The sizzling air over the darkening fields came alive with birds chittering and chirping crickets.
The sun was setting slowly, bathing the swaying blades of grass in deep red light.
An early summer scene of uttermost tranquillity and relaxation.

And it was so beautiful and soothing; apart from Theta who was sitting in the middle of the patch and pulled out every last cornflower he could reach without having to sit up.

Theta growled under his breath, his eyes affixed to the bright clouds above him.
Wait.
That's all Koschei had said.
Just wait… and see.
Followed by another one of those grins. Theta wouldn't have called it a mischievous grin.
Koschei wasn't mischievous; if mischief could it would have fled at the sight of him.
No, Koschei was just himself.
And that was far worse.

Plucking another unsuspecting cornflower before tossing it over his shoulders he sat up.
Koschei had asked Theta to wait out here in the fields for him, until dawn (or at least until dawn, Theta wasn't too sure about the last bit). Asked what Theta should expect Koschei had replied:
"It's a surprise and it's either give or take. Either you're given a surprise or you're taken by surprise. It's your decision."
And with these crude words still hanging in the air he'd cold-shouldered him and continued his latest experiment*.

Theta drummed his fingers on his knees as he whistled under his breath.
He knew Koschei's surprises. Never, in the sheer endless time he'd known Koschei, had one of them failed to scar him for life.
Either it had been an interesting, new and highly contagious disease he'd infected Theta with or a presumed-extinct giant foulmart which hadn't seemed that dead when it had tried to chew Theta's legs off.
Coming to think of it Theta couldn't help but wonder why he'd even bothered to show up in the first place.

Sighing and pinching some more wild flowers Theta answered his own question:
Because he liked the proud gleam in Koschei's eyes. Because he loved his peacockish Koschei.

And eventually he had to admit that love really made you do strange things; but he assumed that that was what love was all about.
Like presenting one another with bouquets of saplings.
Or carving your name into an ocean turtle's cortex.
Or was it the other way round?
Well, never mind.

A light breeze was combing Theta's hair as he stared at the darkening sky.
He stared at nothing in particular and tried to let his mind wander, furthermore letting it come to rest.

Life at the Prydonian Academy wasn't always as expected and Theta dreaded it more than anything else. Well, for that matter, he dreaded life in general.
"It's a matter of age", one of his tutors had tried to appease him, "It comes with harsh disappointment while the first repudiations are taking root and realisation is dawning that a simple-minded approach might not necessarily lead to an easy way out."

This, Theta had to admit, had been the nicest words he'd heard in a while; though he had to admit that he hadn't understood a word of it.
Later on Koschei had summarizes his tutor's words by saying: "He tried telling you that you're extremely gullible and not very resilient." Of course as he'd taken a glimpse at Theta's crestfallen look he'd added: "In a nice way, of course."

Theta was feeling rather glum and was just one insult away from a depressive state.
He'd thought life as a soldier would be easy: life or death, attack or capitulate, kill or be killed.
But it were those in-betweens that got him.
Whenever he'd return from a mission Theta had hoped he'd be able to cherish everyday life.
But life was a nuisance; and every day turned into a grey nothingness sooner or later.

While he lay there on the grass and watched the dark clouds gathering and taking most disturbing shapes in the sky Theta tried reciting what little he remembered of a soldier's poem he'd found carved into a crumbling bedside cabinet's surface in their barrack.
And he mouthed the words soundlessly while the darkness deployed his thoughts.
"…to lie in the soft earth, with the red grasses waving above one's head… and listen to silence…to forget time, life…. to be at peace…"

It wasn't peace he was craving, Theta mused.
Admittedly the sheer deafening silence while the storm above him was gathering was more than calming. And the thrilling darkness above him was always most enjoyable before lightning would strike the earth.
But no, what he secretly longed for was distraction. Something… diverting. He needed avocation, a pastime, for Kasterborous' sake, anything that would take his mind off the constant struggle between life of pure adrenalin and annoying dullness!

Yes, what he really needed was a change of scene.

"Oh, we can have that. Change of scene sounds fair enough. If only you'd be so kind as to lend me a hand…"
Theta sat bolt upright at the sound of Koschei's voice and turned around.
Koschei approached him slowly, carrying a small and by the look of it also heavy assortment of idiosyncratically shaped obstacles.

"I'd be much obliged if you'd refer to them as 'devices'. Obstacle is such a cruel word…"
Koschei's amber eyes met Theta's glare as he helped him up,
"…after all I've created them myself."
"You mean you stole a cyanotype from Ushas," Theta corrected him glumly "and I'd be much obliged if you'd stop reading my thoughts."
Koschei shrugged. "I can't help it. I really can't. It's like your mind is shouting out into the stars."
Koschei met Theta's gaze as Theta cocked an eyebrow at him and added: "It's not my fault that nobody else can hear it, is it?"

Theta folded his arms and watched Koschei soundlessly as he moved the objects around on the grass; eventually he stopped and joined Theta's side when they were forming a vast triangle.

"Is that it? That's what you wanted to show me?" Theta growled sulkily, "A prototype of Ushas relativity-shifting-manipulator?"
"Oh, it's more than that," Koschei replied and closed his eyes as a breeze sprung up, "Let's say I've made some minor adjustments."

"You're wasting my time," Theta nearly cut him off and shrugged Koschei's hand off his shoulders.
"Fine," Koschei folded his arms likewise but rested his shoulder against Theta's nonetheless, "It's a waste of effort for you anyway."

"Then why do you keep bothering me?" Theta snarled and narrowed his eyes at Koschei.
Koschei remained as annoyingly calm as ever and grinned at Theta.
"Because you always say that I'm driving you insane and I therefore I think I ought to facilitate my methods. Also, and I'm pretty sure of that, it will take your mind off those stupid 'evanescence-of-life-and-beauty' thoughts you're currently burying yourself in.
It's a phase and it will pass and we both know it."

Koschei paused to risk a quick glance at Theta before chuckling.
"I know that you think that I'm as arrogant and coarse as ever. And I don't even know what irks me more: the passive-aggressive behaviour you've been displaying lately or the fact that I've actually been worried sick about you."

This earned Koschei a both inquisitive and astonished look from Theta; nevertheless he continued unimpressed: "Because sometimes, my dear Theta, you tend to forget that you're not as inscrutable as you think."

The silence that filled the air around them was broken by another strong gust of wind.
A crackling sound seemed to follow it.
…Out of the mist your voice is calling…

Theta didn't know whether he was too embarrassed or too furious to reply.
"But most of all," Koschei added after thumbing through his thoughts, "I've managed to take your mind off your glum thoughts."

Deepening shadows gather splendour as day is done
Fingers of night will soon surrender the setting sun…

Koschei wrapped a warm arm around Theta's shoulder as he grasped his chin to look him directly in the eye.
"Oh, and to conclude the aforegoing enumeration of reasons why I keep bugging you, I forgot to mention that it's totally worth seeing your face when you're starting to wonder where that music is coming from."

Theta barely managed to mouth the words 'Music?' before realization dawned and he turned around.
Yes, there had been a song in the air, Theta had to admit, but he'd barely heard it. In fact he hadn't heard it at all, it had been… inside of his head, slipping into his thoughts and gliding across his mind.
Whereas now it protruded from a gramophone which was…

"What…?!" Theta was cut short by Koschei who grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him into the direction where half of a lounge-like room had recently come into existence.
"An earth's early 1960's nightclub is just about the thing to take your mind off things. You said that you wanted a change of scene, didn't you?" Koschei chuckled.
Theta stared at him open mouthed.
"But how in the world…" he began again and stopped as Koschei nuzzled his neck.

"Let me introduce you to my latest invention: the time perforator. Cuts out little pieces of relative space-time matter and swaps them in and out at libitum. Operated by remote control, of course," Koschei concluded, pressing something triangular and bleeping into Theta's unresisting hands.

"Does that mean that somewhere in the early 1960's half of a bar is missing?" Theta asked as he quizzically approached the materialised space.
"No," Koschei disagreed while keeping his wide smile, "It's not as if the nightclub, each of its molecules, has been transferred to this spot. No, not at all. That would be meddling with the laws of nature."

"Koschei, you're always meddling with the laws of nature," Theta groaned while he watched the turning record with child-like fascination, "Preferably the laws of physics."
"Physics isn't a science, it's a penance," Koschei snapped unexpectedly harsh "It's a compilation of phenomena which ought to be."
He brightened up before adding: "Still, it's got nothing to do with so-called quantum-physical impossibilities or breaking of any superstitious laws. Let's say… I've removed a second from that nightclub, a fraction of a second to be precise, from one particular night. And I've managed to persevere that second, to bend and stretch it.
And I can stretch it as long as I want it to last. That's the thing with relativistic matter. It's always been there, in the bar, where people are quaffing and slobbing out.
Just… relatively.
Oh, and no one will notice it."

Koschei thought about that last statement for a second before adding:
"Alright, no one apart from the landowner if he gets here before we're done."

Theta chuckled.
"Liar," was his only reply to Koschei's explanation while he got comfortable on a bar stool.
Koschei leaned against the counter and watched him unmoved.

"Liar," Theta repeated, "if you've managed to safe, no, to steal parts of a different space-time continuum for a fraction of a second and let it materialise on these plain fields to stretch it into infinity how come the music is playing?"

Koschei gave a disgruntled sigh and folded his arms.
"Alright," he admitted, "Everything's stretched apart from the gramophone. I wouldn't know what it did to the music. So yes, Theta, the gramophone is nicked, but its absence won't be noticed until dawn since the nightclub's regular clientele is dead drunk anyway."

"I like the music," Theta said quietly.
He felt Koschei pushing into his thoughts and adding wordlessly: It's nice to see you daydreaming again. And it's not just your beautifully tempting lips that are ablaze when I see your smile…
"Stop that. I'm not daydreaming," Theta complained and gave Koschei a stern look "And keep your grubby thoughts out of my mind."
"Oh, you think that was grubby?" Koschei asked playfully.

Theta, who had seen the glint in Koschei's eyes, took a step back, but it was already too late.
Koschei pounced on him, sending both of them rolling around on the floor.
Before Theta knew it Koschei was sitting on top of him, his hands shoved inside of his clothes.
"That's what I'd call grubby," Koschei added and gave Theta one of those don't-even-look-at-me-like-that, you-know-it's-going-to-happen-anyway-smiles.

Theta tried remaining disimpassioned and smiled at Koschei in a pretended unknowing way when his inner voice was already screaming at him and panicking.
"Alright, stop it Kosch, I see your point…" Theta started calmly as Koschei placed a determined finger on his lips.
"You don't see a point, you get it. And you're gonna get shagged senseless."

Koschei laughed at Theta as he noticed that he couldn't help blushing.
"That's the trouble with you, you're always so uptight. And don't think I haven't noticed you leering at me whenever an opportunity happens to present itself. And yet you're just too sexually repressed to admit even that. But don't worry, I'll loosen you up."

Koschei's fingers danced across Theta's chest; he bit back a smirk at Theta's choked and yet heated hissing sounds:
"That is to say, I'm going to unclench your cramping legs to facilitate a ruthless intrusion into your anal cavity. And yes, I'm only saying that because I've always wondered how red exactly your face can actually turn."

Theta, hissing between gritted teeth while trying to hide his blushing face from Koschei, managed to moan: "You're the most inconsiderate vainglorious prig I've ever been unfortunate to share a lifetime with."

"Thank you," Koschei whispered into his ear before pulling away Theta's hands.

Having noted the colour his friend's face had turned (which would probably later show up on one of Koschei's scales under 'humiliated-Theta'-red), Koschei ripped off Theta's clothes and silenced his suddenly reluctant friend with deep kisses.
With trembling fingers he reached for Theta's soft groin, fondly touching his sweet and tender spots.
He broke free from their passionate kiss, gasping and panting while he felt the arousal burning down into his nether regions.

Koschei pushed Theta back onto the tiled floor, running his fingers through his hair and whispering the sweetest obscenities he could think of.

And there it went again:
Heavenly shades of night are falling…

Koschei, now panting sensuously and shamelessly, grabbed Theta's unresisting legs and spread them. Trembling fingers brushed over the delicate flesh before reaching the sensible spot they had lusted after.
Theta bit down on his lower lip and closed his eyes, unable to withhold the pressing urges between his thighs any longer he let his head sink back onto the tiles and tried to relax.
It helped. It always helped with Koschei's sudden intromission.

Theta gasped and dug his nails into Koschei's arms as Koschei thrust into him.
Koschei's penetration was always so…unpredictable.
It reflected most of his personality, actually.
He pounced surprisingly, pushed and shoved until he had Theta at his disposal and would invariably find release in Theta's anticipation.

Theta was too tired and too exhausted to offer, the by now conventional, resistance before Koschei could 'claim him' as he preferred to call it.
So he just laid there, finding comfort in Koschei's stimulating thrusts while allaying his own arousal.
He moved with Koschei, his hips pumping and pushing in time to Koschei's strokes.

He felt Koschei, on top of him, inside of him, he perceived every inch, every molecule of him and felt himself getting pushed and dragged towards the edge of pleasurable contentment.

And he finally…forgot and dived into the divine bliss, leaving his fears and forlornness behind him.
Barely feeling Koschei's hot love custard gushing into his quivering insides he wrapped his arms around Koschei's back and pulled him closer and closer.

Theta nuzzled Koschei's neck tenderly before stroking the back of his head.
And with the music still playing he floated in the wide oceans of felicity.

The Doctor's gaze travelled over the dancing bodies, tightly embracing one another.
He sighed, unable to bite back a smile.
What wonderful times, he thought.
The markets manage to gain strength after the Great Depression… Prices have recovered… New York's a booming city, once and for all. And the music industry hasn't even caught a glimpse of its great future yet…
His fingers travelled over his empty glass; the Doctor tipped the sides to draw the barkeeper's attention.
"One more, please."
Nodding, the barkeeper and refreshed his drink; though he couldn't help staring nonplussed at his swaying costumers.

"That man over there… he's with you, right?" the barkeeper asked conversationally.
The Doctor's eye's stayed fixed on Jack.
"Sort of," he replied eventually.
"Funny, isn't it?" the barkeeper went on barely audible, "Didn't have to pay for a single drink, that man. Always found a costumer to spring for it."
"Yes", the Doctor replied wearily, "
extremely funny."

The barkeeper polished his glasses in absolute silence.
"Winding them all around his little finger…dancing after his pipe…" he went on grumpily after due consideration.
"It's some sort of knack, I'd say," the Doctor said before raising his glass again.

"I bet it is," the barkeeper confirmed, "They've been dancing the night away and there isn't even any music." Another pause followed which the Doctor used to drain his glass inconspicuously.
"Though I could have sworn I'd put back the old record player after my friend had fixed the issue with the jumping needle," the barkeeper added thoughtfully.

"Don't worry it will turn out alright", the Doctor replied hastily.
And turn up soon, he added to himself.

But in the meantime he had nothing else to do than lean back and enjoy the silence of the night.
And in his mind the music was still playing…


*promisingly entitled "The common stink rat (rattus rancens gallifreyanus)– indestructible and delicious?"