soul left his body.

"And was it any good?" Gerard queried, looking green with envy as his eyes narrowed unhappily.

"No." Frank looked down then, "Asshole."

"What happened?"

Frank shook his head and looked away, tears pricking in his eyes, tears that he forced down as he gripped the armrests of the chair, "I-I don't..."

"Tell me, boy."

"We were... Busy. And I figured he had changed because he looked so different and he was acting different but it was all a scam to use me." Frank muttered as a bitter taste hit the back of his mouth.

"I thought- Well, I'm not sure what I thought exactly, but that wasn't it. How did he use you? Did he hurt you?"

"Well, he... I mean..." Frank swallowed, "I don't want to say it."

"What did he do?" Gerard's voice was that eerily calm that could make anyone's knees shake violently with fear, like the suspicious peace before a raging shitstorm.

"He fucked me, came in me, left me as is, and told me that I finally know how he felt. And then he left. Walked right out." Frank looked down, fighting back tears, "I dunno why I fell for it. I should have seen it with how different he was acting, he wasn't like his old self and he's usually so stubborn. He was just getting back at me and..." A tear fell from Frank, landing on his pants and soaking into the material as his voice broke off yet again. He stifled a sniff, his fringe drooping down in a greasy and sweaty tangle in front of his eyes.

"He..." Gerard trailed off as Frank looked up, wiping the stray tear.

"Yes, he did. He fucked me, okay. And then he left me. And I got what was coming to me, I got what I deserved for being such a fucking failure." Frank snapped bitterly, looking down as the pain in his ass continued to make itself aware. A constant reminder now.

"Did he hurt you?"

"Yes." Frank muttered, "But because I wanted him to- I wanted it. I thought- I thought it would be like when you did it but... It wasn't. Because when you did it, I liked it and I wanted more. When he... I-I didn't realize until it was too late. Only afterward. And it hurt so much more in the worst way possible."

"And you still ran all this way?"

"You're the only one I know who can take the pain away," Frank whispered as honestly as he could, realizing that as cheesy as it sounded, it was true. He had thought that about Ryan as well until it was shown untrue in light of recent events.

"That's what I'm here for." Gerard nodded, "Giver and taker of pain in every sense."

"I'm so sorry," Frank muttered to Gerard yet again, and to himself as well, realizing what he had put everyone through with his own self included in the process.

"You've mentioned."

"You're angry..." Frank didn't know a lot about Gerard's emotions yet. But he knew that one and he could see livid fury swirling amber through the light olive green in Gerard's eyes.

"Perhaps." Gerard replied, his jaw clenched, "But not at you. Honestly, your ex-boyfriend seems to not realize what it is to be a mature adult, does he?"

"Sir, please." Frank whispered, "Don't."

"Don't justify what he did, boy." Gerard straightened up, "You had every reason to leave him if he made you so terribly unhappy. You didn't leave him because I made you or even showed any interest, as you said. Sure, it was a long time that you were together but you were visibly unhappy to those around you. Why should you be stuck in a relationship going nowhere and making you so sad and upset when you could hurt for a little bit but be free to be yourself once you've left?"

Frank was surprised by that answer, "I-"

"And if he can't wrap that small tidbit of information around his thick skull then he doesn't deserve you in any case. He was the one who was being so stubborn and selfish, even if he had quirks, that's no reason to make anyone else miserable. What he did was unnecessary and one day it'll turn around and bite him in the leg." Gerard leaned in, "My boy, I don't ever want you to think that you deserved what he did, because you were living for yourself and doing what you felt is right. He is merely a scorned ex-lover who can't move on without hurting you in the process."

"You think so?"

"I know so." Gerard smiled slightly, "Don't let him stop you or even let him guilt your mind for a moment, Frank. Don't let his memory live free-rent in a space in which he doesn't belong."

"You're right." Frank sat up in his chair and looked at his Master, "Yeah. Fuck him, right?"

"Exponentially." Gerard nodded in reply, "Now, I want you to go home; you can start work tomorrow if you're ready."

"Home?" Frank frowned, looking at Gerard, who was smiling slightly, "You mean-?"

"Home, boy." Gerard reached into his desk before he slid Frank's keys towards him, "Where you belong." Frank wordlessly reached over and took his keys before he stood up, pocketing them, still in awe over it all. Gerard smirked, "You should also tell Derek that you'll be working tomorrow, just so he can get accustomed to sharing his office again. He was getting rather confident with all that space for himself."

Frank stifled a chuckle at Gerard and his second-in-charge, smiling brightly. He frowned a second later, "I-I need to go and fetch my stuff."

"I'll have it all brought back for you, I'll have Maurice or Gavin fetch it and drop it off."

"Oh." Frank blushed, "They don't need to do that."

"I don't pay them for nothing, Frank. Let them earn his keep. Now run along, I want you settled in again when I get home tonight."

"Yes, sir." Frank nodded when Gerard was eyeing him thoughtfully, "What, sir?"

"Thinking, my boy. That's all." Gerard replied with a shrug before he reached into his drawer yet again and pulled out Frank's collar, sliding it over to him, "Do you want this?"

"You- You still have it with you. Why?" Frank frowned as he reached out to take it, picking it up slowly, "I thought you'd take it home or something."

"I intended to..." Gerard admitted, "Put it away and never look at it again. But that meant going into the room and I hadn't been able to look at the door let alone the inside of it. And keeping it in my briefcase was just as unwise so I left it at the back of my drawer."

"It wasn't just in case I came back?"

"Well," Gerard frowned slightly as Frank lifted the collar in his hands and looked at it, his stomach knotting up as he put it around his neck and fastened it, smiling as the cold leather sent a shiver down his arms from his warm throat, "In the back of my mind, maybe. Subconsciously. But after the first week, I was dubious to your return."

"Well, I'm here." Frank muttered, "Is it okay if I wear this now?"

"You're not at work and I guess it fits in with your grunge-sweats appearance. It's fine, boy. Let Derek know and then Maurice can take you home and get your stuff." Frank smiled as he turned, walking to the door when he stopped and turned, looking back at Gerard- at his Master, "What, boy?"

"I'm happy to be back." Frank shrugged, smiling as he walked out into the hallway, looking into his and Derek's office to see it empty. He walked into the offices when he stopped outside of an ajar pine door. He sucked in a breath, knocking as he pushed it open slowly.

Lindsey looked up from her work, her face lighting up in surprise at the boy in her doorway, "You came back."

"Because of you, you liar." Frank smiled as he walked in and stood by her desk, "Thirty grand a night, in-fucking-deed."

"I had to say something to make you see some sense. Why not throw some financial guilt in there? It hurt no one. You seem chirpier, and I know Gerard's going to be in a better mood once you've left the office."

"You think so?"

"Everyone's been on eggshells since you left, especially around him. No one knew what mood he would be in but it was never good. God, he made Andy cry yesterday."

"Andy?!" Frank sputtered in surprise, "You're kidding."

"Made him blubber like an infant." Lindsey nodded, "He went off on a tyrant-sized hissy fit and Andy faced the business end of it, and he made him crumble like a dry sandcastle. And for something trivial that even Josh could have handled."

"Jesus." Frank couldn't even imagine what that must have been like, the things that Gerard must have said to have taken down someone as solid and head-sure as Andy Hurley. Frank felt instant guilt for having Andy and the rest of the office taking the brunt for him having left so suddenly, "And you, how has he been with you?"

"He knows not to take his temper out on me or else," Lindsey smiled, "But he's not been himself and I've done my best to pick up the slack in places, but I'm glad you're back. I missed your pink knees around the house."

"Oh, piss off." Frank blushed bright red as he looked down at her desk instead of at her face, "I just came to say 'thanks'."

"For making you see sense and fixing your relationship so that you can both stop moping around like unhappy housewives without alimony?" Lindsey asked as he bundled her hair up with her hands before clipping it in her usual fancy-messy updo.

"Pretty much." Frank sighed, "Me especially. Does he know you phoned?"

"No. And he doesn't need to. I saved your ass now you save mine. He would lose his actual mind if he found out I phoned you, tell me I'm interfering and whatnot." Lindsey sighed, "You hush, got it?"

"Got it, ma'am." Frank smiled as he put his hands in his back pockets, "Do you know where Derek is?"

"Out for coffee, he should be back soon."