by Darien Cox
Shivering, Tim shook his head. “You got abducted that night?”
“Yeah.” Tyler stared down at his hands. “First night back. The Greys took me, right out of my house as usual. They figured out pretty quick that the implants they’d put in me were gone. Then the shit hit the fan. I think they panicked.”
“What did...what did they do?”
“They physically strapped me down. They’d never done that before. I’d screwed myself. I knew this was my final chance to really fight back. Because if they’d decided I needed to be restrained, they’d likely always restrain me from here on, when they abducted me again.”
“What did you do?”
“I didn’t fight when they strapped me down. I made my eyes blank. I pretended to be paralyzed. To be out of it. To be asleep.”
“Did it work?”
“Yes. I made it work. While I was strapped down they put some new implants in me. It was the biggest challenge of my life not to react to the pain of what they were doing. But I managed to use my mind to focus on other thoughts and shut out the pain. Because I had to. It must have convinced them I was really out of it. Once they were done with me, they released my restraints.”
“They did?”
“Yeah. That’s when I knew they bought my sleeping act, probably because I didn’t react to the pain. I knew they bought it because once they released the restraints they were just...doing their thing, shuffling around and cleaning up and shit, like they always did before getting ready to drop me back at home. The adrenaline from fighting not to react to the surgical pain had me so pumped up, I was able to...I had full control of my body. Not just control. I was strong.” A breath whistled out of him. “Strong enough to do what I had to do.” He looked at Tim. “I took care of them.”
Tim’s lips tightened. He knew this part of the story because Nolan told him. “You incapacitated them?”
“You could say that.” Tyler looked down. “I killed them. All four of them.”
Tim didn’t want him to feel a moment of regret. Or of thinking Tim disapproved of his measures. “Good.”
Glancing up, Tyler raised his eyebrows.
“I’m glad you killed them,” Tim said. “They deserved to die.”
“Yeah. I know. I don’t regret it.”
“Good. What happened after?”
Tyler’s eyes became distant, and he was silent for a long time. Tim suspected there were memories he wouldn’t share, and that was fine.
“You don’t have to tell me,” Tim said. “You’ve said so much already.”
“In the end I took the craft down,” he said. “Crashed it.”
“You could have died,” Tim said softly.
“Didn’t care. I was running on pure adrenaline. I just wanted to destroy everything. Everything they did. Everything that represented them. Even if I had to be part of that destruction.”
“I’m really glad you didn’t die.”
Tyler laughed hard and Tim was relieved to hear the genuineness of it. “You’re glad I didn’t die. Thank you. That’s almost better than my ‘You don’t repulse me’ compliment.”
“Yes.” Tim’s own laughter felt like a stress bubble popping. “Such sweet things we say to each other.”
“Seriously though,” Tyler said. “I didn’t tell you this to make you feel bad for me.”
“I know.”
“But without telling you this, you’d never understand the gravity of it when I told you that I can control my dreams. But I really can. And you can learn to do it too, over time. If you need to.”
Tim nodded, understanding that as weird as this conversation was, it was once again about Tyler wanting to make sure Tim was all right. All because he had a stupid dream about bad science fiction movie aliens. Tyler wanted to soothe him, and thusly, shared this deeply personal and painful account. Or maybe Tyler wanted Tim to hear it regardless. Maybe he wanted them to get closer too.
Tim reached over and grabbed Tyler’s hand. “So you still do that? Control your dreams?”
“Yes. Not only that, I’ve expanded on it to study mind-control in other species. I’ve taught it to countless students and soldiers in my role under Ogden at headquarters. And I still practice it frequently to keep my skills sharp. And yet...”
“Yet? What?”
Tyler’s shy smile appeared, and a blush climbed his neck.
“What?” Tim laughed. “What’s that face for?”
“Over the past year while I’ve been away from the village, I’ve been dreaming of you.”
“Of me?” Tim couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face. “You dreamed of me while you were away?”
“Yeah. And I tried to stop. I tried really hard.”
“Oh, thanks a lot!” Tim laughed.
“No, not because of anything bad really.” Tyler chuckled. “I was feeling guilty, like I told you, about what happened. Didn’t seem right to be dreaming about you, especially since some of the dreams were...” He glanced at Tim. “Sexual.”
“Go on. This is getting juicy.”
Shaking his head, Tyler rolled his eyes. “I tried to redirect the dreams. To toss you out. But for some reason no matter what I did you wouldn’t stay out. You just kept...popping right back in, like you belonged there.”
Stunned, Tim didn’t know what to say, but his stomach flipped pleasantly. “Oh.”
Smirking, Tyler mimicked him. “Oh.”
“I mean...” Tim smiled. “Really?”
“Yeah, really. Do you know...do you understand why I’m telling you this now?”
Tim hesitated, confused. “Not exactly. Why?”
“You’ve asked me twice if this is just sex. So I hope this finally answers that question without a doubt. I’m an expert at controlling every corner of my mind. But I couldn’t control dreaming about you. You’re in my head, Tim. You have been for a long time.”
Lifting the sheet, Tim slid over. Resting his head on Tyler’s shoulder, he whispered, “You’re in my head too.”
“I know.”
Smiling, Tim looked up. “Am I that transparent?”
Leaning down, Tyler kissed him. It was a soft, lingering kiss, and it made Tim swoon. When their lips parted, Tyler had that frown of concentration pinching his brows. “You should know that personal relationships are what I have the least experience in. That’s not hyperbole.”
Tim nodded. “I know.”
“You think you can sleep? Still a couple hours ‘til morning.”
“I think so.”
Tyler rolled over and pressed his back into Tim’s chest. Apparently this conversation was over. It was like Tyler only had so much energy to expend on emotional conversation, and once he was done, he was done.
Tim held him close, sighing. He had to remember that this sudden quiet was a part of Tyler as well, and he had to accept that. Tim couldn’t expect constant reassurance, or even constant affection. It seemed in Tyler’s mind, he’d said what he had to say, and Tim should accept it as given and carry on, even during those long bouts of silence. It clearly took more effort for someone like Tyler to speak his truths, so Tim would do his best to be patient.
His dick stirred where it rested against Tyler’s hot skin. But he did nothing about it, didn’t try to get amorous. Hearing Tyler’s breathing go soft and even as he fell asleep was satisfaction enough.
He trusts me.
A profound compliment and an awesome responsibility. One Tim had to try extra hard not to fuck up. Because unlike Tyler, Tim was experienced with personal relationships, and they’d always been smooth sailing for a short time until they ultimately crashed into a wall. But this was different, because he was voluntarily diving into waters he already knew were choppy. Caught in Tyler’s turbulent wake, he was sure it was going to be a bumpy ride.
Snuggling closer to Tyler’s warm body, he held on tight.
****
“WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED! COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!”
Jolted from a sound sleep
, Tim rolled out of bed and dropped onto the floor. Myles stood before the bed in his sheriff’s uniform, holding a megaphone and laughing. “What the fuck, Murph?”
“Good morning, Timothy.”
“You fucking...” Tim snatched the sheet off the mattress to cover his naked body, then climbed back onto the bed. “You fucking asshole, what are you doing?”
“Elliot told me to wake you up.”
“And you couldn’t do so gently?”
“Wouldn’t have been nearly as fun for me. That was quite an amusing sight.”
“I’m sure. You prick, I can’t believe you saw me naked.”
“I’ve seen you naked before.”
“Sure, when we were kids going skinny dipping. In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m a grownup now.”
“Relax, I wasn’t looking at your grownup junk.” Myles set the megaphone down and picked a mug up off the desk. He sat on the edge of the bed and handed it to Tim. “Here you go.”
“Wow. You brought me tea. This almost makes up for giving me heart failure.”
“Elliot was about to pour you coffee but I’m the only one who knew you preferred tea, so I made it happen.”
“Thanks.” He glanced at the ceiling and could now hear voices and laughter filtering down from above. He looked toward the bathroom, noticing the mirror was steamy. Tyler had already gotten up, showered, and left without Tim even stirring. Maybe he needed to lay off the SGW.
“Where is everyone?”
Myles smirked. “You mean where is Tyler?”
“Yes, that’s what I mean.”
“He’s upstairs. For a while he and Christian were going over a schematic of that animatronic thing from the lab.”
“Gator-worm?”
“Huh?”
“Drone thing that Tyler shot in the woods.”
“Yes. I couldn’t understand much of the blueprint they had, but apparently Baz confirmed last night the thing is made from hybrid technology. Can’t really make an argument anymore that the source is human.”
“So it’s likely some alien-hybrid is fucking with me.”
“Yeah. I’m sorry, Tim. I know how scary this shit can be. But Baz has gone full-throttle at the base. Apparently he’s got people going ship-to-ship, section-to-section looking for the source.”
“Hope he finds it. I’m fucking done with this shit.” Tim rubbed sleep out of his eyes. “Tyler’s been saying all along the source is alien in nature. There’ll be no living with him now.”
“Yes, well, he’s been focused on little else since I got here. When did he get up?”
“No idea, I was out for the count.”
“He’s in the movie room with JT now, going over last night’s camera footage from the mountain. Tyler doesn’t strike me as the type to sit still for very long.”
Tim chuckled. “He’s usually in work-mode.”
“He’s kind of...serious, isn’t he?”
“Not always. Not in bed.”
“Hmm.”
“Who else is here?”
“Let’s see, Nolan and Brett went to the lake early to do a dive and check on the sensors down there. Elliot and Christian are in the kitchen. There’s supposed to be a briefing when Brett and Nolan get back from the lake.”
“About?”
“They studied the animatronic thing overnight, Baz came by the lab too. But it’s gone now, Ogden sent a team to retrieve it. I’m sure we’ll find out more at the briefing.”
“The briefing. Suppose I’m just gonna stick around for that now that I slept so late.” Tim winced and sipped his tea. “I was hoping to be able to slip out early before anyone could see me.”
Myles laughed. “Sorry. In Singing Bear Village, the walk of shame comes to you. It’s after eight, you’re usually up by now, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, was up at three smoking weed after a nightmare, probably why I slept late.”
“You smoke weed now? Who are you?”
“I know, I’ve succumbed to peer pressure because of a cute boy. Shit, speaking of cute boys, I need to call Kip. Jesus, I haven’t even checked in.”
“Don’t worry about it. I talked to him this morning, everything’s fine in the forests of Singing Bear Village. Well...everything your work buddies know about anyway.”
“You called Kip? Really?”
“Told you, no privacy with this crew, but they take care of things. I was ordered to make sure your work situation was sorted. Kip thinks you and I are dealing with the state about very important regulatory shit, so act annoyed about it when you go back to work. But enough about that.” He lowered his voice. “What’s going on with Tyler?”
Tim smiled and shook his head. “You don’t get to interrogate me, Sheriff.”
“I most certainly do.” Narrowing his eyes, Myles leaned in close. “Spill.”
“Wow. You’re getting flecks of gray in your beard stubble. I don’t like that because we’re the same age.”
“You probably have gray too, just can’t see it because you’re blond.”
“I do not! Bite your tongue.”
Myles scratched his chin. “Yeah, living with Christian is aging me. So what’s going on with Tyler, damn it? You stayed here with him last night, obviously.”
“You wake me up with a megaphone, make me roll out of bed naked, and now you want details about my love life? What happened to privacy?”
“Have you not been listening? Privacy no longer exists for you.”
“Bullshit. I’ve managed to keep a private life, despite having to deal with the crew upstairs. And I plan to keep it that way.”
“Sure. Good job. Hope you’re not planning to continue dating Tyler then.”
Tim frowned. “Why?”
“Because, my friend, you date one of these guys? Kiss your privacy goodbye.”
“Oh, bullshit.”
“You into him?”
“Why does everyone feel entitled to ask me that question?”
“Because it matters,” Myles said. “I’m trying to tell you how it is and how it’s gonna be if you keep dating him.”
“How would you know?”
“Oh, honey.” Myles smiled. “He works for Ogden.”
“So does Christian, and you guys are fine.”
“Yes, Christian and I are fine. But I have people coming in and out of my house at all hours. Sometimes, if my sheriff’s position serves useful in whatever scheme they’ve got going, they’ll include me in the conversation. Other times, I’m lucky if I get a greeting before they go straight for Christian. Sometimes they just come through the front door of my house and walk around me like I’m a piece of furniture. If it’s work-related and they need to talk to my boyfriend? My privacy does not exist. And neither will yours if you date someone on Ogden’s team.”
Tim remained quiet, scowling into his tea cup.
“So I’ll ask you again. Are you into him?”
“Yes but what does it matter? It’s too new and delicate to start thinking big picture.”
“No, no.” Myles shook his head. “Now is the time to think about it. While it’s still new. Before you get in too deep and can’t get out.”
“Why are you being so cynical? Seriously. First guy I’ve really liked in years and you gotta go all gloom and doom on me.”
“I’m just trying to make sure you understand the changes that will happen to your life if you decide to make one of these guys your boyfriend.”
“My life’s been nothing but change the past year. This is just one more added thing.”
“Okay listen. You’ve always been kind of a rock star in the village. Ranger Tim Patterson. Handsome. Important. One of the faces for sure. Someone to know.”
“Gimme a fucking break. As if any of that even matters in a town this small.”
“I’m glad you feel that way, because it’s about to matter even less. If you keep dating Tyler, I mean. You date one of these guys? Ogden’s crew? Prepare to be a sidekick. You will never, ever be a rock star again
. It’s not possible. Because they are the rock stars, and if you date one, you’re agreeing to play second fiddle, sometimes even servant to their cause.”
“Oh, come on! I’m no one’s servant.”
“Think I’m kidding? I was not prepared for how being Christian Boucher’s boyfriend would amend my life. But I was deep in it with Christian before I found out the truth. By then it was too late, I was already in love.”
“You saying you’d go back in time if you could? Never meet Christian?”
“Of course not, Christian’s the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m just saying, dating one of these guys is not easy. You take a backseat to them because they work for people who protect the fucking planet. That’s hard to compete with. And part of them is always gonna be owned by that, so you best be real fucking secure. Egos die on the battlefield here.”
“Thanks, Myles. Think maybe you can let me finish my tea before you suck all the joy out of my veins? I like this guy.”
“I’m glad you like him. I want you happy. But you’re my best friend, so I feel an obligation to make sure your eyes are fully open. It may seem thrilling right now, the part of him that involves his top-secret job and all. But the credits don’t roll when this mission is over. There’s always another one, the guys are always on call, and we don’t own them. Ogden does.”
Tim snorted. “I don’t want to own Tyler. I just want to be near him. As near as he’ll let me be.”
Myles’ head jerked back. “Shit. It’s already too late, isn’t it?”
“Will you stop talking like I’m turning into a zombie or something? I can handle things with Tyler. I’m not naïve about it. Even he’s given me the talk about his job, so have some faith I’m not about to dive into the deep end without my floaties on.”
“Okay, fine. You’re a big boy. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. You hungry? Nolan made ham quiche and they saved you some.”
Tim groaned, rubbing his eyes. “Yeah, let me get cleaned up and dressed, then I’ll come upstairs. I’m already dreading Elliot harassing me about staying over with Tyler.”
“Elliot’s gonna Elliot.” He slapped Tim’s shoulder then stood. “See you in a few minutes. You want more tea?”