Credo Quia Absurdum

by Sophie Martin

  “Oh?” Tim got a little bit more alert.

  “Yeah, I’ve got a feeling you don’t want your brother to know about it.”

  “You’re right. It’s the last thing I want for him, to worry about me even more. He does enough of worrying as it is.”

  “Yeah, but as he’s your twin, and while living together in the same apartment, you might have a problem hiding it from him. I thought about it, and you know, Mrs. Downey’s apartment has three bedrooms. You could move in with me, as my flatmate, that is, and I would always be close if you needed help. And you said you think my cousin and your brother might have a thing, so…” He was rambling and he knew it. “What I’m asking is, would you like to move in with me?” Wow, that came out wrong! But it would be worse if I started to explain myself. Tim looked thoughtful for a moment before answering slowly, with consideration.

  “Let me think about it, huh?”

  “Yeah, sure, okay. Take as long as you need, the spare bedroom isn’t going anywhere.”

  “Right.” Timiny smiled and asked, “So, when are you moving?”

  “I don’t know, probably in a couple of days. Linda gave me a week to get all of my things.”

  “Wow, a charmer.”

  “She is, isn’t she?” Joel laughed bitterly. “I don’t know how I have ever thought about spending the rest of my life with her.”

  “We all make mistakes when we think we’re in love.”

  Joel thought Tim was speaking from his own experience, but before he could ask about it, the door opened and his cousin walked in, with a carbon copy of Tim in tow. Joel got up and approached Dom.

  “Well, well, well, if it’s not my prodigal cousin, the one that can turn into an animal and never mentioned anything to me. How’re you doing, fur-ball?” he asked with a smirk and embraced Dom. Dominic relaxed and hugged him back.

  “Well, I can’t turn into an animal, actually, at least not yet, and I only just discovered that I’m a werewolf. I bet I was more surprised than you were when you learned about the paranormal world.”

  “Yeah.” Joel laughed. “I just bet you were. Gone into heat, have you?”

  “Hey!” Dominic turned to Tim. “You didn’t have to tell him that particular bit!” he grumbled. Tim only smiled that reserved smile of his.

  “Sure I did. It was the whole point of the story, wasn’t it? That’s how you learned about being a wolf shifter. They’re the only ones who go into heat.”

  Dominic huffed, annoyed, but said nothing. He came all the way in, letting Jim come inside after him. Dom draped his shoulder over Jiminy’s and pulled the fey closer.

  “Joel, I’d like you to meet Jimmy, my…boyfriend?” he said, lifting his voice in a question at the last word and looking at Jim. Jiminy smiled and nodded in confirmation. “Boyfriend,” Dom stated more decidedly and then added, “Though we hope to become mates soon. Did Tim explain to you about mates?”

  “Yeah.” Joel smiled. “He did. Well then, I guess congratulations are in order.”

  “Wait with it until we actually do the deed,” Dom said.

  They all came into the living area and sat on sofas.

  “So, you know the story,” Dominic started. “Now, what’s yours? You didn’t call to tell me you were gonna crash at my place.” There was no accusation in Dom’s voice, only curiosity. Joel lost his happy mask as he thought about his ex.

  “Linda and I broke up. She kicked me out of our apartment.”

  Dominic’s eyes grew huge at the statement. “Man, that’s harsh. You were together for what, five, six years?”

  “Five and a half, but hey, who’s counting, right?” Joel tried to smile, he really did, but the thought of all this lost time turned the grin into a bitter twist of his mouth.

  “Shit, I’m really sorry. What happened?” Dominic was there for him, like always. Joel wondered how he could have let Linda dictate his life so much that he nearly lost contact with the person who was like a brother to him. He shook his head and answered his cousin’s question sincerely.

  “Well, one day she up and said she doesn’t love me anymore. Oh, and that we will be happier apart than we are together, and that it will be beneficial for both of us. Anyway, she told me to find someplace else to live, so I came to yours to crash for few days while figuring out what to do now.”

  “Hell, bro, I have no idea what to say…”

  Joel concurred. What was there to say? He himself had been speechless when the bitch told him to basically get lost. He’d known they were growing apart, but he never expected her to treat him like this.

  They were interrupted by Tim getting up and pulling his brother after him.

  “Let us leave you guys alone,” the pixie said. “I’m sure you’ve got lots to discuss, and I’d love to catch up with my brother as well.” They then left the room and Joel watched Dominic follow Jim with a yearning gaze.

  “Wow, you’ve got it bad, mate.” Joel laughed, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. Dominic glared at him, but Joel only rolled his eyes and kept his feet where they were. His cousin could, at times, be really uptight and unreasonable when it came to little things.

  “So… What are your plans when it comes to finding a place to live?” Dom asked, and Joel was happy to have the answer ready.

  “Well, it’s all sorted now. You’ll be glad to hear I dealt with it while you were gone.” He grinned saying so.

  “Is that so? And just where is it that you’re moving to?” he asked, and Joel could feel his grin widen at the surprise he had for his cousin.

  “Not far at all,” he said. “As a matter of fact, just across the hall.”

  “What?” Dom frowned. “But that’s where Mrs. Downey lives, the old lady from whom the Jones brothers are renting a room for a workshop.”

  “Yep, but it looks like Mrs. Downey wanted to move in with her sister for a while and didn’t want to sell her apartment, as she wants to leave it to her grandson in the future. So she is more than happy to let me rent it for now, since she knows me and all.”

  “She always liked you better,” said Dominic with a mock frown.

  “Well, she has a great taste in men, then.” Joel laughed and changed the subject to something lighter.

  * * * *

  “You sure you want to do it?” Joel asked, parking his car in an empty space in front of his old apartment building. “You could still stay in the car and let me handle it myself.”

  “Yes, I’m sure. You helped me with my problem. It’s only fair that I help you with yours,” Timiny said and opened the passenger door to exit the car.

  “Yeah, but your problem didn’t get snappy and unpleasant with me.”

  “Nope, but it sure caused you some discomfort, right?” Tim smirked, lightening the mood.

  “I wouldn’t call it discomfort exactly,” Timiny thought he heard Joel mutter.

  They approached the building and Joel used his keys to go inside. He was supposed to pack all of his things today and leave the keys to Linda. Tim was rather curious about the woman. He didn’t really know what to expect. They walked up the stairs instead of using the lift, as it was merely the first floor, and soon Joel was ringing the doorbell. Timiny watched the naturally easygoing man become tense and watchful in a span of seconds. It was amazing, really. It almost seemed like the man was preparing for something unpleasant to happen. If he’d reacted to Linda like this before, it was no surprise they broke up. Nobody could survive in a relationship that made them constantly unhappy and tense. The door opened, and a tall, slim blonde opened the door.

  “Oh, it’s you,” she said, sounding disappointed, and left the door open letting them in.

  “Did you expect someone else? We did have a meeting set for today, right?” Joel’s voice was defensive.

  “Yeah, we did.” Linda’s words were short, clipped. “Go on, pack it all up. I already have someone set to move into the spare bedroom tomorrow.”

  “You what?”

  “What? I need help wi
th bills, you know? Now that you’re not gonna be here to pay half of it, I had to find a flatmate.”

  “So, what, now it’s my fault you kicked me out of our apartment?”

  “Stop nitpicking, will you?” Linda pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

  “You’re smoking again?”

  “Yes, I don’t need to hide from you anymore. I can smoke wherever and whenever I like.” The woman smirked as she managed to look down at Joel. Not an easy feat, since the man was taller than her. Tim heard Joel growl, and if he didn’t know any better, he’d peg the man for a shifter, not a human. Timiny decided it was time for his intervention, since Joel’s hands fisted as if he was ready to do something drastic.

  “So, where are your things, Joel? The faster we start packing, the quicker we’ll be done with it,” he said matter-of-factly.

  “Right.” Joel shook himself of his anger and turned to the pixie. “Let’s start in the bedroom, shall we? I didn’t take all my clothes, and there should be some personal items in there as well.” The man led him to the bedroom, and Tim couldn’t help but appreciate Joel’s nice backside.

  They made quick work of packing up the bedroom then moved to the living room, and after that, to the spare bedroom, where some of Joel’s exercising equipment was kept. All the while, Linda hovered in the back of the room with her ever-present cigarette in hand. Tim could see how much it irritated Joel, and he did his best to distract his new friend. They finished with the last items that could be found in the hallway closet and turned to leave. All in all, everything Joel owned fit into four large boxes and two duffel bags. Not very impressive for a thirtysomething man. At the door, Joel turned to Linda, who was still breathing down their necks.

  “I set a redirection of my mail with the post office, but if there are any letters or packages for me in the next few days, could you please post them to this address? I’ll pay you the cost of resending them. I’ll transfer the money straight to your account.” He gave the woman a piece of paper with his new address on it. She glanced at it and put it in her back pocket.

  “I guess that’s all,” he said slowly, hesitantly, then bent down quickly and planted a small kiss on her cheek. “Have a good life, Linda. I really hope you’ll find what you’re looking for.” The woman seemed startled, but Tim could detect a small spark of emotion in her eyes. She cared after all. Her expression softened for a moment, then she said quietly, “You, too, Joel. God knows I couldn’t give you what you really need,” she said and looked pointedly at Tim.

  There was a massage in that look. His fey intuition supplied him with information. What it was, however, he couldn’t tell. Next thing he knew, the door shut in both their faces, and Joel turned to Tim with a sad smile on his face.

  “That went well, all things considered, don’t you think?”

  “Yeah.”

  They picked up the boxes and bags and started tumbling down the corridor to the lifts. No point in falling down the stairs carrying all that stuff.

  “What was that thing at the door all about?” Tim asked. “What is it that she couldn’t give you?”

  “I’m not sure.” Joel’s voice sounded disinterested as he spoke. “She kept repeating it over the last few months, asking if I was getting everything I needed from her. I never knew what she meant. Sure, I felt we were growing apart, but it had nothing to do with me needing something she wasn’t giving me. The spark simply died over time, you know? But when she broke up with me, she said that she was tired of trying to give me all that I needed, and failing. I thought it was just an excuse, you know? But maybe she really felt like that. I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter now, anyway. Let’s pack all this stuff into the car and be on our way. I still need to unpack in Mrs. Downey’s apartment.”

  “It’s now your apartment, remember?” Tim smiled at him and was rewarded with Joel’s crooked grin.

  “It is, isn’t it? It’s time to start a new chapter of my life.”

  Chapter Four

  Okay, it was official. Tim had to agree to Joel’s offer. He had spent the last week with a newly mated Jim and Dominic and had had enough of it. They were sickeningly sweet, giving Tim a toothache, and went at it like rabbits, not a wolf shifter and pixie. Then, there was the little thing of his “dust allergy,” In Tim’s opinion, it sounded much better than all other terms under which it was known.

  It was getting harder and harder to hide his ever-growing irritability, jumpiness, and the sensitivity of his skin and wings from his watchful twin. Jim was tuned in to his emotions perfectly, and if it wasn’t for his raging mating hormones, he’d have long ago discovered Tim’s problem. Tim was beat and felt humiliated. He hated asking for Joel’s help and postponed it as long as he could, but right now, the problem was getting impossible to ignore any longer.

  Tim emerged from his workroom, not wearing a shirt, and in sweatpants only. His skin was getting too sensitive for pants as well, but it was still bearable. He spied Joel on the sofa, reading some papers. He was probably helping his uncle with another case. The investigative work seemed to be far less glamorous than one would think. Joel specialized in finance tracking and spent most his time at work either scanning through tons of papers or on his laptop, doing the same with web pages.

  The man looked positively delicious with his dishevelled looks and finger-combed hair. Tim noticed Joel had a habit of running his fingers through his hair whenever he was at loss or trying to figure some question, as he was doing right now. Hearing Timiny’s approach, Joel lifted his head and smiled with relief.

  “Are you having a break? I’ll take one, too. Are you up for a cup of tea?” the human asked.

  “Yeah, that’d be great.” Tim nodded, grateful for a chance to put off the uncomfortable conversation. Joel made tea and pulled out some biscuits from the cupboard. Tim discovered, to his greatest amusement, that Dominic’s cousin had quite a sweet tooth. He could be seen at all times nibbling at something sweet.

  They sat at the table and sipped their beverages in a companionable silence. Finally, Tim gathered his courage and started the sore subject he needed to discuss.

  “I’ve been thinking about your proposition, Joel.”

  “Hmm.” The noncommittal sound gave Timiny the courage to finish what he had to say.

  “I think the idea of moving in with you is good. I’m getting symptoms again, and it’s getting harder and harder to keep them from Jimmy. If he wasn’t so wrapped up in Dominic and their new mating, he’d have discovered what was happening to me already.”

  “Are you getting worse? Do you need my help?” Joel was suddenly very alert.

  “Yeah, your help would be very much appreciated. It’s not as bad as before, but I’m getting there. Better to prevent it early enough so that I don’t turn into a ball of pain and misery, yeah?”

  “Shit, man, why didn’t you say something sooner? I told you I’m ready to help you anytime you need me to. I can’t have my cousin’s brother-in-law suffering, can I?” Joel tried to lighten the mood and succeeded.

  “Yeah, that would look bad, wouldn’t it? Abandoning your family in need like that, huh?” Tim laughed with relief now that he knew Joel would help him.

  “Okay, so let’s finish the tea and biscuits, and then I can help you. How about that?”

  “Ooo-kay.” Tim grinned to cover his sudden nervousness. Sure, he knew Joel was simply a good person trying to help someone in need, but what they were about to do was as intimate as a pixie could be without actually having sex. Tim still felt bad for putting Joel in this position, but he had no choice. He only hoped that the obviously straight human could stand getting hard because of a male pixie and that he wouldn’t hate Tim afterwards. It would make for some really uncomfortable family meetings.

  They finished their tea and stood up, busying themselves with washing mugs and plates.

  “Okay.” It was clear that Joel was as nervous as Tim, and it weirdly made the pixie relax. “So, should we go to my bedroom?”

&
nbsp; “Are you trying to seduce me, human?” Tim joked with a straight face and laughed out loud when Joel started sputtering. “Hey, don’t worry, I’m just kidding. Your chastity is safe with me. But to answer your question, how about we sit on the sofa? I can sit in front of you and stretch my wings to give you easier access. I don’t need to lie down. Last time, I was forced to lie still because the symptoms were so much worse, but now I’m comfortable enough to stay seated.”

  “Okay, all right, good.” Joel was still nervous but less so. It seemed that Tim’s distraction worked, and the human relaxed slightly. They did like Timiny suggested, and both took a seat on a sofa. Tim leaned slightly forward and stretched his wings, opening them, not to their fullest, but enough that Joel had access to every one of them.

  Having two pairs of wings, it wasn’t enough to have only one of them stimulated. It was similar to trying to stimulate human erogenous zones by stroking only one tiny patch of skin all the time. It didn’t work. A person would get irritated after a while, not turned on.

  As Tim sat there, he tried to appear relaxed. He needed to make it look like it wasn’t such a big deal having his wings stroked by a man who was barely more than a stranger. It wasn’t easy, that was for sure, but he couldn’t put more pressure on Joel than the man already felt. A human couldn’t possibly understand how very intimate it was to have one’s wings stroked. None of the other paranormals, not even another type of fey, could understand it. It was something exclusive to pixies. Tim took a deep breath and released it slowly.

  “Go on, you can start,” he said to Joel.

  “Right.” Joel didn’t say another word as he started petting the delicate appendages. Timiny could feel heat rising in his belly and his cock growing hard. He ignored it, closing his eyes and thinking of something, anything else but what was happening. Close your eyes and think of England, huh? He smiled as the thought invaded his mind. He was trying to endure, just not in the way that advice was meant. Nope, he was trying not to blow his load from having his wings stroked. That was different.