Chapter Text
Miles was aware that he was close to weakening himself. Of giving himself away with nothing to save him. Love and curiosity were the pitfalls of nearly all men and women. Miles had learnt that the hard way.
Jamie still found him suspicious. Sharp eyes that turned into blunt eyes. Miles almost told him to fuck off, once. It was of no advantage to him to do so. Only harm. Troubling Alex and proving to Jamie that his veiled wariness had an iron bottom. Miles did not like being seen in the way Jamie saw him, because the tradesman went to paint him as what he saw. Perception was a tool sharpened at both ends.
Miles knew Matt and Nick noticed how Alex was when he was in company. He knew Matt and Nick liked it.
In metamorphosis, no one ever mentions the scrutiny that comes with the aftermath.
Matt's girlfriend thought he was as fun as a bag of bash for passion. Nick's little witch always gave him a cuddle and a kiss.
Miles had been giving Alex more substances.
He had given Alex the original once more in the passed time, but the previous night, he had almost been taken over by the desire to see the effects of other pills in Alex's system.
It haf become increasingly difficult to step back and think with clarity. It was all too easy to have a feeling, step into the core of it, and glide until it came to its natural end.
Miles knew not having sex with Alex meant that sooner or later a woman would come along to linger.
Yet, there was only an astounding series of calamities. Any woman Alex liked already had a lover, or in one memorable case, was a lesbian.
A couple of women had begun to hang around the circus, as Miles referred to them.
He observed Alex to see if it made him jealous and sore. Concerningly, it seemed to make him numb and detached. The salacious humor of Matt's girlfriend seem to bring a cold disgust over Alex without variation. A few nights previously in a bar she had mimicked the little witch's habit of kissing him, except she had been appalling. She had smeared her lip gloss all over the side of Alex's face before attempting to lick it off. In a spectacular and spontaneous movement, Alex had bent backwards on the bar seat so his head nearly touched the floor, the tips of his shoes hooked under the foot rest. Matt's girlfriend screamed with laughter, and Jamie had plucked a serviette from an unknown place so Alex could clean his face.
"At least your two would never do that." Alex had muttered darkly.
And, indeed, there were two women. One was chasing Jamie, and the other was being chased by Jamie.
The first woman was Charlotte. She was tall and blonde with firm breasts that sat high on her decolletage. Her thin arms and legs were devoid of softness, with a long, smooth strength in their place. She was an equestrian business operator, and made a fortune each week. She walked with high society and was frequently featured on television in lifestyle and property programs.
Nick's little witch and Matt's girlfriend could not stand her. Charlotte had gossiped that the little witch was a dumpy, ugly frump who had mental health issues and made everyone feel very unsafe. The problem was, especially in light of the little witch's attempt to shoot poachers through the head with a hunting rifle, Charlotte's gossip rang true with far too many people.
Charlotte had also gossiped about Matt's girlfriend, describing her as a fickle, anorexic, slutty waste of a good woman, whose talents were wasted on anti-facism, labour party support, and big dick obsession. Unfortunately, for anyone who knew Matt's girlfriend, it was hideously true.
Charlotte made the second woman, in comparison, look like a star.
Emily was the Christian version of the little witch. She was small and slightly chubby, with an old fashioned face. She had long brown hair with a fringe that sat across one side of her forehead as a leaf did on an apple stalk. Despite her soft arms, thighs, and belly, she had naturally large breasts and bottom that amalgamated into an earthly prettiness. She had a phenomenal sexy taste in clothes. Corsets, high waisted knickers, wired brasseries, lace stockings, and Mary Jane shoes.
Despite the differences in religion, Emily got on well with the little witch, and Matt's girlfriend made Emily laugh until she was over-heated and pink in the face.
Charlotte pleased the superficial man with his sexual intetests, and Emily pleased the Christian man with his verses of diligence and compassion.
Bizarrely, Jamie was both.
Everyone's parents were having a whinge about Jamie's love life and leaving the love life of Alex and Nick in peace.
"Thank fuck." Nick had to say on that subject.
Miles had noticed Alex could feel love rise up in him with anyone, depending on how they made him feel. A supermodel could have the same effect as an apple farmer from the west country, depending on the span of her attention and her mannerisms.
It produced many problems and many blessings.
It solved any question of why, aged eighteen, Alex had an affair with a man that was married with children.
Circumstances changed again, outside of Miles influence.
The little witch had decided to have a garden party on Sunday. She had chosen Sunday because she had a zero tolerance policy for churchgoers, especially since Jamie had begun to dabble with Charlotte.
The gossip Charlotte had spread had begun to cause a problem. The Druid who employed the little witch as his land manager was asked, "Why do you employ that psycho?"
Matt, his girlfriend, Miles and Alex thought there would be a ritual killing in the near future.
Nick agreed.
"I swear I saw a voodoo doll that looked like Charlotte." Nick commented to Miles who had guffawed with laughter.
The weather had been beatiful that Sunday. The mass of garden behind the little witch's house, which sat at the top of a sloping block, was a delight. Folk names and latin names were declared by tongue and little cards inserted into the soil. The little witch cut some roses for Matt's girlfriend, which had her squealing with joy, and she had given Miles a small pot with a succulent that looked like a green pumpkin.
"There will be a big red flower soon from the top." The little witch described.
Alex had only bought Miles, but Matt and Nick had invited mates from work and their partners. Everyone had been warned that the little witch was running on a short fuse and she had a gun licence. This warning transformed the garden party into a serene delight. The manners were worthy of a Jane Austen novel as the cohort of the little witch arrived.
"Bugger me." Miles said to Alex. "This will do me."
Alex had snorted a laugh into a glass of beer. Earth Mothers came hand in hand with Green Goddesses. They were followed by Sun Worshippers and Moonlight Bathers. The Ovates arrived with first aid kits, the Druids bought extra food, and the Bards turned up with what appeared to be an Assamese jazz band.
Never doubt the adventures that can happen in your own little world.
"Fucking hell." Matt whispered to Alex with a laugh. "This is shaping up."
Not many people initially noticed some of the pagan men carrying two lamb carcasses from their vans to the kitchen because the jazz band had decided to open with "Summertime".
No one had expected a pagan woman and her pagan party to have such class.
"Mrs. O'Malley needs to wake up and see how good her son has got it." Matt's girlfriend said. She had experienced a rare time of clarity as "Summertime" was followed by "What You Won't Do For Love", then "Stand By Me". Her acid green mini dress and black high heels decorated with metal spikes absorbed the sunlight. "Big Boy told me that the old bitch was complaining about her."
Miles chuckled at the nickname for Matt. Alex nudged his side. Miles had raised an eyebrow. Alex's eyes had twinkled.
"He is a Big Boy." Miles said quietly.
"Big Boy initially referred to what's hanging between his legs, then it became generalized." Alex told him just as quietly.
Miles snorted a laugh behind his hand.
"He's not that good." Miles shook his head. "That's the benefit of skinny jeans. You can see which of the self-proclaimed heroes really has it."
"So all of us have been subject to visual molestation, have we?" Alex quipped.
"Absolutely, love." Miles agreed. "And none of you are anything to record for future history."
Alex pretended to tip his drink over Miles head. Miles darted out of the way, just in case the gesture had not been pretend.
The band began to play a very sexy version of "Dreams".
"Ooh, yeah, I like that." Miles enthused. "Where is the little witch?"
"Who do you think is doing the cooking?" Alex said.
"That's no fun, all work and no play." Miles replied. "And as it happens, what the fuck is her name?"
Alex blinked.
"You, and the others, have never said her name." Miles finger jabbed Alex's chest lightly.
Alex's adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. He felt caught out, even though he was not truly caught out. The way the light hit his eyes had Miles gazing into them, and from a few meters away, neither Miles or Alex saw Matt watching them.
"Her name is pretty old-hat." Alex eventually said, looking down to the grass. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Syllables sat at the underside of the tip of his tongue, yet he could not arrange them into an order that was comprehensible or valid.
"And what's that got to do with anything?" Miles asked.
"Tommie." Alex rubbed the side of his jaw and managed to look up as a sudden image appeared in the back of his mind of the little wutch when he had first met her. Soft cheeks, sharp nose, dark eyes, a smile like Nick's. She had been wearing a wool coat in Navy that went past her knees with large buttons and deep pockets. No make up. No perfume, not like the other girls wore. No jewellery, no high heels. "Her name is Thomasina Tobin."
"That's beautiful." Miles sensibly said.
Alex's pupils dilated.
Miles leaned into him, a crook smile over his thin teeth.
"Are you embarrassed about that?" He whispered. "Because you don't like it, others shouldn't? I've tarried with girls called Maria and Margaret and Edith and Jane. They were better than the girls called Amy and Taylor and Kelly and Sarah."
Alex flushed to the marrow of his bones.
"Queer bit, you are." Miles said.
Oh, fuck off, Alex thought.
Matt had continued to watch the young men throughout their discussion of the little witch. To all intents and purposes, it looked as though Miles and Alex would melt into each other.
"Guess her middle name." Alex suddenly dared, his eyes shining.
Miles sighed through his nose, his eyes sinking down to half lids.
Alex's ribs lost their boundary for a moment. It felt as though they had turned into red matter, and nothing was there to protect him from a punch or the lightest brush.
"Thumbelina?" Miles jested so delicately that it would seem hilarious only later that night.
"Lucrezia." Alex told him.
"Ooh!" Miles careered back, miming that he had been shot through the heart.
Thomasina Lucrezia Tobin, Alex thought. Bloody hell.
Some of Nick's cousins with their lovers arrived. The Assamese jazz band had set the party behaving very loosely due to their reindition of "Find Somebody to Love".
"For God's sake, why is it a Grandma set-list?" Matt's girlfriend groaned.
"You know what would be cool?" Miles said to Matt. "I'd love to hear "In The Air Tonight" with a brass section."
One of the pagans heard, and hurriedly went to place the request.
The band were delighted. That was a song to to use a vessel of displaying talent.