A/N: I thought we could start the new year off right. It's not much but I love it tbh.

In honour of Betty White.

"They're both out?" Frank huffed as he leaned in the doorway of the other hotel room, looking at Josh who was sprawled out on his bed with Jim and reading a comic. Josh looked up and nodded, to which Frank let out a huff of annoyance, "Where? They just vanished."

"Da- Ty went to get some takeout and G went to fetch his dry cleaning. Some dickhead accidentally spilled coffee on him today."

Frank frowned, "Why didn't he send me?"

"You were having a nap." Josh grinned, "He didn't wanna disturb you. Apparently, you looked far too comfy for your own good."

Frank closed the door behind him and waltzed over, flopping down on the other bed, "Josh?"

"Yeah?"

Frank pursed his lips anxiously, "Can I ask you something?"

Josh sat up a little more against the plush headboard and set his comic book down. He gave Frank a warm smile, "'Course you can."

Frank sighed softly, "How can I be more like you?"

"L-Like me?" Josh frowned deeply, "What about me?"

"Just, y'know, you're... Perfect." Frank whispered and looked down at his hands.

"P-Perfect? Frank, I'm not-" Josh trailed off as a frown settled in his brows, "What makes you think that?"

"Jesus, fuck, where do I start?" Frank snorted and gestured at the muscled submissive with a wave of his hand, "The body, the muscles, the face, the behavior, the temperament. A shorter list would be things that make you imperfect."

"You have a list of my imperfections?" Josh frowned deeply as he toyed with his bracelet.

"Well, the top of the list used to be that you fucked my partner but... I've come to realize you weren't at fault."

"So what's on the top of your list now?" Josh whispered as Frank walked over to sit on a nearby armchair.

Frank ran his tongue stud against the back of his teeth a few times, the feeling itching his anxious brain, "I-I don't have a list. I can't think of anything."

It was Josh's turn to snort derisively, "Sure."

"What would you put on your list of imperfections, then?"

Josh purses his lips, "I don't like my eyes, my hooked nose, my height, my anxiety, my hands, my voice..."

"You have nice eyes." Frank shrugged as he sat up, playing casually with his toes as he crossed his legs, "Why don't you like them?"

"Don't like the shape." He muttered, "Don't mind that they're just brown; Ty likes them."

"I do, too." Frank offered him a smile, "Your nose suits your face anyways. You've got all those sharp angles and cheekbones and stuff, you'd look weird with a little button nose."

Josh laughed softly, "Yeah I guess. Like a randomised avatar."

"What's wrong with your height? You're not short, I'm short." Frank smiled, "I don't think height determines anyone's authority or masculinity. You and I are shorter so it's easier to receive forehead kisses."

"I don't get forehead kisses." Josh looked up with a smile, "Ty isn't a kisser."

"At all?" Frank blurted out in surprise.

"Have you ever seen us kiss?" Josh asked and Frank frowned, "He has some trauma around kissing. So, we just don't do it. I get hand kisses or sometimes kisses to random parts of my skin if he's feeling relaxed or during sex maybe. But we don't kiss."

Frank nodded, processing the information. He looked up, "You can't control that you have anxiety."

"Oh, I know. I've accepted it, and I have Jim to help me but that doesn't mean I like it."

"A fair point. It still makes you who you are and there are people who love you just as is. Just like I do. I'm not perfect, not by a long shot, mentally or physically. But I have people who love me." He smiles a little as his mind was windswept by flashing images of ginger hair and brilliantly intelligent eyes. He felt color flood his cheeks as he cleared his throat, "A-Anyways."

"What?"

"What other things didn't you like?"

"My hands and my voice."

"Your hands are really nice, are you on crack?" Frank laughed, "I was teased about my hands in school. It didn't help that I was shortest in my grade and so awkward and petite but then I had fucking baby hands. So many kids started rumors that I was a girl and shit."

Josh frowned deeply, "Frank, that's awful."

He shrugged noncommittally, "I'm fine with it now. I like myself this way because I've found someone who I just happen to be their type. I feel wonderful about who I'm becoming."

Josh smiled brightly, "That's great, dude."

"I just...wish I was better."

"Better?"

"As a submissive. Like you." Frank whispered and fiddled with his ring, "I want him to look at me the way he looked at you. How he spoke about you. I want to make him proud, Josh."

Josh pursed his lips, "We are different kinds of submissive, though."

"I know." Frank looked down, "Just because I'm a brat doesn't mean I don't behave. I love making him happy. I'm like a weird Franken-mix of a brat and a service sub."

Josh chuckled, "Well, then your biggest hill to climb would probably be about finding that balance between pushing buttons and obeying. I could never be a brat, it's not in me at all. Just the thought of talking back or saying 'no' makes me nauseated."

Frank bit his lip, "What do I do?"

"Be yourself. And pick your moments. Being self aware of when you should play and when Gerard is serious. Sometimes, I know he's looking for you to push his limits, but I also know he can be brutal. He isn't a joker."

Frank nodded gravely, his brain bombarded by a flicker-show of past moments that only proved Josh's point.

Frank thought back to the moment he had shared with Josh that previous afternoon. He was now in the middle of a Pigeon Pose on a spare mat in Ty's room, watching the Dom's muscles move so sinuously under his tanned skin. He exhaled and swapped legs, tucking his heel in against his crotch as the stretch in his other leg began to make itself known deep within his hamstring.

"Sir?"

"No talking." Ty whispered softly, "Now is quiet time, pixie. Chut ta jolie bouche."

[Shut your pretty mouth.]

Frank stayed quiet, following Ty's lead into a different pose. It was hard for him to fully submerge his thoughts; something with which he had always experienced difficulty. His mind jumped from one thought to another, unable to settle or even pinpoint it's topic sentence.

He scrunched his face as he tried to focus, grunting unhappily when it only made it worse. He blushed when he saw Ty turn and look at him over his shoulder with a disapproving glower.

"What's gotten into you today?" Ty asked quietly as he slowly transitioned into Warrior pose.

Frank effectively gave up with a sigh, laying back on his mat, "I don't know, sir. I'm sorry. I just can't concentrate."

"You do seem on-edge today." He commented quietly as he closed his eyes and kept his arms outstretched perfectly.

"Yeah."

"When last have you had sex?"

"The night before we left." Frank sighed softly, earning a surprised glance from the tranquil Dom. He nodded grimly, "I know."

"No wonder. You're all wound up, pixie. Why haven't you?"

"I'm in chastity, sir." Frank shrugged, "No idea why but I know I can't do anything about it."

"Correct. And neither can I." Ty stated, his voice almost lilted with faint disappointment - the prospect has Frank's insides tingling.

"Sir?"

"Pixie?"

"Help me understand more about Josh," Frank sat up and crossed his legs, "The pup thing."

Ty turned and stretched his arm toward the ceiling as he slowly went into Warrior Two Pose, "What do you want to know?"

"I just... I don't understand it. And I want to, because it seems so important to him. And I guess I do things or have fetishes he won't understand, but... It's animals."

"It is. You're correct. Animal play, for him, is a way to be free from human expectations and responsibilities. He can strip himself down to his most basic instincts and be taken care of by someone he trusts. Just as a dog does with their owner. Some people use it as a coping method for trauma, much like age regression. But because some just use it as roleplay, it has sexual connotations unlike true little-play."

"So... It works for you because you're a Primal Dom?"

"Correct."

"So what do you do? Are you also a pup or what?" Frank sat back against the side of the bed to watch Ty as he played with the drawstring of his shorts.

"Sometimes, I become his Alpha, yes. Other times I'm just his Handler. Alpha usually gets sex because we would technically be the same breed, Handler does not because I'm still 'human' in the roleplay. It can sometimes cross over depending on the scene but that's usually how it goes."

"So how in-detail does it go for you? Just dress up?"

"He had a mating cycle. Joshua may be male, but pup is not. Pup is just pup. Pup can breed with me, pup likes his boy cunt filled and knotted. Pup has a preheat week before he goes into heat for a week." Ty explained as he slowly stretched backward, his muscles tautening salaciously under his skin.

"He goes into heat for a week?" Frank frowned, "How?"

Ty smiled, "His pre week is him in chastity and we abstain from any sexual activity to save up. His heat week arrives and we breed as much as possible to feed into the roleplay of making puppies. It helps his family trauma, helps him dehumanize and feeds into my breeding kink. Everyone wins."

Frank's face was bright red as he stared at his hands, "B-Breeding kink..."

"Uh-huh. The innate deep-rooted animal sexual desire to procreate. Couldn't give a single fuck about kids but the idea of my sole purpose for a week being to impregnate my mate can really spice things up."

Frank felt his throat close at the thought, "I've never... I genuinely didn't know people got that if they can't or don't want kids."

"The instinct to make babies, and actually mentally being capable enough to have them or even care for them are very different." Ty sat down carefully across from Frank, "It's not for everyone."

"How do you know if you do?" Frank tilted his head.

Ty leaned in and crawled a step closer, his face only an inch from Frank's as he gripped the submissive by the jaw firmly, "How do you feel if I say that I want to roll you over and breed you right here on this floor, pixie? How would you feel if I said I wanted to fill you up and knot you to make you take it? Maybe you're not into animal breeding though, that's fine. Maybe I could say I wanna fuck your boy pussy nice and hard and give you all my babies, Frank. How would you feel?"

Frank stared up into his darkened Dominant gaze, his insides having already obliterated into star-stuff. He stammered dumbly for a solid five seconds before whispering a weak, "Sounds dope, sir."

Ty rubbed Frank's bottom lip gently and smirked, his full lips danced with sexual undertone as he eyed the young boy like prey, "Good boy. I knew you had it in you."

"I wish I had it in me at least once this trip or I wouldn't be so fucking hard-up." Frank muttered,bearing a small humored snort.

"We're going home tomorrow, you'll be fine. All else fails, if it gets too bad, come and find me later. I may not be able to make you come but I'll finger you for a while. Take the pressure off."

Frank giggled automatically, smiling as his cheeks warmed, "I'd like that, sir." His mind immediately jumped back to Josh's words that had been shared between them a few hours prior. He bit his lip, "I would love that. But Master wants me to behave and I'm going to. I can manage."

Ty eyes him with a raised eyebrow as he lay back to rest, "Good boy. You're learning quickly."