Love & Stitches at The Asylum: Part Forty-Five
Outside might be pretty mucky for some of us, but you'll always find a cozy place when you slip away with the guys. Behave yourself and it'll be a lot more comfy. ;)
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In his Dom’s hold, Pike sensed the slight tension. A warning. Not toward him, but the wrong word, the wrong reaction, would ruin the progress since what’d happened in the dungeon. Quint had probably spent Pike’s naptime talking the situation over with Seth. Getting their Dom to the point where at least there’d be a truce.
No way am I gonna fuck that up, too.
“It was cool of Jared to say we didn’t have to worry. That he’s not giving up on the classes.” Pike worried his bottom lip with his teeth, rubbing Fresco’s belly when the kitten flopped down dramatically in front of him. The fluffy little motorboat stretched out under his hand, all snuggle, no self-preservation.. “And…maybe going to his place for a movie will make things less weird?”
Lifting Danny into his arms, Jacks nuzzled his boy’s ear with a conspiratorial whisper. “Less weird? Have you seen the movies they watch in that room?”
“I hope it won’t be anything scary.” Danny drew in a shaky breath. “I won’t complain if it is, but it’s so much worse in the media room. It’s all big and dark and the sound coming from everywhere… Well, like a normal theater. But it’s not so bad on a regular TV. You can just close your eyes and cover your ears for the whole thing.”
Pike bit back a laugh, having seen Danny ‘watch’ movies like that a few times when they hung out at Jamie and Wren’s place, and it was Wren’s turn to pick the movie. Sometimes, the guy even tried to choose a movie that wasn’t horror, but the suspense and sci-fi movies he chose could be graphic with blood and shit blowing up and scenes that still freaked Danny out.
He reached out to pat Danny’s arm. “I betcha Jared’s gonna make sure it’s a movie everyone’ll like.” He glanced at Jacks. “And I mean, like…if we all didn’t hang out until the next class, things might be…awkward. I’d walk in there and everyone wouldn’t look at me and…yeah. It would suck.”
“All right, pixie.” Seth ran his fingertips around the waistband of Pike’s new, super padded underwear, almost in a sexy way against his skin, but also like he checked to make sure the fit was good. “You win this one. We’ll go. I’d like to clear the air with the man anyway, and it’ll be good for you to have something non-traumatic to remember this day by.”
Reaching out to put his hand on Seth’s arm, Quint met his eyes and spoke softly. “With your permission, I’d like to ask Jared…to complete my punishment. I feel like it will…bring things back to center. And mend things with the other submissives as well. What I did…it wasn’t fair to anyone.”
Throat tightening, Pike started to shake his head, but Danny spoke up before he could. “You were upset and you thought you were protecting Pike. A lot of the other Core members have done…worse things to protect the people they love. I think if everyone gets a chance to talk it’ll be okay.”
Jacks held Danny a little tighter, the bright patchwork shirt he wore with its exaggerated zig-zag stitching bulging a little at the sleeves. “I mean, I’d trust Jared with my life and Danny’s. I wouldn’t like it if he caned him, but...I wouldn’t stop him. Not in the class, or for an honest disciplinary moment.” Lips curving ruefully, he leaned back to look Danny in his uncovered eye. “Though I’d probably have to treat it like you do one of Wren’s horror movies.”
Growling under his breath, Pike reached over and grabbed Quint’s hand. “I don’t want you getting punished. It was my fault and—”
“And you don’t get a say, brat.” Quint squeezed his fingers lightly, giving him a soft smile. “This is something I need, if both Jared and Seth are in agreement. You won’t be there.”
“Yes, I will. You had to watch me.”
“It’s not the same thing at all.”
“You will not be there. Neither of us will.” Seth broke into the argument, tone firm. “Quint is Jared’s submissive, wearing his collar. You are not. That means this is between the two of them.”
There were times pouting a bit kinda changed Seth’s mind about things, but Pike had a feeling this wasn’t one of them. Still, he stuck out his bottom lip a bit and tugged at Seth’s shirt. “You’re his Dom, too. You get a say. And he can’t get beaten for going merc berserk, can he? I think that should be a rule.”
“I am his Dom, but I am not his only Dom.” Seth tipped his chin down, giving Pike a thin-lipped frown. “I know you understand, or you wouldn’t be asking to go to Jared’s. If you don’t, perhaps we need to stay here this afternoon and discuss things until you’re settled.”
Shaking his head, Pike leaned his head against Seth’s shoulder. “I get it, sir. I really don’t like it, but…I get it.” He chewed on his bottom lip, rolling his head to the side to peer up at his Dom. “I guess this means I can’t try to talk Jared out of it either?”
Seth’s gaze narrowed, but not in a bad way. At least not if the twitch at the corners of his lips and the amusement in the crinkles around his eyes were anything to go by. He nudged Pike’s cheek with the cool tip of his nose, giving Pike a kiss. “You get one shot. If he says to back off, you back off.”
“Deal.” Pike grinned, wrapping his arms around the back of Seth’s neck and hugging him tight. “I’m glad you’re not all ragey anymore.” He glanced over at Danny, speaking in a mock whisper. “You wouldn’t like him when he’s ragey.”
Danny blew out a breath. “I don’t like seeing any of the Doms ragey. Or the subs. Or the switches. Or the mailman—he gets really grumpy when the whole system of two people having to be there takes too long. I bet he’d like the alternative even less. Or knowing Avery’s usually on the roof, keeping him in his sights.”
The mailman better watch his back.
“Did I tell you Shea promised me he’d get his hands on some of the stock weapons and put my glitter applique hearts on them for Valentine’s Day this year?” Sometimes Jacks could be a little fashion obsessed, and this might be one of them. “But don’t tell. It’s a secret.” He shifted Danny on his hip, meeting Pike’s gaze. “Your Dom loves you very much. It would be strange if he hadn’t been ragey. I had to pretend you were the knight who was trying to prove himself with seven trials, and that we needed you to rescue Princess Danny from the dragon just to get through it.”
Eyes widening, Pike opened his mouth. Then closed it. Then opened it again. “How are you not super pissed at me? I mean, Danny stopped me from going after Jared, which was good, but I was…I was seeing red. And I thought about punching him. I’m really sorry.”
Jacks tipped his head, holding Danny closer. “Well, if you’d punched my little mouse, we’d be having a different conversation. With you over my knee.”
“For a hand spanking?” Pike snickered when Danny groaned. “Sorry, dude. It makes a huge difference. I’ll wait until, you know, you’re all better, though.”
“Careful, pixie. I’ll start thinking you enjoy them and will need to move on to other punishments.” Tweaking Pike’s nose, Seth stood, setting him on his feet. “Quint, let’s get this bratty boy dressed. I want to show him off to show Jared what he’s missing.”
Quint nodded, heading to the dresser and pulling out some soft, light purple pajamas with obscene pixies on them that Seth had ordered last week—some of the tiny fae giving the middle finger and others grabbing their junk. “I really appreciate you coming over, sir.” He glanced over at Jacks as he approached the bed to lay out the clothes. “I’m unsure everyone will be so forgiving, but…it helps to know neither you or Danny are holding grudges.”
“I think you’ll find most of the people here are forgiving of a lot more than this. We’re in close quarters, with each other every day and night. We work, play, eat, and...” Jacks waved his hand in a vague circular motion as he slid Danny to his feet. “You know. All that. Together. It forms bonds, and it means we fight. I didn't understand it before Shea and I moved in here, but I get what so many of the relationships go past friendship. They run deep. They have to.”
Pike wet his bottom lip with his tongue, holding his arms up so Quint could pull on his pajama top. “You’ve all known each other a really long time, though. I mean, I’ve got Curtis, but… I don’t want stuff I do to mess with what he’s got here. And I just…I was doing good, but now I gotta work at stuff again. I’m also not gonna be cool with anyone who’s not cool with Quint.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, Quint gave him a level look as his head popped out of the neck hole. “Also not your place, brat. I’ll mend my own fences.”
“Who’s not cool with Quint?” Seth turned from his tall dresser, where he was putting on his watch.
Rocking a bit on his socked feet, Danny gazed up at Seth. “Wren’s not very happy with him, but you don’t have to worry about that. He used to fight with Matt—he even bit him once. The subs used to get into it a lot. Then they worked stuff out and it’s better now. This is going to be the same, I’m sure of it.”
For someone who saw a disaster around every corner, Danny sure was optimistic. Pike didn’t mind, though. He was trying to be too, with the whole movie night thing. He held onto Quint’s shoulder to balance himself as he stepped into his pajama pants.
“Do you think…?” Pike took a deep breath. “If everyone sees Jared’s cool with us, will they be too? I can give out a whole bunch of apologies if I have to. I just…don’t want this to drag on forever. That would suck.”
Slipping his phone into his back pocket, Seth walked toward Pike. He stopped in front of him, and fiddled with Pike’s pajama collar to smooth it flat. “When people apologize, others might or might not accept it. That is out of our control. We don’t need to carry the weight of their feelings with us though, as long as we know we did what we could and we try to do better in the future.”
“I know, but I meant…” Pike lifted his shoulders. “Like a club apology. If that’d help, I wouldn’t mind. It would be weird with some people, but they’d be happy again. And we could all have fun and things can go back to normal.”
Seth’s face went from open mouthed shock to jaw clenched unhappy. Not quite pissed. More like he was steeling himself against the idea of Pike thinking he might need to do something like that. “You were punished. That’s the end of it.” He gathered Pike into a hug, palming the back of his head to hold him close. “That’s not the way you’re punished. I’m talking to...some people about some things where you and a few of the other subs are concerned.”
“Yes, sir.” Pike had a feeling Sub 101 wasn’t gonna be like college. Which shoulda been obvious, but he’d kinda been hoping he could use some of the stuff that used to work then to get through it. He curved his fingers along the open part of Seth’s shirt. “I won’t ever do anything you don’t want me to. But if you ever worry, you don’t gotta. I’m your boy and I’m tough.”
“As I said before, I don’t want you to be tough, Pike. I want you to be my little pixie prince.” Seth didn’t loosen his hold for even a second. “I want to take care of you and...let you be as little and bratty as you want to be. As makes you happy. When I need you to behave, I will correct you. Or Quint. I am your Dom and I know what you need. Let me give that to you.”
Pike nodded, bringing his lips to Seth’s and smiling against them. “That part’s easy, sir. When I’m with you, I don’t gotta worry about anything. You make the world feel safe and cozy and wonderful. I’m really happy I get to be your boy.”
That got a soft, warm smile from Seth, who brought their lips together in a deeper kiss. Tongue sweeping Pike’s mouth, he tightened his arms, lifting Pike off his feet. “Mhm... You need to eat something sweet. Or pizza. You don’t taste like you.”
“How about a big pizza and cake sandwich?” Pike grinned when both Quint and Danny groaned, even Jacks making a face. “I’m kidding. That would be a weird combo. But pickles and ice cream? I don’t care what anyone says. They’re a match made in heaven.”
Jacks coughed, the sound coming out like a little gag. He covered Danny’s ears. “Stop. You’ll give him nightmares for a week.”
“You can eat whatever strange combination you want here, brat. Where it won’t traumatize anyone.” Quint shook his head a little, probably thinking about some of the things Pike tried that he got all weird about. “Maybe you should have a snack before we head up. There’s all the cake and ice cream Seth got you. And I can heat up some leftovers?”
Stomach growling at the mention of food, and all the yummy leftovers they had, Pike bounced a little in Seth’s arms. “There’s those cabbage rolls and the zucchini pasta and the stew. I’ve been dreaming about all of them.”
Jacks gave Quint and Seth a bright, cover model perfect smile. Only realer, warming his brilliant green eyes. “We’re heading up. See you there when you’re ready?”
Hand going to Jacks’ shoulder, Seth squeezed. “Thank you, my man. For the chat. All the reassurance. And the underthings.” He motioned Pike closer. “What do we say to Jacks, Pike, for making you these new boxer briefs?”
Gazing up at the Dom, Pike gave him a huge smile. “Thank you for helping to take care of my ass, sir. It’s one of my favorite body parts. And these are super comfy. Like having a cloud to sit on.”
“You’re very welcome, my boy.” Jacks’ smile grew even wider. “I even had an order from Blain. Some of the littles might want some pairs. They tend to fall a lot, and also they’d help soften any spankings to a level that won’t traumatize them.”
Pike’s brow furrowed as he thought about the littles he’d seen around the club. It was a whole different kind of play than what he’d seen with the Core members, but kinda cool. Except…there was some stuff he definitely wouldn’t be into. “Don’t the…diapers do that? Or…well, I guess a Dom wouldn’t spank their boy when it’s all gross and wet and have it explode on them. That’d be a punishment for the Dom, too.”
Groaning, Seth massaged Pike’s shoulders. “Not all littles like diaper play. Neither do all Daddies. Perhaps for that very reason.” He chuckled. “Smiley, if pixie ever wants to try that out, I’m putting you on diaper patrol. Dom’s prerogative.”
Quint's lips twitched as he looked at Pike like he was considering it. “I suppose it wouldn’t be much worse than cleaning gum and chocolate out of his hair when he decides to go to bed with both.”
“I did that once!” Pike huffed, tucking his face against Seth’s chest. “Quint’s being mean, sir. He said he wasn’t upset about it, but I had to help him clean up the sheet before you got home. And I did…kinda. I ate all the crumbs.”
Walking Jacks and Danny out into the living room and toward the door, Seth called back to Quint. “You know, some Doms use diapers as punishments for messy boys.”
Pike folded his arms over his chest and frowned at Quint when he chuckled. “Don’t even think about it. I’m not wearing a diaper. And I’m not messy, I’m…enthusiastic.”
“The cloth ones can be really cute with embroidery!” On his way out the door, Jacks got in on the fun.
Glancing back at him with sympathy, Danny tugged on Jacks’ hand. “Sir, do you think you could make me a new bone? Reed disinfected mine and now it tastes funny.”
“Yes, but I’m not doing the rhinestones again. That was a mistake. How’s that back tooth?” Whatever Danny might’ve responded was cut off when Seth closed the door.
“Come into the living room. I’ll grab the food. Quint, do you mind bringing that ice cream in here? It's probably melted into soup. I’ll dish out more.” Cabinets opened and closed in the kitchen, Seth moving with quick efficiency like he usually did when they had somewhere to be.
Quint grabbed the ice cream bowl, then reached for the cake. He shook his head when Pike picked up the plate. “Go on. I want to do this.” He pressed a kiss to Pike’s forehead. “After today, it’ll make me feel better if I get to help Seth coddle you a little bit.”
Put that way, Pike didn’t want to argue or fuss about it, even if it was usually fun to poke at Quint. He couldn’t forget how he’d looked in the stocks. Or why he’d had to be there. Using his finger to scoop up a bit of icing, he brought it to Quint’s mouth. “Only if I get to return the favor. If…you know, you end up getting caned. But I’m really hoping you won’t and Jared’s in a better mood and he sent you his dick, so maybe he’ll wanna do something else with your ass.”
“Get to the living room, brat.” Quint huffed out a laugh before sucking the icing off his finger. “He sent you the picture. Keep that in mind before you test him again. He might not mind playing with you when you’re causing ‘good trouble’ as he calls it. It’s a much different game when you’re not.”
Heading to the living room, Pike curled up on the sofa, smiling as Fresco scampered across the room to pounce on one of Seth’s slippers, rolling with it and popping up with it covering his head. The kitten was goofy and sweet and fit perfectly in their home. He scrambled off the sofa to kneel down and save Fresco from the slipper. “I got you, furry little prince. You should be more careful. Go after my shoes, they ain’t so big.”
“I found him sleeping in one of mine this morning.” Carrying a large tray overladen with leftover containers and several plates, as well as glasses of milk—one chocolate milk because his Dom rocked—Seth glanced over at Pike on his way to the coffee table. “Come on. I want to feed you. Sit in the big chair and I’ll sit on the sofa.”
Pike picked Fresco up, tucking him into his pajama shirt, where he wiggled a bit until Pike was sitting on the big chair. Then he curled up against Pike’s chest, purring his tiny motorboat purr again. “He’s got that nice little cat bed, but he never uses it. He’s either sleeping with us, or finding somewhere weird to cuddle up. Quint said he likes stuff that smells like us. He must really love you to want the smell of your feet, sir.”
Prising a lid off one plastic container, Seth slanted Pike a look. “You’ll notice he prefers the smell of my feet to yours or Quint’s. The two of you together could be a lethal biological weapons factory.”
“No way!” Pike grabbed the cushion beside him and tossed it at his Dom, who caught it without lifting his gaze. “Quint gives me like two baths or showers every day. I’m never stinky. And if I was, why would you nibble my toes until I laugh so much I can’t breathe? Either you have a stinky foot fetish or you’re being silly.”
“Or I’ve gone nose blind from living with you both.” Clearly unable to keep the smirk off his lips, Seth dug into some noodles with garlic sauce. Using chopsticks, he wiggled a spaghetti-monster of noodles near Pike’s mouth. “Quick! Devour the tentacle beast before it gets us all!”
Giggling, Pike chomped the mouthful, chewing and letting out a happy sigh. He’d never get tired of how good the food was here. Taking his time like Seth and Quint were always telling him to so he wouldn’t choke, he grabbed one of his ankles, lifting up his foot to sniff it and make sure he didn’t smell bad now.
When he tipped, he heard Quint’s heavy sigh before the back of his pajama shirt was given a quick tug. “What in the world are you doing? If you start trying to eat with your feet, I’m putting my foot down.”
“That would probably be best for all of us with sensitive noses.” Miming holding his own, Seth waved his other hand in the air. “Pike is trying to test whether or not it’s safe to bring him in public or if he needs another shower to calm the foot foulness.”
Quint raised his brow. “‘Sensitive noses’, sir? You are aware I slept in a tent with you. When showers were scarce.” He bent down, kissing Seth with one of those slanted smiles on his lips. “I’d like to think I keep your boy clean enough that you never have to suffer like I did then.”
“The cheek.” Shaking his head, Seth pointed at the spot on the sofa to his right. “Sit. For that, I’m putting you on speech restrictions during dinner and feeding you every bite.”
The way Quint lowered to the cushion next to their Dom was all composed, not a word of complaint or any sulking like Pike would’ve done.
But it was a golden opportunity. Pike bounced a little on his cushion, the padded boxers keeping his ass bearably sore instead of throbbing with the motion. “I’ve never seen you feed Quint. Do you think he can be super good when he’s not allowed to do anything? You should tell him not to talk with his face either, sir. That’s naughty.”
“Talk with his face?” Twirling the chopsticks in the container to make another noodle monster, this one twice as big as the last, Seth glanced over at Pike. “It’s better than the alternative. He doesn’t digest garlic well. We’re in for an interesting night.”
That had Quint’s brow raising, his expression smoothing in a split second, a bit indignant as he sat forward, waiting for the bite.
Teasing Quint was fun, but so was watching Seth take care of him. The three of them didn’t always get time like this. Usually either Seth or Quint were on schedule, either at the clinic here or across the street. And when it wasn’t that, they had security shifts.
No matter how rough the rest of the day had been, having a chance to be with both of the men he loved was really special. “I think it’s easier for him to take care of other people, and he tries to hide how he feels when it’s the other way around by being all proper. I don’t like seeing him upset, but…it’s kinda nice when he’s not stiff and worrying about everything. I mean, except when he’s gone berserk merc. But every other time.”
Quint huffed, shaking his head as he took the bite Seth fed him, chewing and trying to have a whole argument with just his eyes. Maybe he didn’t like being called berserk. Or he didn’t think he was all proper. Or having that much food at a time was hard to chew on.
Maybe we’ll never know.
Chuckling, Seth seemed to be getting plenty of pleasure out of whatever it was that had Quint testing the limits of the speech restrictions. “He knows how much I adore taking care of him, and gets all squirmy about it. It’s not often I get the chance as a result. Maybe you and I will have to have a pamper Quint day, pixie. We’ll see how long he can go before he throws a tantrum. He doesn’t do it often...” The pasta wiggled in front of Quint’s lips. “But it’s a sight to behold when it happens.”
“I love that idea, sir.” Pike tried to picture his and Quint’s positions reversed and couldn’t quite wrap his mind around it, but with Seth’s help, he could definitely pull it off. “You’d have to help in the shower because he’s too tall for me to wash his hair. And getting him dressed will take forever because he likes those undershirts under his shirts, then his sweaters. But maybe it could be on a full day off so it won’t matter how long it all takes.”
“Pixie, you’re brilliant.” Seth’s eyes shone with love and humor. He held up a bite of egg roll, dipped in duck sauce for Pike. “We’ll get one of those teak stools for him to sit on so you can reach his hair to wash it and brush it. And if he gives you any trouble, you’ll have to spank him with the hairbrush.”
Eyes widening, Pike shook his head. “Nope. Can’t do that part, sir. I can do the washing and brushing, that’ll be fun. Spanking him would be super weird and uncomfortable. Can I still be the naughty one even when it’s pamper Quint day?”
Seth mock sighed, wiggling the egg roll so a bit of sauce dripped onto the floor. “I suppose. I’ll just have to spank you both.”
“But it’s pamper Quint day! He can’t get spankings.” Pike slid off his chair to Seth’s feet as he took a bite of the eggroll, chewing slowly to enjoy the savory mix of veggie and meat, along with the touch of sweetness from the sauce. “When I was really little, my and Curtis’ gran used to tell this story…I don’t remember all of it, but there was this prince and he had a friend who was there, just to get punishments for him when he was bad. Maybe Quint can be the prince on those days, and I can be the punishment friend.”
Stealing the next bite of egg roll for himself, Seth followed it up with a bite of noodles with garlic sauce, chewing them together. “Hmm...” He made a thoughtful sound, swallowing before he answered. “I don’t think he’ll misbehave at all if your ass is the one on the line. That’s a very good idea.” Seth made a pincer motion with the chopsticks, like tweezers, snapping for Pike’s nose but not really touching it. “We’ll get several more hours of compliance out of him that way.”
At Seth’s feet, snuggled up against his shins, Pike made a happy sound and nodded. “He’ll have no choice but to relax and let us take care of him. Maybe it’ll be hard the first time, but after that he’ll see how nice it is. And he’ll look forward to it.”
Dangling a noodle over Pike’s shirt, held between his fingers, Seth teased Fresco, who batted at it until it broke in half and landed on top of his furry little head. “Oops.” Seth plucked up the noodle and ate it. “What next? Pizza for Quint, or stew?”
“Pizza. It’s his favorite. He likes it even more than me, and that’s saying something.” Pike rested his chin on Seth’s knees. “And for dessert, those small cupcakes. They don’t have as much icing and he loves putting them in his mouth in one bite so he can taste it all at once, but he never does that in front of the other subs. Just here.”
“For practice, I’ll feed him the pizza. You feed him a cupcake. We’ll alternate.” Folding the piece of extra cheesy pizza in half, Seth held the point to Quint’s lips with a sultry, “I love you, smiley.”
Quint gave him a soft smile, then opened his mouth wide to take a big bite of pizza, even getting a bit of sauce around his lips. He drew back, lifting one hand to put it under the cheese that stretched out, making a sound between a laugh and a groan.
Snatching up a napkin, Pike held it out to Seth. “He can eat a dozen small cupcakes when he’s distracted. I’m very distracting. And not only with sex stuff. Sometimes when I’m doing my artwork and he’s really into it, he just polishes them off. Then he gets all embarrassed. It’s super cute.”
“He deserves to indulge a little.” Seth held Quint’s gaze as he chewed, the amount of history and love radiating in the glance between them. “Or a lot...” Leaning in, he kissed some sauce from the corner of Quint’s mouth. “My sweet smiley.”
Watching them, Pike grinned, just being still and quiet for a bit and soaking in the warmth that radiated all around him. Sometimes, it seemed like the three of them didn’t quite mesh with the rest of the Core. Other times, it was like they’d found exactly where they belonged.
What made it okay, even when things were a bit rough?
Was that no matter what happened outside of this loft, where there were different challenges, different expectations…
Right here, they all clicked. They all understood their place in this family, and how special it was. There was no reason to try to be anyone else. Because the love they shared was about being real and honest and…sometimes a little vulnerable.
And here was where Pike wasn’t afraid.
Because it was safe to be exactly who he was.
****
Check back tomorrow for Part 46!
Aww I love seeing how they click
ReplyDeleteLove this trio ❤
ReplyDeleteSo cute
ReplyDeleteAwwww, I love these three soooooo much <3
ReplyDelete