Where Foxes Hunt with Wolves (Folk Lore 2)

Jan laughed out loud and rubbed his short, pale hair. “What can I say? Got a thing for long hair.”

Radek frowned, his mind fuzzy, as if the pot and alcohol he’d consumed were only starting to kick in at full force. “And you don’t wanna stay this one time? He has you with him every night,” he said, taking hold of Emil’s hand.

Radek vividly remembered how those fingers had slipped into his hair and pulled just enough to cause pleasure not pain. Two years ago, when Radek had made his decision to move out of here final, Emil had been so available that Radek had taken his attention for granted. He’d never wanted to date Emil, but losing such a prominent fuckbuddy still hurt, especially that in his fantasies Emil eventually got fed up with his lonely existence in Dybukowo and joined Radek in Cracow. They could have become roommates and shared a life of fun and great sex. Two years on, Emil had not only stayed in this dump and somehow convinced a priest to shed his robes, but had also got elected the village head? What kind of mind-fuckery was that?

“Nah, not this time.” Emil pulled his hand away, but leaned closer to whisper, “get yourself a real boyfriend, and you’ll understand.”

Radek hummed, struggling to keep his smile from falling when the familiar scent of herbs Emil carried with him filled his nostrils. Emil never had time for him anymore. Everything was about Adam, and while Radek had been invited to visit their new home, what he wanted wasn’t a polite dinner for three but solo time with someone he used to consider his best friend. Emil was still a friend but… well, their relationship had changed when Radek had looked away for a few weeks too long.

And he wasn’t happy about it.

“Doesn’t he trust you to keep it in your pants around me? Is that it?” he asked, adding a bit of a chuckle at the end when Emil frowned.

“I’m sure you’ll have a good night without me, too. Visit us over Christmas, hm? We could take out the sled,” Emil said, patting Radek’s shoulder.

Despite standing there half-naked, long red hair sliding down his chest, the freckles Emil used to love so much on show, Radek couldn’t have felt more invisible. “Sure, I’ll see how things go with my mom.” He didn’t even bother inviting Emil for a New Year’s trip to Madeira, because he never left the village anymore, and a part of Radek resented him for it.

Maybe Emil was afraid that he’d see what he was missing out on. Because he’d settled on his current life, Radek had no doubts about that whatsoever. Something Radek would never do. His whole lifetime wouldn’t be enough to experience everything he wanted to, so he would not waste away in this boring dump with his mom in a place that barely had any Internet connection.

“Any New Year’s resolutions? Like… you know, getting a job?” Emil snorted and poked Radek under the ribs.

Radek laughed, but his mood dampened. “Working on it. There’s no rush.”

Emil pulled Radek into a hug that felt so asexual it could have been shared by brothers. “Merry Christmas, in case I don’t see you before the twenty-fourth,” he said and when Radek leaned in for a kiss, Emil evaded it and gave him a peck on the cheek instead.

The annoying thing was that Radek didn’t want to steal Emil away from Adam. He just hated that the option of sleeping with this gorgeous man has been taken away from him. But what was he to do in the face of such blatant rejection? He wished Emil a Merry Christmas and slid back into the room with the bottles of homemade alcohol.

“Just suck his dick already.” Jan smirked from the bed and pushed off the blanket to showcase his tattooed body. He was younger than Radek, but bigger, muscular, and an all-around snack.

“Are you not even a bit jealous?” Radek groaned, pulling out the first bottle, complete with a label featuring geometric folklore symbols. “Never mind. It’s not that I’m horny for him. I feel sorry for him. He used to be so much fun, and now he’s the first openly gay village head in the region, making sure people have access to European Union funds for eco-tourism? Is there anything more boring? I don’t get it. Who wants that kind of responsibility?” Radek thought back to his dad, who used to be the village head until a pack of wolves had murdered him two years back. It seemed like a lifetime ago.

Unlike Emil, Dad hadn’t taken the position out of selfless desire to help his neighbors. He’d been a shrewd businessman and used his role and influence to convince the local government a fox fur farm would create much-needed jobs in the isolated valley of Dybukowo. Despite protests from some of the residents, the business not only started but was still thriving, even though it hadn’t benefited the community nearly as much as it had their family’s bank accounts.