Frank awoke the next morning in unfamiliar sheets, his legs wrapped up and his face buried in a feather pillow that wasn't his, the linen smelling of a subtle citrus spray that was both refreshing and homely. He pressed his face deeper into the cushion before opening a bleary eye and looking around. He was greeted by beige walls and a four-poster bed in light wood, the white sheets embroidered with small little flowers and swirls.

He frowned, not quite yet realizing where he was until his ass gave a dull throb, making him jerk; the night before came screaming back to him and his face flooded with color. He rolled over, looking over to see the other side of the bed in disarray, the pillow with an obvious head indent. Gerard. Frank smiled proudly to himself at the realization that he had bedded his boss, remembering how they had been entwined in this very bed, these very sheets, his very self.

But the boss in question was not where Frank had wanted, not in the bed with him, and judging by the temperature of the sheets themselves, he had been gone for a while. And that's when the panic set in, the realization that not only did he have sex with his boss, he had sex with his married boss, in their house, with his wife somewhere nearby. Frank felt the well of guilt suddenly break in his stomach and he felt sick, he felt nauseated as the back of his skull began to prickle and tingle like it did when he was in trouble as a child.

Frank then thought it best that now was the time to leave, that he should get the hell out of Dodge before Lindsey saw him. Hell, he didn't even know what time it was. Frank sat up, stretching and yawning involuntarily as he searched and scanned the floor for his clothes, coming up empty. The only thing he had found was the pajama shorts Gerard had brought him the night before; a simple pair of navy blue cotton boxers that Frank reckoned belonged to Gerard. Even better- this small thought was both sarcasm and not.

Frank slipped out of the bed and grabbed the shorts, tugging them on and up with a snap of elastic on his waist. He cautiously snuck out of the room and walked down the hall- to find Gerard and his elusive clothing- taking everything in around him from the feel of the off-white carpet under his feet to the beige walls with the photos of Gerard and Lindsey that adorned the walls, the two of them at different ages and stages in their life. It was intriguing to see Gerard when he was younger; a brilliantly shocking white-platinum crop of hair, the same confident and charming smile on his face. The change in hair color in the next photo grew to a tousle of black hair with Gerard looking a hell of a lot younger than the other two, possibly in high school. Frank chuckled then, smiling at the photo before he descended the wooden stairs into the main part of the house. The open plan living room and kitchen that sprawled out larger than he remembered; everything in whites and beiges with splashes of color here and there.

Frank walked into the kitchen where he found Gerard perched on a stool at the breakfast bar, a plate of eggs and toast in front of him, and undoubtedly a coffee, as he read through the paper in his hands. Frank looked at Gerard's hands and swallowed, also taking in just how gorgeous he looked with morning sex-hair and an oversized white Bowie t-shirt.

"Good morning, Frank." Gerard broke the silence first as he turned a page in the newspaper, taking a sip of coffee, "I trust you slept well."

"Yeah, thanks..." Frank replied awkwardly, "A little worse for wear, not gonna lie."

"Undeniably." Gerard commented, "How are you feeling overall?"

"I'm..." Frank trailed off, thinking of how he wanted to answer, "I'm okay for now, I guess."

"That's good. I'm glad." Gerard nodded, still reading before he glanced up, "And that face?"

Frank realized he had been grimacing, the pain in his ass was now starting to wake up as he did, and it was becoming more noticeable to the rest of him- especially considering he had never bottomed before. He tried to hide the chagrin from the dulled ache, "I- Well, I'm kinda sore."

"My sincerest apologies, boy." Gerard folded his newspaper and set it down, clutching his Star Wars mug in both hands, watching Frank over the rim of it, "Can I offer you some breakfast? Coffee? Tea?"

"I," Frank withheld the urge to wince again when a particularly sharp tendril of pain ricocheted into his hip, "I think I'm alright for now."

"Frank..." Gerard replied in a warning tone, making the younger male's stomach jump and his brain melt into submission.

"Yeah, okay." Frank nodded, grumbling as he scratched his head. He looked up guiltily, "But I don't want you making it. You've done enough for me as it is."

"If you insist." Gerard gestured to the fridge, "Help yourself, boy."

Frank nodded, turning to look at the chrome icebox beside him before he padded over to the monstrosity and opened it, both surprised, and not, by the contents; so fancy and full. Frank's fridge was usually filled with the basics in his old house, not to mention the leftovers that littered the shelves. This was a wake-up and a half, his stomach choosing that moment to growl, obviously awake now. But the pain in his ass was getting somewhat worse and he cringed again, readjusting his leg when his knee began to tremble.

"And that?"

Frank looked at Gerard, blushing somewhat that Gerard had seen him yet again, "Sorry. It's just... Tender, I guess."

"But I'm sure you're no stranger to it." Gerard waved a nonchalant hand and Frank froze, looking from the fridge to his boss with both eyebrows raised indignantly.

"I- What?"

'We don't say 'what', we say 'pardon', boy. Don't be so discourteous," Gerard corrected before he shrugged noncommittally, "And I simply stated an obvious fact, did I not?'

Frank was outraged at Gerard's assumption and he instantly rebuffed, "I'll have you know, sir-"

"Oh, will you?" Gerard interrupted with an amused smirk and a devilish twinkle in his eye, "Go on then, have me know."

"That I- Well... I've never been on the receiving end before. Not until last night."

Gerard spat out his coffee suddenly, back-spitting into his mug as he did a wide-eyed double-take at Frank's revelation. He looked up, coffee slightly dribbling to his chin that he wiped off on the back of his hand. He stared at the boy in his kitchen for an indecipherably long second, tilting his head, "You're good-naturedly ribbing me, aren't you?"

"Nope." Frank winced at another twinge in his asshole. He closed the fridge, leaning back against the counter to stop his leg from twitching at the pain, "I was always the 'fucker' in my relationship, both literally... And figuratively according to Ryan."

"I don't believe you." Gerard squinted at him, "You never struck me as anyone with any sort of authority. I just assumed you were a bottom; it's how I perceived you from the start."

"I-I don't know how to take that." Frank admitted, his cheeks warming up and definitely going pink, "Ryan's a huge poof compared to me."

"I see..." Gerard stated, "I see..."

"Do you?" Frank asked, folding his arms when Gerard merely shrugged, going back to his paper, making Frank frown. He was starting to get a bit annoyed at how Gerard was handling all of this, how nonchalant he was to the fact that they had been together the night before, that Gerard had been unfaithful to his wife of so many years... That Gerard had been the first person physically inside of him. Frank looked away, feeling somewhat miffed at the entire situation now, his usual guilt now ebbing into a simmer of regret. Frank decided to ignore Gerard, going back to the fridge when he opened it, sticking his head in when the front door opened.

"Good morning, you old grump."

Frank froze, every drop of blood draining from his body and turning him ice-cold when he heard Lindsey's voice. Frank snuck the tiniest of peeks to see Lindsey in a pair of three-quarter leggings, a black sports bra and trainers, a water bottle in her hand and an iPod in her arm-sling, her blond hair in a ponytail.

"Good morning, dear." Gerard smiled as Frank peered on, praying to God that Lindsey didn't see him, his upper half hidden by the fridge, his lower by the counter. Lindsey leaned in, kissing Gerard's cheek before she took a sip of water and set the bottle down.

"How did you sleep?" She asked as she absent-mindedly picked up a stack of papers from the counter and began glancing- skimming- through them.

"Pretty well," Gerard answered after swallowing a bite of his toast, "I was presumably exhausted after last night."

"I heard you come in." She nodded, "I went through the Dustan-Gurade files last night."

"How's it looking?"

"Bleak." She sighed, "They're not as generous as they used to be. Mister Gurade is in the stock market and his shares are falling pretty low."

"Pity," Gerard muttered as Lindsey wandered into the kitchen, still reading through the files, facing Gerard, who had locked eyes with Frank. Frank was about to pee, his legs shaking as he laid his forehead on the rack in the door.

Lindsey went to reach for the fridge door when she stopped and realized it was open, turning to see Frank when she screamed in fright, throwing papers everywhere as she jumped a mile high. Frank instinctively yelled out in surprise at her vocalization, jumping back and hitting his head on a shelf in the fridge. He cursed loudly, rubbing the spot on the top of his head as it stung, his face screwed up. Frank glanced at her tentatively. She stood there, looking him up and down with a hand on her chest, panting heavily when she turned and looked at Gerard. A heavy scowl setting in her dark brows when she walked over to Gerard and grabbed him by the ear, making him yelp and lean into it, cursing under his breath. Frank watched in awe as Gerard slunk off behind her, his ear still in an iron grip as they disappeared into another room.

"Motherfuck...Shitshitshit-" Frank hissed under his breath, his heart pounding as he bent down, scrambling to pick up the pages on the floor that Lindsey had dropped, waiting for a screaming match to start. But nothing happened, no sound was heard as Frank set the pages down on the counter again, not sure about the order they were in. He most likely decided that Gerard and Lindsey were arguing in hushed tones so he didn't hear. He was a guest after all, despite the reason why. Frank knew he had fucked up, he knew he had gotten Gerard in deep shit, he knew he should probably leave but in what, he didn't know. He didn't even have a car.

The door opened and Gerard walked out, clutching his ear for a moment before he sat himself in the same barstool with Lindsey standing there in the doorway, hands on her hips and looking like fury-incarnate. Frank slunk backward, shying out of her view with his hands clasped in front of him like a misbehaving schoolboy in the headmaster's office, "Sorry..." Frank muttered softly, unable to look at Gerard as the panic set in, "Fuck. I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking last night and- And my best friend had died and I was looking for comfort and-"

"Frank..."

"No, let me finish." Frank put his hands in his hair, "I shouldn't have started this. I shouldn't have gone to find you. It was either you or Ryan- I mean I have no one else. My parents live in Denver and I have no other family and no real friends because I'm a loser and- And I felt so shitty and I just wanted someone to be with and talk to but you were there and you smelled so nice and you were hugging me and- Oh, God, I'm gonna be sick-"

"Frank."

"Fuck, I fucked up so badly. I ruined your marriage and I made Lindsey so mad- Fuck, I should have gotten her a bigger bunch of flowers. I should get some more. Roses. She liked the roses, right?"

"Frank..." Gerard sighed, watching him with a fist under his chin to prop himself up.

"Gerard- Sir, I- I'm sorry. I know I... Oh god, you're gonna fire me, aren't you? You're using the sympathy voice. Oh, God, you're gonna ax me- Fuck, I- Wh-" Frank began to hyperventilate as he paced the kitchen, feeling like he was about to faint or vomit or both.

"You look nauseous. Would you like an antacid or something?" Gerard offered and Frank turned, clutching his chest as he struggled to catch his breath. His eyes were wide as one of them began to twitch, his heart racing and his stomach doing bigger somersaults than Nastia Liukin.

"An antacid?" Frank's voice rose in pitch and volume, "You think I want a fucking antacid?!"

"Calm down before you keel over, boy." Gerard watched him calmly, no doubt waiting for Frank to finish panicking before he fired him and kicked him out, waiting for Frank's personal storm to blow over before Gerard brought on the second one.

"This is going to be so awkward at work- Wait. You're gonna fire me. I-I can't look at Lindsey ever again. Oh, God." Frank whimpered as he lay his face on the fridge, trying to lower the temperature in his face, "I don't wanna get canned."

"I'm not going to dismiss you." Gerard sighed, "Calm down."

"How are you so calm right now?!" Frank finally rounded on Gerard, waving his arms infuriatedly, "You do realize your fucking wife saw me like this?! I'm in your underwear!"

"I'm vastly aware of the situation, thanks." Gerard stated simply, entwining his fingers on the counter, "Now, boy..."

"What?!" Frank snapped.

"We need to talk."

"Oh, fucking do we?" Frank replied sarcastically.

"Enough tone with me." Gerard warned, "I've given you quite a bounteous amount of leeway with that attitude of yours and I would appreciate you putting it away."

Gerard's words seemed to calm Frank despite him feeling like it would do the opposite. He nodded, taking in a deep breath as he ran a hand through his hair, looking down at his feet, "Yeah."

"Now. come sit here. We need to talk." Gerard pulled out the barstool beside him and Frank cautiously padded over, leaning up to slide into the chair, resting his arms on the marble counter, looking down at his hands. Gerard sighed softly, "I need to share something with you considering you're now involved a little more personally with me. And it's something that no one else knows. It's of utmost secrecy, do you understand Frank?"

"Yes, sir."

"Look at me," Gerard ordered and Frank obeyed, looking up into Gerard's stern-set hazel eyes, the hardened gaze made his stomach jump and he nodded. Gerard seemed satisfied with Frank's earnest reply, "Good. You're not going to be fired, I promise. I'm not letting you go because of this, okay?"

"Okay..." Frank felt a small release of relief in his tensed and taut body, his leg twitching beneath the counter, his nervous tic returning, "Gerard?"

"Yes, boy?"

"Do- Do you and Lindsey have a weird... Kind of an open relationship thingy?" Frank then asked with a glimmer of hope that maybe he hadn't fucked up so badly.

"In a way..." Gerard trailed, "Very open."

It was just then that Lindsey reappeared, dressed in a simple black summer dress, standing in the doorway. Frank looked down, nodding at Gerard's words despite not understanding them. She put her hands on her hips, "Have you told him yet?"

"Getting there, dear." Gerard professed.

"Told me what?" Frank frowned between the two of them as he wondered what the fuck was going on. Because yes he had been told that they had an open marriage, but it still seemed funky to him.

"And you swear to secrecy alright? If this gets out, my career will be over." Gerard warned and Frank felt a sense of panic rush over him again but he still nodded.

"I understand."

"Your boss is a fat liar," Lindsey interjected, sounding far too impatient for the current situation and Frank let out a groan, realizing Gerard had lied. There was no open relationship, Gerard was trying to let him down easy. He and Lindsey were 'married' married and Frank had fucked up.

"Frank..." Gerard put his hand on Frank's for a moment before moving it away, "Lindsey and I, we're not together."

"Wh-" Frank frowned, completely confused as he looked at Lindsey and at Gerard a couple of times, "Pardon?"

"We're not together." Gerard repeated, "Lindsey and I have been best friends since elementary school and when I went into politics, I knew that no one would accept me because I'm gay so I got Lindsey to be my wife legally with the documentation. So, I'm a married man to the rest of the world, the perfect image. But, she's my best friend and nothing more."

"Oh, my God," Frank whispered, his mind completely blown to smithereens. He looked at Lindsey who was smiling back at him, arms folded and leaning against the doorway, "You're serious."

"Completely." Lindsey smiled sweetly, "Fake, but legal, marriage."

"Then- Then why the ear-grabbing and- And the angry looks?" Frank asked and Lindsey rolled her eyes.

"Because this grumpy fart can't stop dipping his pen in the company ink. He's a disgusting pervert," Lindsey scoffed, "It's a wonder he hasn't been caught out yet."

"What I'm worried about is..." Gerard eyed Frank as he pointedly ignored Lindsey's comment, "Last night you knew I was married and it didn't stop you. Do you have any morals, boy?"

"I-" Frank went red and he looked down, guilt and shame clouding over him.

"Gerard," Lindsey scolded, "Leave the poor boy alone, his friend passed away."

"Alright." Gerard held his hands up in surrender and Frank threw Lindsey a grateful glance.

"So..." Lindsey walked into the kitchen and began pouring herself a glass of juice, "Nice job with shaking our ceiling tiles, by the way."

"I-" Frank looked up with wide eyes at the realization that Lindsey had heard him, "You-"

"Oh, don't worry, I have my own side to the house. I live on the left and Gerard on the right, we share the downstairs, though. But when I heard him come home I wanted to talk to him like always. I got to the door and I heard you."

"Oh, my God." Frank muttered, hiding his face in his arms on the counter, wishing the world would just open up and swallow him whole, "Oh, God. Oh, my God."

"I will admit, you were rather loud," Gerard added and Frank could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

"Oh, so were you, grumpy," Lindsey interjected.

"I was a fair amount of volume, thank you." Gerard replied simply, "What I didn't realize beforehand was that I was having sex with a lawnmower."

Frank sat up, looking at Gerard with a frown, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Did no one ever tell you that you snore, boy?" Gerard smiled over his glass of orange juice as he took a sip and Frank grumbled curses under his breath, his blush spreading into his ears as he looked away, "Sorry, didn't catch that."

"It's not that bad." Frank repeated slightly louder, "I know I snore."

"You're right." Gerard smiled, "I'm just pulling your leg, Frank."

"Good." Frank sighed, "And you're not pulling my leg about being married?"

"No." Gerard nodded firmly, "That was all serious chatter."

"Okay..." Frank nodded, "Right."

"What time are two heading to the office?" Lindsey asked and Frank looked up in a pleasantly puzzled surprise.

"I told everyone to be there around eleven. I said we're only working half a day." Gerard nodded, looking at the clock on the wall, "I suppose we should get ready."

"I'm sorry, but..." Frank looked at them both in confusion, "I'm missing something."

"You must not have checked your email yesterday." Gerard stated, "I informed everyone that they have to be at work today. It's coming up to the financial year-end and we need to make sure everything is all sorted."

"Yeah, I missed that." Frank scratched awkwardly behind his head, "Sorry."

"Not to fret. Your clothes are in the dryer, the shower is upstairs and you're welcome to breakfast." Gerard slid from his chair, "I have a phone call to make beforehand."

"Okay..." Frank trailed off as Gerard walked over to Lindsey, kissed her cheek, and disappeared back into the room they had gone into beforehand that Frank now realized was a home office.

Frank looked at Lindsey, "Sorry..."

"Well, what you did was pretty rude, sleeping with my husband." Lindsey eyed him as she set her glass in the sink, "You're lucky I like you."

"Yeah... " Frank sighed, "Lucky."

Was he lucky, though? Frank didn't know. He didn't know what to make of the situation anymore, he was so much more involved than he had expected and anticipated and he wasn't sure if this was what he wanted it to be. Was he honestly ready to take on something like this? He was now alone in the kitchen, alone with himself and he couldn't even begin to grasp everything and anything that had just happened. It wasn't even ten in the morning and so much had just gone down, Frank was still reeling.

The one thing that bugged Frank the most was what Lindsey had said about Gerard, about him and his pen and the company ink. Frank understood that to mean that he wasn't the first person to work for Gerard that he had slept with and he wasn't sure why that particular part bugged him so much. He hoped it was someone that had left by now, hoped it was no one that he had to deal with on a daily basis but Frank shrugged it off. If he knew Gerard as well as he hoped, he was certain that Gerard would have gotten rid of them by now, he knew Gerard wasn't the type to have loose strings attached to him for the sake of keeping a public face.

But that faced another question, raised another niggling thought. If Frank wasn't fired now, how long did he still have left working for Gerard? How long until Gerard got tired of his face, Gerard had gotten what he wanted from the chase, he had gotten what he sought after and how long would it be until Gerard got bored again?