what if frank is more hands on guy that loves physical affection, and Abby just didn't so he would try his best to keep his hands to himself and when tanner + other child was born, he was 1000% the person that would shirtless except for the baby wrap thing w the baby.
This now goes in a multitude of directions with different ships
Anyway I think Jack isn't really big on physical affection but he loves frank and if frank wants Jack to hold him, cuddle him tight, or just touch him.and be touched, no one has to know how much frank has Jack wrapped around his finger
John would notice frank pulling his hands back or stop himself from giving John a kiss ect and would make it his mission to derange the knit that is franks feelings about his love of physical affection. He would reach out more first, see frank slightly pull back and just pull him forward in subtle ways he never mentions
Robby (if you're into that) is just as much if not more into it than frank, and would assure him that he really does love the casual intimacy of affection, even if he is more wary about out in public (not that frank is specifically into pda but he wants to hold his partners hand, y'know?)
(I'm sorry for the long ass ramble)
You genius, you. This is a CORE element of my "frank has intimacy issues" universe. That fic specifically (if it ever actually makes it to full blown fic status) is Shendon, but I DEFINITELY have thoughts about tactile Frank for aaaaaall the ships bouncing around in my head.
If you're interested, here's where we're at with the Shendon maybe fic.
I've wiggled a little bit of submissive Frank into this because I'm me. Abbey lowkey taught him how to get someone (her) off for the first time. He did some research about it before he ever actually had sex because he's a giant nerd, but Abbey was his first successful go at it and then he was with her from that point on (until the amicable divorce, of course). He never had to worry if he was doing anything wrong, because she was straight-forward and direct about teaching him to do it right. That also meant, in his stupid little head, that he didn't dare ask for more. Abbey clearly knew what she was doing. She knew so much about sex. If Frank wanted something else, something different, that was his fault. It wouldn't be the best way to make sure Abbey was happy, because she always told him how to make her happy in the bedroom.
It bled into outside the bedroom too. Abbey wasn't much of an initiator and Frank was too scared of fucking up to initiate. She wasn't cold or unaffectionate by any means. She'd drop kisses on him, flop down to lay on his legs on the couch, lean on his back in the early mornings while they were getting ready and still sleep-mussed. But Frank is level 10 cuddles, okay? If he's standing near you or sitting near you or randomly thinks about you (which he does a lot because he's a sap), he wants to be touching you too.
It got better after the kids were born, because kids always wanna cuddle. I agree. He's 100% percent the shirtless guy doing skin-to-skin with the baby or carrying them around in a sling.
I totally get where you're coming from with Jack not being a touchy-feely guy, because he's ... you know ... *waves ineffectual hand at his general demeanor*, but I've also been playing around with this concept of PTSD Jack grounded by touch, which I think would be a fascinating thing to explore with clingy Frank. It's barely a little seed in my head right now, but maybe I'll get around to thinking about it more. I think Frank is doing his usual "force yourself not to touch too much" schtick and then one day Jack is having a bad PTSD day and he's just like "please touch me" and Frank's lil brain explodes.
Shen is an evil genius and WILL make Frank confront his hangups about his own his own craving for intimacy and touch head-on. See the post I linked. My guy is a soft-dom with a sharp eye and elevated empathy and wicked little plans. He has a STRATEGY.
I think Robby is a PDA freak, actually. I think if his former love interest at work was anyone but Collins (who clearly has rock-solid boundaries and professionalism, girl you go), he'd be a PROBLEM at work. Something about how he's always patting people on the shoulder and steering them around (hi Whitaker) and getting in close. I think that man would press up against Frank's back in the middle of a trauma and smirk at him when Frank glares.
Anyway, I have millions of thoughts about submissive, touch-starved Frank and I WILL be rambling more about it in the future.
(also sorry you waited months for a response to this my life is a mess and I am in the mental health trenches)
