A Little Roughed Up at The Asylum Safe House - Part Two

This should technically be going up on Wednesday, but rules are boring and I didn't feel like waiting. XD

So here's an extra part, a little early.

Happy Reading!

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Part One

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There was nothing but black water under the light of the full moon, stretching out as far as Pike could see. Pulling Danny away from the edge of yet another sharp drop as he held up his phone like a few inches might magically catch a signal, he choked back the urge to let out the shout of frustration that had been tearing at his throat for what seemed like hours.

All he’d wanted was a glass of warm fucking milk.

I am in so much trouble. Not soap level trouble, more like a belt. Or worse.

The thing was, he wouldn’t even mind getting one hell of a beating if it meant Seth would find him. Or he’d look over to the treeline and see Quint, shaking his head and holding out his arms. Every time Danny looked away, Pike glanced back at the tracks they were leaving in the mud, hoping the tide wouldn’t rise too much and wash them away.

He wasn’t sure where they were, but there were two things he did know. The phone in Danny’s hand was next to useless. And there might be no way for Danny to reach his Doms, but he had to try. Hopefully, trying would make him feel better and they’d go back to the safehouse with more than blisters.

The quiet of the house when Pike had slipped out of bed had made him wish they were back at The Asylum. Somehow, the place always seemed to be alive, even when everyone was asleep. There was the sound of the building creaking, the city outside, and an energy almost vibrating in the very foundation. In a short time it had begun to feel like home.

While the safehouse was anything but.

In the kitchen he’d found Danny sitting with Ezran, the safe open on the table. One of the phones that had been taken from them before they got here set before him, Danny looked about ready to fall apart.

And Ezran...Pike couldn’t face him. Every time he tried, the bruises were a stark reminder that his friend had been hurt and wouldn’t tell him what had really happened. Wouldn’t let him help. He hadn’t come along on the trek to find a signal far away from the house because he’d messed up his ankle somehow and he was afraid to slow them down.

Pike could have tried to stop Danny, or told someone the other sub planned to leave, but since when did he make the right choices? In that moment, all he’d seem was the pain and desperation in Danny’s eyes. The need to do something other than sit around and wait.

At least he’d made sure to grab the jackets Quint had pulled out of the attic for them. The way Danny was shivering, he wasn’t sure if it was enough. This whole plan to make the other sub feel better wouldn’t work out too fucking well if he got sick.

“Danny…” Pike sighed as he picked up the pace to catch up to where Danny was climbing down to an embankment, closer to the water. “Let’s head back. Maybe everyone’s still asleep and they won’t know we took off. You can talk to Rhodey again. Tell him you need your Doms. He was all distracted worrying about Noah, but maybe he’ll listen this time.”

Sinking down to his knees on the wet sand, Danny let out a broken sound, hugging himself. “They’re going to think I don’t need them anymore. Or something will happen to them and I won’t be there.” The phone fell from his hand, the screen dark, making it clear the battery had died. “Why didn’t I go with Jacks to L.A? Or ask to go with Shea? I could be with them right now.”

Pike crouched in front of Danny, pulling him into a hug. “You spent a lot of your life traveling around, didn’t you? I think you were tired of that shit and you just wanted to be home, even if it meant you had to wait there for them sometimes.” He petted Danny’s hair the way he’d seen Wren do so often, wishing the other sub was here now. He was smart, he’d figure out how to make things right for Danny without giving him pneumonia. Redirect a super secret satellite or something. “I’m so fucking sorry you couldn’t keep doing that. I fucked shit up and now everyone keeps trying to fix it. I wish...I wish I could clean up my own mess, but I just end up making a bigger one every time I try.”

“This time, it’s my mess.” Danny inhaled roughly, pushing to his feet, holding on to Pike for a moment like he wasn’t ready to let go just yet. “I know you only came with me because you felt guilty, but...you shouldn’t. And I don’t want you to get in trouble. Let me talk to the Doms and take all the beatings.” He winced as though he could already feel it. “Maybe I’ll be too sore to move and I can just sleep until…” He pressed his eyes shut. “I really need them here, Pike. I can’t do this without them.”

“Because you’re seeing it as being for a really long time.” Pike squeezed Danny tight, then turned with him to walk back the way they’d come, slowing a bit as a cloud passed over the moon, leaving them in pitch darkness. “Just do the one day at a time sh—” He should really stop swearing before they got back to the house and another Dom pulled out the fucking Mr. Clean next time. That was not the way he’d imagine the dude in his mouth when he’d been a curious teen too scared to touch porn. “Take it one day at a time and it won’t freak you out so much.”

Danny nodded, hunching when the wind picked up, slapping against them. “This was a really stupid idea. I’m older than you, I should’ve been the responsible one and made you stay back where it was safe.”

Rolling his eyes, Pike bumped his shoulder to Danny’s. “We went for a real long walk, it not a big deal.” His sneaker slipped and he grabbed Danny’s arm as he lost his balance. A twing in his ankle made him stop tugging when his foot stuck. He backed up, plunking down on the sand, where he foot had sunk into a crevice that was damn snug. Digging into the sand with his fingers, he cursed as the tip of one scraped against a rough rock. Angling his leg, he tried tugging again. “Okay, fuck not swearing. I’m stuck.”

“What?” Danny knelt next to him, digging close to where he was. “No. No, this can’t be happening. What have I done? God, Pike, I’m sorry.” He slid his hand close to Pike’s foot, pain lining his brow as he tugged at the rock. “It’s not moving. I need...a tool or something. I need to go back to the house, but I can’t...I can’t leave you. The tide…”

“Don’t be dramatic now, I won’t fucking drown.” Pike swallowed as he followed Danny’s gaze to the marks higher up the embankment that showed exactly where the tide rose to. “But, umm...you should probably head back now, just in case.”

Tugging down the zipper to his jacket, Danny took it off and wrapped it around Pike’s shoulders. “I’ll be as fast as I can. Seth and Quint will be here before you know it and you’ll be all right, I promise.”

Pike gave Danny a crooked grin. “Of course I will. Just don’t get lost.”

The color left Danny’s face.

Which wasn’t all that reassuring. Fuck, why joke about the worst thing that could happen with someone who’d probably mentally come up with all kinds of disasters already?

Hell, I’m the biggest fucking disaster right now.

“Follow our tracks in the mud, you’ll be fine.” Pike tried turning his ankle, his stomach flipping as warmth trickled down over his foot. He’d just keep that to himself before he sent Danny into a damn panic attack. “We’ve been gone a while, they might even meet you halfway.”

“That’s true.” Danny’s throat worked, but he gave a firm nod, rubbing Pike’s shoulders before he set off at a run.

Tugging the jackets tighter around himself, Pike focused on the sound of Danny’s sneakers until it faded to nothing. Then he stared up at the moon, trying to ignore the lap of the waves getting closer. And closer.

They’re going to find me.

He’d give anything to hear one of them yelling right now. Any of them.

Seth is going to chain me to the fucking bed, just like Jamie and Wren talked about their Doms doing. And I will fucking love every second.

Maybe the fighting would stop after this. Someone almost dying was a good reason to call a truce, right?

So’s a funeral.

The icy water caressing his fingers. He jerked his hand away, his whole body shaking as he took in the blackness creeping over the sand.

Blocking off the slicing pain along his ankle, jaw clenched, Pike moved as far as he could from the water. Stared in the direction of the trees he couldn’t make out anymore. “Seth!” His pulse pounded in his ears. “Quint! Is anyone there?”

Biting cold washed into the crevice, numbing his foot and his ankle.

There was no answer.

Only the ocean that glimmered in the moonlight. Beautiful enough that he wanted to immortalize with paint. Try some of the new techniques Noah had shown him. Near the nice big fireplace.

With that damn mug of warm milk he should have gotten and brought back to bed with him.

And some cookies. Maybe some leftover stew.

His stomach growled and he let out a soft laugh. “I was so damn worried about starving. Why didn’t I think about drowning? Much more realistic.” He tipped his head back, bracing his hands behind him. Almost jumped right out of his fucking skin as a shadow moved closer.

He couldn’t tell what it was at first.

Probably some kind of animal.

“Wonderful. I’m gonna get eaten by a bear before I drown.” He pressed his eyes shut. “I should have asked Danny for some predictions before he left. Totally didn’t see this coming.”

There was a familiar sound, like someone clicking their tongue. Not something bears did, as far as he knew.

I’m losing my mind.

He really had to be, because now he really was seeing things.

Like Avery, standing a few feet away, arms folded over his chest, hip braced against the side of a bolder.

“If I was gonna imagine someone before I die, I wouldn’t have thought it would be you.” Pike lifted one hand to rub it over his face. “If Avery was here, he’d be helping me. So you’ve got to be a mirage or something.”

Avery snickered, shaking his head and freeing one hand. A blade flashed as he flipped it idly in the air. “I can’t help you, I have my orders.”

Okay, that sounded like something Avery would say. Pike frowned, sitting up. “You were ordered to watch me… Fuck, that makes sense. Rhodey wanted to make sure the job was done and no one would ever know what happened to me. And I just made shit easier for him.”

“Nope.” Avery flipped the knife again. “Wren was assigned to make sure you couldn’t get a signal out. I’m here to make sure you don’t get yourself killed.”

Pike stared at him. “Well you’re doing a shit job of it. In case you didn’t notice, I’m stuck.”

Inclining his head, Avery flipped the knife again. “That’s gotta suck. What are you going to do about it?”

“Ask really nicely for some help?” Pike tried for his sweetest tone, chewing at his bottom lip when Avery shook his head. “You can’t be serious. Come on, man. Do you want me to beg? I’ll fucking beg. I’ll do whatever you want. Please, just get me out of here.”

That got him a dry look. “That’s not how training works.”

Lips parted, Pike struggled to make sense of the other sub’s words. “You mean...this is some kind of test?”

“Mhm.” Avery tucked the knife out of sight, crossing the distance between them to crouch down beside Pike. “And you’re failing.”

“I didn’t ask to be trained!” Pike jerked at his ankle, bile rising in his throat at another spill of warmth that quickly cooled in the water covering his foot. “I didn’t ask for any of this!”

Avery’s brow lifted. “Sure you did. The second you and Danny walked out the front door.”

“He was hurting! I wanted to help him, I wanted to do something decent for once in my stupid fucking life. Something that didn’t involve anyone getting dead.” Pike drew in a measured breath. “What the hell am I supposed to do? Cut off my fucking foot?” He eyed the place under Avery’s black jacket sleeve where the knife had vanished. “Can I borrow your knife?”

The edge of Avery’s lips twitched as he stretched out his hand, letting the knife drop into his palm in a smooth motion. “Sure, but I’d start with trying to get your sneaker off first if I were you.”

Cheeks heating, Pike took the knife and bent as close as possible to where his foot was stuck. “You’re a horrible fucking teacher.”

“You’re right. Giving you the answer is cheating.” Avery sat down beside him, dipping his fingers in the water that was now soaking into Pike’s jeans. “You should probably hurry. Hypothermia isn’t much fun.”

“Neither is bleeding to death.” Pike tried to angle the blade close to his laces, but he couldn’t quite reach without risking cutting himself. And by the jagged mess of the skin of his ankle, he probably didn’t need another injury. “Avery...I’m serious. I can’t…”

Letting out a heavy sigh, Avery took his knife back. Then peered into the hole, sucking in air through his teeth. “Shit. You weren’t supposed to actually get hurt. Rhodey’s going to be pissed.”

“Before or after he writes my grade on my fucking tombstone?”

“Don’t be a drama queen. It’s only cute when Danny does it.”

Despite himself, Pike laughed. “Fine, this probably won’t kill me, but will you help me now?”

A quick nod, then Avery maneuvered his hand in, carefully cutting the lace on Pike’s sneaker. He set the knife aside, dipping his hand in again. Gave Pike’s foot a firm tug.

Then cursed again. “We’re gonna need to go back to basics and teach you how to freakin’ walk. It’s not coming out. We need something to pry up that rock.”

“Which is what Danny was going to get.” Pike trembled, grateful when Avery put an arm around his shoulders, the other sub’s body heat at least making the cold a bit more bearable. “So...now what?”

Avery lifted his shoulders. “I guess we both fail.”

“No fucking shit, Sherlock.” Pike huffed out a breath. “I mean what do we do?”

For a few beats, there was only the sound of the waves, rushing closer. His own inhales, exhales, too sharp and short. He had to look over to make sure Avery was still there, the other man was so quiet.

And when he finally spoke, his words weren’t very reassuring.

“We wait.” 

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Part 3

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As always, comments welcome! At the end of each month when a serial like this is running, I'll choose one commenter to send merch from The Asylum to win a special prize pack including an Asylum Blanket!

Winner will be chosen at random and announced before the first segment of each month. All comments made before then will be entered.

Good luck!

If you want to discuss spoilers or what you think might happen next, make sure to join the spoiler group HERE. Let's see who's paying attention. Winners will also be chosen from the group!