Love & Stitches at The Asylum: Part Twenty-Six

 

Happy New Year!

Wherever you are, we hope you're with the people you love, enjoying a warm beverage and maybe a hair of the dog if required. You might just, because the Sub Summit is convening and Matt is at the bar! Pull up a stool and ring in the first day of a brand new 2022 with the Core.

We're so happy to have you here. You're the people who gave 2021 sparkle and laughter for us, and we know 2022 will be great because we get to share The Asylum with you! ❤️

Happy reading!

PART 1
PART 2
PART 3
PART 4
PART 5
PART 6  
PART 7
PART 8 
PART 9
PART 10 
PART 11
PART 12
PART 13 
PART 14
PART 15
PART 16
PART 17  
PART 18
PART 19
PART 20
PART 21
PART 22  
PART 23

PART 24

PART 25

*****

Fuck me, I wish I could be as chipper as those goddamn birds.

Some days, if Reed wanted to spend any time with his guys, learn a few new tricks of the trade from Keiran before he took off for the restaurant, and still have time for a shower to wake his ass up, dawn was pretty much sleeping in. After last night?

Hearing the little brown birds who toughed it out for winter was making him grumpy. But he’d somehow managed to get out of bed without waking even Curtis with his brand spanking new merc-senses.

Go me.

Not bothering to get dressed, Reed eyed Matt, who was sandwiched between Curtis and Lawson, and sent him a text to meet him downstairs as soon as he could extract himself from the bed. He slipped out of the loft in his Hulk pajama pants. No one could read anything into him wearing these, he usually didn’t bother getting dressed until noon unless Keir started bitching about it being a health hazard. Or a safety one. He couldn’t remember which.

Wasn’t like he was rubbing the dinner rolls under his pits or stepping on the waffles. He kept himself so clean, the whole Core could eat off his ass.

In the galley, he put on the kettle to make himself a cup of hot chocolate with a few scoops of instant coffee, which would have Matt staring at him like he’d committed a cardinal sin. Or taking a swing at him. Playful and all, but…

Damn, wouldn’t that be nice?

He missed messing around with Matt. He missed all the shit he used to do with Curtis. Lawson catching him eating cereal in the middle of the night, sitting on the kitchen table. Jared being all edgy with him. All the special moments he could count on, no matter how much things changed.

Now? He couldn’t expect any of that shit. The whole thing with Garet didn’t have Matt in much of a mood to play. Lawson was gonna end up having a nervous breakdown. And Curtis got cracked in the head with the past right after Jared handed his ass to him in the ring. Repeatedly.

There would be a better outcome, though, because Curtis was right. They didn’t have to let any of this tear them apart. Maybe it could actually bring them closer. His Dom believed he could do it. Hell, even Noah was counting on him.

I told Curtis I’ve got this. And I’ve fucking got this.

First, he needed coffee. And chocolate. And...then he needed to see Danny. Not knowing how he was doing was leaving a great big hole in absorbing what had gone down.

Reed took his coffee chocolate sludge out of the galley, stopping short as he spotted Wren, slipping into the bar.

While Wren stared like he’d just pulled a gun on him.

Putting down the mug, Reed held up his hands. “I’m not armed. You’re safe.”

Wren swallowed, shaking his head. “Please...don’t say that. I don’t have any right to… What I did—”

“Hey.” Reed crossed the room, gathering the other sub into his arms. “We all do dumb shit, right? Even Jared. And...and Curtis says things will pass.”

Shaking his head, face pressed to his shoulder, Wren spoke in a whisper. “Things change. And...I won’t even remember what they were like if this continues. I don’t want...to think not having what we do now is how it was supposed to be.”

Yeah, Reed could see how that could fuck with someone. Not knowing if what was familiar would still be there after your brain decided to skip over shit? He rubbed Wren’s back and kissed his hair. “You’ll always have me, Scarecrow.”

Wren wrinkled his nose and looked up at him, his lashes shiny and his cheeks damp. “I don’t like that one.”

“I’ll keep testing ‘em out.” Reed leaned in to steal a soft kiss from Wren’s lips. “How about ‘my sweet nightmare’?”

“That’s better.” Wren eased back, looking toward the gym doors. “Are you...going to see him? I was...going to bring his bone, but that might not be sanitary.”

Now this, Reed could help with. He went around the bar and took out Danny’s favorite leather dog toy, then the disinfectant spray, and soaked the thing. “There, all better. I’m still getting him balloons and a teddy bear bigger than he is. Just gotta wait for the store to open.”

“Jamie could have something delivered for you. I’d do it, but…” Wren looked down at his hands, which were covered in long, even cane marks and looked a bit stiff and painful. “I won’t be touching anything without very specific permission for a long time. No...never. I mean never.”

A shadow moved overhead, Avery likely allowing himself to be seen more than screwing up. Barefoot, hair in definite bed head territory, he moved like he hurt. Everywhere. “Probably a good idea.”

“Come down and stop creeping, Batman.” This was a good start to collecting all the subs. Reed grinned as he took another sip of his sludge. He picked Wren up to sit him on a stool, ignoring the sharp tug at his side. Last time he got checked, everything was holding together. And it felt good to manhandle the guy a little, he always squirmed a bit and it was as cute as he ever got. Besides, he bit if Reed held on too long, and that was fun too. “You two are gonna help me round up everyone. Without alerting the Doms. Except probably Rhodey, but so long as we’re not shooting each other or invading the cyberverse, I think we’re good.”

Avery glanced at his hands, eyed the floor below the beam on which he stood, then moved along to a clear spot above the bar. His jump was less-than-elegant, accompanied by a tiny stumble and a grunt. “Damn hands and feet. That hurt.”

“We’re all a fucking mess.” Reed gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “Props for picking the right time to be bad. Sorry, not sorry, but when it comes to Trevor? The gloves are off. Next round, I’ll take one for the team.”

Picking up his mug and staring into it with a sniff and the expression of someone watching a science experiment gone wrong, Wren handed it to him like he was curious to see the end results. “I don’t think there will be a next time. Keiran can be very persuasive when he needs to be.”

“Woulda paid to see it.” Avery slid off the bar, wincing as his ass hit the wood.

The bar door opened, Matt coming in staring at his phone, and nearly walking right into Avery. He took a step back, head snapping up. “Holy fuck.” His gaze hit Reed, then Wren, and he frowned. “This all you managed to collect so far?”

“Yeah…” Reed took another gulp of what was starting to be kinda gross, now that it was getting cold. “I wasn’t sure I could get out of bed and wake you up without waking up Lawson with the way he had you trapped half on top of him, but I figured you’d slip out soon as you could.”

Leaning over, Matt stole a kiss, toothpaste minty on his breath. He leaned back a bit, nose wrinkling. “What the hell are you drinking?”

Reed glanced at his cup. “Umm...something you definitely should not serve at Roughhouse. It’s kinda terrible.”

“I suspect it’s instant coffee and it’ll hit him hard once his body absorbs it. Or do nothing at all, which would be less interesting.” Wren’s lips curved slightly. “There’s also the chance it will make him sick. I should find out how long it takes to develop ulcers.”

At Matt’s little growl, Avery stepped between him and Wren, one brow raised. “How about we all have a nice...calm...quiet...morning.” Avery’s ability to mimic the rough coolness of his Dom’s voice was...weird. “Or do I need to call a halt to the summit and find my darts?”

Things were gonna go sideways fast if threats—or sharp objects—started getting thrown around. Reed lifted both hands, shoving between Matt and Avery. “Time out.” He pointed at Avery. “I’m in charge, you ain’t calling a halt to anything. Chill, Matt’s not gonna hurt Wren, he just likes growling. Like a Rottweiler.” He patted Matt on the shoulder. “And Wren’s weird, but it’s what we love about him. He won’t do an autopsy on me while I’m still alive, don’t worry.”

Going around the bar, Matt swiped the coffee pot from the burner, rinsing it out even though it was already clean, like a microscopic piece of dust might ruin his morning. Precision seemed to settle him though, and his automatic movements brought a sense of normalcy to the bar.

Avery leaned over, threading his fingers in Wren’s pajama top collar and planted a kiss on his open mouth before speaking close. “You were worth every lash.”

Narrowing his eyes, Reed felt a little growly himself. “Dude, you ain’t collecting us all like Pokémon. You and your Dom, I swear.” He was half joking, but part of him was thinking about Wren worrying about a lot changing. “Fuck, I gotta stop thinking so much. You...mind getting Keir? And do you know where Pike and Quint are? Jamie’s gonna be the tricky one.”

“Yeah. I can get Keiran. He’s on roof duty, so that’s easy.” Avery made a face. “Except the part where there’s nobody to relieve him. Where’s fucking Connor when you need him. He never snitched.”

“Just ask Dallas. He’s cool and if Rhodey hasn’t told us all to get the fuck back to bed already, we’re good to go.” Reed glanced over at Matt. “Could you send Jamie a dick pic with a hidden message?”

Matt blinked at him. “What? Do I look like Austin Powers?”

“I’ll get him on my way back from getting Keiran.” Avery let out a long suffering sigh as he left the bar, probably crabby because he’d gotten his own dick dipped in hot wax or something.

“Perfect.” Reed slid Matt his sweetest smile. Him at least he could get in a better mood. “Blowjob for a mocha that won’t kill me? I’ll suck your dick while leading the summit. I’m talented like that.”

“Ain’t nobody seeing my dick in your mouth but me, sparkle party.” Humor lightening his gaze, Matt reached into the under-bar fridge for the mocha syrup. “Whipped cream?”

Mouth watering, both at the thought of Matt’s dick, and the whipped cream, Reed nodded. “Yes, please. Raincheck? For the dick, not the cream. Ugh...now I’m horny.” He was very happy he’d kept his pajama pants on. No need to adjust, he’d just salute the rest of the subs as they joined the summit, all official like. “Do you have those little candy pieces you put on everything to make it magic?”

“I made some toffee ones the other night.” Matt spoke with his back to the room, working coffee machine mojo as he met Reed’s gaze in the back bar mirror. “It was fun smashing them with a hammer, and I learned from Keir that if you want to get candy unstuck from a pan you forgot to grease all you have to do is add boiling water.”

“He’s got so many neat tricks. I can’t keep track of all of them.” Reed looked around the bar, where things were pretty calm now. He really didn’t need to supervise. And he could save Avery some time on his feet by getting Pike and Quint...and maybe finding out how soon they could all see Danny. “I’m gonna pop by the clinic—tell Avery when he comes back down, if he hasn’t already figured out all my plans before I think of them with his super powers.” He glanced at Wren, who was just quietly sitting there, watching Matt make coffee like he was debating whether or not to go assist. “I’ll see if Seth’s around to give us the all clear to visit or if we gotta wait a bit more.”

“Hey.” The sound of the milk frother whooshed, Matt snapping his fingers. “Wait one sec. I’m almost done, and I ain’t makin’ you a mocha just so the whole thing can go flat before you drink it.” He grabbed the can of cream from the fridge, shaking it a little, the motion making his muscles work in all the pretty ways beneath the hem of his black T-shirt sleeve. “Open.” He held up the can, smirking at Reed. “I’ve got some cream for you that I don’t mind sharing in public.”

Lips parting, Reed snickered, ending up with the first few squirts on his nose. “Thanks, I kinda lost track of what I was doing. One thing at a time. Coffee. Chocolate. Candy. Sex… No, wait, that’s not on the list. Wren, write me a list so I don’t get sidetracked and fuck you guys against the bar while we’re supposed to be talking over shit and...yeah, getting us all in trouble.”

The bar door opened, Jamie coming in with a giant yawn, his fluffy white robe open, exposing his pink pajama bottoms with their round white cat face print, and his naked chest, nipple bars winking silver in the overhead lights. “I’m not sure, but I think Avery just left me on the dungeon stairs landing. I wasn’t awake until he was walking away. Kinda nuts, cuz that means anyone could kidnap me and Wren without Noah and Jared waking up.”

“Anyone trained by Rhodey. Which is...three people.” Reed patted the stool next to Wren. “And Avery’s at like top performance now because he got in trouble, so see this like...a good thing. Maybe he’ll get forgiveness points from Rhodey or...however that works with them.”

Wren’s brow furrowed. “It doesn’t...not like that. Avery will have to prove himself, yes, but...Rhodey doesn’t really forgive. Or accept apologies. He just expects better. I’m not sure if that’s better or worse than...trying to earn it.”

“Hard to get better than Avery.” Matt squirted a giant mound of cream on the mocha, sprinkling the candy shards at the same time so they’d be layered into every mouthful. “Doesn’t he act out only when Halley’s Comet comes around or something?”

Reed tapped his chin with two fingers, his mouth watering as he eyed the masterpiece his co-sub was making. “He’s the type who saves it all up for something truly naughty. Like on a level we could never achieve. We should have him teach a different kinda class. Might come in handy.”

“Dude. I had a dream last night.” Sliding the drink in front of Reed, a maraschino cherry crowning the candy layered whipped cream, Matt gave him a wide-eyed look like he was freaked out at the memory. “We had snub 101. It was Paris and his crew teaching the class. And no one would let us safeword out.”

Shuddering, Reed slid his tongue into the whipped cream, scooping some up to get the sour taste of the thought of that fucker, Paris, out of his mouth. He wiggled his tongue at Matt before slurping down the little slice of heaven with a groan. “Love this. Snub 101, I’m gonna have to veto. Hell, I’d veto the whole damn crew if I could. ‘em and the misfit subs...except Drew. He’s a sweetie. Did you get a chance to try my special brand new flavor of donut? He loved them. Pike risked his life for them. I think they’ll be a bestseller!”

Behind Wren, massaging his shoulders, Jamie perked up a little, then let out a giant yawn that would’ve had him in a full two-page special edition of Stars! They’re just like us! “Death defying donuts? Can I have one? And some coffee? There aren’t any Doms around to keep me from getting caffeinated.”

“Sure thing, man. I’ll go grab the ones I set aside for the final test. Keiran. He’ll be more open to trying something new now that the galley doesn’t look like I was trying to explode watermelons. Again.” Reed slipped into the galley, letting the door swing wide so everyone could still hear him. He piled the containers in his arms, putting one down when a tug in his side let him know he was pushing it. “You know whatcha gotta do if you want special coffee from Matt, right Jams?”

“Blowjob?” Jamie called, real loud.

Matt made a sound like he coughed up a hairball. “Jesus. I am not a piece of meat.”

Coming out with the all the containers he could manage, Reed gave Matt a smacking kiss on the cheek. “No, but you’re hot stuff and you deserve to be worshiped.” He dropped the first container in front of Jamie. “There you go. Dig in.”

Jamie grinned, breaking into the ‘Amen’ chorus from Hozier’s Take me to Church, coming around the bar to kneel at Matt’s feet, arms and mouth going wide.

Grabbing a donut from a container, Matt stuffed it into Jamie’s mouth. “Get up, moron. I don’t know how you got to be famous for anything other than being a weirdo.”

“He’s a weirdo who can sing. ‘nough said.” Reed went back to his mug of pure bliss, taking a careful sip. “This is to die for. You know Pike’ll do more than offer to suck your dick if you offer him one of these.”

Behind the bar, not coming up from his kneeling position, Jamie made a desperate little sound that turned into an unconvincing, “Yurm. Delishush.”

Matt picked apart one, frowning at the colored bits of melted Nerds. “What is this? Glass?”

“They’re Nerds. You know, the candy Lawson threatened to ban from the loft if I kept spilling it everywhere?” Reed narrowed his eyes at Jamie. “You hate it. Just say so, I ain’t the sadist.”

“No...” Standing, Jamie shook his head and swallowed down the last bit of the mouthful. “It’s just...you obviously worked so hard on them, and the donut part is fluffy and crisp in all the right ways. The...” His nose wrinkled with his apologetic wince. “The Nerds and nuts kinda ruin the texture though. But I like creamy things better usually anyway. Never feed me chunky peanut butter.”

That last part wasn’t a problem. There wasn’t a lot of food Reed loved that Lawson had any interest in, but peanut butter? Between them, they went through a big jar of the chunky kind a week. His lips curved. “I’m glad I don’t gotta share that with anyone else. Lawson whacked my ass last week for eating it out of the jar with a spoon. So worth it.”

Matt shook his head, making a second drink for Jamie. “I don’t think it was your eating it out of the jar he objected to so much as making it impossible for him not to share your germs because you double dipped.”

“It’s a spoon. Am I supposed to use a different one every time? I was just eating around where I’d dumped the chocolate chips in. And y’all get my germs in a lot more fun ways than that.” Reed sighed into his mocha, getting more whipped cream on his nose. “Not so much lately. I’m turning into a born again virgin who sucks dick like a street walker.”

A rustling noise overhead, Avery being noisy A.F., alerted Reed to his re-entry. This time, he carried one of his large purple silks that he liked to loop over the beams to form a hammock. Seeing everyone looking up, he stilled, mid-construction. “What? My ass hurts. I need to sit somewhere.”

“There are...other surfaces…” Reed couldn’t even finish that sentence. He hadn’t bothered sitting at all. And not because his ass hurt. Chairs were stupid. “Meh, whatever. Do you, my man. I’d join you, but I have three Doms who’d totally lose their shit. Not that I blame them, I’m just so tired of being boring. And slow. And...I need to finish this mocha because it’s the only thing I can enjoy right now. At least I’m allowed sugar again. That was the not fun torture.”

Partway through Reed’s observations, Avery got a glint in his eyes and nodded to himself. The purple silk slid lower, the swag of fabric re-forming with his loops to come about four feet off the ground by the time he was done. “No. You do you.” He swept out his arm. “Your ground level hammock, or swing. You choose.”

“You’re wicked, Batman, you know that?” Reed carefully carried his mocha with him, slipping into the swing and moving his legs to get some motion. It took some fast sips to avoid wearing half his drink, but it was so worth it. “Damn. Okay, I could get used to this.”

The gym door opened, creaking a bit in a way that would have Curtis hauling out the WD-40 pronto. A red thatch of hair stuck through, followed shortly behind by Drew, who—thankfully—was attached to it because for a minute it looked like it might be walking around on its own. Seeing everyone, the sub paused, eyes wide, hand still on the door.

“Oh.” Drew looked over his shoulder, then back at the group in the bar, and tugged up his fire truck pajama bottoms. “Hi?”

Reed grinned at the guy who was getting fun to have around—once he lost that deer-in-headlight look anyway. Usually took a few. “Hey, Flash Flame. Wanna come hang out? We’re having a sub summit and all input is welcome. I mean, from the people we like who aren’t total cockwaffles. Pull up a stool.”

The grin Drew shot Reed’s way was epic. “Thanks. I was coming to make breakfast for Sir. Would anyone else like some bacon and eggs?”

“Mmm, that sounds really good. Curtis and Law keep getting on my case about eating more protein. I’m sure there’s protein in cereal, but whatever I gotta do to make ‘em happy.” Reed frowned as he looked down at his pajama pants. “I mean, I didn’t lose a ton of weight and I’ve gained some back so...still sexy, right?”

Matt snickered, behind the bar, where he mixed a mimosa for Jamie to drink alongside his coffee concoction. “Why do you think they keep telling you to ‘eat more protein’? There’s some serious benefits to the way you wake Curtis up in the morning.”

Huffing out a laugh, Reed relaxed back against the silks, letting them sway. “True. But maybe I’ll start downing Curtis’ powder drinks that taste like chocolate flavored chalk. Don’t wanna start losing too much muscle and turn into one of the scrawny subs. No offense to...most of you.”

“There are no scrawny subs here.” Avery hung by his knees upside down from a rafter, probably because it was the only spot on the poor guy that didn’t hurt. “Wren has a nice six-pack from all that cleaning, and Matt has nice arms from all that drink shaking.”

Wren looked down at himself, then turned his focus to Matt, something about his expression saying he was doing mental calculations. “I’m near the bottom of my healthy weight range. Matt’s near the middle. Pike is strangely near the lower range, I think he may defy how calories are supposed to work. The only one under is Danny, but...he’s been working on it. I haven’t checked your numbers recently Reed. I should do that and make a chart so we can come up with a system to care for everyone’s dietary needs. Jamie, could you grab a notebook, I should write this down.”

Sucking some maraschino cherry juice off the side of his thumb, lips bright red from eating the things out of the jar from the fridge, Jamie nodded. “Okay. I think all the paper got put in Lawson’s office.”

He disappeared for a minute, taking the shortcut over the end of the bar closest to the stairs rather than going around, and reappeared a minute later with one of Lawson’s blank journals, his favorite pen, and his leather paddle. He handed the first two items to Wren, then went into the galley with the third.

“Umm…” Reed wrinkled his nose, staring after him. “Is he going to beat Drew’s ass to make sure he cooks the bacon right? Did you skip over his range for a reason, Wren?”

Not looking up from his notepad, where he’d already written down a whole bunch of numbers and lines, Wren shook his head. “No, Jamie is just above the middle range for his height. His dancing means it’s mostly muscle, but he’s more… Noah says ‘wiry’ than you two. You’ve gotten more wiry, though. But your butt doesn’t have as much of a curve as Jamie’s does.”

I am not sure whether there was a compliment or an insult in there.

Matt turned from pouring a mimosa, looking around as he held up the Champagne glass. “Where’d he go?”

“Gonna have to be more specific, my man.” Reed took another gulp of mocha, deciding he’d sweet talk Matt into another so he could start packing the muscle weight back on. He grumbled to himself as he licked some whipped cream off the rim of the glass. “This keeps up and I’m gonna be pegged a twink.”

“Who’s pegging twinks?” Avery rocked a little, his dark strands swaying with the upside-down motion.

“Kitten—” Matt said almost at the same time, clearly answering Reed, then blushed a deep red from his neckline up to the roots of his hair. “Uh... Anyone seen Pike’s...uh...kitten? Today?”

Still writing, Wren let out a heavy sigh. “Everyone knows you’re talking about Jamie, Matt. He’s in the galley with Drew. No one’s pegging twinks. Reed, Jared will come up with a diet plan with Keiran for you if you’re concerned—this information will help. But before we start having a dozen different conversations, would you care to let us know why we’re having a ‘sub summit’? If there’s any getting in trouble involved, I’ll have to excuse myself. I’m sorry.”

Reed sat up a bit, sending the swing swaying, thankfully his cup not full enough to splatter all over him with the motion. “No trouble. Dude, I wouldn’t do that to you. And stop fucking writing while your hands are fucked up, it’s making you all irritable. I’ll tell you guys what this is about when everyone’s here.”

Coming back into the bar, Jamie carried a tray of pastries and a covered platter, the scent of bacon and sound of frying eggs coming out with him. Lawson’s paddle was nowhere in sight. “Keiran made chocolate cherry ones and some Bavarian cream horns with orange flavor.” Setting the tray down on the Core subs’ table, he wrinkled his nose. “At least that’s what I think it is. Otherwise, it curdled.”

“It didn’t.” Already through the front door, though he hadn’t made a sound—show off—Keiran stepped up to the bar, carrying a cake box and one that looked the right size for a big pie. “I switched watch with Dallas. Who’s gonna be switching with Connor in a bit because if we’re having a sub summit, he’s wearing his cuff. I think he’s worried you guys will start throwing things and biting and he’s saving the docs more work. So warning in advance, keep it clean.”

Matt scowled darkly, brushing his sandy blond bangs off his forehead with an irritable swipe. “He can’t just decide to be a sub. He has to be in the mood. Otherwise it’s spying. Or cheating. Or something...”

At the mention of Connor, Jamie had made an excitedly happy sound and went bounding out of the bar toward the lofts, his bare feet audible as they slapped against the stairs all the way up to the third floor.

Reed sighed and plunked back against the silks. “Right. So this meeting is off to a great start.” He stared up at the rafters. “You know Dallas will be cool, Matt, so relax. Maybe he’ll wanna be part of stuff and...it might be something for Curtis, too. The switches have it rough from both sides sometimes, we ain’t gonna cut them out with this.”

The door to the upstairs swung open, Dallas stepping through shirtless, his gray boxer briefs tight around muscular thighs. Jamie over one shoulder, he looked around, grinning and winking when he spotted Keiran. “Looks like you lost one.”

“We did, sir. Thank you.” Stepping up behind Reed, Keiran leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “It’ll work out, caramelo. A bit of details to iron out, that’s all. I’ll go to the clinic and see if Quint’s busy. If he is, I’ll just bring Pike back with me.”

Setting Jamie down on Noah’s usual stool like a sack of popstar potatoes, Dallas made an exaggerated groan, pretending he was heavy. He massaged his shoulder, mock wincing. “That’s my workout for the day.”

Keiran tsked at him, slapping his arm on the way by. “Be nice, sir. Sub summits are warm and welcoming and everyone is very nice. Since this is your first one, you get one free pass.”

“True.” Snickering, Matt unclipped something from his collar, reaching over the bar to fasten it to a bondage loop on the wide leather cuff on Dallas’ right wrist. “There you go. You can have this. Since you didn’t know, we’ll give you a freebie.”

All right, this was better. Reed polished off the last few drips he could get from the bottom of his cup, wiggling off the swing so he could grab himself some pastries. “Ya, to be fair, I’ll give you the ground rules. Swearing is allowed. Anything that happens in sub summit, stays in sub summit. And if there’s any fighting, no one breaks it up unless there’s blood or...well, it might alert the Doms. But since I’m running the show, I’ll make sure that’s not an issue. Also…” He groaned as the sweet chocolate and caramel filling slid over his tongue. “We get the best food and we can have as much of it as we want.”

An attentive expression on his face, Dallas rubbed two fingers over his lips in a gesture reminiscent of Lawson. He brightened at the mention of the food, gaze going to the table. “Snickerdoodles...?” Seeing none, he sat back. “Oh.”

“There’s some in the galley, sir.” Carrying a very sleepy looking Pike half slumped against his shoulder, Keiran slipped back in through the gym doors. He nudged his chin at the boxes. “I made a carrot cake for Danny, in case he’s feeling up to something sweet. And the pie is for everyone.”

Pike yawned, lifting his head a little. “Pie. And bacon. I like this dream. Don’t wake me up until I have some.”

Whistling one of Danny’s solo indie tunes, Drew sashayed out of the galley, nearly tripping on his pajama bottoms that had slipped down again. He righted himself with one hand on the bar, the other balancing a tray, saw everyone, and blinked at Dallas. “Oh. Hello, sir.”

Wrist held up, Dallas smiled encouragement at the sub. “It’s not ‘sir’ today, Drew.”

“Oh!” The freckled smile spread across Drew’s face for the second time that morning. “In that case, would you like some candied bacon omelette?”

Sitting on a stool with Pike in his lap, Keiran tickled his ribs. “Still think you're dreaming?”

“Yes, but I’m awake now.” Pike squirmed, giggling and giving Drew a hopeful look. “Are there gonna be mushrooms in them? And all the cheese? I’m so freakin’ hungry I could eat...this thing of napkins.”

“I can do that.” Nodding, Drew started to turn away with the tray full of omelettes, then glanced at Keiran. “Is it okay if I cook in your galley, sir?”

Keiran swiped the napkins out of Pike’s reach, replacing them with a few pastries on a plate as he smiled at Drew. “It’s Keiran, dulzura. And go ahead. I wouldn’t mind having someone else cook for everyone this morning...Reed’s very good at it, but he’s still learning and I have to resist the urge to take over. From what I’ve heard from Stephan, you’re pretty good at making a variety.”

“Thank you. My father was a cook in one of the houses on the hill when I was growing up. I used to hide in the dumbwaiter and watch.” Seeming to remember he had a tray of omelets already, Drew turned toward the subs’ table and set it down before he went back toward the galley, calling, “Jamie, I don’t know why you stored that pizza server under the floor mat, but I took it out. It makes a great place to keep the pancakes warm in the oven.”

Matt made a strangled sound.

Groaning, Reed let out a heavy sigh. “Jams, he had that thing made special. Now he’s gonna go see Blain and get something even more brutal. Thanks a ton.” He went to the table to claim one of the omelets, eating with his hip against one of the booths. “These are incredible, Drew. Thanks—for real. Keir-bear is right. I’ve got some stuff down pat, but omelets aren’t one of them and I make him twitchy when I try to use the big mixer for all the eggs. I figured it would be faster and...was not expecting to get eggs all over the walls.”

“Uh...” Leaning close to Keiran, Dallas spoke quietly as Jamie disappeared into the galley. “Why is Blain making specialty pizza servers?”

Keiran made a face, adjusting Pike so the crumbs from the pastries fell on the bar instead of on his bright blue jeans. “I have a feeling it wasn’t a pizza server. Probably Lawson’s favorite paddle.”

Passing Drew on his way out of the galley, Jamie slunk toward Lawson’s office, pajama top off, rubbing furiously at the leather and muttering. “Vegas. Don’t you forget it. I was trying to save everyone’s asses so we could speak our minds without percussion.”

“No one will forget it, but, dude, you don’t gotta worry about the trouble we might get in before the meeting even starts.” Reed took another bite of his omelet, trying to figure out how to actually accomplish the ‘starting’ part. “And this meeting isn’t about doing something bad. It’s something good. As soon as everyone’s got their food and coffee or...fancy morning juice, I’ll lay it all out, ‘kay?”

Matt set a pitcher of bloody Mary’s on the bar, along with glasses that had celery sticks poking out of the top. On Jamie’s way back, he finally handed him his mimosa. “Drink up. You’re gonna need it.”

Sharing a quick kiss with the other sub, Jamie gave him an apologetic look. “Sorry. I thought I put it somewhere safe.”

“We’re getting wasted already?” Pike shrugged a little, making a sandwich with a few different pastries and some celery sticks. The crunch was pretty impressive. “I’m game. Can I have one of those bloody Mary’s? And a shot of tequila?”

“Dude. Were you raised in a barn? Tequila’s not a breakfast drink.” Winking, Matt poured the shot anyway, slipping it close to Pike on a napkin. “Don’t shoot it.”

Pike stuck out his tongue at Matt before tossing back his shot. “Were you raised somewhere that you don’t shoot tequila? Whoo, yup, that definitely wakes you up.” He slammed the shot glass down on the bar. “Another.”

“No, not another.” Keiran lowered his brow at Pike. “You can have one glass of bloody Mary, if you drink it slowly. I promised Quint I’d keep an eye on you and we can’t hide any trouble you get into if you’re stumbling back to the clinic.”

Sitting next to Wren, Jamie frowned. “There’s how many calories in a cherry danish?”

Drew returned from the galley, carrying another tray, this one with Pike’s omelet and a pile of bacon a half foot high. He set the plate in front of Pike, along with the bacon. “Here you go. Would you like to hang out later maybe? My Dom says you’re the right kind of trouble.”

“I am?” Pike sat up a bit straighter on the edge of Keiran’s knee, Keiran’s arm coming around his waist to keep him from tumbling off. “Sure, man. Umm...but Koda’s gotta be...not there. Maybe I can show you the project I’m working on for class. It’s still life, so it’s kinda boring, but I’ve been looking around the club for the most interesting stuff to draw and it’s turning out all right. Maybe you can help me figure out enough stuff to finish it.”

“Yeah?” Drew lost his nervous fidget, smiling hesitantly. “That’d be really cool.”

Dallas returned from the subs’ table with plates for him and Keiran, handing his boy a napkin and utensils. He shifted his plate a little away from Pike, crouching around it protectively to start eating. “What’re we planning, Reed? I gotta get back up on the roof in a few. Sorry.”

“Naw, it’s all good. I mean…” Reed went around the bar to rinse off his empty plate and put it in the dishwasher. “I’m gonna text the docs to see if we can go see Danny, but you can do that whenever.” He braced his hands on the bar, looking over everyone. “The thing is, sometimes shit gets fucked up around here and everything is...off for a while. There’s a board meeting today and I want to propose something that will show the Doms we’re sticking together. And that...we wanna be part of making things better. We’re gonna ask for...classes. Sub 101.”

That definitely got everyone’s attention.

Now, the real challenge.

Let’s see if I can keep it.

*****

Part 27

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