Changing His Reality

by Sophie Martin

  Chapter Four

  Tyler asked Jason for permission and went to his bedroom to make a phone call. He wasn’t sure how Jiminy would react, but he was sure it would be extreme. Jim was like that. When he was happy, he was ecstatic. When he was sad, he was on the verge of tears. There was no middle ground for Jiminy Jones. His brother was the opposite. He was the calm one, the thinker. Sure he could be dynamite when he wanted, but usually he was glad to stay to the side and observe. He and Jiminy were identical twins, but personality-wise they couldn’t be different. Tyler typed the number and waited for a signal. There were a few beeps, and then a reluctant voice saying, “Hello?”

  “Hi Jim, it’s Tyler—” Before he could finish a sentence, an excited voice interrupted him.

  “Oh my god, Tyler where have you been, you crazy bastard? How could you disappear on me like that and for over a month? Do you know how worried I’ve been? What have you been doing all this time you—”

  “Jim.” Tyler tried to stop the stream of words, but Jim kept talking. “Jim,” he repeated, and when it still didn’t stop his friend, he shouted, “Jim!”

  “What?” came the answer.

  “I’m sorry I disappeared, but I couldn’t help it. If you listen to me for a moment without interrupting, I’ll explain it all to you, okay?”

  “Yeah, all right.” Jim sounded as if all the air left him. “But Ty, I was really worried about you, you know. With Timmy’s disappearance and all, I thought…” Tyler’s friend sounded close to tears.

  “I know, Jimmy, I know. Now listen while I tell you exactly what happened.” And Tyler did. He told his best friend everything, like he always did. He told him about the vampire and his goons, about the smelly warehouse and being kept in a cage, about Toby’s help and then Jason’s appearance. He described how Jason’s power freed him and made him healthy at the same time. He told his friend about coming with Jason and Toby to Jason’s house and their discussion at breakfast. Finally he asked Jim to send him most of his stuff.”

  “But Ty, this thing with life-debt, it is an ancient custom. You were always so anti-tradition, didn’t believe in all these old shifter ceremonies.”

  “Yeah, I know, Jim, but I’ve got my reasons.” Tyler didn’t want to elaborate.

  “Have you, now? And would they have anything to do with these men you’ll be living with?”

  “They might.” He admitted. He knew his friend would see right through his excuses.

  “Really?” There was amusement in Jim’s voice. “They might? Tyler, you old dog, you!” his friend exclaimed. Then he laughed and finished. “Okay, I won’t pester you for more info. I’ll leave you alone, stud.”

  Tyler didn’t get to voice his disbelief because Jim finished after a small pause. “At least for now!” Tyler smiled to himself and listened to Jim assuring him that he’d send everything he’d need. Then his voice sobered when he asked, “But what with Timmy, Ty? How do I go about finding him now?” His voice was suddenly small and unsure. Fortunately Ty already had an answer for this question.

  “I did some digging, J,” he said quickly. “It looks like there is this supernatural PI living near the place that Toby pointed us to. I got you his details. Contact him, explain the situation. See what he can do for you.”

  “Thanks, Ty.” Jim was clearly on the verge of crying. “I have no idea what I’d have done without you.”

  “You’d manage,” Tyler said. “You’re strong. Stronger than you give yourself credit for. You just need to believe it.”

  “Yeah, thanks Ty.” Some sniffling could be heard, and Jim finished. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had. You’re the closest person to me after Tim. I’m so glad to have you in my life.”

  “Yeah, me too,” said Tyler. Then he cleared his throat. “Now, enough with this mushy stuff. We both have things to do.” They both said their good-byes, and after assuring each other they’d see each other soon, Tyler hung up.

  He sat there in his new bedroom and thought of his friends. Jiminy was a good guy. They met soon after Tyler decided to leave his family and start a life on his own. He wasn’t close with his parents or siblings, but they weren’t at odds either. They called each other every so often and met every once in a while. Still, when he left his hometown, he left behind everything he knew. As a tiger, he wasn’t a very social person and didn’t make friends easily. Still alone in a big city, he felt kinda lonely.

  That’s when he met Jiminy. He designed a webpage for his and Tim’s online business. They hit it off immediately and became best friends. Tyler felt closer to Jim, but he did like Tim as well. One of the things they had in common was being a paranormal creature. Despite what movies and books portrayed, paranormals weren’t really that common. Meeting one even in a big city wasn’t easy. Even for Tyler, who had a very good sense of smell and could detect a paranormal thanks to that. So meeting the brothers Jones was a stroke of luck on his part. Sure, they weren’t tigers or even shifters, but because they knew of the paranormal world, he didn’t have to hide his true nature from them. It was liberating.

  Tyler’s thoughts shifted to his present circumstances. Both men he would be living with knew of his second nature. They saw his tiger and weren’t afraid. Hell, Toby even tried to wrestle him from the bed and Jason…well, Jason had nothing to fear. With a power like his, he could probably make mankind disappear in a span of seconds. Tyler thought that he should be terrified of him. Instead, he felt weirdly turned on. Just a thought of dominating somebody with such power was enough to make him hard. To have Jason willingly submit to Tyler would be his biggest achievement.

  Tyler’s thoughts turned to Toby. That boy was something else. Shy and timid, he still had shown an incredible courage when smuggling Ty food while in vampire’s clutches. Then, when he did not cower in fear from an enormous tiger but tried to push him off the bed so as not to anger their host…. Tyler smiled thinking of the situation. He could also tell Toby was attracted to both him and Jason. Strangely enough, it didn’t bother Ty. He was attracted to both Toby and Jason as well. He thought he might be selfish, but he wanted both men for his own. He didn’t predict too much resistance from Toby. Jason though…Jason was another story entirely. He was really hard to read. He didn’t give off scent of emotions. Tyler could smell those scents to a degree. He could recognize anger, happiness, and sadness when they were strong enough. Still, as Jason told them, he did not feel emotions. And when he did, they were mild at best.

  Tyler also couldn’t read Jason’s mood from his face. Sure, the man did smile a few times, but that was all. He also frowned once or twice. But for being with someone as long as Tyler was with Jason—over a day—he would usually see hundreds or even thousands of emotions on their face and smell dozens of them. Not so with Jason. Tyler had no idea what Jason thought of them both, if he was attracted to them, hell, even if he was gay or straight. The man was an enigma, a mystery to be solved. He was a challenge. Good thing then, that Tyler loved a good challenge. Tyler got up and started towards the stairs to see what the two men were up to. He smiled to himself, thinking of what a hard nut to crack Jason was. Tyler suspected it would take both him and Toby to do it.

  * * * *

  “Hey, Tyler, Jason is taking me to do some clothes shopping and to look for the book he lost when he got kidnapped, you wanna go with us?” Toby’s cheery voice greeted Ty when he entered the kitchen. The boy seemed excited like a little puppy. Gone was the shyness from earlier that day. He looked much younger than his twenty-two years. “I’m so excited,” he chatted. “I haven’t got any new clothes since I left my last foster family. Well, except for the ones Master bought me to put on display before his business partners, but they were always his kind of clothes, not mine. If I were to choose them, I would never wear them.” He smiled from ear to ear. Tyler couldn’t help but be excited with him.

  “Sure, I’ll go with you. I could use a walk after being cooped up in a cage for so long. I feel slightly claustrophobic,” Jason go
t down from his bedroom right then and said.

  “Very well, then. It’s not a long walk. The town is rather small, but it’s a walk nonetheless. Let’s go now.”

  The weather was really nice, and the walk was pleasant. Tyler enjoyed shopping with Toby even if the young man was as undecided as a woman. He would fuss over what kind of clothes to choose with every single purchase. He also checked the price tags almost compulsively, and if something exceeded the amount he thought acceptable, he’d put it away even if it fit him in every other aspect. Finally Jason intervened.

  “Toby, it’s not like I’m some kind of millionaire, but I’m not a beggar either. You can choose whatever you like. You don’t have to worry about price. I earn enough to put some sum into saving every month, and I have nothing to spend it on. I will gladly lend you this money until you can find a job and start supporting yourself,” he said, watching Toby’s fidgeting. It was clear something besides money bothered the young man.

  “But what if I can’t find a job? I don’t have any education, who’ll hire me?” Toby was clearly distressed. Tyler wanted to comfort him somehow, but he had no idea how. Fortunately once again, Jason had a ready answer.

  “I thought about it, and I think they might hire you part-time in the shelter where I work. You won’t need any schooling to clean pens and to walk dogs. They won’t pay you much, but it will be a job, and you can look about continuing your education.”

  “Really?” There were unshed tears in Toby’s eyes. “You’d put in a good word for me at your workplace?”

  “Sure thing, kid. You need job and they need help. Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” Toby jumped at Jason and hugged him hard. “You won’t regret it, I promise. I’ll be the best pen cleaner and dog walker ever!” Both Tyler and Jason laughed at the promise.

  After that, Toby visibly relaxed and started enjoying the shopping trip. It was good to see him so carefree, behaving his age. After completing some basic wardrobe, they headed back towards home. Reaching the alley where his kidnapping took place, Jason started looking around for his book. Unfortunately all he found were two torn pages. The whole book was missing. Jason sighed and resigned himself to either buying it again or borrowing from the library. They were about to go back home when Ty asked, “Why don’t you, you know, use your power to get it back?”

  Jason only looked at him like he was insane and answered, “That would be cheating.”

  “Huh?” Tyler didn’t understand. Jason rolled his eyes in another sign of emotion, and Tyler smiled.

  “I do not use my so-called powers for such trivial things. Since I got it, I only used it what, three, four times? I don’t know what kind of consequences using it carries, where it comes from—nothing. Why should I risk everything for such a stupid thing like a book? I can buy it. I can borrow it from library. Why should I ‘wish it back?’” He made small quotation marks with his fingers.

  “Well, I guess it makes sense. When I got into fights when I was younger I didn’t ‘tiger out’ on the other guys’ asses just to win. I guess it’s kinda similar with your powers. That you have it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to use them all the time.”

  “Yep, that’s what I meant.” Jason nodded. “They’re convenient in dire and extreme circumstances, but I wouldn’t use them in everyday life.” Toby watched them with his eyes wide open. He was also nervously looking around.

  “Can we please go home now? This alley is kind of creepy. I don’t like it here at all,” he said in a wavering voice.

  “Sure thing, kid.” Jason answered and laughed seeing Toby grimace.

  “I’m not a kid.” Toby actually pouted. It looked funny on a grown man’s face, and Tyler felt laughter bubbling just beneath the surface. Still he answered.

  “Sure you’re not. You’re all kinds of grown up.” He measured Toby with an over-exaggerated lustful gaze. Toby only sighed and shook his head.

  “Could you be serious for once?” he said in exasperation and turned to leave. Tyler winked at smiling Jason and laughed quietly under his breath. Riling the kid up was really funny. And he did manage to turn his attention away from the creepy alley. Mission accomplished! Tyler put his hands in his pockets and started after Toby, Jason right behind him.

  “You’re a devious person,” said the man who saved them. “You know that, right?”

  “Hey, I’m a tiger, man, what did you expect me to be? Tigers are cunning creatures. They need to be, they’re predators.” Tyler smiled at Jason, who answered.

  “I guess you’re right.” There was a longer moment of silence when they caught up to Toby, and all three were walking together towards home. Finally Jason broke the silence. “So does every shape-shifter take on attributes of his or her animal? Or is it only you?” he asked, and it seemed like he thought some on this matter.

  “Well, I don’t know really.” Tyler was surprised by the question. “I only know my family, never met other shifters, besides the wolves that worked for the vampire. And we are all a bit of loners and like to keep to ourselves. But it may as well be a family trait, not necessarily a tiger one. We are similar to our tiger in that we prefer to wait and observe instead of jumping headfirst into a situation. That’s how a tiger attacks its prey. But, as I don’t know any other tigers or different kinds of shifters, it may as well be a fluke.”

  “Hmm, that’s interesting,” said Jason thoughtfully. “I wonder if it’s really how it is. Taking on a trait of your animal.” He paused. “Well, unless we meet more shifters, I guess we’ll never know.” They walked for a while in a companionable silence.

  “So why don’t you know any other shifters? Is your family some kind of outcasts, or is it normal to live on your own and all the books have it wrong with packs and stuff?” fired Toby suddenly, looking embarrassed for some reason. Tyler was once again surprised by the question. He didn’t expect the men to be so curious about his shifter nature. He guessed in his mind it was Jason’s ability that was more interesting, but he might have been biased as he lived his entire life being a tiger-shifter.

  “Um, no, not that I know of. My parents never said anything about being outcasts or anything. They never spoke about their pasts, really. But none of us children asked either. It’s not like we missed anything by not being a part of some bigger shifter community. At least I don’t think so. I wouldn’t know as I’ve never been a part of one. Still, one thing I know is that shifters are not as common as books and movies portray them to be. My parents told me that they never met another shifting creature in their lives. Not a wolf or anything else. So I guess it would be hard to form bigger packs if we’re so rare.”

  “Huh,” was Toby’s answer. They walked again in silence until Jason interrupted it.

  “So hey, what are the odds that three different paranormal creatures met? A tiger-shifter, a vampire, and a fey? That must be pretty unusual, huh?”

  “Four,” said Toby quietly.

  “What is it?” Jason didn’t hear him.

  “Four different paranormal creatures.” Toby spoke a little more loudly. “A tiger-shifter, a vampire, a fey, and a person who can change reality with their words.”

  Jason grimaced. “I guess you’re right. I should start thinking of myself as a paranormal as well. It’s kind of hard though. I don’t feel like I’m a paranormal. I think of myself as a normal human with just some quirks.”

  “Yeah,” laughed Tyler. “Some quirks you’ve got there, normal human!” Jason paused mid-stride. Then he joined in a laugh.

  “I guess you’re right. It does sound funny to call it a quirk, doesn’t it?”

  “Yep, it does.” Soon they were all laughing together reaching Jason’s house. They were very comfortable with each other as they entered the door. Tyler thought that this whole living together idea might be not so bad after all. His odds on convincing Jason to give them both a chance were looking brighter by the minute.

  Chapter Five

  A month has pa
ssed since the three men had started living together, and Jason was starting to get used to having emotions once again. Oh, it wasn’t like before his change, not even close, but still he had more of them than he thought was possible.

  He was pretty sure the return of his feelings had to have something to do with his guests. When he was out working, he felt nothing, just like before. Well, that wasn’t exactly true. He could feel some emotions, but they were muted, mild at best. He did get sad or glad at some of the animals’ stories. But that was it. He didn’t get those full-blown emotions that he experienced at home or even during his breaks that he spent with Toby.

  Toby did get a job cleaning pens and walking dogs, just like Jason thought. It wasn’t much, and pay wasn’t that good, but Toby was ecstatic about it. For the first time in life, he had his own money. He insisted on paying rent, but when Jason did not agree, he decided to pay a third of all bills, including food purchases. Jason couldn’t find a reason to decline this offer, and so Toby got his way. He was now coming out of his shell and becoming a new cheery self.

  For Jason, it was hard. Like literally hard. Every time Toby got this delighted look on his face when he discovered something he liked, Jason got instantly hard. When it happened for the first time, it shocked him so badly that he stood up and left the room without a word.

  As he did not have much of a libido since his transformation, he didn’t know what to think about its return. It shouldn’t be surprising that his libido increased after he got back his emotions, and yet it was. Maybe because a lack of feelings was more perceptible in everyday life and he all but forgot about his sex drive…. He didn’t know. Still, since that first time, he was in an almost constant state of arousal when any of the two men were near.