"Dinner was exquisite, dear boy," Gerard commented as he stopped at the top of the stairs. Frank had insisted he keep his Master company whilst he ate his dinner only a half an hour later.

"Thank you, sir."

"Come on, we have things to do." Gerard gestured down the hallway, "Playroom, boy."

"Yes, sir," Frank whispered with a small frown as he walked a step behind his Master, opening the playroom door once they got to it. He walked in after his Dominant and turned on the lights, watching as Gerard sat himself on the wooden chair in the corner and poised himself with one leg over the other. Frank felt a bubble in his chest every time he walked into the room, no matter the activity.

"Something on which I never got to educate you," Gerard prefaced as Frank stood with his hands behind his back, listening intently, "Is maintenance of your room and cleaning and sterilizing of your toys and implements."

"Yes, sir."

"The cleaning of this room and of its contents falls solely on your shoulders from this point on, boy. Do you understand? Not myself, not Lindsey, and not Lily or any other member of our cleaning staff."

"Yes, sir." Frank nodded earnestly, "Just me, sir."

"Once a week you will mop and vacuum these floors and polish these surfaces and shelves. And you will clean your toys after every use once you're rested. And I will show you how to clean your latex as well. Improper care of latex can cause deterioration and disintegration. We don't want that, do we?"

"No, sir."

"We won't focus on floors or general cleaning today. Today, you sit and clean your toys." Gerard announced, "I will supervise only today and from here on out, you're on your own. Pick a place to start."

"All the toys, sir? Even the ones I haven't used?" Frank asked as he walked towards the shelving on the left side wall.

"Yes, boy," Gerard answered as Frank grabbed all of the vibrators and dildos from one of the shelves and stacked them in his arms carefully. He scowled at the Hitachi wand as he picked it up, remembering when it had been used on him not so long ago. Gerard added, "All of your sprays and disinfectants are in that drawer beside the fridge. Take all of them just in case as well as the polishing cloths and the wipes. And your leather polish, boy."

Frank whispered a quiet 'yes, sir' as he walked over to the drawer beside the fridge near the bed and opened it. He took out everything that was in the drawer and set it on the floor. He turned to look at his dominant, "Sir? Can I do all of it in one go or do I have to do it section by section?"

"It's up to you, boy. But you will be cleaning the shelves and surfaces before you replace the clean toys, otherwise, it's rather counterproductive, isn't it?"

"Sure." Frank smiled as he looked at his Master before he began clearing off all of the shelves, carefully placing all of its contents in organized piles on the floor. He stopped, "Sir?"

"Boy?"

Frank glanced up with a sheepish smile as he collected the gags from the shelf and held them almost all in his hand by their straps, "Permission to chat while I work?"

"Granted."

Frank lay the gags down on the floor and went to collect the bigger gags, "Where did you learn French? Did you live in Paris or something, sir?"

"Actually," Gerard corrected as Frank continued to clear the last shelf, removing some of the hoods carefully, "The French that I speak isn't the same dialect as that spoken in France. I speak Québécois."

"Québ..." Frank looked up with a frown as he clutched a leather hood in his hands, "Pardon?"

"Québec French, my prince. Not Parisian." Gerard smiled, "My parents are both American but there was a period of time where we lived in Québec, and my father used to teach me the language."

"How is it different, sir?"

"To clean the shelves, use the blue bottle for the glass and the grey cloth," Gerard ordered casually as he swapped one leg over the other. Frank nodded and grabbed the Windex and the charcoal-colored microfiber fabric. He spritzed some of the cleaning solution onto the glass as Gerard answered his question, "It's about dialect, my boy. Both are French but there are some differences. Like American English and the Queen's English."

"I see." Frank muttered as he polished the glass surface of the shelved wall in small circles, "And you're completely fluent, sir?"

"Almost entirely."

"That's so cool." Frank smiled as he polished one of the black metal frames with meticulous attention, "Do you know any other languages, Mon Apollon?"

"English, French, and basic Italian; basic being the relative term." Gerard snorted, "Nothing impressive."

"Everything you do is impressive in my eyes, sir." Frank grinned cheekily as he spritzed the cloth and continued wiping a stubborn spot, "Have you always lived in New Jersey, sir? Apart from living in Québec as a child, I mean."

"I stayed in Washington for a few years after graduating but I didn't like it as much and we returned." Gerard commented, "And you, boy?"

"Born and raised, sir." Frank bent down to spray the bottom shelf and wipe it down, "And stop staring, sir. I can feel it."

"If you don't want me to stare then I highly suggest you knock off all that bending, you impuritive runt." Gerard offered with a much-too-polite cadence in his voice that had Frank scowling over his shoulder at his Master, "Don't eyeball me like that, little one. I'll put you over my knee."

Frank went pink as he looked away, scrubbing over the other side of the metal frame, "Is there anything you'd like to ask me, sir?"

"As a matter of fact, I'm always very intrigued about all of your tattoos," Gerard replied casually as Frank went onto his knees to spray and wipe down the very bottom glass shelf.

"What about them, sir?"

"Tell me their stories, boy. I'm intrigued." Gerard offered as Frank got up from being on his knees. He looked at his Dominant as he sat down on the floor in front of the piles of toys. Gerard leaned in, "Use the small black bottle to spray down your toys, the silver tin is to polish your leather and the wipes go with spray. Toys only."

"Yes, sir." Frank grabbed the cleaning tools and set them closer as he began cleaning one of the plugs, "I've got 'Halloween' on my knuckles because it's when I was born."

"Really?" Gerard seemed genuinely surprised, "That must have been fun growing up, my prince."

"Sometimes, yeah." Frank smiled as he set a plug down and picked another, spritzing it with disinfectant before he wiped it down with one of the wipes, "Growing up was fun because I never really had many friends so I never had many birthday parties so I'd just go out Trick-or-Treating instead with my mom. I used to love the costumes- I still do. When's your birthday, sir?"

"Ninth of April, boy." Gerard waved a dismissive hand, "Tell me more about your body art."

"I have...." Frank looked at his arm, "Well, I've got Frankenstein stitching on my right wrist because I really like the book and movie."

"Which one, boy? There are three, if I'm not mistaken."

"There are?" Frank looked up in surprise, "Three?"

"One from nineteen-thirty-one, one from nineteen-ninety-four and one that came out last year in twenty-fifteen." Gerard chuckled at Frank's blatant surprise as he looked down to continue burnishing sanitizer into a black silicone buttplug.

"Genuinely didn't know that. The original has always been my favorite so I never bothered with the others. Do you," Frank looked up at his Dominant with curiosity, "Do you like watching movies, sir?"

"I do." Gerard almost smiled, "It has been a while since I've just sat and watched a movie, however."

"Well, we can do that if you like." Frank smiled as he began cleaning a silver vibrator, the idea of curling up with his Dominant to watch a movie was now officially on the top of his to-do list, "I love watching old movies. They don't make 'em like they used to."

"I couldn't agree more." Gerard praised, "We can take an evening to watch a movie or two if that makes you happy, boy. Now continue, if you please."

"I have an anchor here on my right bicep with 'NJ' on it because I love my hometown." Frank shrugged, "I've got a flame on my chest and the word 'Hope' underneath it because I got it as my first tattoo when I was eighteen and I needed that spark of hope."

"What about the odd-legged arachnid on your neck, boy?"

"Oh," Frank chuckled as he reached up to touch the scorpion with the back of his hand, "I got that on a dare from a friend of mine. I didn't realize the legs until I had it done but it makes it special. I'm a Scorpio so I figured why not? You're an Aries, aren't you, sir?"

"I am." Gerard nodded, "You're into Astrology?"

"Eh," Frank shrugged, "Not really that much. My ex was really into it at one point and I was his info-sponge."

"He doesn't seem the type."

"I have no idea where it came from." Frank shrugged and scratched at his eyebrow idly. He stopped cleaning one of the flesh-colored dildos in his hands for a moment when he looked at his Master, "I have a pumpkin on my back. A Jack o'Lantern for my birthday. He's pretty cool; his name is Sam."

"For Samhain?" Gerard asked with a chuckle, "Very clever, my boy. What about the writing above it?"

"Oh, that..." Frank looked down as a sad little pit grew in the very lower of his stomach, his lips turning down, "'Keep the faith' was something my grandad used to tell me growing up, and I got that first before the pumpkin when he died."

"My apologies, Frank. I wasn't aware." Gerard's voice softened, "Were you close to your grandfather?"

"Closer to him than my actual father, to be honest." Frank shrugged as he put the dildo aside and started cleaning a larger one in a very pretty lilac color, which he decided on using as his subject segue, "I like this one, by the way. It's pretty."

"Duly noted." Gerard commented with a small chuckle, "What about that other arm of yours? It's rather filled."

"Oh, yeah." Frank looked at his left arm that was almost entirely filled with tiny pieces. He set the dildo aside and picked up a steel buttplug with a red stone at the end of it, he examined it with a raised eyebrow before he began cleaning it, "Purple roses around my wrist because they're my favorite flower, a virgin Mary on the back of my forearm because of my family's Catholic religion, and she looks a little fucked up because I struggled a lot with religion growing up."

"If I may interrupt," Gerard inclined politely as Frank set the plug aside, "What are your thoughts on it now?"

Frank paused as he stopped cleaning a hand-shaped dildo, pursing his lips, "I don't really know. I believe there's something but I don't know what it is and, honestly, I don't really care. I'm here and shit happens."

"Adept." Gerard snorted, "Continue, boy."

"I got this anatomical heart with a switchblade through it here," Frank gestured to his inner forearm with his pinky finger before he continued cleaning his own dildo that had recently joined its comrades on the shelf, "Thought it was cool."

"It's very pretty."

"I've got the Japanese Oni on my elbow because I have Asian heritage, actually." Frank looked up at his Master, who raised an intrigued eyebrow, "On my dad's side. Mom's fully Italian-American."

"Such an interesting mix in you." Gerard smiled, "The perfect combination to create such a pretty boy."

"Thank you, sir." Frank whispered as he looked down again and cleaned the last of his dildo toys, "Then I've got a few little bits and pieces like this bomb and my little bats that were just fillers I got because I was with friends. And then I have these four black blocks for-"

"Black Flag?" Gerard asked with a smile and Frank looked up with surprise written into every feature, "Oh, I know."

"God, you're magic sometimes." Frank whispered, his brow furrowing, "How are you real?"

"Continue with your explanations." Gerard waved a hand as he got up to grab the small trashcan and set it beside Frank for all of his used wipes. Gerard returned to his seat with a smile, "What's next?"

"I have a chainsaw above it for the movie. 'Texas Chainsaw' is one of my favorite slasher films." Frank shrugged, "And then I've got this pair of fake vampire fangs that I got last year for my birthday."

"They're very cute."

"I got two nautical stars, too. They're just cool. And above it all I've got a band of writing that says 'respect, honor, and loyalty'."

"And what about those pretty birds on your hips?"

"Got them for my twentieth." Frank smiled at the memory, "I've always wanted sparrows on my hips."

"What else do you have, my boy?" Gerard asked as Frank opened the tin of leather polish and picked up a small blue cloth to smear it in the white polish.

"I've got some writing on my left thigh that says 'Live each day as if it were your last'. It's just always good advice to keep." Frank shrugged as he polished one of the hoods in slow circles, "Then I've got the Misfits reaper on my left calf. And a thirteen."

Gerard got up and began inspecting Frank's work on the shelves, "The number thirteen? Can I ask why?"

Frank stopped for a moment and looked at his Master with a smile, "A lot of people are superstitious about it being an unlucky number. Because of things like the Last Supper, and the Knights Templar, and the full moons."

"All of those things were related to the number thirteen?"

"Yes, sir." Frank smiled as he held the hood in his arm and continued polishing the other side of it, "In China, Italy, and France, the number is considered good luck."

"Fascinating." Gerard smiled, "Any others?"

"I used to have 'NJ' tattooed on the inside of my lip." Frank chuckled, "I got it as a dare when I was a bit tipsy. I dared R- my ex... To get a tattoo since he didn't have any. And he was only gonna get something if I did."

"Why do you say you 'used to' have it? Did you have it removed?" Gerard tilted his head.

"Oh, nah," Frank began polishing a second hood carefully, "Lip tattoos are technically considered temporary because they fade a lot quicker than other areas. It usually only lasts, like, a year."

"Fascinating." Gerard whispered, "I vaguely remember you saying Ryan didn't have any body modifications."

"He has an infinity on his wrist with a bird." Frank shrugged, "No other piercings. I don't really count it because it's like the size of a dime."

"Do you have plans to get more work done?"

"I-" Frank looked at Gerard with a sudden falter, "Am I allowed, sir?"

Gerard's lips pulled at the corners as though threatening to smile, "Such a good boy. I wouldn't stop you from doing what you want with your body, even though that body belongs to me. I would like to know, if possible, beforehand but I won't be mad if you impulsively decide on one. My only statement on the entire thing is that the more tattoos you get, the less surface area I have to scar on you."

"How so?" Frank asked as he closed the polish tin and stood up, his legs aching after sitting for such a long time.

"If I break skin over a tattoo, when it heals, it won't heal perfectly and one of your tattoos will have a scar through it. I'm sure you could have it filled in again but considering the number of times you'd have to have that done, it seems tedious."

"I didn't think of it like that." Frank frowned, "That makes sense. I don't really have any immediate plans for much else right now except one or two others. But I do have something I wanna put in this space," Frank touched the large open space on his left shoulder above the band of writing, "But that's much later on."

"I'm very intrigued."

Frank began to return his toys back to their shelves, holding them delicately in his arm, "Sir?"

"Yes, boy?"

"You don't have anything at all? Not a tattoo or a piercing or anything?" Frank asked curiously as he placed the last dildo on the shelf.

"None whatsoever." Gerard shrugged casually, "I just don't... I don't really feel committed enough to want to permanently mark my skin with something I may not like down the line. Does that make sense?"

"Of course." Frank smiled understandingly as he grabbed more toys to put away, "Not everyone feels the same about tattoos and I don't judge people who don't wanna get 'em. Besides..." Frank grabbed one of the hoods, "I like your skin as is."

Gerard smiled as the tiniest tint of pink edged onto his face, although Frank was sure it was the red lights beside him. Gerard swapped one leg over the other idly, "How many piercings do you have in total, boy? I count six, but I could be mistaken."

Frank slid one of the hoods into the shelf and stopped, frowning as he mentally counted the metal in his body, "Ears, nose, lip, tongue, dick. Yeah, six."

"Beautiful." Gerard sighed, "Frank?"

"Sir?" Frank replied as he walked back to the shelf to place a few of the buttplugs on their recently-cleaned surface.

"Well done." Gerard praised as he ran a hand through his submissive's hair slowly, "You've done well so far. Pack the rest away and I'll show you what to do with latex."

Frank beamed brightly at the fingers that ran through his hair as he looked up at his Master in the red lights. Gerard bit his lip for a small inkling before he leaned down, kissing Frank, a finger tucked under his submissive's chin to hold him in place. Frank keener quietly as he kissed back, chasing his Dominant's tongue with his own, tasting the thrilling miasma of their mingled saliva. He leaned in for more, taking the tiniest step closer when Gerard pulled back slowly. He breathed out shakily against Frank's lip and let out a small chuckle, "So eager."

"That was mean." Frank opened his eyes to look up at his Dominant, "Why'd you stop?"

"You have to finish." Gerard pointed out, "Go on."

Frank groaned, pouting as Gerard stepped back, wiping his thumb over his lip before he sucked on his finger. Frank turned to pick up the last few bits of his toys when he felt two firm hands grip his ass and squeeze languidly at his flesh. He yelped at the touch, feeling the warmth of his Master's body behind him.

"Sir, I can't finish if you don't let me." Frank pointed out as those same hands kneaded his ass and pulled him closer. He felt butterflies erupt in his stomach and spark down his veins into his toes.

"I'm well aware," Gerard whispered as he pressed Frank right against him and slid his hands over his submissive's hips, "Just reminding myself of what I possess, pup. Not that I needed it, perhaps I'm just overly greedy today."

Frank felt the hands disappear from his hips and the warmth behind him dissipate far too quickly. He swayed, clutching a handful of gags to his chest, and watched Gerard sit himself back in the wooden chair in the corner. Frank's cheeks immediately tinted a slight pink as he turned and scurried to the shelf to carefully pack away the rest of his stuff.

He managed to replace everything on the floor back to where it had previously been, sliding the last leathery hood back into place before he turned to look at his Dominant with wide and expectant eyes. Gerard tilted his head and got up, casually striding passed the hesitant boy to fully examine his work. Frank waited with bated breath until Gerard stopped in front of him.

"Well done, boy. Everything looks clean. Now how often do you do that?"

"Oh, um, once a week for everything but after every use of anything?" Frank offered as he stared down at his Master's bare feet in his downturned view.

"Good boy." Gerard praised, "That's enough for this evening. Is there anything, in particular, you'd like to do, boy?"

"I'd say sex but I haven't exactly cleaned myself or anything," Frank chuckled as he looked up, a faint blush on his cheeks when he saw the tiniest smile tug at one of the corners of his Master's lips, "If you wanna do that, sir, then you gotta give me twenty minutes."

"I think I'll survive the evening without being buried inside you for once."