Love & Stitches at The Asylum: Part Sixty-Six
Did you make it through Friday the 13th in one piece?
Good! Because it's Saturday! Time for some fun.
If you didn't, Wren would like a word. ;)
Let's call this another NSFW because of some of the content, but it's milder, so you might get away with it?
Either way, don't forget to comment and hop in the spoiler group for fun chats!
And Happy Reading!
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Maybe I can hang out up here and no one will notice...
Used to being allowed to skulk, hidden in the shadows, Avery didn’t quite know what to do with having been won by a man like Blain. So opposite in every way from Rhodey, and yet watchful in his own way, it was hard to know what he might have in common with the Dom enough that might please him.
Perfection was possible with Rhodey—or at least something close—simply because his Dom expected him to strive for it in all things. It wasn’t an ego trip, it was a necessity. Keeping the people they loved alive was the foundation on which their relationship had been built. No way would Avery ever repay Rhodey’s trust in letting him live, rescuing Ana, and allowing him into his heart with anything less.
Sure, he screwed up from time to time, but when he did, he knew it. With Blain? What bothered Avery most was that he wasn’t sure he’d see the mistakes coming, and there’d be no way to recover. No way for him not to somehow show Rhodey up as a fraud for having taken him on.
Breaths coming faster than they should for going unnoticed, he hovered in the shadows of the rafters as one by one the subs and Doms disappeared from the bar, until only those who weren’t playing remained behind to do a little cleanup before they’d go downstairs to watch the movie.
“I think Stephan wanted the rest of that quiche.” Reed looked over all the food left on trays along the bar, peeking under one. “Oh good, there’s protective…mats. Or whatever. Curtis would freak if the wood got all messed up by turning the bar into a buffet. I’m gonna wipe it down so he doesn’t get stressed out and try to…” He groaned. “I forgot. Tap shoes. On the bar. Do you think he’d notice if we covered the whole thing in a tablecloth?”
Drew’s red mop popped up from behind Reed, where he’d been struggling to jam as many glasses as possible into the bar dishwasher, like it was some kind of Tetris game. “Um... My dad always said that things we love are meant to be used? Maybe we can help him be philosophical about it and tell him it’s a way to remember this happy night when Rhodey and he got to get kissy?”
“Have you met my Dom?” Reed snickered, going around the bar and pulling out a wooden crate full of the supplies used to keep the bar in pristine shape. “You’re adorkable. I think I have a solution, though. I’ll sand out the worst, then polish it up and ta-da! Everything’s all pretty. In the morning he can enjoy the well-fucked vibes and no one ever has to know. Jamie’s tap shoes won’t end up in the incinerator.”
Looking around to make sure no one else was there to hear him, Avery made a psst sound, motioning to Reed. “Heyo. An iron’s the way to go.”
Reed grinned up at him, not looking all that surprised to find him above, giving him a finger gun as he made his way toward the gym—likely to get the iron from the supply room. “I love you, Batman. That’ll be so much faster than taking out the sander. And less likely to get my ass whipped if I mess up.”
Scampering around the bar, Drew looked up at him, hands on his hips. “Irons are for fabric.”
“Yep.” Avery nodded, twirling one of his darts in his right hand, seriously tempted to whiz one past the guy’s right ear for being bossy. “You put a wet towel on top of the scratch, then iron it for a few minutes.” He commended himself for not sticking out his tongue. “Sometimes you have to sand it a little anyway, and I don’t know what the finish is on the bar. Worst case, he ends up melting the finish into the towel so it never comes loose without a putty knife.”
“Um...” A slight frown made three lines between Drew’s dark red brows, pulling them together. “Don’t you think maybe you should find out before he really does get into trouble?”
“If he comes back before I have to go, I’ll tell him. Otherwise, you can.” Avery shrugged, aimed the dart at the opposite beam and threw it. It landed with a satisfying thunk, in the exact spot he always went for. “Sound good?”
Looking a bit doubtful, Drew nodded, disappearing into Lawson’s office and coming back with a pen and a piece of paper. He sat at one of the high top tables, using flawless penmanship to write out what appeared to be Avery’s instructions. Finished, he stood, went back to the bar, and used a piece of masking tape to place the directions over the scratch.
“My dad always said never to leave to chance what you could cure with logic.” Smiling up at Avery, he motioned to the bar. “Now nobody has to worry.”
Do I look worried?
If so, he’d have to work on that. “Okay...”
Coming back into the bar with Blain, who must have gone down with Stephan and Danny, Reed let out a laugh that sounded a bit nervous. “I’m not hiding it, exactly, sir. I’m avoiding issues.” His brow furrowed as he held up the iron. “I’ll watch a few clips on YouTube to make sure I do it right. Seriously, it’s not a thing.”
Blain gave Reed a level look. “It doesn’t have to be, no. And you have responsibilities for maintaining this space, so I don’t object to you taking care of any damage you found.” He stopped Reed with a hand on his shoulder. “But be careful. I’ve seen you so invested in fixing things, you disregard your own safety and wellbeing. And you’re a masochist, so you don’t always consider any damage to yourself seriously. Just keep in mind, pain, and pleasure, is for your Doms to give you. They can take a measured approach that you might not.”
The Dom’s tight black curls glistened in the light of the lanterns that still hung alongside the colorful silks in lush swaths around the bar. Avery took his time studying Blain’s lean muscled form, the way his movements marked him as someone who would be swift and graceful, yet equally powerful in the ring. He had the sort of confidence that didn’t scare easily, so the usual power moves wouldn’t work on him. Any sort of upper hand to be gained would have to be carefully navigated. Diplomatic and respectful. No teasing and testing here.
“I’ll be careful, sir. I’m not looking to give any of the docs more work.” Reed smiled up at Blain, waiting for his nod, then went around the bar and plugged in the iron. Setting it on an oven mitt, he proceeded to dump a few bar rags in the sink and turned the water on. Then he took out his phone—one that wasn’t cracked, for the first time since Avery had known him. He rested his elbow on the edge of the bar, fixed on the video he’d found. “Whoa…this is like f’ing magic. I’ve gotta show Matt tomorrow.” His shoulders tensed. “Noah better be nice to him, or I’ll kick his ass.”
Blain let out a soft laugh, shaking his head as he went to the hooks near the door, grabbing his plain, black wool jacket, and pulling it on. “Matt will be fine, my boy. Noah knows what he’s doing with him. And you will keep an eye on the clock and head up to lend service in the dungeon?”
Glancing up, Reed nodded. “I sent a timer on my phone, sir. I’ve got this.”
“Good.” Blain headed for the door, stopping in front of it. “You may choose not to come with me if you’d like, Avery. Participating in the poker game was a pleasure, but I don’t play with subs who don’t want my company. If you do? I will say, I’ve cleared everything with your Dom and I think we could have a good time together. Either way, the decision is yours.”
Not a lot of things were up to him, and that this was? Messed with Avery’s head a little. If his Dom wanted to give him to Blain for the night—had ordered him to please the man—it would’ve been much easier in so many ways. Having to decide? Being brave all on his own? Mindfuck of all mindfucks, but it was the hardest thing he could recall doing when he forced his body into a forward roll off the beam and landed lightly on his feet.
Remaining silent, he followed on quiet footsteps toward the door.
“Do you have a coat, my boy?” Strangely, Blain didn’t seem surprised that Avery had appeared. He just glanced at him, then the hooks where most of the core kept their jackets. “Reed, would you mind if he borrowed yours?”
Lifting his gaze from his phone, Reed grinned. “Nope. It’s the sparkly purple one. Lawson said it’s cool for me to wear it. I don’t gotta go out looking like a tough biker anymore. We’ve got security like whoa.”
Not that there was anything wrong with sparkly purple, but it was kind of difficult to remain anonymous in a coat that was the same shade as Grimace. Flicking his tongue over his lip piercings, Avery played with the little balls, sliding them up and down as he took the coat off its peg. He glanced at Blain, wondering if the request to Reed had been an order for him to wear this one or whether he was free to choose more than just whether or not to go with the man.
There was some amusement in Blain’s eyes as he met Avery’s, as though he knew he’d just presented him with a challenge. “Will you be comfortable in that, or would something else suit you more? All I ask is that you be warm. We’ll be taking a nice long walk.”
“If it pleases you, sir, may I wear Keiran’s jacket?” The puffy dark coat with the faux fur lining that Dallas had insisted be sewn in when Jacks had made it was not only waterproof, but smelled like cinnamon and cream, just like his co-sub. It would be nice to have him near.
Blain looked pleased by the request alone, so the question was obviously what he’d hoped for. “You may, my boy. Hat and gloves, too.” His deep brown eyes glowed with a hint of laughter. “I know the snow isn’t from the weather, but it is chilly tonight.”
Reminded of the virtual snowstorm on the roof, Avery smiled a little at the thought Wren would be having the time of his life about now, watching the flakes against the light of the moon as the clouds raced by overhead.
“Thank you, sir.” Avery slid the jacket off its peg, then shrugged on its warm weight. He fumbled a little with the zipper, realizing it had been a while since he’d done up his own clothes, struggling when the bottom of the coat reached several inches lower than he was used to. “There are gloves and a hat in the pockets.” He pulled them out, narrating as he put them on. “But the sleeves are so long I might not need them.”
Blain approached, lowering to one knee in front of him and taking both from Avery’s hands. “Maybe not, but you’ll wear them. I’d prefer you nice and cozy.” He pulled the gloves onto Avery’s hands, so effortlessly it was clear this was something he did often. When he rose and pulled the dark green wool hat over Avery’s head, tucking his hair back and covering his ears, his lips curved. “Very nice.” He rose and held out his hand. “Shall we?”
Staring at Blain’s hand for a split second that Rhodey would’ve noticed, Avery lifted his own and placed it in his Dom’s palm. Even in Keiran’s glove, his own became lost in a way that equally fascinated and startled him. He nodded, then cleared his throat. “Thank you for the honor of choosing me, sir.”
“My pleasure, my boy.” Blain opened the door to the bar, leading Avery out to the sidewalk, past the gates Reed likely opened, then closed after them while watching the screens in the galley. He turned left, walking at an easy pace for Avery to match with little effort, despite how much taller he was. Not Rhodey’s height, no one besides Jared and Noah even came close, but he fit well among the tall Core Doms. His tone was light and conversational as they strolled down the quiet streets. “Your Dom mentioned he wanted an experience for you tonight that would help you truly relax from your…job. I know that won’t be easy, but I think, together, we can manage.”
For a moment it seemed like Blain might know more than Avery had anticipated. Giving him the side-eye, it was difficult to tell without openly staring. Especially in this light. Now would’ve been a really good time to have in his ear piece, because Rhodey had a habit of reading his mind in conversations like these and giving him a clue what the fuck other people were talking about.
“I...” He didn’t know a lot about the kind of play the man got up to, but he knew Danny and Pike trusted Blain and had fun with him. “I have a stuffed plushie bat, but I never had things like that as a kid. I’m not sure I’d know how to play like the others do, but I’ll try to please you, sir.”
Squeezing his fingers in the gloves that made it very clear how long Keiran’s fingers were, and why he had to adjust a lot when Avery showed him how to hold a new weapon, Blain smiled at him as though his words made perfect sense. “Wanting to please me is good, my boy. But tonight we are exploring something for you. I think you’ll be more at ease if you have an idea of what’s expected. Your Dom has many limits concerning you. To put it plainly? We won’t be having sex. I’m happy he was honest about that. And I don’t need it to enjoy our time together.”
“Sex as in...nothing like that or sex as in...” It was very difficult to describe the act precisely without using the word fucking, he realized. “Sticking things in other things?”
That brought out a deep, warm laugh as Blain drew him to his side and slipped his hand from Avery’s to put an arm around his shoulders. “Nothing of mine will penetrate anything of yours. But I am allowed to use toys. And I will. I believe it will help you get into the right headspace and I’ll enjoy that more than anything. I won’t give you what you might think you want. But I will bring you to a place that will let you escape any expectations you have for yourself. At least for a little while.”
Picturing the bright red, blue, and yellow blocks and rubber ducks in the tub in the rooms off the schoolroom, Avery nodded solemnly. It could be fun to play with toys, he supposed. If nothing else, it would be a different kind of experience. Maybe if there were some trucks or toy guns it might help him to relax more. At least he had an idea of what to do with those.
“Do you have any train sets, sir? I once played with one of those toys when I had a friend in the circus. He was allowed to bring it everywhere. He left when we were moved to the main tent though, and I never saw it again.” Remembering the hours spent on his belly as the train chugged by with little wisps of smoke puffing from the engine, he realized that there had been little trees and engineers and houses as well and smiled a little. “It was fun how many ways you could put the tracks together.”
Blain held his gaze as he spoke and they both continued down the almost eerily silent streets, his eyes warming with approval. “I do. And you may play with them if you’d like. I also have several things set up for you to do. This won’t be what you’re used to.” He turned right, crossing the next empty street, finally reaching the store Avery had heard the other subs speak of, but never been to himself. “But I have a feeling you’ll enjoy it.”
Even though Blain’s store catered to the tastes of those in the lifestyle, its front was cheerful and welcoming. Autumn leaves strung up in garlands made pretty decorations for the tops of the windows. Curtains rather than black paint obscured what was inside, and the sign was hand painted with gilded lettering against a white background.
Taught by his handlers to be quiet when no questions had been asked of him—a habit he struggled to break, but that his quad and Danny helped him with—Avery rolled his bottom lip into his mouth, sucking on his lip rings as he nodded.
“I will need you to communicate with me, small one.” Blain brought him into the store, closing the door before he faced Avery, tugging off his knit hat. “Don’t hesitate to say what you're thinking. There are no wrong answers.”
Breathing in deep, Avery nodded again. “It’s...not something that’s easy for me, sir.” He took a chance on being honest, since the Dom seemed to want to know his thoughts. “I was brought up to be unseen. Saying things out loud is dangerous. Sometimes...I don’t even think them.”
“Tonight? Nothing is dangerous.” Blain cupped his cheek, holding his gaze. “There’s absolutely nothing to worry about. I’ve got you. And if I didn’t, you know very well Rhodey wouldn’t have let me bring you here, right?”
There wasn’t a second’s hesitation on his nod this time. “Yes, sir. I’m not worried about that. I trust you. I am more worried you won’t get what you want from me. I’m not sure what people want sometimes, and it’s not easy to recover trust and faith once it’s broken. Please know that if I seem like I’m not doing things right it is only because I’m trying to figure it out, but I learn fast and never make the same mistake twice.”
Blain’s smile seemed to warm even more as he nodded. He bent down to take off Avery’s gloves, then his jacket. “Let’s try something different. There are no expectations. If there’s something I want from you, I will make it very clear.” He rose, taking Avery’s hand and leading him past the aisles of sex toys and a wall of whips. To the back, beyond a thick black curtain. There was the standard place for inventory, then another room. One full of soft, pastel colors and toys that were too large for a child. In every space there was something new to see. To discover. And true to his words, there was a train set, with tracks that ran around the room, some rising high to clear door frames and windows. “Some things I won’t need to. Because I want you to play.”
A giggle escaped Avery’s lips. Surprise widened his eyes at the sound, and he clapped his hand over his mouth as he met Blain’s warm brown eyes. He slowly parted his fingers. “Really, sir?”
“Really.” Blain chuckled, brushing his hand down Avery’s back. “Go hang up your jacket and everything first. Then you can play with anything you want to. You don’t have to wonder when I want you to do something else, I’ll let you know.”
The row of wooden pegs at eye level near the door already had a few colorful scarves hung on it, telling Avery where he should hang up Keiran’s jacket. Rubbing his hands over the fluffy white interior, he wished his best friend were there with him to see this amazing place. When he faced the room again, it was as if the toys had multiplied while he took in the hidden cubbies and niches that had every game and item he might ever desire.
One item, though, called to him even more than the train set. A wooden horse on swooping rockers. Its hand painted face and the bit in its white teeth said it loved going fast and only waited to be ridden to find its own joy. Avery skirted around a pile of colorful balls he knew would be fun to juggle, and approached the horse.
One hand out, he petted its flank, breathing in the scent of leather from its tack. A stirrup dangled on this side, beckoning him to slip his foot inside and climb into the beautiful tooled leather saddle. “Does he have a name?”
“Several.” Blain hung up his own jacket, then came to Avery’s side. “He likes all of them. And he seems to gain strength from every new one. Would you like to give him another?”
Nodding with a reverence he could rarely recall feeling outside of the times he was allowed to kneel before his Dom, Avery petted the glossy black mane that flowed beneath his fingertips. Leaning forward, he experimentally hugged the horse’s sturdy neck and closed his eyes. “I don’t remember ever naming something...I’m not quite sure how it’s done.”
“Don’t think too hard. It’s about a feeling. Letting an object become something more to you. Something real.” Blain pressed a kiss to Avery’s cheek as he moved in close enough to let him feel the heat of his body, in a way that demanded nothing. “Who is this fine horse to you?”
Rocking experimentally, Avery leaned into Blain’s warmth. The horse, beneath him, had been perfectly constructed so that its movements mimicked the rolling sway of a real animal’s movements. The gentle glide would become a gallop if he moved faster, but the quieter motion suited his mood. Getting to know the beautiful beast, he petted it and hummed quietly until it told him its name.
“Moscow Midnight.” While his government hadn’t always been as honorable as he would have liked, its people and its beauty were something he missed every day. “She loves the cold and the wind in her mane, and her hoofbeats clatter across the pavement like the sounds of all the people rushing past.”
Blain kept a hand on Avery, light at the small of his back, moving with him. “She’s beautiful and I can see her, right there with you. What happens next?”
Eyes still closed, he rocked a little faster, feeling the sway of Moscow’s reins against his hand. He picked them up, smile widening. “We ride out of the city, into the snowy countryside...” In his mind’s eye, the landscape morphed to wide open fields and hills, where the wind whipped up, catching both his hair and her mane. “We’re racing the moon, and the clouds are laughing at our game. They know we can’t win, but we have so much fun trying.”
“You’re right there, my boy. This is all what you make it. You get to exist in that place, and let all the rest fade away.” Blain spoke close to his ear, his voice a gentle heat amide the cool wind of his imagination. “Tell me more.”
Nodding, Avery swayed with Moscow’s canter, the creaking as she moved, turning into the scrape of trees against the moonlit sky. A babbling brook on his right beckoned. “We ride into a brook, shallow, with pretty pebbles that shine like jewels in the moonlight.” He breathed deep through his nose, smelling the clear, sharp scent of ozone, and the thick moss that peeked from the snow beneath the trees. “I get off to let her rest and take a drink while I gather pebbles for Ana. She’ll love the way they sparkle.” At some point, he realized he’d slipped into Russian, and struggled to remember his English. Shaking his head, he liked his lips. “When I get enough to fill my pockets, I climb back on and she clip-clops and splashes her way to where the water is a bit icy, the rocks bigger. The crunching sounds echo against the night. I’m sleepy, but I know even if I let myself rest she’ll get us home where Mama and Papa are waiting.”
The soft whisper in his ear didn’t pull him out of where he was. Somehow, Blain let him stay there, his smile in his voice. “I’m not as fluent in Russian as you are, but I learned the language after working with a few people. Some who came here, looking for their own escape. It was another thing that convinced Rhodey I would be a good fit for you. Rest, my boy. You have this place, this moment, to do nothing else.”
“Spasibo.” His thank you in Russian was hoarse, but his smile felt perfect. As light as the moonbeams, brushing his skin with each touch of Blain’s fingers. “She deserves a good rub down and some hay. She’s a loyal animal and I take care of her well, putting her in her stall with some water and oats before I crunch my boots noisily across the snow and go inside the little cottage Mama has always wanted.” Throat a little tight, he pictured his mother’s laughing navy blue eyes—the same eyes he saw when he dared look into a mirror—as she greeted him with a piping hot mug of solyanka soup and a thick piece of buttered bread. “The fire is warm and my sisters play on the rug with the train. Papa reads the newspaper, and I tell Mama about my day.”
“My boy, where your beautiful Moscow brought you is precious. Thank you for sharing that with me.” Blain rubbed his back. “Keep going as long as you’d like, I’m proud of you for going so deep in your play. For finding a place that’s special to you. When you want to move on to another kind of play, I’m right here.”
Humming a lullaby he hadn’t remembered in years, Avery pictured his mother’s face as she tucked him in and pressed a kiss to his forehead. The words she’d said had been lost to time, but the murmur of her voice washed over him. He relaxed back into Blain’s touch, his fingers slack on the reins. Eventually, the horse’s sway stopped and he blinked open his eyes.
“Thank you, sir.” It had been nice to spend time with them all for a while, and the beautiful horse, in the place he’d dreamed up for them all. “I love her. She took me places I didn’t know were still there.”
“They’ll always be there, my boy. And you can visit that place whenever you want to.” Blain held out his hand. “I had to get very creative, considering your Dom’s limits, but I thought you’d like it here. Not many of the Core have gotten a chance, but I’ve made sure it’s a safe space. Come, I want to show you something.”
Placing his hand in Blain’s without a hint of hesitation, Avery dismounted Moscow Midnight, giving her a final pat. “Do you play in here, too, sir, or is it only for your subs’ pleasure?”
Blain cupped his cheek and drew him in close. “I live here, my boy. My home is in the back. I bring all my subs here and I get to play with them. I also get to explore different things, teach the Doms who reach out to me for advice. It brings me a great amount of pleasure.”
“That’s beautiful.” Feeling a bit starry eyed, Avery blinked slowly. “What was it you wished me to see, sir?”
Smiling again, Blain brought him to another corner of the room that seemed to be set up for crafts. He gestures to several shelves. “I thought you’d have fun making plushies for some of your friends.” He brought his lips close to Avery’s ear. “I wanted to see if you could do it with a vibrator, to nudge you if you slipped into the headspace where you might consider slitting my throat, but I think you could do without the erotic shock collar.”
Avery spat out a laugh, shaking his head, and turned his face a bit so he looked into his Dom’s eyes. “Why would I slit the throat of a man like you? You bring joy, not pain. I’ve never seen you with a cross word for anyone, and your criticism is always meant to put someone on the right path.” From this close he could smell the sharp, clean scent of the soap Blain used. He breathed it in, getting to know him on another level. “But I don’t mind games at all.”
“Hmm.” Blain took a step back, looking him over. Then he nodded, motioning to a colorful set of cubbies along the wall near bins of blocks and LEGO. “I have a bag there with your name on it. Some clothes Rhodey asked me to put aside for you. You can’t hide weapons. I’ll put them on you, after I put in the plug. I think you may enjoy it while you complete this task.”
Blood thrumming low, Avery nodded. “Yes, sir. I’m sure you will make sure I do. Thank you.” That he and Rhodey had gone to the trouble to consider his comfort, what he might enjoy, before this evening, left him with a feeling of security that he’d rarely allowed himself to fall into. He caressed the strings on the bag. “You thought of me when I wasn’t there. When you couldn’t see me... I still existed to you.” It was a strange sensation that kept him grounded in the most pleasant way, knowing all this. “This is unexpected.”
“Avery, I have paid close attention to you in the club for some time.” Blain took the bag from his hands, motioning for him to lift his arms, and taking off his shirt. His lips twitched with amusement when he found a knife holsters on Avery’s wrists. He removed them and put on the T-shirt with a bright orange bat that had a fluffy face and spread wings on a bright blue background. “Rhodey came to me when his nephew did. Once he knew I intended to participate tonight. He asked if I could give you a scene that would let you let go of everything your job requires. And I said ‘yes’.”
“When...Noah came to you?” Trying to understand where the two things connected, Avery ran his fingers over the bat, a smile tugging at his lips. “I never thought of myself as a person who would enjoy little play. I thought it involved actually pretending to be a child.” He tipped his face up to let Blain see his sheepish smile. “This is an awesome shirt, sir.”
Hands smoothing down the shirt, warm at his sides, Blain gave him a soft smile. “You have a good grasp on little play, but there are many parts in between that flow well with our lifestyle. Like pet play, you can explore around the edges. In every different way that might fit.” He brushed a hand over Avery’s hair. “While you do that, with someone getting to know you? There’s more talk than with a Dom who already does. Would you like to try the plug while you play, or just sink into it without?”
There were advantages to either choice. Blain was a stunning man, and Avery doubted he’d be allowed this privilege with him often—if ever again. Yet, it seemed cruel to take pleasure from the Dom without being able to return it, and a bit more off balance than he was used to. Not answering straight off, because he didn’t know which direction to choose quite yet, he asked a question of his own.
“Is being a bat pet play, sir?” He ran his fingertips over the bat on his shirt again, enjoying the way the graphics paint contrasted with the softness of the cotton.
The question had Blain tilting his head to one side. “It could be, yes. Those I’ve met in this niche part of the lifestyle explore different things. Different animals they feel most connected with.” He held Avery’s gaze. “But I don’t think you really want to see how a Dom would handle a bat. You want a soft, safe place to play. And you have that.” He took the bag, pulling out what was a rather small butt plug with a remote, considering the men Avery played with. Rhodey was huge. So was Dallas. And Keian had a size fit for several porn movies, so he didn’t have an issue in the size department. Danny was different, but he was a bottom in every way. If not for the serious look on Blain’s face, he’d think he was joking.
“Are you worried, sir?” Flicking his tongue over his lips, Avery considered first the Dom’s expression, and then the plug. “I won’t need lube with that.”
Blain let out a soft laugh. “Avery, I have met the Dom you’re devoted to. No, I’m not worried. And regardless, if you want this? You will have lube. You’re avoiding the question. Do you want it? Would you like to do this task while wearing a butt plug I have control of, that will give you a jolt of pleasure whenever I feel you need it?”
Sometimes submission involved following directions, and sometimes it just involved letting go and trusting that a Dom knew what he wanted for himself in a different way. If Blain was offering the plug—and the pleasure—then it was because he wanted to and Avery knew he didn’t really need to worry about taking too much. He’d be given exactly what Blain wanted to give him, no more and no less. If there was something his Dom wanted from him, he’d be told.
Nodding slowly, Avery fell into the place where decisions were easy. “Yes, please, sir. I’d like to wear the plug you have control of.”
“Good boy.” Though Blain didn’t seem surprised by Avery’s answer, it was clear he’d been prepared to be wrong. Assumed nothing. Laying the bag with the rest of the things set aside for Avery—which at a glance included a pair of snug shorts that wouldn’t hide a gun, but would be cozy in the surprisingly warm playroom—Blain moved to an oversized, light blue armchair in the corner, sitting and patting his lap. “Come here. Let’s get you set up and then you’ll have all kinds of fun.”
“Where do you get such big furniture and toys, sir? Do you make them?” Curiosity making him more talkative than usual, Avery approached his Dom, his gaze running over the shorts, as well as Blain’s lap.
Blain relaxed back onto the chair, as though he was prepared to stay there all night, without demanding anything more, and answer Avery’s questions. “I have some skills with leather, but not furniture. I have some friends who draw what I imagine for the space, and order it custom made. Some who play in the Daddy and little, or even pet play part of the lifestyle go with what’s available. I’ve found, providing something that isn’t for actual children or pets, removes that barrier of it not being something for all.”
Realizing he was actually supposed to sit on Blain’s lap, Avery threw him an apologetic grin. “Sorry, sir. I’m a little slow tonight.” He climbed up on the Dom’s knee, feeling a little awkward. “I bet Curtis could make you some nice things.”
“I bet he could.” Blain adjusted Avery on one thigh, letting him rest there, as though this one just one step among many they might take. And he could retreat at any time. “One day, I might ask him. But he’s not the one here with me tonight. I need you in a very different position for the plug, my boy.”
“Oh!” Face-palming, Avery decided he probably should have asked one of the other subs for a few pointers when he learned who he’d be playing with tonight. “I’m usually better with cues.” Hopping down, he positioned himself like a ragdoll over one of Blain’s muscled thighs, then lifted his head to peer up at him. “Like this, sir?”
Blain let out a laugh, like he was charmed by Avery’s antics, drawing his shorts down and exposing his ass. “Yes, little one. Just like this.” He warmed Avery’s flesh with his large hand, letting him get familiar with his touch. “Once you have the plug, you can go make some really nice plush toys for all your friends. You get to choose which is for who. Would you like that?”
Never having made anything but silks and darts, he wasn’t sure, but it sounded like something that might be nice to do. Especially when he pictured Danny’s delight at receiving a soft bone, or Keiran’s smile if Avery were to present him with a soft spatula and offer to let him beat him with it. He nodded, one hand braced on the floor, enjoying the light touches Blain played over his skin.
“Yes, sir. I would. It won’t be as nice as Jacks’ work, but maybe Keiran won’t mind a noodle pot plushie that’s got crooked stitches.” He laughed to himself. “And throwing it won’t get him in as much trouble.”
A burst of laughter escaped Blain even as he spilled some warming lube over Avery’s hole, pressing the slender plug deep inside him. “You may have to work with what I have, my little bat. I will speak to both Curtis and Jacks. But for now, you need to see what’s available out of the more predictable plushies. I’m good with color options and species. I didn’t consider pots and pans.”
Wiggling a little to get used to the way the plug’s soft but firm silicone stretched him, its tip pressing against sensitive places that tingled with awareness that made his dick sit up and take notice, Avery tried to understand what Blain meant by ‘species’. Unfortunately, doing so was very difficult when he had very little blood going to his brain despite the upside-down position.
“I can see where Rhodey wouldn’t want you to have sex with me, sir. It would give you a very unfair advantage.” His dick fattened, pressing against Blain’s thigh with alarming speed. “You’re too sexy even without that.”
A sharp laugh escaped Blain even as he lifted Avery, fixing his shorts over his ass and sitting him on his thigh. “My boy, that’s not why your Dom doesn’t want that, and we both know it. You’re precious to him. I would need to be a lot closer to you both before he’d consider it, and I believe I may have gotten as close as he’ll let me be. I’m fine with that. It will be enough for me to give you tonight. This soft place that he will know how to give you when it fits what you both need. What your lifestyle allows.”
The image of Rhodey dressing him in pajamas like Pike wore, then handing him his bat plushie and tucking him in, presented a not-so-warped view of their current relationship that Avery could see it. There were a few other more risque images that came along with that one, that made even him blush.
His lips tipped ups as the heat in his cheeks cooled. “I would like that very much, sir.”
“Good boy.” Blain patted his thigh, motioning to the shelves with different colored baskets, all filled with what Wren would call the skinned corpses of stuffed animals. “Choose as many as you want. The stuffing is there.” He pointed to a large bin of what looked like white fluff that would be fun to dive into. But had a sign on the side that read, ‘We don’t play in here’. He motioned to another section. “If you want to dress your gifts for your friends, there’s all kinds of options. And there’s little hearts for all of them. I created a kinky ‘Build a Bear’ and Rhodey just invested in it. So you are the first who gets the pleasure of this new project.”
Poring over the animal skin bin, Avery drew out a giraffe with pink spots, a trout with literal rainbow scales, then a purple rat with a long turquoise tail and whiskers. He hesitated for a moment over a fluffy black and white dog with blue eyes, remembering Jared’s nickname for his Dom.
Glancing at Blain, he held it up with a question in his gaze. “Do you think it’s weird to make one for Rhodey, sir?”
“No, my boy.” Blain’s expression softened. “You might be the first person to ever give him something like this. It’s very special. Take whatever you need. There are no limits. It will make me very happy to know those precious to you have something out of this.”
Avery hugged the pelts to his chest, going to the stuffing bin next. He draped the animals carefully over the edge and began bringing them to life with handfuls of soft, fluffy white clouds of what felt like cotton but probably wasn’t entirely. Nose tickling, he sneezed, his ass clenching in around the plug in a way that made him jolt with renewed awareness of its presence.
“That is our little fun among all this, my boy.” Blain lifted the remote, pressing a button to send a smooth, steady vibration through Avery. “I won’t tell you when to come. Which might be difficult for you. Either you hold off or I bring you to your Dom a mess. I find both options agreeable.”
Tension vibrated in gentle pulses along Avery’s limbs as his muscles attempted to adjust to the stimulation deep inside. His fingers clutched the stuffing a little harder, faltering when he attempted to get it into what now seemed like very small openings in the plushies. He’d been edged practically from the moment he’d met Rhodey, so this wasn’t something unfamiliar. The images of being presented to his Dom all sticky and obviously having enjoyed himself was all at once a delicious mind fuck and a bit of a humiliation kink.
He let out a little humm of pleasure as the repeated pulses bordered on overstimulation, enjoying seeing exactly how much he could take for his Dom. The little bow tie and top hat for the giraffe, a bright red baseball letterman’s jacket for the husky, a glittery cape for the fish, and a feathered boa for the rat completed his choices, along with the little hearts, and he juggled all of them as he stumbled toward the table on shaking legs.
“Those are lovely, my boy.” Blain stepped up behind him and the vibrations increased. “Who are they for? Are you missing anyone? I wouldn’t want to bring you back wondering if you could have made another for someone special. Take your time, it’s all yours.”
Maybe sitting down on one of the straight-backed wooden chairs around the craft table would help? Avery lowered himself gingerly to the seat, then shot up again when the position pushed the plug hard against his prostate, sending a jet of precome up his shaft to dampen the booty shorts. Recalling that Blain had asked him a question, he wiped the sweat from his brow and tried to remember what it was.
“The, um, the fish is f-for Dallas...” Because the man was always telling Avery not to gape like a trout when the Dom got cheeky with Rhodey. “The rat is for Danny-y!” He gasped, grabbing the edge of the table as the vibrations shifted to something juddering. “Jesus... No, I mean the giraffe...” It had been a giraffe, right? He glanced at it to make sure and the polkadots danced. “Keiran. Dog...Rhodey.”
“The giraffe is for Danny?” Blain leaned in, kissing the edge of Avery’s lips. “Interesting choice, but I’m sure he’ll love it.” Then pressed the remote again, upping the vibrations. “You’ve done well, my boy. Choose two more people. Get creative. If you come, I won’t make you choose more.”
A half-gasp, half-whimper, escaped Avery’s lips. One part of his brain knew the only way out was to come, and the other part of his brain that had been conditioned by Rhodey said he damn well better and could outlast Blain’s scheme. He’d survived worse, right? And felt much less delicious while doing so.
Pleasure walked up his spine and back down again in zings of electrified sensation. Stumbling to the bins, he blindly clutched two more pelts. One fluffy lamb with black wool, and the other a tangerine velvet seagull with lime green webbed feet. He had no idea who they were for, but the stuffing somehow made it into the bird’s middle before another surge of precome had him moaning and half falling into the forbidden bin head-first.
Lifting him out, Blain held him close against his chest. “Come, my sweet boy. Then I’ll bring you to my bed to rest and hold you. We can return you to your Dom in the morning and I will tell him how well you’ve done. You haven’t considered your role as security, or anything about the club, for at least twenty minutes. He wanted more, but said he’d settle for that.”
Head thrown back, Avery sank almost to his knees, the fluff he grasped in his hand compressing to the size of a dandelion as his hips jerked. Blain caught him on his descent, keeping him on his feet as heat and pressure created a flash-bang of pleasure that consumed him from head to toe. In that moment there was only the sound of his own voice shouting out and his harsher cries when the orgasm he’d been denied for more days than he could count went on for so long he thought he might drown.
“That was lovely, my boy.” Blain lifted him in his arms, then gathered all the plushies Avery had made.
He carried him through another set of doors, to a wide mattress set right on the floor. Around them were different rock structures, with water flowing over them, letting out a peaceful sound. Laid on the center of the bed, among blankets and pillows that were all natural colors, the atmosphere reminded Avery of camping by a waterfall.
“Stretch out and rest, little one. I’ll leave the plug. In case you need another orgasm to remind you who’s in control.” He brushed a kiss over Avery’s lips. “I respect your Dom. But I have no issue letting you feel a small taste of the control I have over you.”
The oddest sensation of complete submission combined with an edge Avery couldn’t quite put a finger on drifted over him. Soft as the blankets, but as unyielding and timeless as the stones around the bed. Tenderness and the tiniest bit of terror that he found fascinating. He wondered for the first time at the tight hold Rhodey had on Blain, and what the man might actually be capable of if he were to be unleashed.
Sticky, cooling come coated his belly, sliding with the material of the shorts as he tried to get comfortable. The sleepiness of post orgasm drenched his limbs in a languid heaviness that he found impossible to fight in the face of Blain’s tender mercies. “I had a wonderful time, sir.” The word ‘Daddy’ nearly escaped his tongue, but he bit it back. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure, little one.” Blain sat on the edge of the bed and stroked Avery’s hair, speaking softly. “Get some sleep. I may use the plug again if you wake up. Then I’ll get some fresh clothes for you. And you can have that and not worry. Because it’s what I choose to take from you. Until then? Sleep. You have nothing else to do.”
Orders and obedience were easy. With Rhodey’s proxy in Blain’s hands, Avery obeyed, closing his eyes. Visions of the cottage on the edge of the brook edged out the faces of the plushie animals with bellies full of white fluff. He placed them in the barn with Moscow, and gave a soft sigh.
There was nothing to do but sleep, and dream.
Secure in the knowledge that this was what his Dom wanted for him. A refuge where he could be a version of himself he hadn’t known existed.
Tonight, there was nothing to fight. Only, something soft. The plushies he’d created.
To give to the men he loved.
A symbol of all he’d received. More than fluff. Something to hold on to.
Something that would last.
****
Check back tomorrow for PART 67!
This is so sweet. Thanks for more time with Blaine.
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