Even through the low lighting in Sid and Dave's dorm room, the lamp over the card table was lit well enough to show the truth: Tyler had gotten shorter. Out of all of them, he had always been the most athletic, having even spent a year on the University Softball team and spending most of his weekends playing splatball with some friends from the student gym. His curly locks of black hair only accentuated his vaguely Latin looks; a skin tone and appearance that he'd inherited from an Italian Father and Puerto Rican Mother.
But even though Tyler had been the tallest of all of them, standing a good half foot taller than even Sid, his normally six-foot-six frame had seemingly collapsed in upon itself, diminishing in size to a height less than even Chris. Tyler's blue eyes peered out from under the unruly mop of hair that had attracted so many as an "Antonio Banderas"-kind of look. He swallowed hard, looking up at his friends.
"It ... it happened while you were arguing," he said, at last, feeling the weight of their stares on him. Of all, Dave -the Incubus- was hardest for him to look at, but it was the weight of their eyes upon him that made him feel worst. "I ... I read the rhyme on the board and -well- just felt myself getting smaller..."
Sid felt torn. Next to him was a God: the most handsome and compelling being he'd ever seen in his life. The Incubus' golden skin looked so soft ... so inviting to rub against his hands...
But then, what should have been more important -his friend and first confidant in regards to his sexuality- had been cruelly diminished to a five-foot-height by the game he'd brought home. Sid shook his head, trying to clear it; his mane tossing wildly with the motion.
"What...what's this game done to us...?" he gasped, panting. "I...Oh, God..."
Glancing at the Incubus and Chris and forced himself to smile. "Look, Chris: you take care of Dave..."
"That's not my name anymore..." the Incubus interrupted, soberly.
Sid nodded and tried to think of anything else than that melodious, alluring voice. "Right, well, Chris, you ... you help the Demon, Ok?"
Chris nodded, his hormone-addled mind clearing just enough to understand the trouble the Incubus' beauty was going to cause them all. He nodded and lightly tugged on the demon's arm, guiding him back to his chair while Sid walked around the board to Sid.
"Just sit tight, hon," Chris said, softly. "We'll get through this..."
"I...I have no name..." The Incubus still sounded stunned by the revelation, the effect of his looks on his friends, lost in the fact that his very essence had been changed.
"Maybe so, but the game said it was a temporary change, right?" Chris looked deeply into his lover's deep, glowing lavender eyes and smiled. "You'll be fine soon; I promise."
Sid nodded as he put his arms around little Tyler. "Chris' right," he said, trying not to think of the Incubus. "Both your changes came with a duration. Let's get you back to your correct chair and keep playing."
Tyler looked up, blushing. "You don't have to treat me like a kid," he said. "I may be child-sized, but I'm still all-man..."
Sid smiled. For just a moment, he was able to forget about the towering pillar of masculine sensuality just a few feet away. Tyler was his friend and his diminished size was so different from how he usually was -confident, in-control- that it made him protective of his shrunken friend. "Fair 'nuff, big man," Sid said. "We can test that theory after the game, Ok?"
"I'd like to test the manliness theory right now," came Chris' voice as he sat down in the Incubus' lap.
The demon smiled and ran one of his perfect, golden hands down Chris' upper arm. "Maybe; but right now I think I'd like my Name back."
The rejection made Sid's heart leap for joy while Chris' face fell.
"Look, sex would be fine but -well- right now, I think we should at least get through the first round." Sid ran his fingers through Tyler's hair, the smaller man bristling a bit at the condescending touch. "Chris, you're up..."
With a longing look to the demon, Chris reluctantly turned and walked around the table, sitting down opposite him. His eyes were fixed on the Incubus nearly the whole time; only the promise of later finding intimate time with the glorious being made being five feet apart from him bearable at all...
"It's the damn game," Tyler said at last. "It knew about me."
Chris, for the first time since Dave became the Incubus, really looked at Tyler. The five-foot man's clothes were bunched up around him, clumped like a child playing dress-up in his father's wardrobe. He chuckled a bit but decided that a smartass comment would probably get him punched.
Even a pint-sized Tyler could probably kick his ass.
"What do you mean, Ty?" asked Chris, picking up the dice.
"All my life, I've hated arguments. My Mom ... my Dad. Everyone. They always yelled and bitched and complained. The kids in my family were always caught in the middle. I'd try to make the peace but it always ended with someone crying and me feeling like I was an inch tall..."
Sid nodded and the Incubus tilted his head to one side. "So, you're saying that our argument made you smaller?"
Tyler nodded, looking fixedly at the now-blank center of the board. "I think so. After all, the rhyme said something about the dispute possibly solving itself but I'd end up paying the price..." He sighed and added, "as usual."
The Incubus licked his lips nervously and put his hand on the smaller man's shoulder. "Well, we'll try not to get angry with each other anymore..."
"Yeah, like that'll happen..." muttered the small man, ruefully.
Chris, silently, rolled the dice.