Frank made his way downstairs just as Lindsey was piling her blond hair into a large clip on top of her head in an effortlessly pretty style. She gave him a kind smile, "You look a little pale, sweetie."

"I feel like shit, too," he couldn't help but whine, "Like I've been run over by an eighteen-wheeler. Twice."

"Sounds like it, too." She chuckled as she grabbed her purse and keys and practically bundled her husband's submissive into her Beetle before she climbed into the driver's side. Frank watched as they reversed out of the garage and waited for the enormous front gates to close before they drove off. The sky was a mockingly bright shade of blue - completely cloudless - and it hurt to look at in retrospect, but Frank was still trying to shake his ghoulish mood. 

"So, what exactly are we doing today? I've never had a spa day."

She smiled as she turned out of their neighborhood and onto the freeway, "A massage and a facial-" She paused, "Although, I think it's different to the facials you're used to."

Frank couldn't help the blush that settled over his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, his eyes immediately averting gaze to anything other than the playful glance he had received, "C'mon, Linds. Nooo."

She let out a tinkling laugh as they stopped at a set of traffic lights, "Do you have anything you've ever wanted to ask me? We haven't really ever spent time together since you came back. I know he occupies a lot of your time and all, but the situation is a little odd, I suppose."

Frank tilted his head and turned to look at her, surprised by the attempt at camaraderie on her behalf, "I- Uh, I-I don't know. I don't wanna be rude, Linds. Or nosy."

Her luscious pout pulled into another smile, showing off her immaculate teeth, as she patted the top of his head in an act of affection that felt both motherly and also condescending in the same way that Gerard did when he was oozing 'Dom'. She pulled away from the lights to continue driving, "I don't mind at all. I know way too much about you already - it's only fair that we share."

Frank smiled and touched the top of his head where he felt the touch linger, patting his hair down a little, "I have always wondered... So, I mean, it's so great that you're doing all of this for G and stuff. And it's clearly working out so well but... Isn't it lonely for you? Do you not want a relationship or something? I mean, you can't even bring someone home. It's probably so hard to find someone who won't rat you out after hooking up."

She took a sip from her water bottle and set it down again before answering, her smile still present but a little lacking in the corners, "I've never been into relationships much. My parents divorced and they each had a succession of super shit relationships after that, too. It never made sense. You'd be surprised how many men are intimidated by me, Frank, I'm not really a romantic person and I find it odd to put a man or a partner ahead of the career I've worked my ass off for, especially when most men want to be worshipped like a king when they can't even make a coffee. Personal opinion, of course." 

Frank nodded as he listened, watching as they turned onto the highway and slowed to a crawl behind a stream of cars. Lindsey continued, "And sex-wise? I've never been interested in sex - even as a teenager. I get as far as masturbation and even then it's hit or miss. Sometimes it disgusts me but every now and again it helps with stress if I can't find anything that helps. Well, okay, it disgusts me more than a little. I just didn't wanna be rude since, y'know... it's clearly important to you and your relationship."

She smiled at him and he couldn't help but return the gesture with a bashful chagrin, "Well, then you're living the best possible life for you, right? No one's bugging you for not having a relationship and you can just, uh, do your thing. That's so dope, honestly."

She nodded happily in response, turning the radio down just a smidge, "I live with my best friend and I can do what I want, and the only stipulation is that I have to pretend to be married to him. It's not that hard to do when we're so close. I love him more than anything. In a different way to you, of course. He's like my eccentric older brother."

Frank felt the blush creep back onto his face as he looked out of the window at a bright blue Cadillac with a bible verse smeared across the back bumper. He settled back in his seat, zoning out to the pop music that was playing from the speakers, when his little bubble was popped by a welcomed pin, "Tell me something about you, Frankie? What do you like to do for fun besides my husband? Or... I dunno, anything you want to share."

He hummed as he thought for a moment, fidgeting with his fingers in his lap, "I, uh, I used to do a lot of photography, y'know, for school. And then for the newspaper. I even have an old analog camera laying around somewhere. I developed my own photos at one point in one of those dark rooms. It was a lot of fun."

"Why'd you stop, sweetheart?"

He shrugged, "Dunno. No one really cared about the pictures and it stopped being fun. Mama didn't have much of a creative bone in her body and Ryan thought my artistic photos of scenery and old ladies in the park were stupid. I guess I also started taking photos for the paper and it sucked the fun out of it. Like, the deadlines and shit. Guess I just forgot about it eventually. Otherwise, there's cooking and reading. I don't think I do much else..." He trailed off with a little nervous chuckle when he realized he had gone on for an entire monologue.

Lindsey finally pulled into a parking lot outside of a small shopping center and parked, "Are you enjoying yourself with him?"

Frank smiled happily as he climbed out of the car with her, "Of course, my life was never this exciting before. Linds? Won't these people think it's weird that you're having a spa day with your husband's assistant?"

"First off," she slung her purse across her chest and automatically wrapped her hand around the strap of it, "It's none of their business and they can think what they want. Secondly, we can be friends outside of work without it having anything to do with my dear husband."

Frank nodded as they crossed the street, looking around so curiously when he realized that they were, in fact, in the Jersey Shore; a place he had never been before because Ryan would rather die than set foot in or on any shore. They were heading toward a beautiful three-floor building, the entrance of which was on the corner of the intersection and almost rounded like a castle turret. The top and bottom floors were painted in a stark white while the middle floor was painted in a dark charcoal, the window frames white to add a pretty and interesting design.

"Welcome to the Shore, sweetheart. This is The Reedts."

"Christ on a cracker," Frank muttered under his breath as he opened the bright red doors to let Lindsey go in first. The lobby of the hotel was all tones of white and ivory, the round front desk sat right at the back of the room behind an outstretch of marble flooring. The ceiling was divoted and run with warm white lighting underneath moulding that made everything look somehow cherubic. The walls were waved, literally - Frank had never seen anything like it before. The walls were lined with shelves promoting the products that were clearly used by the spa, the shelves ebbed and flowed in a wave along the wall on both sides to make the entire room look like it was shaped like the inside of a violin. 

Frank walked a step behind Lindsey; their stroll to the front desk seemed to take an age. He couldn't help but lean in and whisper, "This looks like a place where they build people."

She raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow, let out a small snort, and whispered right back, "Build people?"

He nodded and looked around apprehensively, "Like, a lab in a dystopian movie." He blushed when he realized his inner sci-fi nerd was rearing its head, "Sorry, 'M not used to fancy places. Fanciest place I ever went to was when Ryan forced me to go to a wedding at a hotel and I made an ass of myself."

"You mean like 'Ex Machina'?" Lindsey asked, ignoring Frank's comment about his class-crisis to make him feel more comfortable.

He instantly grinned, "Yeah! Exactly."

She chuckled as they got to the front desk, giving her name to the impeccable woman behind the desk before signing them in in a pretty book on the counter. Frank didn't know who or what to look at first, woman or desk. The reception was beautiful on its own but the desk was exactly what he'd picture when he thought of a palace; it was round and white marble, the countertop a sparkling warm satin metal of sorts. There were two chairs and two slimline computers behind the white separator. The wall behind it was also a large round pillar of the same width with lights behind it and above it that made it look as though it were floating; a carved out rectangular plaque sat in the middle of the round pillar wall with an intricate piece of white metal filigree that sat behind the name of the hotel in black. 

But as pretty as it was, the woman looking at him could definitely not be human. There was absolutely no way. Her skin was a perfect shade of warm brown, a deep hue that made any liquid chocolate jealous. Her hair was immaculately braided with wefts of pure black that faded into a stunning shade of caramel all neatly pinned back at the nape of her neck, dotted with silver clasps and beads. Her eyes were somewhat slanted in the corners in a similar fashion to his own thanks to his Eastern genes. Her eyebrows were perfectly sculpted, her eyes so black and cat-like, and her lips painted in a fruitfully purple shade that complimented her in every way. Her crisp and tailored white blouse held a name tag that read 'Abiona'.

Frank knew he had been staring at her and when he realized just how creepy it would seem, he immediately looked away at some of the products on the wall. There was absolutely no way she wasn't part fae or some sort of lower-form goddess; Frank refused to believe otherwise and would not be taking criticism on his opinion. The woman gave them a smile and walked out from behind the desk to lead them down a small hallway, her kitten heels clicking on the tiles ahead of them. She opened a door, ushering them inside into a room that, of course, was even more enchanting than the lobby.

It had the same vaulted ceiling with hidden lighting, the walls a warm off-white and the floor still marble. There were round mirrors on the walls with little marbletop stations and aqua colored velvet chairs that lined two opposite walls that looked like it could either be for manicures or haircuts. In the middle of the room was one of those round sofas that Frank had only ever seen when he passed a boutique store. It was the same pale teal and was octagonal in shape with a weird shaft in the middle of it that had shiny silver pillows leaning against it. There were also little change rooms in the back with heavy-looking gold curtains. 

He perched himself timidly on the round sofa and immediately went pink when he and Lindsey were both offered a tall flute of champagne and a platter of seasonal fruits to snack on while they waited. He swayed his legs idly and sipped on his bubbly, snacking on a sweet strawberry, "Now you tell me something about you. What do you do when you're not working or out with friends?"

She smiled as she chewed on a piece of kiwi, "I love to garden and do things with my hands. Not in the same way that Ty does, however. I like sculpting and gardening and stuff like that. The exact opposite of my husband."

Frank tilted his head curiously, "What... Uh, what does Ty do with his hands?" His face dropped when he realized just how much sex had dripped from his question in relation to the man that he thought about consistently in the most admirable fashion. More blush smattered over his cheeks, "I-I-I-I mean - Y-Y'know... Not like that."

He let out an embarrassed groan that had her laugh behind her hand, "Relax. He owns his own business on the side and makes things. Like, wood items and such. You know that gorgeous rosewood coffee table I have with the iridescent epoxy and all those carved cherubs in the legs? He made that himself."

Frank's eyes widened and he smiled wide, "Really? That's so fucking cool."

They sat in silence for a few minutes just enjoying their fruit and each other's company. Frank drained the last of his champagne when they were called quietly by another employee. He and Lindsey followed the tanned woman down a dimly lit hallway, soft chime and flute music played overhead as he stared at the woman's brown hair in the most pristine bun he had ever seen. He looked at the abstract art on the walls with the muted jewel tones and gilded frames. 

The woman in the white uniform smiled at them and opened a door, handing them a set of locker keys with numbers on them, "You can change in here and wait for your technicians. You have a half-hour of free time until your massage. Feel free to use the sauna down the hall or the bathtub with complementary scrubs and scents."

Lindsey smiled politely at her and gave her a quiet dismissal before she found her locker and began putting her stuff inside it, including her shoes. Frank swallowed hard and turned his back to her to get undressed. Lindsey got out of her clothes wordlessly and pulled on a fluffy white robe, tying it closed as Frank fought with the sleeve of his own robe. He tied it closed and peeked into one of the mirrors at himself, his feet automatically turning inward nervously when he realized just how cute he looked.

She smiled at him as she put on her little white slippers, "What would you like to do first? Sauna and sweat, and then bath?"

"Sounds like a plan, man."

They crossed the hallway to the room with a similar white door, and walked in to see a glass wall and door. Frank's jaw dropped when he saw the sauna itself; the floor and walls were entirely marble including the benches. There was a protruding counter between the two benches along the back wall from where Frank assumed the sauna steam would exude. The marble room was dim and had no actual lighting except that every piece of stone was backlit by icy white strip lights - much like the lobby except in a completely different hue of white. The ceiling was what Frank loved the most; it was completely painted black and was backlit by a faint blue hue and entirely bedazzled with little lights that he, again, assumed were to mimic a night sky.

"Dope," he whispered with a grin, "You ready to sweat?"

She turned to remove her robe and hang it on a hook just by the door to the sauna, dressed in nothing by a simple black bikini; she had way more tattoos than Frank had realized. He stared as he felt the color rise in his face; he didn't realize that you had to take off the robe. 

She wrapped a white towel around herself and handed him one with a smile, "Silly boy."

Frank was still so pink in the face and felt his cheeks warm up as he took the towel from her. He wasn't naked under his robe but since he had never been to a spa, he wasn't aware of the undress factor and had decided that today was the day to experiment for the first time in wearing panties to cheer himself up. He cursed the tight black material for being so comfy and affirming to his ego as he tucked the towel under his gown to wrap it around his hips and tuck it securely before he took his robe off and hung it up. He tried to push the enormous weight of embarrassment down, ignoring how much he wanted to sucker punch himself in the throat.

Lindsey was already sitting in the sauna and waiting patiently for him with a smile. He closed the door behind him and sat down as she pressed a button and they both sank back against the surprisingly warm marble. Frank was mesmerized by the curling steam, smiling as it clung to his pores and opened his sinuses. 

"I believe it's your turn," Lindsey whispered as she closed her eyes and leaned back against the corner where the wall and countertop met.

Frank took a moment to think before he asked the one question he always wanted to ask her, "What... What was he like when you guys met? Did he change a lot since then or was he always... Y'know what I'm trying to say."

She chuckles quietly, "A stubborn and pompous ass? He's always been like that." Frank giggled and let her continue, "Ever since I met him, he's been incredibly pertinacious. But he's softened a lot around you."

Frank looked at her, "He- He softened? Because of me? Forgive me for laughing my ass off."

She just smiled, "He used to be a lot worse, sweetheart." Frank felt himself pout at the thought but Lindsey continued, "He's still his strict and arrogantly attractive self as always but he's different with you than the others. I'm not sure if it's because you're a newbie or not, but... He melts a little around you."

Frank stared down at his hands as a stupidly goofy grin spread onto his pierced lips. Lindsey pressed the button to add more steam in the room and took in a big, deep breath, "Are you an only child?"

"Yep."

"Parents divorced before you hit puberty?"

"Y-Yeah? Why?"

"You use humor as your defense mechanism," she whispered, "It's a textbook thing for you to do - you make everyone else laugh to compensate for how you feel when the laughter stops and you're alone."

He stared at her in surprise, "I-I-"

"Mom or dad?"

"Stayed with my mom. Dad didn't like me that much but my mama's the best. I love her a lot." He smiled, "What did you wanna be when you grew up?"

"A psychologist. Which I almost did do. I have my Master's in Psychology, actually."

"Whoa, really? That's so cool, Linds.You'd be so great at helping people, I'm sure. But what you're doing now is just as important, so..." He shrugged, "Well done."

She laughed quietly and nodded, "I enjoy it, too. So, tell me, when did you realize you had daddy issues?" She grinned at him as she crossed an ankle over the other, looking just like her husband.

Frank stares at her incredulously for the second time, "Wh-What?"

She smiled knowingly, "Oh, no, baby boy doesn't know."

"I don't-"

"You're a classic case of daddy issues, Frank."

He frowned at her, "'M not."

"No? Well, the six main signs of someone with daddy issues are," she started to count on her fingers, "You're only attracted to older partners, you're clingy or jealous or overprotective of your partners, you need constant reassurance of love and affection, you give off the impression that you only care about sex, you're terrified of being alone and, lastly, you obviously have a strained relationship with your father." She looked at him, "How many did I tick off?"

His jaw dropped as he gawked at Lindsey, looking stunned as she read him like the dust jacket on a book. She just smiled and patted his cheek, "Sweet boy."

He immediately rebuffed and let out a huff, "Didn't know a spa day came with a free psychoanalysis."

"Alright, fine. Let's ignore that. Do you like sunflowers?" She asked simply to which Frank let out an annoyed grumble, "Relax, I'm not here to psychoanalyse you. Sometimes it's nice to know how you tick so you can control or heal it."

He exhaled heavily, "Jeez, Linds."

She added some more steam to the room with a press of the button and closed her eyes again, "It's okay, you neurodivergent little gnome."

He blinked at the big word and furrowed his brows, "N-neurodivergent?"

She looked at him with one eye full of concern, "You didn't know that, either? Did your mom never take you to a therapist when your dad left?"

"We didn't have money for that, Lindsey. You know how expensive therapy is. We were barely getting by with my mama working two jobs."

She pouted, "Sorry, sweetheart. I thought you knew. You've just lived like this the entire time?"

Frank frowned even more and squirmed in his seat, "Lived like- like what? You're freaking me out, man."

"Lack of impulse control, lack of focus, hyperfocus, poor listening skills, procrastination, misplacing common items, restlessness, disorganization, thrill seeking and the hating of things that are boring and dull, relationship woes like small frustrations with your partner, emotional issues including a short fuse and snapping for no reason, trouble at work because of boredom, attempts at smoking or drinking, forgetfulness, a poor self image... Any of these ringing any bells at all, bub?"

He frowned at his hands again; this wasn't exactly what he had expected to hear today, let alone in a sauna at a luxury spa from his Dominant's wife. 

"You have a classic-sign trifecta for ADHD, Frank. It's probably why you were the class clown or the weird one in school because you could never sit still."

"Yay."

She gave him a comforting smile, "Routine and daily stimulation help the brain's dopamine levels. All those times where your body would just hurt and you thought it was growing pains and yet you'd already stopped growing, it's your body's lack of dopamine. But, I bet now that you're with Gerard, it's been better for you, right? The routine and the constant 'keep you on your toes' makes you feel a lot better, doesn't it? Less chaotic?"

He let out a sigh and nodded, "I-I guess, yeah."

"There is nothing wrong with you, Frank. And I don't want anyone making you think differently. All it is, is that you were born on an extra hard game setting because otherwise, life would be too boring for you."

He felt his lips pull into a small smile as a tiny inkling of warmth resonated in his stomach, "That's a nice way of saying it."

She got up with him when the timer went off a second later, handing him his robe as they exited the balmy room. His sweaty skin prickled at the cool air as they walked to find their assigned room. The lights were dimly lit, the walls a stunningly warm shade of camel, the floors wooden instead of marble. There were two white and wood massage tables in the middle of the room, a long marble countertop occupied one of the walls and was laden with shelves of assorted products. In the far corner, on a raised wooden platform with stairs and separated by an ornate divider, was a large bath. It was white and already filled to the brim with steam-curled water and pretty flowers floating on the surface. 

Lindsey hummed softly as she took off her robe and hung it on the hook nearby, "So, tell me about your mom. You sound like you love her a lot."

He watched her as she walked the short distance to the big bathtub and up the few wooden steps before sitting down and submerging herself in the water. He gripped the front of his robe awkwardly, "She- She's the best. She's exactly how you'd imagine an Italian mom from Jersey would be. Very loud, very protective. Lots of love and marinara sauce."

She smiled even more and leaned back as he finally took off his robe and climbed into the water to sit across from her, "So, what did she do? You said she had two jobs?"

He nodded proudly, "Full-time nurse and a waitress at this cool diner. I used to spend lots of time there, her boss was super nice. He always brought me fries and milkshakes for free."

"So, she's Italian? Actual Italian from the country or Jersey Italian?"

Frank chuckled and brought his knees up to his chest to fiddle with his toes idly, "Jersey. Hoboken, to be specific."

"And your dad?"

"Oh, he's from Japan." Frank shrugged, "Which explains, y'know, why he was so strict and stuff. He fits the stereotype, sadly."

She nodded understandingly as she picked up one of the flowers that was floating in the water, "Did you know that Gerard's birth father is Celtic?"

Frank looked up from the black chipped polish on his toes, "For real? Like, from Ireland? Or... I mean, I know there's other Celtic nations like Wales and shit."

"His birth father, Arthur Senior, is from Dublin and his birth mother, Elouise, was American, from Chicago, I believe." She smiled and started scrubbing her skin with one of the bath salts from a brown jar nearby. She offered him the pot, and he scooped out the thick scrub that smelled of sage and rose oil and began exfoliating his arm and chest. "Did he ever tell you his actual birth name?" She continued, "Or anything about himself? He can be such a closed book and I keep telling him to open up, but his father was a military man, and I think Gerard still subconsciously keeps things to himself because he used to it growing up. Speak when spoken to, and all that."

Frank pouted at the thought, "Well, he opened up a bit after what happened with Mikey last week. He told me about his mom and how he and Mikey got adopted and stuff. It's so messed up. It would be a lot easier if Mikey wasn't a massive douchebag."

She snorted as she rinsed the scrub from her leg, "That is an egregious understatement."

"It was the nicest word I could come up with."

"Mikey was the only one who kept his actual first name. Although, his last name is now Colson. Obviously, not the same as Gerard," she added in as she began scrubbing her other leg.

"Did Gerard's adoptive parents change his name?"

She smiled as she washed her thigh, "His birth name was Arthur Kelly Junior."

Frank felt his lips pull at the corner, "'Gerard' suits him better. It's more... dashing."

She chuckled as she sat back and washed the residual scrub from between her fingers and from under her nails, "I'm sure he'd love to hear you say that; feed his already-inflated ego."

He watched her climb out of the tub and walk a few slippery steps to grab a towel. He grinned wickedly when he caught sight of the tramp stamp on her lower back; a cliche tribal piece that seemed so out of place. The part he loved most about it was that right in the middle of the tribal, was the face of none other than Elmo smiling at him. 

He smiled to himself as he sunk further into the water until it came up to his chin, reveling in the warmth of the water on his skin. She fixed her hair in the claw clip before drying herself off and laying down on the one massage table on her front. She let out a happy sigh and closed her eyes, unfastening her bikini top.

Frank felt the blush go straight to his ears and he looked away at some of the artwork on the wall before decidedly getting out and drying himself off. He climbed awkwardly onto the other bed and got comfortable, laying his towel over his butt, closing his eyes as he took in the warm ambiance and the soft music that could definitely put him to sleep. 

Three hours later and Frank found himself at home again with Lindsey after their day at the spa. His body felt completely renewed and devoid of all bones or stress. They had ordered salads for lunch for the two of them, seeing as Gerard was still at the office. Frank was piling into his pesto and walnut salad, sipping on some crisp white wine at the kitchen counter with Lindsey. They were both smiling and giggling, and she smiled at him, "What do you wanna do for the duration of our time together before you're whisked away into your debauched world of nastiness?"

Frank watched her as she chewed on some romaine lettuce, "Jeez, Linds. Those were a lot of fucking words. You've been living with G for way too long." He sipped his drink, wiping off a bead of condensation, "I dunno. We can watch a movie? Do some circus acrobatics?"

She snorted as she chewed on an heirloom tomato, "You'd win. I bet you can put your feet behind your own damn head." He could only grin and nod, to which she shook her head, "I'm so jealous. If I tried, I'd break a hip or some shit."

He giggled as he tossed his salad around in the container with his fork, "Well, you're not getting bent over in all kinds of directions and angles on a daily basis. I've gotten all the practice I need over the past... What, three months?"

She pulled a grimace, sipping her wine, "Christ. Okay. How about... Ugh, God. I'd love to put some make-up on you. You've got such a great complexion and such pretty lips. Have you ever put make-up on? I mean, besides eyeliner."

He immediately went pink, "Only for Halloween. Ryan was the more... effeminate one."

"Pardon?"

He shrugged, "He... He didn't like it when I wore make-up. It was his thing, not mine."

She shook her head, "Let me guess, his parents are straight and Christian?" Frank nodded and she sighed, "Even in a gay relationship, he was perpetuating gender roles. I remember you said he used to dress you? Is he the reason for the overly baggy pants and shirts to make you seem more masculine so he can be the tailor-framed little wife?"

Frank stared at her again for the thousandth time in surprise, "Are you, like, psychic or something?"

She took a big sip of her Chardonnay and smiled, "Close enough. I think you need to let go of the person you were turned into by your old partner and try to find yourself again. Whether it's exactly as you are or something completely different, you owe it to yourself to find out."

"You think the first step is slathering my face in make-up?"

"It's a good a place to start as any, my blank canvas."