Credo Quia Absurdum

by Sophie Martin

  Still, Tim didn’t have friends even in fey world, and now, in the human one, he could count them on the fingers of one hand. There was Tyler, Dominic, whom he had to like as they were brothers-in-law, then Toby—the little not-quite-human had wormed his way into Tim’s heart—and finally, Joel. With Joel he felt the closest, and not only because of the help the man offered with Tim’s “dust allergy” problem. The big human had an easygoing way about him that spoke to Tim. The pixie felt internally that he could trust the man. Also, his magic was drawn to Joel, and fey magic was rarely, if ever, wrong.

  Tim lay there, waiting for Joel to wake up with dread. The man was straight, for fuck’s sake. He said he had never been attracted to another man before. What if it was all Tim’s dust’s fault? What if it made Joel do what he did? The man would never forgive Timiny if that was the case.

  “You’re thinking too loud!” Joel suddenly spoke, startling Tim.

  “Huh?”

  “I can almost hear those tiny wheels in your head turning. Relax.” Joel laughed. Then he groaned as his dick slipped out of Tim’s channel. “I guess the afterglow is over now?” he said, his voice still relaxed. “I’m gonna go clean myself then we can talk.”

  Tim didn’t want to wait. He mumbled the cleaning spell, and Joel startled. “Or we can talk now, I guess. That’s some nifty trick you’ve got there, pixie.”

  “Well, my magic ought to be good for something, right?” Tim said, not knowing how to start the conversation.

  “Yeah, and cleaning oneself after sex is a great use for it. I won’t argue with that.” Joel chuckled and sat up, pulling himself up to rest against the headboard. Tim joined him in similar position but didn’t look at the man.

  “Okay,” Joel spoke suddenly, and Tim’s heart nearly stopped in his chest, waiting for the verdict. “Listen, I won’t hide that what we did was unexpected, to say the least.” Joel cleared his throat and continued after a deep breath. “But it was also magnificent. I was honest when I said I’ve never been attracted to another man before, but it is also true that I find you pretty attractive. I have no idea what it all means. If it’s because you’re fey, or your mating dust, or simply I’m just now discovering my true sexual orientation.

  “It doesn’t matter, anyway. What matters is that I loved what we did together, and I want to see if it’s a fluke, or if there is something more between us.” Tim braved a look at the man at that and saw uncertainty in Joel’s eyes. “I might have been straight up till now, and not so good at relationships, but this thing we’ve got”—he gestured his hand between them—”it’s different. I value you as a friend, and the chemistry between us proved to be explosive. So, what I’m trying to say is that if what I feel is mutual, would you like to try and make it work?”

  “And by ‘make it work’ you mean?” Tim wasn’t going to hope, nope, he wasn’t.

  “I mean, let me keep helping you, for starters. Come to me with any problems you’ve got, not only the ones pertaining to your ‘dust allergy.’ Let me try and be there for you, and see where it takes us. What do you say?”

  “I’ll say I’m all for that. There are many obstacles between us, what with me being pixie fey and you human, but what the hell? Let’s give it a go!”

  “Great!” Joel couldn’t stop grinning, and Tim felt an answering grin split his face.

  “But let’s keep it quiet for now. I don’t want my brother or your cousin worrying about this.”

  “No, you’re absolutely right. Let’s keep it between us.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay.” They kept grinning like loons until Joel got a mischievous expression on his face and asked, “So… How about we try that thing again, without dust this time? Do you think I can make you beg without touching your wings?”

  “Well, we’ll have to see, won’t we?”

  “Is that a challenge, pixie?” Joel mock-frowned.

  “It most definitely is, human!” Tim smirked then yelped when Joel grabbed him and pulled him into their first real kiss. And what a kiss it was, a toe-curling, butterflies-inducing, heated, liquid, sex-on-a-stick kind of kiss. And what followed after was even better.

  * * * *

  Joel came back from work and went in search of Tim. While the investigation wasn’t going so well, their strange relationship flourished. Right now, he wanted to find his pixie and vent. He was getting progressively more frustrated with his job as Bradshaw’s driver. The only thing he’d managed to learn in the couple of months he worked there was that the man had a mistress on the side, one his wife knew nothing about.

  While Jack confirmed Bradshaw was indeed the man known to the cuberow shifter as Mr. Z, Joel had discovered nothing about the man’s involvement in trafficking. It seemed like his only crime was having some seriously disturbing sexual habits. Joel found Tim in the pixie’s studio and knocked on the doorframe, asking if he could come in.

  “Oh, hi, Joel!” Tim turned and smiled, waving to an armchair for the man to sit. “What’s up?” he asked and turned back to what he was working on. They had an easy relationship between them. They could spend time together not being constantly focused on one another. Joel threw himself in the chair with a huff and drove his fingers through his thick, dark hair.

  “Nothing, that’s the problem. I found absolutely nothing about Bradshaw’s involvement with traffickers, besides being the client of that awful establishment. It’s like he had nothing to do with it, besides the obvious.”

  “Well…” Tim hesitated. He was still uneasy when talking about what had happened to him while in captivity. “I’m sure something will come up soon. Maybe you simply weren’t there when he was doing whatever it is Annette suspects him of doing.”

  “But that’s just it. I was there to witness his visits to the mistress. I was there when he went to that…”

  “Brothel, you can say the word, Joel. I knew what was happening in that place when I was kept there. I knew there were willing humans working there that knew nothing of us being kept in the basement. It’s all right to speak about it. It doesn’t traumatize me.” He glanced at Joel with a reassuring smile before focusing on his work again.

  “Right.” Joel cleared his throat and continued the thought, feeling some idea niggle at the back of his mind. There was something there, as if he wasn’t connecting all the dots, and thus couldn’t see the whole picture. “So, yeah, I was there when he visited that brothel, but he was there as a client. I spied on him, and he never went to discuss business with the owner. The owner only ever treated him like a very prominent customer, nothing more. I spoke to different people, I tried all approaches possible, and there is nothing, absolutely nothing to indicate he is fully involved in trafficking. It’s almost as if…” It clicked then, and the thought niggling at him fully formed. “What if we’re looking at it all wrong?” he asked all of a sudden.

  “What do you mean?” Tim glanced at him from where he worked on a basket.

  “What if it’s not about Bradshaw himself, but people in his life?”

  “What, like someone is using him to cover their work as a trafficking leader?”

  “Yeah, it would make sense. Who better to be a scapegoat than a very well-known politician? If push came to shove, it’s easy to blame it all on him. People hate politicians as a rule, and the media would make a huge case of it. It would obscure the case, making the real culprit all the harder to find.” Joel didn’t understand how he didn’t see it before.

  “But Annette discovered that he was indeed the infamous Mr. Z. Even Jack confirmed it after seeing his photo.”

  “Yeah, but it only fits, don’t you see? He really is a client of this horrible place, and it could be confirmed, thus he is only more probable as the possible ringleader. What if he was just that, though? An awful person with some sick tendencies, but not enough brains to lead the whole trafficking business?” Joel grew excited as the idea formed in his mind. Tim stopped what he was doing and turned on his swivelling chair to face Joel.


  “So, that person, whoever it is, used Bradshaw’s tendencies to frame him for more than being an abusive asshole?”

  “Yeah, that’s what comes to mind, yes.”

  “Shit, but if you’re right, then we still have no idea who the real culprit is.”

  “Well, yeah, but we know it has to be someone close to him, to plant all the evidence Annette found. It also has to be someone who knows about his tendencies and would be able to use them against him.”

  “Right! So it’s not some random employee, but rather someone close to Bradshaw, someone trusted. Family member, maybe?”

  “Nah, his wife and sons are clueless about their husband and father’s ‘special needs.’” Joel made finger quote marks.

  “Okay, then who? Someone in one of his businesses?”

  “I don’t know, but we are that much closer to discovering the truth now. I can focus on other people in Bradshaw’s life, instead of on him, and maybe this way I can find something truly useful!” Joel grew really excited. He stood up and approached Tim from behind, leaning down and kissing the top of the man’s head. “Thank you, you’re great.”

  “Um, thanks, but what was that for?” Tim swivelled around on his chair and tilted his face upward. Joel looked him in the eyes and felt something stirring inside him. He grinned at the man, once again ignoring whatever was happening to him.

  “For being you. You’re always there when I need to vent or simply talk some things over, so that they start making sense in my head. I think that’s really great. Not everyone has this quality.”

  “I’m always glad to help.” Tim returned his grin, and as Joel gazed down at him, he felt his cock thicken.

  “Oh, really? Even now?” he said in a husky voice.

  “Why, do you have a problem you need my help with?” Tim lifted his eyebrows and there was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

  “It just so happens that I do. It’s a really big, hard problem, and it’s growing. I think someone needs to take care of it real quick.” He smirked at Tim, palming his cock in indication, and the pixie rose to the challenge. Still seated on his chair, he reached and undid Joel’s jeans, freeing his cock. It sprung forward, fully erect, and Tim licked his lips.

  “Let’s see if I can help you with it.” He leaned forward and took it into his mouth. Joel groaned and closed his eyes, tilting his head backward. He started running his fingers through Timiny’s hair, totally engrossed in a feeling of hot, wet suction surrounding his prick. He was so into it that it came as a surprise when a deep, angry voice spoke from behind him, startling him half to death.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing with my brother, human?”

  * * * *

  Tim was absolutely horrified. He immediately pulled off of Joel’s dick and stiffened where he sat on his work chair. He never in a millions years expected to hear that voice in the human world. Tim watched Joel tuck his softening dick away with regret. He loved what they had, an easy relationship with a heavy dose of sex in it. Joel was never hesitant when it came to sex and Tim started to wonder if the man was maybe bi and hadn’t realized it until now. He was pulled from his musings by the sound of an angry stride approaching him. He stood up and stepped next to Joel to deal with the situation.

  “I asked you a question, human! How dare you ignore me and turn your back on me! Do you know who I am?”

  Joel turned, irritated, and answered impatiently, “Actually, no, I don’t. I know you weren’t invited into our apartment, so maybe I should ask you what the hell you are doing here.”

  Tim hid his smirk at Joel’s spunk. It couldn’t have been easy to stand up to the man who stood facing them both. The man was huge, at least six-seven, with an air of authority around him. His long hair was braided behind him, and he had neatly trimmed facial hair. His green eyes shot daggers at Joel, and Tim knew he had to intervene before the situation escalated even further.

  “I think I can explain that,” he said, taking Joel’s hand and squeezing it reassuringly. “Joel, I want you to meet my older brother, Toren. Toren, this is Joel Simmonds, my flatmate and good friend.” Joel turned to him with an incredulous look.

  “This giant is your brother? You look nothing alike!”

  “Well, yeah, he got all the brawn while Jim and I got good looks and intelligence,” he joked, hoping to help Joel relax. It worked and the man let go of some of the tension. He turned to Toren and extended his hand in greeting.

  “It’s very…interesting to meet you, Toren.” Timiny saw his brother was still in a funk. His suspicion was confirmed when Toren huffed in his most haughty tone.

  “It’s His Royal Highness, Prince Toren Beauford the Third to you, human!” Joel was clearly confused at that.

  “His what?”

  “It’s a proper way of addressing royalty. Don’t they teach you any manners these days?”

  Shit, shit, shit! This was not how Timiny planned to tell Joel. The big human turned to him slowly, his brows raised in a question. Tim let go of his hand and lifted both his arms, saying weakly, “Surprise?” He wasn’t sure if he was asking or telling Joel. Before he had a chance to clarify it, however, there was a noise at the apartment’s front door, and Jim ran into the room, followed by a much-slower-walking Dominic.

  “Hey, Timmy, guess what? Dominic’s grandparents finally decided when they’re going to come!” Jim shouted from the doorway. There were a few seconds when he didn’t notice that Tim and Joel weren’t the only people in the room before the sound of a clearing throat caught his attention. He twirled on his toes and would have fallen down if Dominic wasn’t there to catch him. Unfortunately, Toren didn’t seem to like it any more than he did the sight of Tim with Joel.

  “What the fuck! Is it a day of manhandle-Toren’s-little-brother or what?” he exclaimed, and Jim’s head snapped from where he gazed lovingly at his mate to focus on his older brother. Jimmy’s eyes grew huge before a big grin split his face.

  “Toren! You came to visit!” he shouted and jumped to hug his brother, clearly not sensing the tension in the room. That was Jiminy for you, always acting first and thinking second. A loud growl sounded from where Dom stood, and Tim almost face-palmed. This was so not going to end well. Jim, clueless as always, turned back and went to drag his mate toward Toren.

  “Toren, look, I found my mate! This is Dominic. He’s a wolf shifter, probably alpha, but we don’t know for sure because he doesn’t shift. Dom, this is my big brother Toren! He never really comes to the human world. Oh!” Jim’s happy expression turned into a confused frown as he faced Toren. “Why are you here? Not that I’m not happy, ‘cause I am. I missed you all so very much, but you never come to the human world anymore. So what brought you here?”

  “Yeah, Toren,” Tim couldn’t help but interject in a sarcastic tone, “what brought you to the human world, and more specifically, to my apartment?” Tim could hear Joel grumble “uninvited” under his breath and couldn’t help but chuckle. Joel was cute when he was pouting.

  “I’ve got some very important news that I needed to share with you. I never expected to walk in on my little brother having sex!”

  Jim frowned hearing this, his confusion deepening.

  “Who was having sex? Dominic and I weren’t, not since this morning in the shower. You haven’t watched us in the shower, have you?” Jim’s hands went on his hips and he scowled, his foot tapping impatiently as he waited for the answer. Tim hid his smirk behind his hand, but it didn’t last long.

  “No, I was talking about them!” Toren pointed at Tim and Joel accusingly. Both Jim and Dominic frowned and Tim wished a hole would open in the ground and swallow him. This was not how he wanted his twin and Dominic to learn about him and Joel. Hell, he didn’t even know if he wanted them to know at all.

  “No, you have to be mistaken,” Dominic was saying. “Joel is straight.”

  “Yeah, and he is human,” Jim added, nodding.

  “Hey, I didn’t think you were prejudiced agains
t humans.” Joel was very clearly upset about Jim’s reaction.

  “I’m not,” Jim hurried to assure him, “but fey, and pixies in particular, cannot mate with humans.”

  “Who said anything about mating?” Tim mumbled, and every eye in the room turned to him. He sighed loudly and decided to come clean. “Fine, yeah, so Toren walked in on Joel and me fooling around. It’s not a big deal, okay? We’re not mated, we’re simply…” He looked at Joel for help and the man provided it.

  “…exploring. We’re exploring this attraction between us, watching where it leads. It’s nothing for you to worry about. It’s between Tim and me.”

  “Right!” Tim nodded and decided to focus on what was really important right then. “So, let’s discuss what actually brought you here, Toren, instead of prying into my personal life, huh?” Everyone agreed, even if they still looked confused and uncomfortable. Fortunately, Joel once again proved how perceptive he could be.

  “How about we go to the sitting room and have a cup of tea each, while your giant of a brother explains this news he brought you?” They nodded and followed him.

  As he trailed after Jim and his mate, Tim wondered how all of this would impact his odd semirelationship with Joel. He wished Joel wouldn’t back away now that everybody knew. Well, he could always hope, right?

  * * * *

  “Okay, spill. What brought your royal ass to this world? I thought you swore there was nothing here for any fey?” Tim attacked his older brother as soon as they were seated. Toren frowned but didn’t get angry with him, always the perfect, patient, older brother.

  “While that might be how I felt then, now circumstances have changed. I actually came here to ask you not to visit fey world for a while.” His voice, as well as his expression, was grim and Tim decided to let go of some of his animosity. He opened his mouth to ask what Toren meant, but before he could do it, Jim interrupted him.