I stirred on the sofa, opening my eyes shakily. Mikey was watching tv, sitting on the floor and leaning back against the sofa. He smiled at me.
“Hey, Frankie. You passed out after crying a lot..”
I rolled onto my side and he stood up, offering me a hand. I took it, getting up carefully. Mikey pulled me into a hug before I could go anywhere. “Would you like me to run you a bath?”
I relaxed slightly and nodded quickly. “That would be amazing, Mikey.”
“Okay. You get yourself something to drink, yeah?”
I nodded and shuffled into the kitchen as Mikey slipped into the bathroom.
After the bath was ready, Mikey kissed my cheek. “You have literally no food in this house, I'm gonna go shopping while you take your bath, okay?”
I nodded and thanked him quietly, heading to the bathroom.

---

Mikey smiled at me as I slipped out of the bathroom. “Feeling better?”
I nodded slightly and yawned. “Shouldn't you be getting some sleep? Shifts and all?”
Mikey shook his head. “I'm off tonight, and tomorrow we’re closed for maintenance.”
I smiled and sat down on the couch. “Two days off.”
He sat next to me, taking my hand gently and rubbing his thumb over my fingers. “I love your tattoos, Frankie. They're so beautiful.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled quietly, looking away quickly.
“What's wrong?” Mikey murmured, stroking my cheek with his knuckles. “You can tell me.”
“I have one tattoo for every time I was raped.”
Mikey stared at me blankly. “You have like...hundreds.”
“A hundred and thirty four, but a lot of them are tiny.”
“Jesus. And they're all from..?” Mikey trailed off uncomfortably.
I shook my head slightly. “Not just from him.”
Mikey winced and hugged me tightly, rubbing my back slowly. “I'm so sorry, Frankie. I'm so so sorry..”
I leaned into him, determined not to start crying again. “I'm okay, really. I use the tattoos to kind of...remember. But also to make something beautiful and meaningful out of something horrible.”
Mikey pulled away, smiling sadly. “It is beautiful, Frankie. I'm so glad you shared that with me.”
I smiled back, fixing his hair slightly.
“But now I'm super pissed off,” Mikey continued quietly. “I'm gonna go phone up Angelo, okay? You stay here, love.”
Mikey grabbed his phone and coat, heading for the stairs quietly. I got up and walked over to the window, watching him slip out the front door and round to my favorite smoking spot. It was generally fairly private, but I could see it from my window. I opened the window carefully, leaning out. Mikey was dialing the number. He lifted the phone to his ear and waited quietly.
“Guess who I've just been talking to.”
I tuned out a bit, but jumped when Mikey started yelling.
“Are you some kind of soul-sucking heartless demon? Show the man some fucking respect!”
I shut the window quietly and went back inside, tidying up a little.
After a few minutes, Mikey walked back in, looking agitated and upset.
“What happened?” I asked quietly, glancing at him.
“He's taking you off Saturdays, except for the late shifts. They're only doing the shirtless thing from eleven to one, so you're gonna start your shift at one instead of midnight.”
I grinned and hugged him tightly. “Thank you so so much, Mikey.”
He rubbed my back, chuckling softly. “Anything for you, Frankie. Want me to stay for a little while longer?”
I nodded quickly. “Wanna watch a movie?”

---

Sometime later, I was laying with my head in Mikey’s lap, his fingers running through my hair.
“Why do you like stripping so much?” I asked him quietly. He chuckled and shrugged, smiling at me as I rolled over to look up at him.
“I dunno, Frankie. I like the dancing, and I guess I'm just a naturally flirty person.”
I nodded slightly and he ran his hand over my side slowly. “Have you ever done any...like..”
“Prostitution? No, I don't really want to go that far..”
I blushed bright red. “Sorry for-”
“It's okay, Frankie. You can ask me anything, I'm not offended.”
Mikey smiled down at me. “Why are you so tiny?”
I giggled and shrugged. “I didn't ask to be short, Mikey.”
“No, I know, but it's cute. You're like fun-sized.”
I sat up and leaned into his side, running my fingertips over his hand. “Mikey..?”
“Yeah?”
I stared at the tv screen intently. “Do you not want to ever be in a relationship?”
He cleared his throat and sighed. “No, Frankie, it's not like that. I just...I really want to be with the right person.”
“Have you found them yet?”
“I think I have, but I'm not sure if he likes me,” Mikey murmured, leaning back against the sofa. “I flirt with him a lot and I'm not sure if he really notices, we've been friends for a while. I'm not even sure if he ever wants to be in another relationship.”
“That sucks,” I said quietly, looking away. “I'm sorry.”
He picked up my hand, holding it tightly. “This guy...he's been hurt before, but he's so brave about it, and he never complains. He's always so sweet to me and so caring. He smokes like a chimney and swears all the time, but he's such a good person.”
“He sounds nice,” I mumbled, feeling my throat tighten up. Mikey was in love with someone, and I wasn't ever going to be with him. I hadn't even thought of him romantically before I'd told him about my past, but it hurt as if I’d been pining after him for years.
“You know this guy, Frankie,” Mikey said softly. “Can you think who he might be?”
I looked away, biting my lip. This was cruel, but he didn't know any better. He didn't know how I felt for him.
“Jack?”
Mikey chuckled and stroked my cheek, gently turning my head to face him. “God, you're so oblivious,” he ran his thumb over my cheekbone. “I'm talking about you, Frankie.”
My world froze and all the knots in my stomach fell away. I could suddenly breathe again, and I was staring into Mikey’s soft brown eyes.
“I don't know how you feel about me,” he said quietly, snapping me back to reality. “I'm sorry if I...overstepped or something.”
He started to lean back, his hand dropping away, but I caught it quickly. “I like you,” I blurted out, going bright red again and squeezing his hand lightly. Mikey looked shocked for a second, then grinned and leaned in, kissing me softly. I grabbed at him, kissing him desperately and wrestling him down against the sofa. I broke the kiss first, giggling and hugging him tightly. “I like you,” I repeated breathlessly, and he laughed, hugging back just as tight.
“Jesus, Frankie. How much sugar have you had?”
I giggled again and got up quickly, offering him my hand. He took it, standing up next to me as I led him over to my bed. “Come cuddle, please?” I begged, grabbing at his shirt. Mikey chuckled and gently held my shoulders. “Frankie, look at me. As much as I enjoy you being so adorably excited, I think you should calm down a little. I'd love to cuddle with you, and I'd really like to watch a movie with you as well, so how about we take the blankets over to the couch?”
I nodded and took a deep breath, trying to calm the intense excitement and relief. Mikey kissed my cheek softly. “Come on. I'll grab the blankets, how about you go find a movie?”
I nodded again and hurried off, putting a movie in the DVD player and climbing onto the couch.
Mikey walked over more sedately, piling the blankets next to me. “Come here..” He murmured, leaning down and slipping his long fingers under the hem of my shirt. “Can I..?”
I nodded shakily, letting him slip my shirt off. He sat next to me and lifted me into his lap, facing him. “You're so handsome, Frankie,” Mikey murmured, running his hands down my chest and kissing my neck softly. I put a hand over one of his. “Mikey, I uh..”
He stopped and looked at me worriedly. “You okay?”
I nodded shakily and took a deep breath. “I don't...I don't like having sex on the first-”
“Oh, no, I know. It's okay,” Mikey interrupted, kissing my cheek. “I know, Frankie. I'm not trying to push you, I just...I haven't seen you shirtless much and I guess I just really like it.”
I giggled and blushed, shrugging. “I like you touching me like this, just...no further for now.”
Mikey nodded, stroking my cheek slowly. “Okay. If you ever need me to stop doing anything, you just say so, yeah? No means no.”
I grinned and hugged him tightly. “You're amazing, Mikey.”
He chuckled and nuzzled my jaw before I pulled away. “Here..” I mumbled, grabbing at his shirt and pulling it off over his head clumsily. He grinned and kissed me softly, stroking my hair as he pulled me closer.

---

We made out for a little while, enjoying each other's company, before curling up under blankets and cuddling while we watched some old Disney movie together.
When I woke up the next morning, I wasn't surprised to find Mikey asleep next to me. I couldn't remember going to bed, but I had guessed he'd follow me. I wriggled closer to him, burying my face in his chest happily. He grunted and kissed the top of my head. “Mornin’ baby.”
I giggled and hugged him tighter.
“You are so adorable.”
I sat up and slid out of bed. “We gotta get up, remember? We made that lunch reservation.”
Mikey groaned. “Can we just stay here and cuddle?”
“No, but we can cuddle afterwards,” I grinned, gathering up some clean clothes. Mikey sighed.
“It looks like I'm gonna have to run back to mine, though.”
I shrugged. “I have some clothes a friend left here that might fit you,” I said quietly, starting to rummage through my closet.
“What friend? I thought I was your only one,” Mikey chuckled, only half joking. I could hear the notes of jealousy in his voice.
“Oh, you haven't met him before. We were super good friends in high school, but I think he's...lost his way a little.”
“Does he have a name?”
“Yeah, Gerard. He’ll be dying to meet you once he hears I'm dating again.”
“Gerard Way?”
I glanced back at Mikey, frowning. “No, Gerard Lucas. Way is your name, isn't it?”
Mikey nodded distantly and I finally dug out the jeans and t-shirt. “Ah shit, he didn't wash them. Never mind, we’ll have to stop by yours.”
I shut the closet doors and walked back to Mikey, touching his arm. “Hey. You okay?”
He looked down at me and sighed. “Yeah, fine. Sorry. You go get ready and then I'll drive us to mine before the restaurant.”

---

Mikey led me up the stairs, unlocking his apartment. I'd been there before, and really liked it. His apartment was a two-bed, a little bigger than mine. He'd had a roommate, but had kicked him out after he'd had a pay raise at work. I was glad Mikey could afford this place on his own now, especially when he was getting dressed.
I sat on the bed, watching as he picked out clothes. “I like your place, Mikey.”
“You should move in,” he joked, grinning at me. I giggled and he slipped his shirt off, tossing it away.
“Y’know, I've been wanting to get a tattoo for a while, maybe you can recommend me somewhere?”
I nodded and bit my lip as Mikey unzipped his jeans, kicking them off. “Yeah, I can uh...I can do that.”
Mikey glanced at me and casually slipped his boxers off, walking to the chest of drawers. I tried not to look, my hands shaking a little. “Shit. I'll be right back.”
He hurried out, coming back with a washing basket of clean clothes, from which he grabbed a fresh pair of boxers and slipped them on.
Mikey looked at me and frowned. “You okay, baby? What's wrong?”
I buried my face in my hands and Mikey jogged over, hugging me tightly. “Frankie? Baby? What's wrong?”
I shrugged and leaned into his chest. “I'm s-sorry.”
“What for? I don't understand, Frankie.”
I got up quickly and hurried out of the room, locking myself in the bathroom instead. I sat down on the tiles, willing myself to calm down. I hadn't meant to get turned on from just seeing Mikey naked. I'd seen him naked before, on stage, but somehow it being casual made it all the more sexual for me.
A sharp knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. “Frank? Can you tell me what's wrong, sweetie?”
I sniffed and ran a hand through my hair. “I just...seeing you like that...I haven't been with anyone since my ex,” I said quietly. “And it's kind of hard for me..”
Mikey tried the handle and sighed. “Can I come in, beautiful? Please?”
I reached over and unlocked the door without getting up. Mikey slipped in and sat down on the floor next to me, smiling sadly.
“I didn't mean to upset you, Frankie.”
I shrugged and tried to cover the bulge in my jeans. “I uh...I'm just..” I felt myself start to blush and Mikey smiled, stroking my cheek slowly.
“Aw, baby, it's okay. Why does that upset you so much?”
I sighed and looked away. “When I was with my husband, he’d do everything to try and make me hard...and that was his excuse to...have sex with me. If I was hard, he said I clearly wanted it, so anything he did after that was what I wanted.”
Mikey sighed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.
“I know you'd never do that to me,” I said quickly, flashing him a tiny smile. “But it brought back memories and just made me a little upset. I'm okay.”
He kissed my cheek and pulled me closer gently. “You're so brave, Frankie,” he murmured, rubbing my shoulder. “Do you want me to try and help you with that, or..?”
I blushed again and spread my legs a little as an invitation. Mikey grinned. “Here. Sit up a little more..”
I nodded and did as I was told, sitting up more with my knees up. Mikey undid my jeans carefully, tugging them down a little, but not touching my boxers. He slipped his own boxers off and gently spread my legs, climbing into my lap. “You can look, yeah?” Mikey murmured, noticing that I was watching his face more than his hips.
He started to roll up against me, his junk rubbing mine through the thin fabric of my boxers. I closed my eyes and let my head roll back, moaning softly. Mikey took the opportunity and started to bite and suck at my neck ever so gently, his hips moving a little faster as he deftly tugged my boxers down, so the friction was skin to skin. I moaned a little louder, and Mikey started to stroke my cock, kissing me softly. “Look,” he murmured, and I glanced down, my eyes widening. Mikey was hard now as well, his tip leaking just like mine was. I whimpered and grabbed onto him, knowing I was close. Mikey suddenly got off my lap, grinning. “Come on. I have a better idea. We should get your clothes out of the way, or they'll get dirty.”
He helped me up off the floor and walked me back to the bedroom. I felt a little dazed, everything hanging out as he helped me up to sit on the bed, tugging my jeans and boxers off before gently removing my shirt. “I'm clean, by the way, Frankie,” he said quickly, rubbing my back. I nodded slightly.
“Me too.”
Mikey smiled and kissed my cheek. “Remember that you can say no whenever. Can you get on your hands and knees for me?”
I nodded, crawling away from the edge of the bed as Mikey climbed up behind me, rubbing his hard dick between my cheeks. I groaned and pushed back against him without thinking. “You want some more?” Mikey asked gently, and I nodded quickly.
“F-fuck yes.”
Mikey leaned down behind me and I felt a wet heat against my entrance just before his tongue plunged into me. I came immediately, moaning his name and almost collapsing onto the bed. Mikey chuckled happily, starting to pump himself as he watched me writhe in pleasure. I was just recovering when Mikey came all over my back, and his soft moan almost made me hard again.

---

We only just made it to lunch on time and had a fantastic meal, chatting about work for the most part. Mikey went with me back to my place and we curled up in bed to talk more privately.
“I loved that,” Mikey murmured, playing with my fingers. He was propped up on his elbows, his body against mine as he leaned over me. “I'm sorry it was really sudden and-”
“No, it felt right,” I said softly, smiling up at him. “I felt super safe with you.”
Mikey grinned and tapped my nose gently. “And God, you're beautiful. I'm gonna have to film you one day.”
I blushed and he blinked. “Sorry, Frankie. Got carried away, it doesn't have to be-”
“I'd like that,” I interrupted quickly. “But yeah, maybe a little further down the line.”
“I'd love to see you more confident in yourself,” Mikey murmured, kissing my cheek. “I really wanna help you with that.”
I smiled and put my hands against his cheeks, my thumbs stroking over his cheekbones. “You are stunning, Mikey.”
He grinned and rolled off me, sitting up. “Thanks, baby. I gotta pee, I'll be right back, okay?”
I nodded and watched him go, shivering a little from the sudden loss of warmth.
Mikey came back a couple minutes later, holding a thick book in his hands. I sat up quickly, trying to snatch it away from him. “Mikey,” I whined.
He sat down and grinned at me. “These are awesome, are they yours?”
I grabbed at the book, but he jerked it away. “Yes, Mikey, they're mine, please don't look.”
“Too late.”
Mikey opened the book and tapped one of the pictures. “I like this one.”
“It's just a tree,” I muttered, looking away moodily. He chuckled and kept flicking through the album. I tried to snatch it away again when he got about halfway through, and he looked at me.
“They're um. Of my husband,” I said quickly, staring at him. He frowned.
“Would you mind if I had a look?”
I shrugged, feeling myself blush again. “Some of them are kinda...NSFW.”
“Are there any of you?”
I nodded slightly. “A couple..”
“Can I see those?”
I smiled sadly. “I can find them for you, but they're kinda dark.”
Mikey shuffled closer to me, nuzzling my cheek. “You show me what you're comfortable with, baby.” He handed the album over and looked away. I flicked through the pictures, tugging a few of them out. “Here.” I placed them on his knee lightly. “You can have these.”
Mikey picked them up, blinking. “Holy..”
I sniffed and looked over his shoulder. The one on top was a full frontal picture, taken via a mirror. The bed was in the background, my camera near my shoulder. My head was cut off in the print. The most striking thing about the photo was the blood. I didn't have any tattoos in the picture, but you could see the blood running down my legs, soaking into the carpet at my feet.
“That was just before I got my first tattoo,” I said quietly and Mikey looked at me. “I understand.”
He looked at the next one. Another use of the mirror, but this a lot closer up. You couldn't see me, not exactly. The curve of my back outlined the monochrome, pristine room, but the main focus was the torn skin and the blood.
“Whips,” I explained, leaning on Mikey shakily. He moved onto the next one. It was a picture of me in the hospital bed, fast asleep. That was in black and white.
“Gerard took that one.”
Mikey put them down and pulled me into a hug, rubbing my back slowly. “I'm so so sorry..”
I shook him off gently, shoving the album off the bed. “It's okay,” I mumbled. Mikey sighed, stroking my hair slowly. “It's not, not really.”
I shrugged and hugged myself shakily. “I just...I just want to forget.”
He rubbed my back gently. “I know. I'm sorry I-”
“It's fine, Mikey. Really, it's okay.”
I smiled at him and kissed him quickly. “I'm gonna make a new album, I wanna take pictures of you.”
He chuckled and pulled me into his lap, hugging me tightly. “M’kay, baby. I just hope you realize I hate having my picture taken.”
“Tough shit,” I giggled, kissing him again. “You're pretty.”

Notes