It was Saturday and Frank had woken up early as usual. He had trudged sleepily into the kitchen and switched the kettle on to make coffee before opening the fridge.

He took out the eggs and some different ingredients to use for making his Master a nice omelet. He yawned into the back of his hand and grimaced at the soft pound in his skull, knowing that he had definitely hit subdrop and was feeling under the weather. He tried to ignore how his muscles ached and how his skin felt too tight.

He made himself coffee with minimal effort and began to make breakfast. The thought of eating sounded disgusting but he knew Gerard would have a cow if he skipped breakfast. He would have toast.

Frank took out a bowl and cracked in four eggs before whisking them together. Once they had combined into a somewhat-cohesive mixture, he added the spices and herbs he had taken out. He set it aside and turned to heat up the pan that sat patiently on the stove plate. He stifled another yawn and took a small sip of his scalding coffee. A headache was definitely forming. He began to dice up some cherry tomatoes and two of Gerard's favorite kinds of cheese before he added everything to the eggs with a dash of milk.

He poured the egg mixture into the pan and broke the silence with a sudden sizzling. He leaned against the counter and nursed his coffee, twinging at the feeling of the hard surface against his tender ass skin. He hoped that whatever Gerard had in store for him today would be something easy and laid back. If Gerard made him exercise today, he was going to filibuster.

He turned and began to lift the edges of the omelet away from the pan, his other hand still holding his coffee close by. He thought back to the lesson he had been taught just a few hours prior when he was all curled up in his Master's sheets with his latest gift - a microwavable teddy bear with lavender-scented foot beans, resting on his thighs for the intense muscle ache. That very same bear was now warming up again, rotating for a minute or two so he could use it on his lower back.

Gerard was sitting facing him, a red leather notebook perched on his knee as he sipped a chamomile tea from a beautiful blue china cup. He looked up at his submissive, "I would like to discuss what happened at the party, if you're okay with that?" Frank sat up against the headboard and moved his teddy bear up onto his stomach, giving his Dominant a solemn nod to which Gerard continued to speak, "A subject of which I should have spoken to you about before the party. I didn't think I had to discuss the warning signs of a fake or toxic Dom, as I didn't think there would be any at that foreclosed event. Alas, I was sorely mistaken and for that, my sweet boy, I am so sorry."

Frank's lips pulled into a small smile and he dislodged his foot from the sheets to rub Gerard's thigh in a comforting gesture. Gerard patted his arch before he looked at the notebook.

"I just want to go over a few of these warning signs with you for the future so you can avoid any other incidents. First thing to look for are those, male or female or neither, that try to push their Dominant status into every conversation. Arrogance is always a sign of a toxic Dominant. If you have a true Dominant nature, most people will pick up on it unless you're hiding it. And if so, you wouldn't broadcast it, anyway. Another warning sign would be those who assume that a Dominant has to be bigger than everyone else to assert themselves. This is wholly untrue; I have seen people your size take down submissives that are taller than myself with just their voice. You don't have to, nor should you, throw your weight around to be dominant over others."

Frank nodded, internally agreeing with his Master, watching the way he ticked his marble fountain pen between his deft fingertips. Frank let out a small sigh that was more of a big breath, which had the latter look up curiously. The submissive smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, sir. I'm listening. I just forgot to breathe for a minute, I think."

Gerard chuckled and moved his pen down the list, "The next type of warning is for those who insist on using Honorifics even though you've only just met. This can go for both sub or Dom. Honorifics are discussed and set between the parties and not forced. Even when we met, I asked you to call me 'sir' rather than making you do it, and you agreed to it. It is a prediscussed title and fake Dominants who force others to call them a title regardless of their relationship are abhorrent. And in that same narcissistic vein, any self-proclaimed Dominant who tells you that you have to listen to them purely because you're a submissive and they are in charge, especially if you have no antecedent relationship with them, you have my complete permission to give them a swift kick in the stomach. Or a punch to the windpipe, whatever you're in the mood for that day. "

Frank smiled as he remembered their first meeting, remembering the exact moment of conversation that Gerard had brought up. He looked over at the man who was writing in his sepia-paged notebook and he couldn't help but smile, "Yes, sir. Noted, sir."

"The next one I have mentioned here is when a Dominant states that a 'good' submissive has no limits. This is absolute horse shit." Gerard snorted to himself, "Everyone has limits. The better the submissive, the clearer the limits they have because they are able to set their boundaries healthily and they, by no means, settle for a Dominant who cannot check themselves."

Frank pursed his lips and raised his hand, to which Gerard gave a nod, signaling his permission to speak, "What about me, sir? I have limits but I don't have that many since I don't know some of the things I haven't tried. D-Does that mean I'm not a good submissive?"

Gerard looked up at the pout that had settled on his lover's lower lip, and he gave the younger man a small smile, "Not at all. Newer submissives like yourselves are still finding their place in our complicated world. It's perfectly natural to keep yourself open-minded whilst you are still learning the basics. A lot of people change their limits as they evolve into stronger and more resilient subs and Doms. My limits with you are different from my previous partner and vastly different from my first as I, too, had yet to experience everything I wanted. Nothing is written in stone, dear boy."

Frank gave his Master a smile and a nod, noting that Gerard continued to scrutinize him for a moment longer before he accepted the gesture. He looked down at his notebook, "Let's have a look at another decidedly important red flag for your consideration, shall we?"

"Yes, sir."

"Any sort of violations of consent that hasn't been discussed beforehand. Not in the same way as consensual non-consent - that's been previously set out between all parties - but when a Dominant does what they want whether the submissive likes it or not and, again, throws their weight around. What do we do?"

"Yell 'stranger danger'?"

Gerard snorted, "That could definitely work, I suppose. But getting as far away from them as quickly as possible is also a great start."

Frank turned onto his side, hugging his stuffed bear between his thighs, to watch his Master and listen to their impromptu lesson, "What else, sir?"

"Any lack or violation of your safe words and signals." Gerard looked up, "This one is a big red flag and it makes me feel utterly censurable that you had to go through this. It makes me sick to my stomach that someone would treat you that way, my prince."

Frank smiled lazily as he lifted his foot from atop the sheets to rest it on Gerard's shoulder and rub his neck gently - another wordless reassurance to his visibly harried Dominant. Gerard's troubled haze remained on his submissive as he instinctively leaned into the touch and closed his eyes, clearly comforted by the genuflection.

He opened his eyes a moment later and lifted his notebook to continue reading without having to move Frank's foot from his shoulder, "There are basic ones that should be common knowledge to you but I will mention them either way; any Dom who does not discuss limits before play, any Dom who tries to guilt you or manipulate you into a scene or into changing your limits for them. Or, even just guilting you into sex when you've previously stated that you don't want it. That's just assault on its own."

Frank pursed his lips instantly and looked away, his leg curling back up to join the other as a bitter taste in his mouth settled rather quickly. Gerard looked at him with a quizzical expression that had Frank sigh shakily, "I used to do that with Ryan. I feel so bad about it now. I had no idea that it... That it was such a bad thing. I realize how entitled I used to be about sex. I felt as though he deprived me of sex just because he said 'no' and then I'd try and push him to change his mind sometimes."

Gerard set his book down and set his hand on Frank's knee gently, "I consider you then and you now to be very different people. It was your first relationship and you didn't know. I know that you would never do that to anyone again, because you have a moral compass and you know now that it was a bad thing. But who was there to tell you that? No one. I'm not excusing your behavior because I'm biased. If it was anyone else in the same situation, I'd say you have learned your lesson on the subject and have grown. If you feel the need to apologize to him for it, then by all means do so. You two both had unresolved issues that tended to meld together. He had intimacy qualms and didn't adequately satisfy his partner or come up with a compromise, that's his fault. You didn't like being told 'no' because it seemed so regular and it's clear to me that physical touch is important to you. I don't hold it against you now, and you shouldn't, either."

"I still did it, though," Frank whispered softly, his subdrop wreaking havoc with his already-tumultuous emotions.

"He also used you for sex after your relationship ended. He lured you into sex with preconceived notions of hurting you. That isn't okay, either. Neither of you is perfect, my boy. I don't approve of this pity party on his behalf."

Frank couldn't help the small laugh that left him as he turned to look up at Gerard, smiling and wiping his eyes, "You sure?"

"Absolutely. You aren't an abusive person, or a manipulative person. You don't have a properly selfish bone in your body. You made mistakes and you are done with that part of your life entirely. You have to remember that he and I are not the same, Frank. Can you make that distinction, my boy? I'm not Ryan."

Frank sat up, wiping his face, and he nodded. He held his arms out to his Master, who did exactly the same. Frank climbed onto his knees before ambling into Gerard's lap, sitting with his legs on either side of his Dominant's body, clinging to him and surrounding himself with the comfort that he clearly needed. He relaxed instantly, melting against his Master when he felt warm and safe arms wrap around his back, rubbing gentle circles into his skin as they sat in silence.

"You really are a big baby," Gerard whispered as he gave Frank's temple a kiss, "Sweet boy."

Frank hid his face in Gerard's neck, taking in the familiar leathery scent that quelled his soaring anxiety, "Asshole."

Gerard chuckled, running a hand through Frank's black locks that were curling around his ears, "Come on now, prince. I know you don't want to wallow in the mud."

"'M listening," Frank whispered against Gerard's neck, "Keep going."

"Is this now your new perch, lovebird?"

"You bet."

Gerard picked his notebook back up, clearing his throat as he read over Frank's shoulder, "Another obvious one is the lack of aftercare, but you knew that.... Um, oh, yes, here's another: not wanting to engage at all with anyone else in the kink community because he either knows everything or he has nothing new to learn from others. We both know that's bull."

"Silly," Frank agreed softly as he began playing with the neatly clipped hair at the nape of Gerard's neck, twirling it around his index finger as he listened.

"Complaining about a previous partner or submissive's boundaries is another flag. Not necessarily about the number of scenes or sex, but about how many limits they had or how they felt that those limits were infantile, for example. Disrespect for a previous partner and their limits, no matter how the relationship ended, shows a blatant disregard for that person and their needs."

Frank could only nod; the proximity to his Dominant had rendered him nonverbal and in a state of genuine inner peace. His previously unsettled nerves now lay flat like a lake surface on a summer's day. Gerard took the small nod from his submissive as a signal to continue, which he then did by adding, "Pushing a submissive over their limits so that they can 'learn' whether the submissive agrees to it or not. Sometimes, a sub will want to have their limits pushed, but then this is always discussed beforehand and agreed upon."

Frank nodded, "Like we did when I wanted to learn about deepthroating?"

"Exactly that, my boy. How bad of a Dominant would I have been if I hadn't discussed it with you to even check if you were okay with something that intense and I just did it anyway? I didn't know if you had any previous trauma with that, did I? Not at all. And that is why we have limits."

"Such a good Dom," Frank whispered so airily, his voice a bare flutter.

"Thank you very much, my prince." Gerard pressed his face gently against the side of Frank's, brushing his lips against the side of his jaw before continuing, "A good Dom will always test their toys on themselves before using them on a submissive. Purely for a safety aspect. Even if it's just a few swats from a crop on your hand or a small shock from your violet wand. You need to make sure that your implements and props are all functioning."

Frank felt a stupid smile spread onto his face, "And your dildos?"

"Absolutely contemptible," Gerard teased, "I have no need to test them out, do I?"

"Unless it breaks off in my ass," Frank snorted.

Gerard laughed silently, the vibrations in his chest being the only indication of his lighthearted reaction, "My boy, I would never dream of buying anything close to that low a quality."

"Good," Frank whispered, "What else, sir?"

"This is one that I must stress is also dependent on the situation, but we need to watch out for those Dominants whose previous partners were all considerably younger than they are. That then borders on predatory. I have always preferred younger partners, yes - but not by much. You being my youngest submissive was merely a coincidence. I would have tried to get you into my bed whether you were twenty-three or forty."

Frank giggled instantly at the thought, smiling as a wave of butterflies swarmed up to tickle his organs, "Thank you, sir."

"The last point I want to discuss - well, perhaps second to last - Blanket Consent. A big red flag."

"What's that, sir?"

"Much like it sounds, 'blanket consent' is giving consent to your Dom for everything and everything. It can be so dangerous." Gerard took Frank by the back of the neck to pull him back and look at him, "Our relationship had elements of blanket consent since it is usually common for a Dominant to tell their submissive exactly what they are going to do and use before any scene. I have not been doing that with you. It's extremely dangerous since I could bring out a toy or implement that you do not want, but you're already in subspace and won't say anything."

"So, why-?"

"Because you have yet to experience everything and I find it easier for us both to see your raw reactions to things rather than having you anticipate them and have hesitations over fear. I would never do this with things that you have put in your 'soft limits' and those will always be discussed firsthand." Gerard looked at him with the gravest expression that had Frank almost want to shy away.

"I understand, sir."

"We can either stop that now and we can start anew with discussing everything beforehand where I tell you everything I do and everything I plan to use, or we can continue with how we have set out our relationship. I want you at your most comfortable with me, boy. Far begone my preconceptions."

Frank bit his lip as he weighed up both options, "I like the way you've done it so far. It adds a level of unknown that I like a lot. B-But if this whole 'blanket consent' thing makes you a bad Dom then I don't want that. I don't want you being a bad Master."

Gerard smiled, "I appreciate your concern over my morals, dear boy. It's not a technique that I advise upon anyone, in fact. And the 'blanket consent' that I'm referring to concerning a toxic Dominant is more about..." He paused to collect his thoughts, "Giving complete consent to everything without any discussion whatsoever on limits."

Frank exhaled in relief, "Good. Okay. That's okay then. But, if we have a scene and I don't want you to use a toy that you've taken out, that's okay, right?"

"Absolutely. You did exactly that when we were with Ty, remember? And I praised you for it. He had a list of your limits already so I didn't give him blanket consent, either."

"Thank you, sir." He smiled warmly at his Master, "What was the last point you had?"

"It's completely unrelated to the current topic but I just wanted to clarify something just in case." Gerard set Frank down gently on the bed, "A lot of the time, newer submissives can get 'edging' and 'edgeplay' completely mixed up and I don't want you to suffer the same fate."

Frank then frowned at his Dominant, "There's a difference, sir?"

"A vast one." Gerard set his notebook down on the table, "When we discuss 'edging', that's all about the build-up to a climax. That could be withholding an orgasm over and over, for example. This is also something that we have done, if you remember."

"Yes, sir. And edgeplay?"

"Edgeplay is taking a kink and pushing it to extreme levels on purpose - not just edging someone on a climax. Edgeplay is like choking, knife play, non-consent, and those already-extreme types of kink. But they can also be pushed higher. It's taking any other kink and ramping it up to almost a ten."

Frank nodded as he took in the new information, "Is this about what happened at the party, too, sir?"

"I don't want you saying what you want to myself or another partner thinking it means one thing but you have misgivings on the term or the play you want and you end up getting badly hurt."

"I understand, sir-"

Frank had been cooking on autopilot the entire time, reliving the shared moment between them in his head and remembering the closeness that had settled his sadness to a manageable level. Once the omelet had been flipped and cooked, Frank removed it from the heat and slid it onto a plate. He turned the heat off and added the plate to the tray with Gerard's morning tea and water; he also added the few multivitamins to a small cup. He put cutlery on the side of the tray and drained his coffee.

He took the tray carefully up the stairs and turned right towards Gerard's side of the house and walked down the hallway to Gerard's bedroom. He maneuvered the door with his arm and pushed it open slowly in the hopes that it made no noise. The room was still rather dark but Frank could make out vague shapes thanks to the dawn that was steadily growing lighter. Frank set the tray down on the bedside table and put a hand on his Master's arm, shaking him gently.

"Sir?" Frank whispered out, shaking him awake, "Sir..."

Gerard let out a groan and rolled over onto his back, peering out at Frank with a bleary eye, "Boy."

"Morning, sir." Frank smiled weakly, "Breakfast, sir."

Gerard let out a small grunt and reached over, switching on his bedside lamp. The room was lit in a dim and warm glow as Gerard sat up. He rubbed his face with his perfect hands and Frank looked at them for a second too long.

"Thank you, my prince." Gerard's voice was still thick with sleep, "Much appreciated as always."

Frank nodded and closed the gap between them, situating himself on the bed with one leg before the other went over Gerard's lap. Gerard grunted in surprise as Frank sat on his lap and buried his face in his Master's neck with a pathetic groan, his hands gripping Gerard's shirt weakly. A slow hand of comfort drew circles on Frank's back as Gerard let out a small sigh and lay back on the headrest. Frank readjusted, all but laying on Gerard.

"Someone's needy today," Gerard commented casually and Frank nodded his head.

"Don't feel good," Frank whispered quietly as he closed his eyes.

"I see someone's still in their drop." Gerard's voice dropped with a small tinge of concern lacing into it like a pigment of soft lilac, "Poor boy."

"Don't wanna exercise," Frank mumbled, "Wanna die."

Gerard chuckled and sat up a bit, pushing Frank gently to lay on his side. He put Frank's head on his chest and draped a safe arm around the moping submissive. Frank curled up against his Master as the blanket was pulled over him. He let out a small sigh of content as Gerard reached over and picked up the little black case that had his vials and syringes in it and began setting everything up so that he could have his breakfast.

"I won't have you exercise. You've exerted yourself enough for the next few days," Gerard assured and Frank nodded in silence, "However, I have a lot to do today."

Frank groaned unhappily and curled closer to Gerard, scowling dramatically at the idea of his Dominant leaving his side, "No."

"I have to; I have to start preparing for this upcoming campaign if I want to run as Congressman for this term," Gerard explained before he took another sip of coffee, "I have a lot to work on and for which to prepare."

"But... Stay," Frank breathed out his argument, "Stay."

"I would if I could." Gerard gave Frank's arm a squeeze, "But I won't leave you alone today. I know how emotional you get. It's understandable."

"Do not," Frank retorted weakly, "I'm like iron and steel."

"Iron and steel both have a melting point, dear boy. Just like you. You've reached your so-called two-thousand degrees already."

"You calling me hot?" Frank asked out, his voice growing thicker the longer he lay by Gerard. He felt the silent vibrations of laughter beneath his head and he smiled with triumph.

"Far too witty for this time of the morning," Gerard scoffed and took another sip of tea, "How would you like to spend the day with Lindsey? She has a spa day planned and her friend had to cancel."

"That's so gay," Frank sighed, "I'm in."

"I'll let her know when I get up." Gerard set his mug down, "She'll be delighted."

"Why wouldn't she?" Frank asked sarcastically as Gerard lay back down with him, "I'm a peach."

"Go to sleep, peach. I'll wake you later on."

"Yes, sir," Frank mumbled thickly as he drifted off to sleep.

He dreamed about nothing that morning but not in the way he had expected. Sometimes he wouldn't remember the dreams he would have; he would wake up and his memory would be blank. But Frank was somehow consciously aware of the fact that his brain was so tired that it was too exhausted to even conjure anything up.

But he was woken up suddenly, being gently shaken into his consciousness. He let out a groan and turned over, opening an eye to see bright white light streaming into the room from the wide-open curtains. He turned and saw Lindsey smiling down at him, the light behind her casting a brilliant and somehow-perfect halo behind her in an angelic fashion.

"Hey, sleepy," she crooned sweetly, "I was told that I'm babysitting you today. You still in?"

"Spa day." Frank lifted his arm up weakly and gave her a thumbs-up, earning a brilliant smile in return, "Where is he?"

"He had to go into the office a bit earlier but wanted to let you sleep." She smiled, "He told me to wake you later."

"Oh." Frank sat up slowly, his head giving a nasty throb, "I feel like total shit."

"You look stunning." She laughed softly and put a hand on his shoulder, "We're going to have a spa day, anyway, so it should help."

"I've never been so grateful to have a stranger touch me," Frank laughed dryly as he turned himself and swung his legs off of the bed, "Well, in a civilized setting."

"I was waiting for you to revise that," she added with a smile, "Get dressed and meet me in the kitchen in ten. We have to get to the spa before eleven."

"Yes, ma'am." Frank gave her a small salute and watched her leave the bedroom before he trudged into the bathroom to pee. He stifled a yawn as he finished and flushed, running a hand through his hair and grimacing at how greasy it was. He felt the urge to shower but it would also probably be useless considering he would either bathe or shower at the spa.

He walked out of the bathroom and out of Gerard's room. He crossed the hallway into his bedroom and smiled at the room before he wandered into the closet. What did one wear to a spa in the first place?

He shrugged as he grabbed a pair of light jeans and the nearest t-shirt that didn't smell like potatoes or feet. He slipped the jeans over his legs and fastened them as he stifled a yawn. He threw the t-shirt over his shoulder and walked into the bathroom.

He grabbed his toothbrush and plied it with the blue toothpaste that he enjoyed so much. He ran the brush under the water from the faucet before he began brushing his teeth diligently. He closed his eyes serenely and continued to brush over his teeth and tongue. He had his one arm behind him, holding his opposite side.

He ran the faucet and bent down, spitting before he rinsed his mouth with the water. He spat and put his toothbrush back into the cup. He wiped his mouth on his arm and bent down again to run his hair through the trickle of water. He straightened up, shaking his head with his hands brushing thoroughly through his hair. His hair spiked up around his head like a dark and punky halo. He chuckled weakly, stifling a yawn, and grabbed a towel to dry it.

He hung the towel back on the rail and pulled his t-shirts on with a small grunt of protest. He flattened the material over his chest. He chuckled to himself, looking down at his favorite shirt with a fond smile. It had been a gift from Jamia for his twenty-first birthday; a dark charcoal tee with a picture of Rue McClanahan on it; incidentally, Blanche Devereaux was his favorite Golden Girl. He walked into his closet, pulling plain socks and sneakers onto his feet. He was hopeful that he could shake the funk-riddled cloud that was above his head and infiltrating his mood.