Where Foxes Hunt with Wolves (Folk Lore 2)

Yev swallowed. He was not used to seeing two men in the state of such domestic bliss. Even his parents tended to keep their mutual affection under wraps in company, and the unreasonable longing to put his arm over Radek’s shoulders shimmered in his brain. “Must be an interesting life. Being out in a small village like this.”

Adam nodded. “I’m from Warsaw, so this is like a different world. We don’t even have Internet—”

“Working on it,” Emil added.

Radek sighed deeply after another bite of cake. “A Wi-Fi hotspot in Dybukowo. That would be something.”

“Do you miss your family and friends?” Yev asked, breaking off pieces of the cake as he ate, because he was a wolf, not a pig, and wouldn’t bite chunks off the slice as if it were a sandwich.

Adam shrugged. “Yes, but I’ve found my life partner here, and we both want to stay in Dybukowo. Everyone else is still important, but Emil will always come first.”

Yev could swear Radek kicked Emil under the table, grinning. Emil winked at him in return and Yev hated that he didn’t know the exact meaning behind the exchange. Was it well done!, or was it let’s fuck again someday? His brain knew it most likely wasn’t the latter, yet the hairs on his forearms still bristled.

“Yev’s family is in Ukraine, but close to the border, right?” Radek smiled, letting Coal smell the cake before offering him a tiny piece.

“Yeah. But with the mountains and forests it’s such a roundabout way that we end up not seeing each other much,” Yev said, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. If any of the wolves could have seen him now—declaring that he was in a gay relationship while visiting a male couple, the pack would have wiped his very existence from memory.

Adam sighed. “I understand. I’ve moved here two years ago, and my mother will only visit us for the first time this Easter.”

Radek shook his head. “My mom doesn’t even know I’m gay.”

“Mine does,” Yev said, and the silence that suddenly hung over the table made it clear he couldn’t just leave it at that. “She didn’t talk to me after it came out. But she sends me food, so I guess she doesn’t completely hate me.”

Radek’s only hand was occupied by cake but he still bumped shoulders with Yev. “You know she loves you if she sends you food.”

Emil gave Adam a quick kiss on the cheek, and Yev couldn’t have felt more both out of place and exactly where he belonged. Being able to talk about being gay and find understanding in others was such a new experience he still couldn’t comprehend it. He was close to forty, and this was the first time he’d sat down to have cake with other gay men and discuss family as if they’d been friends for years. He was grateful to Radek for this in ways he couldn’t express, because he wouldn’t have been invited in so warmly if it weren’t for Radek.

“Maybe you should send her some cake. We have more than enough,” Adam said, pointing toward the kitchen, but Yev shook his head, even though the proposition made him smile. “I’ll give her some when I visit.”

Because how could he tell them she wasn’t allowed to acknowledge his existence, much less accept gifts. His life would have been so different if he could’ve taken Radek to their village and introduced him to her. Then, listen to her comments about his choice of partner, like those he used to hear her make about Burian’s then-fiancée.

He didn’t even know if she’d ever accept him unless he changed.

“Can I take a loaf for my mom?” Radek asked. “We don’t exactly get along, but I know she’d appreciate it.”

Yev fought the urge to pat Radek on the head for the maturity of that effort, but he didn’t want to treat him like a kid in front of friends, so he squeezed his shoulder instead. “It’ll make a good peace offering.”

Emil sighed. “You’re fighting again?”

Radek shrugged. “We’re never not fighting. I couldn’t even tell you what we’re fighting over, but it’s always something. She doesn’t like that I’m renovating the farm, doesn’t like that I live in Cracow, and doesn’t like that I don’t have a job.”

“The farm? That’s where he’s from?” Adam asked, nodding at Coal, who’d fallen asleep in Radek’s lap like a house cat.

“Yeah. I’m trying to do something else with it, but many of the vixens are likely pregnant already, so I settled on adding more space and getting them better food. The Golonkos own half of the business, so I need to think how to deal with them, but I can’t let it go on the way it has.” He looked up at them. “I had no idea how it all worked.”