Frank winced as Gerard took care of him. Frank felt much better with a full stomach and was finally dressed, sitting cross-legged on his Master's bed, but the aftercare wasn't over yet. Gerard took hold of his wrist gently, avoiding the angry red marks and bruises. Frank blanched when he felt the instant sting of aloe vera gel being rubbed on his wrist before it cooled. Frank got over the initial shock and relaxed into it, watching Gerard work, watching how his Master cared after what he had just put Frank through.

"Feeling better?"

Frank was still watching him tend to his sore and red wrists. He only nodded, mind filled with curiosity of which he didn't want to consider yet. It silenced him and made him think more than was probably needed. The ordeal was over and Frank knew that; he knew not to make the same mistake twice, but he still thought, still wondered. The punishment fit the crime, but Frank still considered and wondered what would have happened if, partway through the punishment, he realized that he couldn't do this and he needed it to stop instantly.

Gerard had gone to work, or at least that was what Frank was led to believe. It was what his Master had told him he was doing so of course Frank worried if the worst had happened. He knew that he wouldn't signal, but he kept his mouth shut about it. His mind raced about what would have happened if he needed it to stop.

"You look troubled, boy," Gerard commented, noticing the frown on his submissive's brow. Frank snapped out of his long stare, looking up at his Master, seeing the moue of concern that sat on his face. Frank didn't want to bring something up that Gerard probably had completely under control, but he couldn't help it when he wondered what would happen if it wasn't under control. Not that he would voice his concern. He felt stupid for worrying, but he didn't all at the same time. He knew that he would have felt silly if he asked what would happen if he couldn't do something and Gerard wasn't there to hear or see him signal that enough was enough. Gerard knew what he was doing, but then again, Frank also knew just how new to this he was so of course he felt like he needed some form of comfort over what was taking over his thoughts.

"Frank," Gerard sighed, capping the gel, setting it down on the bedside table before handing Frank an ice pack, pressing it on his wrists before getting him to hold it in place, "I know the look of concern on a sub's face. It's what I'm supposed to spot. Telltale signs that tell me that something is wrong."

"I'm fine, sir." Frank insisted, not wanting to worry Gerard over something that he guessed was more than definitely something of which his Master had control.

"Boy," Gerard's tone lowered. He looked Frank straight in the eyes, making him shiver at the cold, yet concerned, stare. Frank knew that he couldn't hide it. Gerard was onto him, "If you don't tell me what is wrong then am I going to have to force it from you?"

"I don't want to come across as stupid..." Frank admitted, lowering his gaze from Gerard's because he felt somewhat ashamed. Like he was letting his Master down for doubting his methods, "I'm still so new to this and just... I thought of something and...sir?"

"Yes, Frank?" Gerard asked, sensing the nervousness in his submissive, "You can say anything to me and I won't think of it as stupid. I know you are new to this lifestyle and I expect you to ask questions. How will you learn if you don't ask?"

Frank nodded at that. Gerard did have a point, "I just wondered..."

"About what?"

Frank took a shaky breath before he adjusted the ice pack on his wrist, getting some relief from the burning cold on his left wrist before giving his right wrist some attention, "What would have happened if I couldn't do it, sir?"

"How do you mean?"

"What if I signaled that I couldn't do it?" Frank blurted out the question before he could bottle it back up again and come up with something else that he could have asked without worrying over, "What if I signaled while you were at work...if you were at work- Were you actually at work, sir?"

"I was at work, I wasn't lying," Gerard said honestly, making Frank swallow and look down at the warming ice pack on his wrist, "If Lindsey could have dealt with the work alone today then I would have stayed at home. Still told you that I was going into work, but I would have kept an eye on you, boy."

"So," Frank stammered, now knowing the truth that Gerard had actually left him hanging there. He had known already, but the confirmation sent a shiver down his spine, "If I'd have signaled while you were at work, how would you have known?"

"Trust your Master, boy," Gerard spoke warmly, reassuringly with a small knowing smile on his face, "I had my eye on you the whole time."

Frank frowned, "H-How?"

"I have cameras in the room for such scenes where I have to leave you alone," Gerard admitted, shifting on the bed to get more comfortable, "Do you really think that I would truly leave you alone, boy?"

For a split second, Frank considered it but he shook his head, knowing full well that he trusted Gerard with all of this. If he didn't then his signature wouldn't have been sat on the contract.

"Whatever the play...or punishment," Gerard said pointedly, making Frank look back down as he felt shame again for what he had done, "If you are out of my sight, you are still one hundred percent safe. If anything were to turn sour, it would stop instantly."

"But-" Frank stopped himself, feeling like he was speaking out of turn. Gerard just waved a hand at him, letting him continue, "So if you could see me signal that I wanted down and I wanted it to stop, how would you have stopped it from in the office? Say I started to have a panic attack and you were twenty away... What would have happened then?"

"In the worst-case scenario, being with you or away from you, I would stop it," Gerard reassured him again, "If you did need to get down and I wasn't there, be it in the office, I would have been able to get you down from my phone."

"Wh-" Frank stopped himself. What Gerard said sounded like some sort of technological mind-fuck. He tried to wrap his head around it but nothing seemed to be melding.

"Don't look so confused, boy," Gerard chuckled, "I assumed that you would understand that, being younger than myself. More technologically educated than me."

"Half the time I could barely get the TV to record shit when I wanted it to," Frank admitted with a smirk, "I'm not very good with technology."

"Well, be that as it may, if I needed to release you, it would only have been a phone call away," Gerard continued, "There is a remote, but if I'm too far away for it to work then I merely have to make a quick call and I activate the release mechanism."

"I guess that is comforting," Frank nodded, feeling the doubt start to fade away. He should have known that Gerard knew what he was doing, whether he was there or not. Frank should have known that his Master would have taken care of him no matter what the situation, but being so new to it, he needed the confirmation.

"As comforting as it should be, you do know that what happened to you was still a punishment. It was warranted, whether you could do it or not," Gerard added, "I'm impressed that you did it. The first proper punishment can be rather daunting. Did you even consider signaling at any point?"

Frank sat still for a second before shaking his head at his Master. Frank knew that he had done wrong; he deserved the punishment. It fitted and Frank didn't want to come across as weak when he was so new to all of this.

"As proud as I am of that," Gerard cleared his throat, getting up from the bed and walking towards the bedroom door. He snapped his fingers before lifting up his index finger, pointing it down. Frank racked his brain for a split second before he remembered the signal, scrambling off the bed to join Gerard. Standing obediently to the right with his head bowed down, Frank followed when Gerard opened the bedroom door and walked out, "You still disappointed me with your lack of urgency this morning. As of that, tonight and for however long I see fit, you will be sleeping in your room, boy. Do you understand?"

Frank fought back his initial reaction to protest. He hated sleeping alone, but he also knew that he had done wrong. He knew that he had his room for occasions like this, so Frank just nodded, saying 'yes, sir' before he continued to follow his Master.

Frank was sitting up in his own bed, rubbing his hands over his face, his fingers pressing against his still tired eyes. He was so tired, but this was the price he had to pay for waking up so late yesterday. He was awake before his alarm this morning for the simple reason that he felt far too alone. His usual comfortable night's sleep hadn't been as deep-seated.

That coupled with the fact that he was in his room. Not sharing the bed with his Master. Frank sighed to himself as he looked at the cream walls vacantly for a second. He knew that he couldn't waste any time this morning. He had to make up for his mistake and he didn't want to be getting Gerard angry again. Not for the second day in a row. This morning had to go perfectly and Frank knew that as he climbed out of bed. He stood up and stretched toward the ceiling, reaching up as his muscles protested. The similar position of his arms above his head had his shoulders rolling in their joints uncomfortably. He stifled a yawn as he went over to his closet and pulled on an old 'Off The Wall' tee and some shorts.

Yesterday's punishment was still fresh in Frank's mind. The arduous and relentless torture he had withstood; had deserved. Today was another day for him to prove himself to his Master that it wasn't going to happen again. He had to be up at five-fifteen and he had to be downstairs as soon as possible because there was no way in hell he was going to run late for waking Gerard.

No one else was awake when Frank got downstairs. The house was in darkness as he padded over to the kitchen, turning on the overhead light that made him wince. His eyes were still far too tired to be dealing with this time of the morning. It was barely five-thirty. Frank knew that he was ahead of schedule and he was glad that he didn't have to rush around. He made his way over to the fridge and pulled the oversized door open to look in and see what he was going to have before breakfast.

There was far too much to choose from, but Frank grabbed at one of the sealed smoothie bottles. He bumped the fridge door shut with his hip before leaning against it, taking a sip out of the bottle. The green concoction didn't entirely look appetizing, but Frank was thirsty and he downed half of the drink in no time at all, hoping not to waste any precious time as he went. He didn't want to disappoint his Master for the second day in a row. Fifteen minutes until he had to wake his golden calf. The obvious thing to do would be to hang around and wait until he was to go upstairs and wake Gerard, but Frank didn't want to take any risks.

The thought of that happening again made Frank shudder. There was no way in Hell he was going through that again. It was safe to say that now he knew the side of Gerard that he didn't want to meet. The one side that he really didn't want to rile up so he walked away from the fridge, dumping the now empty bottle in the trash, and made his way upstairs early because that was the safest thing for him to do. He was going to be on time and, hopefully, his Master would be pleased with his punctuality.

Frank found himself pacing the hallway; he couldn't just sit still and wait. He found himself fidgeting and worrying that he might end up being late. What if he sat down and ended up falling back asleep? In his head, he was counting down the minutes and checking the time regularly to see it slowly go by. This felt like the longest time he has ever had to wait to do something, but eventually, it was five-forty-two. He was actually going wake his Master up on time this morning and Frank was fucking relieved. He counted down the seconds in his head, Frank waited by the bedroom door, hand holding onto the door handle. Frank gripped the door handle tighter, tapping his heel against the carpet nervously. Fucking finally, Frank thought as he quietly turned the handle and opened the door before stepping into the darkened bedroom.

Waking up Gerard went a lot better than Frank had envisioned. He still felt bad about running late yesterday and, in true ass-kissing fashion, he made sure to be quick and light on his feet when walking over to the bed. He wasted no time putting a hand on Gerard's shoulder, gently shaking him and greeting his bleary-eyed Master with a smile and a 'good morning' when he was roused from his slumber.

He glanced over at his clock once he had sat up in bed and saw that Frank had actually got his act together. Gerard didn't show that he was impressed despite giving Frank an approving nod, and carried on as he would have done if Frank had done this on a regular basis. Gerard threw the comforter off before he climbed out of bed and headed over to his drawers to retrieve clothes. Frank stood near the bottom of the bed with his hands held behind his back while he looked down, assuming the stance that he did when waiting.

"You need to get dressed for the next activity in your rituals, pup," Gerard spoke casually as he pulled a t-shirt from one of his mahogany drawers, "You do remember what is next for you to do, don't you, boy?"

Frank nodded while his insides twisted unhappily; Exercise was something they had touched upon in the past week, but only in conversation. Now that his rituals were fully underway, Frank knew that there was no way he was going to get out of this. As much as he hated the idea of exercising, he knew that he had to do it. It was the one thing that was going to help him cope with what Gerard put him through. Hopefully not what he did to him yesterday again. Frank knew that he could live without that happening again for as long as humanly possible.

But again, he knew that this was something that he was going to have to do. No getting out of it, so Frank sucked it all in, his annoyance and despair over the idea of exercising. He might as well have tried to enjoy it, especially seeing as he wasn't going to be alone through it. Gerard was going to be with him so he knew that even if he faked enjoying it, which he hoped that he wouldn't have to do once he got into the swing of it, he was just going to have to lump it because this was what he had to do. This was part of the lifestyle and he knew it, having signed and accepted it in his contract.

"Well, don't just stand there looking like a lost soul. Go and get ready, boy. I shouldn't have to tell you to do something that you should already know you have to do." Gerard instructed, sharply. Frank jumped from the spot and scurried down the hall into his bedroom. For a second Frank stood in his closet and scratched at his head, unsure of what to wear. For someone who was about to exercise for the first time since being forced to do gym at school, Frank stood in the middle of his closet, realizing that he didn't know if he owned anything that was suitable.

Not wanting to waste any time, he grabbed the only things he had that seemed acceptable. It wasn't like he needed to look good to exercise. Frank knew that he needed to dress comfortably, especially since he was going to be doing something that he hadn't done for God knows how long. He rummaged around and grabbed what he needed before quickly dressing himself.

Frank found Gerard downstairs in the front room, warming up and stretching his long limbs. Not that Frank was paying attention to the movements when all he noticed was how Gerard was dressed. It wasn't the large, but fitted, white t-shirt that caught Frank off guard but the glorious sky-blue poly short shorts with white trim. Frank swallowed as he walked over to Gerard, trying not to focus on his Dominant's gorgeously long legs on display. Gerard's calves were half-encased in white tube socks and his feet in a pair of white trainers.

When Frank saw his Master, It had always been suits and even when he dressed down, he never wore anything remotely close to what he was wearing right now. Frank knew he was blushing; he could feel his face heating up as he joined Gerard. He really tried his best to stay focused, which was proving to be a hard thing to do when all he had in his sight was Gerard stretching and warming up in the wonderous shorts with matching blue and white socks. Gerard glanced over at Frank when he realized he had entered the living room. He was about to speak, but stopped instantly when he looked at Frank properly.

"You do know you're going running, boy?" Gerard questioned, looking Frank up and down again. Frank just stood there, frowning at Gerard because he knew what they were going to be doing. As much as he was dreading it, he knew that there was no getting out of it.

"Yes, sir."

"And you're dressing... Like that?" Gerard continued to question. Frank looked down at what he was wearing, pulling his hands out of his sweatpants pockets. He had dressed for comfort. Frank knew that running for the first time in God knows how long was not going to be a walk in the park. He knew he was going to struggle, but he tried to be optimistic. He looked at his all-black outfit that consisted of his sweatpants, a comfy long-sleeved shirt, and a pair of converse.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Frank asked nervously. Maybe he should have been dressed more like Gerard was, but he couldn't go back on his choices now. Frank didn't want to feel stupid so he just stood confidently, waiting for his Master to respond.

"Nothing," Gerard half-snorted, "Just checking that you know what you're doing, boy."

"I've got this, sir," Frank reassured his Master as confidently as possible, stretching his legs before running on the spot.

"As long as you know what you're doing, boy..." Gerard said as he grabbed two water bottles before giving one of them to Frank, "You've got an hour of this."

"Trust me, sir," Frank reassured him again, "I've got this."

~

"Sto- God, please stop." Frank panted out. His lungs felt like they were on fire but he swore that he could do this. He had evidently proved himself wrong as he came to a stop and bent over, hands on his knees while he tried to catch his breath. This was nothing like having to run in gym class back in school. It became very clear from the moment that he started running alongside Gerard. It seemed to be going so well until his body realized what he was trying to do and was having nothing to do with it almost instantly.

"What's the matter, boy?" Gerard asked, barely breaking a sweat as he ran back to Frank, jogging slowly on the spot as he watched Frank struggle to catch his breath, "I thought you said, and I quote, 'I've got this'."

"I-I have..." Frank nodded, the sweat already beading on his forehead, his legs already feeling like lead. Frank glanced at Gerard briefly, feeling jealous annoyance over the fact that his Master hadn't even stopped when he came to check on him. Gerard was still running on the spot, not even struggling as Frank looked away. He wiped the sleeve of his shirt against his forehead chastely, "Just, gi-gimme a second... Can't breathe..."

"Whatever is the matter?" Gerard asked, "You make it look like you've never run a day in your life, boy."

"I... I don't make a habit of running," Frank spoke honestly, his throat still burning. He took a long drink on his bottle of water and swallowed, "L-Last time I ran was when... Ryan used to drive me to work sometimes and one day he thought I had a day off. I literally had to run after him just so I could get to work. Practically died when he realized I was chasing him- Fuck. My chest feels like it's on fuckin' fire."

"I would say that you are doing rather well, but we've barely made it around the block." Gerard pointed out. It made Frank groan and realize that there was no way in Hell he was going to be able to do this for an hour. He was probably going to die before this was over. Or Gerard was going to have to somehow get him home when his legs gave out.

"Just... Gimme a sec, sir," Frank held a finger up, gulping down more air, starting to feel that the burning sensation in his chest was starting to dissipate, "I can do this."

"Clearly," Gerard smirked, still running on the spot, making Frank internally grumble at the lack of athleticism he had compared to his Master who was clearly more in shape than he was. It wasn't fair, even though it was. Frank hoped that the fact that he was younger meant that he was more spritely and he could do this, but it was proven to be the opposite with him and Gerard, "Only fifty-five more minutes to go and then you can hit the shower, boy."

"Fift- Are you serious?" Frank sputtered out. He swore that they had at least been running for twenty minutes. It honestly felt like it with the way Frank's body fought the surge of movement that he had been doing. His head pounded and he swore that he could feel his heart beating in his fingers and toes. Frank didn't know if he could do this for fifty-five more minutes. He didn't want to stop, making himself look like he couldn't do something that looked so simple for Gerard to do. For someone who wasn't a showoff, Frank swore that he was as he kept running on the spot, not even stopping to properly check if he was okay. Frank's face was red with heat, sudden exhaustion, and lack of realization that he couldn't do this. He had to though, even as Gerard kept going, going ahead of Frank in an attempt to get him to move.

"We've only been going for five minutes. Come on, Frank," Gerard looked back encouragingly. Frank cursed under his breath and took one more long drink on his water before hitting the cap shut. As much as he wanted to stop, he pushed on because he wanted to catch up with Gerard who was already a few feet away from him and running briskly. Frank tried to keep his breathing even, remembering old orders that his gym teacher used to shout at the class when they were running. His leg muscles screamed out in protest but Frank kept pushing through, his converse slapping on the tarmac.

He eventually felt so fucking proud of himself when he actually caught up with his Master, huffing loudly as Gerard spoke, "I thought you knew that this wouldn't just be a quick sprint around the block. Endurance, my boy. Maintaining strength. Keeping yourself fit so your body can cope with what I do to you."

"I think..." Frank spoke between gasping breaths, "This will kill me more... Than what you do to me... Sir."

"Nonsense," Gerard chuckled, "This is a walk in the park compared to the array of things that I could do to you. You should know that by now, boy."

"True." Frank panted, the memory of the day before being brought right to the front of his mind. His shoulders had still ached a little this morning, even though it wasn't too bad. He could ignore it before, not now when his whole body was starting to continuously ache. The only good thing about it was the sheer amount of Gerard's legs that were exposed. The tiny blue shorts that Frank tried not to focus on in fear of getting distracted, but even if he did, it would have been the best distraction in the entire world.

"Now, let's see if you can keep up for the rest of the hour, boy." Gerard chimed playfully as he looked over at Frank who felt as though he was about to collapse from heatstroke. He was definitely wearing the wrong clothes but he pushed on, still somehow keeping up with his Master as he swigged on more water while running. Gerard glanced at his submissive, "No more stops. I don't want this to be a complete waste of time."

"Yes, sir." Frank forced the two words out. He knew full well that there was no way in Hell that he was going to still be running by the time the hour was up, but at least he could try.

Or at least that's what Frank kept telling himself as he continued to keep up with Gerard, only starting to lag behind when the pace began to get too much for him. His head pounded as he fell back, his lungs threatening to seize, and stomach probably about to eject the water he had been downing to keep himself cool. Frank tried so hard; the sweat poured down his face and down his back, it was starting to soak through the shirt he was wearing. A sharp pain hit him in the side all too suddenly like a twisting blade, making his face twist and forcing him to stop, "Oh, Go, ow- Stop. Stop..."

"What now, boy?" Gerard sighed after he turned to see Frank standing with his hands clutched at the side of his stomach. He slowed down and turned back to join Frank with his fingers checking his pulse.

"Cramp. Oh, God- Cramp. Shitty shit, ow- Fuck." Frank hissed as he held tightly onto his side and tried to breathe, but it only made the pain in him far worse than anything he had ever experienced. This was why he didn't run, this was why he knew there was no way he was going to make it to the end of the hour.

"In your side, boy?" Gerard asked. Frank was holding his side, nodding at his Master with a pained expression, "You don't have a cramp."

"Alright 'House'," Frank huffed out when Gerard held onto his side, applying pressure where it hurt which did help to alleviate some of the intense pain that was shooting through Frank every time he tried to breathe in, "It fucking feels like a cramp. Ow, fuck. Fuck-"

"Language, boy," Gerard told him off quickly, "You have a stitch; nothing serious. You're not going to die from it."

"Aren't they the same thing?" Frank wheezed. He felt as though he was burning up from the inside out as sweat coated his frame and began seeping through his clothes in a few places.

"A cramp is a contraction in the muscles, usually in the legs muscles when running," Gerard explained, "What you have is a reduced blood flow to your diaphragm. Touch your toes, boy."

"What?" Frank stuttered, looking at Gerard, puzzled.

"Do as I say." Gerard ordered and Frank sighed, wincing at the pain while he bent over, doing what he had been told. He tried to breathe as he held the position for fifteen seconds before the backs of his calves started to strain. He stood up and prepared to feel the sharp, shooting pain in his side, but it was dissipating; he could actually breathe and it didn't hurt. Frank breathed a sigh of relief, smiling weakly at Gerard.

"How did you do that?"

"Because I know what I'm doing, boy," Gerard answered, looking Frank up and down once more, "Including how to dress appropriately for exercise."

"Wh-" Frank started before he realized that Gerard was making a point. Frank realized that maybe he had made a mistake with what he was wearing. Clearly he was overheating, that was a given when he noticed the sweat that had darkened the shirt under his arms and in the middle of his chest. The sweat was pouring down his red face and he could also feel his legs emanating heat. Sweatpants really were the worst thing to wear today. His feet were starting to hurt thanks to the battered Converse he had foolishly donned. Gerard was barely sweating considering he was dressed appropriately, and he was probably way more comfortable.

"Why didn't you say anything to me, sir?" Frank questioned as he wiped his sweaty brow again before downing another mouthful of water.

"How will you learn if, every time you do something wrong, I tell you that you are in fact doing it wrong, boy." Gerard answered casually. It made Frank realize that his Master hadn't said anything about his exercise dress code on purpose, "You have to sometimes realize by yourself that what you are doing is wrong. If you didn't want to boil away while running then you would have dressed appropriately. You will know for tomorrow, won't you?"

"Yes, sir." Frank replied in a small voice as he watched Gerard stretch briefly before running on the spot. Frank tried his best to focus on actually surviving the rest of the time he had to run, but it was hard when his Master was leagues fitter. He made it obvious because he was practically running circles around Frank and literally, too, when Frank quickly stretched his legs.

"Come on, then, boy," Gerard encouraged his submissive as he jogged backward around him before coming to stop at his left side, "We haven't got all day to be doing this."

And somehow Frank kept up; he had no idea how he was doing it as he sweated profusely but he knew that he was burning up from the inside out and was some wonderful shade of red as he ran alongside his Master. But that only lasted for a short while. Frank knew he was running so low on energy by the time they were half an hour in. He wanted to stop, but he could just imagine how Gerard would react if he stopped; he would not have been pleased.

Frank drank a mouthful of water as he ran, noticing how he was slowly starting to lag behind. He didn't care about the fact he couldn't drink properly while he was running, spilling more than a mouthful worth of water down his chin and shirt. His head had started to pound and his legs felt like lead. Frank needed to stop; he needed to cool down for a moment, but Gerard wasn't letting up even as he got a few feet behind. They rounded a corner and headed into a park, and Frank felt grateful that there was no one around to see him struggling. Gerard was still running at a good pace and seemingly fully aware of the fact that Frank was lagging behind him.

"Come on, boy," Gerard called out as he looked over his shoulder, "End of the park and we can take a break."

A break sounded good, but Frank knew that he wouldn't be able to make it to the end of the park without having a coronary in the process. His eyes stung from the sweat and he felt like he was going to collapse at any given moment. Gerard was so far ahead of him now that Frank knew there was no way he was going to be able to catch up with him. It felt like this was the end and a small part of Frank felt the urge to call 'pineapples'. He fought it, even though his whole body struggled to move like he was dragging a dead-weight behind him. Frank looked up, blinking hard to try and focus on the fact that Gerard was running on the spot ahead of him so he could catch up. His brain was slamming on the brakes, his brain knew that his body was flying a white flag.

Out of all the things that Frank noticed in the park, he heard ducks. The noise made him look to his left where he saw the expanse of a pond that stretched out. In his head, it registered as more of a priority over Gerard calling out to him. The water looked disgusting; it was a murky brown color and filled with pond scum, but to an overheating Frank, it looked divine- Like a cool shower on a boiling hot day. Frank's dead body screamed out for relief, Gerard was only a few yards away from him, but the water was closer. He didn't care if anyone saw what he was considering doing. Frank didn't even think twice as he stopped and took in a few lungfuls of air, catching his breath. He wiped his face dry and looked over at Gerard, who had stopped running. His Master his hands on his hips as he watched Frank, he might as well have been tapping his foot and pointing to his watch. At that moment, Frank didn't care when Gerard called out. He ignored him despite knowing there was going to be serious consequences. Frank turned on the spot, uncaring about anything other than what he was about to do because the heat was too much. He knew that he couldn't just strip off in the park to cool down; indecent exposure was definitely something that he couldn't do around Gerard, no matter how hot he was.

His exhausted legs fought the burn in his muscles, his whole body hated him for running again. It would be over soon and he was going to be okay, even if what he was about to do was something that Gerard clocked onto seconds before he did it. It was a shock move that even Frank couldn't believe he was doing, but he was and there was nothing that could stop him as he dove forward and took in a sharp breath of air. In an instant, there was nothing, and then there was the cool rush of relief surrounding Frank as he hit the water with a splash. The rushing roar filled his ears and his overheating body felt like it was sizzling as he remained submerged under the water for a second before he surfaced, gasping for air, pushing water out of his face and back over his head. He had just jumped into the dirtiest water he had ever seen but he didn't care. A smile spread on Frank's face despite his soaked clothes that clung to his frame. The cold water drenched him and cooled him down to his ragged core. He still looked so red and so unbelievably hot and overworked on his first time running with his Master.

Frank didn't even want to look up because he knew who was standing at the edge of the pond and looking down at him with abhorred disgust plastered over his face. Frank just stood in the waist-high water for a second, still wiping water out of his face that was running down from his fringe. He squinted up to see his Master stood by the side of the pond in the same stance he had been in when he was waiting for Frank to catch up to him. His hands on his hips, but the look on his face was something that had Frank's stomach churn; he couldn't read Gerard's stoic expression.

The countenance was more 'shock' because the boy stood in the water, looking like some timid dog who had just jumped into a muddy puddle because it looked like fun. Clearly, Frank hadn't done this for fun and Gerard could tell just by looking at the boy's glowing face. The boy who was drenched in feculent water, his clothes were tinted a wonderfully disgusting shade of brown and pond weeds were wrapped around the sleeves of his shirt. Frank looked a disgrace, but Gerard didn't move a muscle.

"I think..." Frank started, catching his breath as his body temperature finally began to drop back down to something normal, "Next time... I need shorts."

He hoped to break the awkward tension that he could sense in the air around the two of them. Frank swore that his heart was about to surrender and let him just die instead of having to go through another bout of punishment like he had done the day before. He couldn't get in trouble over this, even though he was so sure that he would. Gerard didn't respond to Frank, who didn't dare come nearer or ask for help to get out. The sheer lack of respect and the lack of obedience usually would have had Gerard steaming, but he remained completely composed the whole time he stood by the water. Frank had no idea about his Master's feelings because Gerard's facial expression remained the same for the time being. He looked at his saturated boy that stood amongst the ducks that were starting to come closer to him. Even Gerard couldn't stop the small affectionate smile that tugged at his lips followed by him shaking his head because something like this should have been beyond unacceptable, but Gerard found it funnier than anything else.

"I think you do, my boy." Gerard finally responded. His small smile had Frank relaxing in his cooling pond-bath, "And I think next time we avoid jumping headfirst into the pond, okay?"

"Yes, sir." Frank sighed, finally feeling somewhat back to his normal body temperature as he waded back towards the edge of the pond, wanting to get out of the water before the wildlife attacked him for food that he didn't have.

"Straight home, hot shower," Gerard instructed as he pulled the boy out of the water by the arm, shaking his hand off and wincing, "God knows what bacteria is in that water. Not having you getting sick from E-coli or what other delights lurk in that pond."

Frank repeated another 'yes sir' again as they started to walk, his converse squelching on the ground, every item of clothing he had on now dripped and clung to him as he ambled along uncomfortably in his uncomfortable pants.

Once they were home, Frank had barely set a foot in the house before Gerard stopped him and told him to stand still in the main entrance.

"If you drip one drop of pond water on Lindsey's carpets... It won't be you getting in trouble," Gerard looked at Frank pointedly as he walked into the kitchen. He grabbed a trash bag from underneath the sink before walking back over the Frank, "I will be the one getting it in the neck, even though you, boy, were the one to unexpectedly plunge yourself into noxious pond water. Clothes off, now, in the bag."

Frank did as he was told and stripped down, peeling the wet clothes from his body to chuck them into the black bag as each item was removed. By the end of it, Frank was shivering and completely naked as he wrapped his arms around his chest in a weak attempt to keep himself warm.

Going from overheating to walking back in sodden clothes had cooled Frank down, but it had made him colder than he intended to be. His teeth chattered quietly in his mouth as Gerard chucked the boy's once-red but now-ruined Converse into the bag tying it off before holding it at arm's length.

"You do realize you ruined your clothes, boy," Gerard pointed out, looking over at Frank briefly, "The whole lot should be burnt instead of being washed." Frank didn't say anything, he just remained where he was standing and he wished that he was warmer and a little more dressed.

"Well, go on, then. Go get in the shower, boy," Gerard ordered, snapping his fingers at Frank to move, "We don't have all the time in the world you know. Disinfect yourself before you even consider stepping out of that shower. And don't take too long," Gerard reminded Frank as he walked towards the stairs, "Breakfast doesn't cook itself, you know."