Double the Heat Brewed by The Asylum-Part Seven

 

The weekend has arrived!

Hope everyone's enjoying the start to their summer (or whatever season it might be for your part of the world!).

Time to sit back and let Matt serve you up some of your favourite brew. And see what our guys are up to next!

Happy Reading 

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Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

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By the time Matt locked the cafe behind the last of his customers, The Asylum was open for business, switching up one kind of hectic jam on the streets for another. The press lingered for a bit, obviously trying to catch some candid shots of Jamie and Danny, but both had ducked out the back, managing to slip out of sight with Shea watching over them when things started winding down.

Playing his part as manager, Jacks had strolled out the front door like he wasn’t the least bit bothered by all the cameras shoved in his face, telling those still hanging around to ‘Stay tuned for some exciting news from The Roadhouse Cafe over the next few days!’

Great for business and all, but if Matt decided not to go with Jamie’s ‘small concert that totally isn’t one’, he’d have to come up with something else.

Something exciting that the gang couldn’t undermine.

He might be good at mixing up drinks. At visualizing classy decor, like he’d done with Lawson for the cigar lounge, and with Curtis for pulling things together here. He was good at keeping organized, and he was damn good at balancing a budget.

But coming up with creative ways to draw a crowd wasn’t one of his strengths.

That morning, if anyone had asked him to even consider one of Jamie’s crazy ideas, he would’ve been real creative about telling them where to take a flying leap. Tonight? He couldn’t come up with any good reason not to go for it.

Then stop fucking trying, dude. Seriously, it’s not a bad idea.

“Ugh, it’s a good thing Stephan ain’t charging me for sessions. I’m grabbing any time he’s got to spare.” Matt made a face when he realized Coal was the only one left to hear him scheduling himself for therapy, since Reed had been called in by Curtis to man the bar. Glancing over at the kid, he relaxed when Coal didn’t even look up from where he was scrubbing the sink.

Despite the attitude and being a bit of a klepto, the teen was a hard worker. Tracey had taught him well.

Pulling out a few bills before locking the rest of the cash in the storage room vault, Matt cleared his throat to get Coal’s attention. “Here, for the work you put in today.”

Coal dried his hands, then shook his head. “You don’t gotta do that, man. It was cool, you wanting me here even though I was being a punk. And...yeah, Dad buys me pretty much anything I want.”

“Then why are you stealing again?” Matt braced his hip against the counter, not sure he should be the one having this talk with the boy. With someone like Tracey in his life—and hell, even Rhodey was strangely good at giving advice—the kid was covered for supportive adults in his life.

But the way Coal lowered his gaze and shoved his hands in his pockets made it obvious something was bugging him. He finally let out a heavy sigh. “I guess I just need to know I still can. I ain’t like Nasty, I ain’t a little kid anymore. With a baby coming, I gotta be ready to...you know, handle my own shit.”

Ah, that explains it.

The most security Coal had in his life came from Tracey being pretty normal, offsetting Rhodey being completely not. Now that Tracey was married and having a baby, the kid probably wasn’t sure where he’d fit in. Whether he admitted it to himself or not, he was probably preparing himself for Rhodey not being around one day. Being alone like he’d been when Reed had found him.

Not that he ever would—not with the whole core looking out for him—but feelings didn’t always make sense. And Matt understood the need to have some control over your own fate.

Gently taking hold of Coal’s wrist, Matt pressed the bills into his palm. “You are handling your own shit. There’s a difference between your dad buying you stuff, and you earning your own money. If it’s safe for you to come around after your homeschooling, you can consider yourself my first part-time employee.”

“Dude, it’s totally safe. I let Reed get me out of there so I didn’t bust up your nice place throwing those fuckers around.” Coal looked down at the bills, then gave Matt a small smile. “But...I’d really like that. Maybe you can teach me to use the espresso machine and stuff? For when it’s really busy?”

Ruffling Coal’s hair as the teen put the money in his wallet, Matt nodded. “You’ve got it, buddy. No more stealing, though. You wanna practice swiping things off people? See if you can get all Avery’s weapons off him before he catches you.”

Coal snorted, though he seemed to like the idea. “That would be a neat trick, but no one’s that good.”

“Hey, it’ll keep him on his toes.” Double checking to make sure everything was in place, Matt headed out, checking the street before unlocking the door.

There was a car parked near the cafe and after a second, Matt realized it was Tracey’s. By the driver’s side, Keiran chatted with a man who must be Todd, Tracey’s new husband, who Matt hadn’t met yet.

Dragging his feet once Matt locked up and joined him on the sidewalk, Coal muttered under his breath. “Great, I get to be bored to death all the way home. Shoot me now.”

“He can’t be that bad.” Matt nudged Coal to get him moving. “From what I hear, Tracey’s crazy about him.”

That got him a dry look. “That’s because he’s boring. He doesn’t even like action movies, he thinks they’re too violent. He built a fucking greenhouse near the barn and he goes on about seeds and flowers and shit. And she likes it. You don’t understand, it’s like...like living on one of those sappy sitcoms. Even Nasty’s infected. She drew a picture of our family and it was…disturbing.”

“Was everyone on fire?” Matt’s lips quirked, because he’d seen some of Ana’s artwork. The little girl had one hell of an imagination.

“I wish.” Coal lowered his voice as they got closer to the car. “It was just her holding Aunt Tracey and Todd’s hands, with big smiles on everyone’s faces. Including me, and I ain’t never smiled like a big dumb goofy fucker.”

So far, none of this was sounding terrible. But it was a different life from what Coal was used to. The kid just needed time to adjust.

“Hey, buddy!” Spotting them, Todd got out of the car.

The man was a bit taller than Matt, but slender, wearing a light blue sweater vest and dark blue slacks, his brown hair liberally dusted with gray. He had friendly brown eyes, faint wrinkles around them crinkling with his broad smile. Not a bad looking guy, maybe in his early fifties.

Opening the back door of the car as Keiran stepped back, Todd pulled out a heavy black hoodie. “It’s getting a bit chilly, so I grabbed this for you. I know you like keeping the windows open.”

“Yeah. Thanks.” Coal took the hoodie and pulled it on, then stared at the sidewalk. “Is Aunt Tracey okay? I thought she was coming to pick me up.”

Todd quickly nodded. “She’s fine, but the doctor wants her to take it easy for a few days.” The man glanced over at Matt. “It’s great to finally meet you—Matt, right?” He held out his hand for Matt to shake. “Tracey really wanted to be here for your grand opening, she’s been talking about it nonstop. As soon as she’s up to it, we’ll swing by. I have some white roses coming into bloom that would be a nice touch for your cafe if you’d like me to bring some?”

“Uh...sure. That would be really nice.” Matt shook the man’s hand and returned his smile, not sure how to respond to the small talk. Todd was very...normal. From what he’d overheard from Noah and Rhodey, he made Tracey happy, which was all that mattered, but he didn’t fit with The Asylum crew. At all. “So...you’re a librarian?”

“Have been for thirty years. I met Tracey when she was bringing Ana in for the puppet theater we started last year. Every Wednesday, it’s been a huge hit with the little ones in the neighborhood. It also gives some of the parents a much needed break.” Todd’s dedication to the area was clear, which was probably one of the reasons Tracey had fallen for him. She’d always done everything in her power to make things better for the locals. “Speaking of which, I really should get back. I promised to read Ana a chapter of The Swiss Family Robinson if she cleaned her room.”

Matt blinked. “She likes that book?”

“He does these voices she gets a kick out of.” Coal huffed as he climbed into the passenger’s side of the car. “Tracey joins in and it’s weird as fuck.”

Giving Matt an apologetic look, Todd lowered his voice. “He was up early chopping wood, he’s probably exhausted. I still haven’t gotten the knack of it, but I’ll get there.”

“Nah, he likes doing it, just like Rhodey and Noah do when they’re around.” Keiran’s tone seemed to be letting Todd know he’d be better off leaving that chore alone. He patted Todd’s shoulder. “Let me know how that stew turns out, it’s Tracey’s favorite.”

“Will do, thank you.” Todd got back in the car, spending a few more minutes saying goodbye and talking about the weather before driving off.

Staring after him, Matt rubbed the back of his neck. “He seems...really nice.”

Keiran’s lips quirked. “He’s completely vanilla, has an ordinary life, with ordinary interests. The most interesting thing that’s ever happened in his life was meeting Tracey. I think Rhodey was hoping to dig up something interesting on him, but he couldn’t be more perfect for her.”

“Okay, this might sound mean, but...Coal’s right. And with the life Tracey’s had…” Matt shook his head as he crossed the street at Keiran’s side, moving between the cars slowly making their way through The Asylum’s gates. “How is she not bored out of her mind?”

That got him a sideways look. “Because of the life she’s had, I think she really needs someone to settle down with who’s safe and reliable. She was single for a long time after Noah’s father, just...healing. He might be boring to you and Coal, but he makes her laugh. And she’s always smiling when he’s around. It’s awesome to see.” Surveying the area as they passed the gates, Keiran motioned to someone above—probably Avery. “And he’s great with Ana. He’s going to make an amazing father.”

“I told her she can gut him if he’s ever mean to her. She punched me in the nose.” Landing silently next to Matt, Avery grinned, all proud big brother. “He has her stamp of approval, so I’m good with him.” He slipped up to Keiran’s side, leaning into him and speaking low. “But if I ever turn into a Todd, prove your love and put me out of my misery.”

“Like fuck I will. If we get old, we’ll be boring together.” Keiran curved his hand around Avery’s waist, stroking along the bared skin between his dark green jeans and his skintight black shirt. “I don’t smell anything burning. If Reed doesn’t need me, feel like disappearing for a bit?”

Avery flicked his tongue over his lip rings, giving Keiran a hooded look. “You know I do. Rhodey’s still keeping an eye on Dallas and Lawson, so we don’t even have to worry about getting caught.”

Frowning, Matt caught Avery’s eyes before the other subs continued into the crowded bar. “Wait, Rhodey went with them? Lawson said it was just a consult.”

“Yes, and Dallas went with him because you were worried.” Avery spoke slowly, as though the reasons should be obvious. “Now you have even less reason to be.”

That was one way to look at it, but Matt wouldn’t stop worrying until Lawson was home. He nodded absently, glancing over at the bar, where Drew was serving drinks, Tay ducking in and out of the galley with orders. Everything was running smoothly in here. The cigar lounge was closed, since both he and Lawson had been out. Which didn’t leave him much to do.

Weaving around members, Matt made his way into the gym, where Curtis was overseeing a brutal match between Sin and some random dude who’d been moving up the ranks. Both were a bloody mess, and it was hard to tell who was actually winning.

A bit away from the howling crowd, Jared stood with Seth, Wren between them, leaning down a bit at something his sub said, then chuckling. “No, my love, I don’t think they’ll go through all the blood supplies tonight. You will not need to make another donation.”

“If he really wants to be poked, I can take him off your hands for a bit, my man.” Seth’s lips curved at Jared’s dark look. “You know I’d take good care of him.”

“I do enjoy how mercs love flirting with death.” Jared’s own smile was icy. “Please, continue.”

Looking like he wasn’t really following the conversation, Wren cocked his head. “Seth is very good at drawing blood, Sir. I don’t mind him doing it if you’re busy.”

Seth let out a low laugh. “I am very good, pet. Such a sweet boy you have, Jared.”

“Keep it up, Seth. Perhaps I should remind you what I’m good at.”

It wasn’t often Matt felt the need to rescue one of The Royals, but when Jared and Seth started taking jabs at each other? Things got vicious, pretty quick. Quint was good at keeping the peace, but he was probably back at the clinic.

And Wren was gonna end up caught in the crossfire.

Catching the other sub’s wrist, Matt tugged lightly, giving both Doms a respectful nod as he passed. “Sirs, I hope you’re enjoying your evening. I need Wren’s help with...a virus. On my...thing.”

The excuse seemed to be enough for the distracted Doms, but Wren’s brow furrowed as Matt pulled him across the gym, into the dance club. “What thing? Did you take my advice and get a better system installed at the cafe? The old cash register you have is aesthetically pleasing, but not very practical. Rhodey would have made sure you had a good security system...did someone hack it? Shouldn’t we be going the other way?”

“No, I was just trying to get you out of there before one of them pulls out a scalpel.” Matt blew out a breath, pausing by the door to let his eyes adjust to the multicolored lights pulsing through the darkness in time to the upbeat music. “I swear, sometimes those two are worse than Lawson and Noah.”

Wren nodded slowly, glancing over his shoulder like he was thinking about going back. “Or you and Jamie.”

“Hey, we have a truce. And it’s not the same, we aren’t fucked up exes.” Still holding Wren’s wrist, Matt headed for the bar, raising his voice so he could be heard over the music as they passed the packed dance floor. “You wanna send Noah over so they don’t kill each other?”

Shaking his head, Wren doubled his pace to keep up with his longer strides. “Quint says it’s best to let them work things out themselves. Apparently, it used to be a kind of foreplay between them—I wonder if it’s like that with Noah and Lawson. They have a lot of chemistry and it could be built up frustration over years that creates the tension. Perry was like that with his wife. Noah used to tell me about the fights they got into between conjugal visits. Sometimes the guards had to seperate them. Maybe we should arrange something like that?”

At some point, Matt completely lost track of what Wren was talking about. He stopped and shook his head. “Wait...what? Lock them up or get some guards involved?”

“Conjugal visits…” Wren worried his bottom lip between his teeth. “No, that wouldn’t make any sense.”

Coming up to Matt’s side, Pike threw an arm over his shoulders. “He’s saying they should fuck. And he might be right, I barely escaped Jared’s offer of a physical.” His gaze shifted to the bar and his eyes went wide. “Oh cool! Jamie, those colors look wicked on you.”

Looking over, Matt had to rub his hand over his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. Perched on a stool in front of Noah, Jamie was holding still while his Dom was...putting makeup on him.

And doing a pretty damn good job of it too.

Approaching slowly, making sure not to startle Noah and have Jamie losing an eye, Matt watched as the Dom put the final touches on a sunset of colors in eyeshadow. Watching Noah lower the brush, Jamie spoke softly.

Describing the colors to him.

The Dom’s sight had come back, but his ability to see color was touch and go. Which didn’t seem like a huge deal, except Noah was an artist. Matt had heard Lawson and Curtis talking about a lot of his paintings now being in black and white, but both seemed happy he was still painting. When he stopped was usually when things went bad.

Inhaling quietly, Matt spoke in a whisper as Noah finished Jamie’s other side. “That looks amazing, sir.”

Noah gave him a warm smile. “Thank you, pup. Jamie told me that you’re considering his idea for a small performance at the cafe, with all the core subs dressing up.” He brought his focus back to Jamie, using a black eyeliner to draw a crisp cateye, framing Jamie’s eyes so the green of his irises stood out like precious jewels. “Both Jacks and Danny are pretty good at this, but I wanted to try my hand and see if I could help.”

On the other side of the bar, Danny finished serving a few drinks, then leaned over to get a good look at Jamie. “I can’t do anything like that, sir. You’re so pretty, Jamie.”

Batting his eyelashes, Jamie did a few ‘Vogue’ poses. “Aren’t I, though?” He smacked his lips. “Only one thing missing, sir.”

Noah snapped his fingers. “Lips. Right.” He looked over the collection of lipsticks on the bar. “Something cherry-colored…”

“Here, sir.” Matt grabbed one that looked about right and handed it to Noah. He nodded as Jamie mouthed ‘Thank you’ while his Dom wasn’t looking. “Are you going to do Wren’s makeup, too?”

Shaking his head, Noah began swiping the lipstick over Jamie’s lip. “He’s not comfortable with anything like this on his face, the only thing he’s okay with is Jamie’s lip gloss. And only from his kisses.” He smiled over at Wren, who’d shifted closer to his side. “But we’ll figure out a way for him to join us.”

“I’d like that.” Matt hooked his thumbs to his pockets, rocking a bit on his sneakers and pretending not to notice Jamie’s hopeful look. “When Jamie’s got the time, we gotta go over the song list. Make sure it’s all appropriate.”

Throwing his hand up, Jamie gave Danny a high five. And ended up with a streak of lipstick down to his chin. “You got it, man! And we’re definitely using the one you’re always humming in the bar when you think no one’s around. Moonlight Kisses.”

Face flaming hot, Matt folded his arms over his chest. Jamie knew about that? He had to bite his tongue to keep from snapping back with something mean to save himself the embarrassment of admitting he liked any of Jamie’s music.

Finally, he just grumbled under his breath. “It’s all right. You don’t sound as much like a cat in heat.”

Midway between cleaning the lipstick off Jamie’s chin with a wipe, Noah reached out to tap Matt’s ass. “Be nice, pup.”

Somehow, his face got even hotter. But...he wasn’t bothered at the light smack.

Actually, it was kinda nice that the Dom cared enough to correct him.

Not that he’d tell him or anything. But he did lower his gaze, speaking softly. “I’m sorry, sir.”

“Very good boy.” Noah set down the wipe, lifting his head and looking toward the dance club’s exit. He shoved to his feet as someone came in, across the room before Matt even got a chance to absorb what he was looking at.

Which was Lawson, with Dallas, both supporting one another.

And covered in blood.

His heart tripped over itself as he rushed after Noah, pausing just long enough to catch Jamie’s eye. “Get Jared!”

Jamie nodded, sprinting out of the dance club.

As Matt got closer to his Dom, he wasn’t sure where it was safe to touch him. He had cuts everywhere, one of his arms held tight against his chest. He let out a sob when Lawson held out his other arm, pulling him close.

“Shh, I’m all right, my boy.” Lawson breathed into his hair. “It’s not what you think.”

Growling, Matt shook his head. “I don’t care what it is. You’re never allowed to go anywhere, ever again.”

Probably not a rule he could enforce, but damn it… 

I’m gonna try. 

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Part Eight