This Still Belongs to You and Always Will

Elena’s P.O.V:

“Hey, I’m home!” I called, slamming the front door behind me.

The house was silent. No sign of anyone anywhere. I shrugged and helped myself to some of the chocolate croissants in the kitchen cupboard. Luna came in from the yard to greet me as I was leaving. I grinned and scratched behind her ears affectionately.

It was silent as I headed upstairs to my room.

“Hello?”

“OH MY GOD, FRANK!” Came the scream.

There was an outburst of giggles as it happened. The sound was coming from the bathroom. I shuddered. They wouldn’t, would they? Not in the room we all used. I washed in that room. Surely they wouldn’t be that cruel.

“OH GOD, OH GOD, OH GOD!”

“What’s going on in there?” I called cautiously, knocking.

The door was pulled open, revealing the wickedly grinning face. Frankie. He was holding a waxing strip in his hand, coated in hair.

Upon closer inspection, I found Dad sitting on the toilet in a t-shirt and boxers with his leg up on the edge of the bathtub. There was one section of skin that was totally hairless. And a camera on the towel rack filming them.

“What’s going on?”

“Well, y’know someone at Gerard’s work does a sponsored activity every year for charity?”

“Uh huh.”

“Gerard got picked this year and he has to wax his legs,” Frankie laughed, holding up the wax strip “And he said he’d film it to prove he didn’t shave or anything!”

I burst out laughing at Dad’s face. He did not look impressed. His skin was red from where Frankie had waxed his leg. Frankie produced the stick thing to spread more wax over Dad’s leg. Dad squeaked in horror at the sight of it.

“Elena, E-Elena, hold my hand, hold my hand!” He begged as Frankie spread the wax evenly over his leg.

I sighed and gripped his hand tight as Frankie stretched the wax strip out over his leg. He whimpered and watched with eagle eyes as Frankie took hold of the end of the strip. I giggled inwardly, who knew he was such a baby in reality? Best of all, I had the evidence on film.

“Ready, Gee?”

“Never in a million years!”

He squeezed my hand harder as Frankie prepared to rip it off. Frank caught my eye and flicked his gaze to Dad quickly.

“So, Dad, how was your day?” I questioned.

“It was – ARGH, OH MY GOD, FRANK IERO, YOU SCHEMING LITTLE TOAD!”

I burst out laughing and squeezed Dad’s hand tight as he whimpered. Frank had one hand on the skin he’d just brutally de-haired in an attempt to cool it down and make it hurt less. Poor Dad. I’ve never found waxing that painful, to be honest. Then again, I don’t have hair like Dad does.

“Does the camera wanna’ get a closer look at that?” Frankie questioned, bringing the camera closer to see the new bald patch on Dad’s leg.

Dad’s skin beneath was bright red and probably burning. Frankie giggled and zoomed in, making Dad growl and try and hit the camera. I laughed and hugged Dad tight, cooing at him. He hugged back, breathing deeply.

“Dad, are you trying not to cry?” I teased.

“It hurts, okay?” He exclaimed “Unlike your nice, feminine, hairless legs, I happen to have a more masculine, guyish look going on.”

“Uh huh,” Frankie nodded, obvious sarcasm present.

“Okay, tell you what, Frankie, we’ll do your legs after this and see how you like it!” Dad declared “And, if I remember correctly, your legs are h. . . more masculine than mine!”

“Aww, you jealous that I’ve got nice sexy hairy legs, Gee?”

“C’mon,” I cut in quickly “The viewers will be getting bored!”

Frankie grinned and spread the wax over Dad’s leg again. Dad groaned as if to say ‘Nooo, not again, please no!’ and squeezed my hand as tightly as he could. I groaned as he got close to breaking my fingers.

Then an idea was born in my head. And it grew. I grinned to myself. This would be fun.

“Frank, can I have a go?”

“Yeah, sure,” He shrugged, putting the strip in place and swapping places with me.

He gripped Dad’s hand tight, massaging his shoulder with his free hand. I laughed and took hold of the strip. Sadly, he noticed.

“Elena, what are you doing?” He demanded “Frankie was doing it from the other end!”

I was, of course, planning on pulling it from the wrong end.

“Yeah, doing it this way makes it less painful,” I lied cleverly “Because I’m pulling it in the direction the hairs are growing!”

He groaned and turned to Frankie with a frustrated grunt.

“Kiss me!” He demanded.

Frankie grinned devilishly and seized Dad’s hair roughly and kissed him hard. I tried not to burst out laughing as Frankie craftily filmed them both. Something for him to watch later? It wouldn’t surprise me. I caught him watching a scene from their wedding DVD where Mikey filmed them making out at the edge of the lake on repeat.

Frank then opened one eye lazily to check he’d got the camera on the strip so he could film me preparing to pull the strip the wrong way.

“Hey, Dad,” I said “By the way, this is for not giving me that raise I wanted!”

Frank moved the camera just in time to catch Dad’s reaction as I pulled the strip the wrong way. Insert a lot of profanity, screaming and funny facial expressions and you’ll be close. Frank burst out laughing when he saw the hair was still in place.

“Aw, Gee, did that hurt?”

“Mm. . .” Dad whimpered.

“Aww, Elena, you made him cry!” Frankie exclaimed, filming Dad’s face as two tears slipped down his face.

Dad pulled Frank into a hug, whimpering about it hurting so much. He’ll be the laughing stock at work when they see this. He’s already got the playful nickname of Pansy.

“C’mon, Dad, we’ll get this done and put some soothing lotion on it afterwards! It’ll make it a lot better, I promise!”

Finally, we had one of Dad’s legs done and I was putting soothing aloe vera lotion on it for him. He groaned in content and mumbled incoherent sentences to himself. Frankie loyally held his hand tightly and kissed his cheek every so often, mumbling about his ‘brave baby’.

Then we had the other leg to do. This took us forever as Dad protested so much and even tried to run for it at one point. But Frankie tackled him and dragged him, kicking and screaming, back into the bathroom.

But we were done and Dad’s legs were totally hairless and smooth. Frankie kept filming his legs with the camera and pretending to be a beautician on tv.

“See the shiny finish?” He questioned, running his hand up Dad’s leg “That’s all thanks to the cheapest brand of aloe vera lotion we could get our hands on. And the feel of the skin is as smooth as a baby’s butt-“

“Bum,” I interrupted “It’s what they say on the commercials.”

“Bum, I apologise. And, oh my, see the beautiful huge pores revealed by the removal of the hair? They’ll definitely allow a much hairier appearance when the hair begins to grow back. What more could a woman possibly want? Frank Iero and Elena Way’s waxing parlour, stop by today!” He finished with a cheesy smile and thumbs-up.

I ended the film and burst out laughing. Dad growled at us both and declared everlasting hatred for us until it was Christmas.

“So, Gee,” Frank grinned “What’s next? Eyebrows?”

“Bikini line?” I suggested.

He was gone in under a second flat.