ADAD Chapter 19: Wavering glances

 "You want to smell me?" Mustafa asked, and Darius nodded. 

"You might claim you are Harvey's soulmate, but I can't smell you. If you don't let me smell you, then you will never see Harvey," Darius's brows were furrowed, and he was not going to allow for the wizard to not dispel the spell. 

"Well, very well then," Mustafa then let his mana envelop him, and waited. He was in the water, as was the norm for him. Darius sniffed the air, and he indeed smelt something that was undeniable Harvey in the air. "Do you have your proof?"

"I do," Darius said, bowing his head. "It won't be easy to get Harvey to see you. He is scared, and thinks you will experiment on him." 

"Is that so?" Mustafa looked amused, then. "I will have you know that I have waited for my soulmate for so long, that harming even a single hair on his head would be something I will be incapable of doing." 

"We can convince him to speak to you, but he is not a part of any deals. Harvey can choose not to be with you, and you won't do anything about it," Anastasios demanded. Harvey had been there for Darius when Anastasios himself couldn't be. He had taken care of the demon, waking him up in time for the classes, making sure he reached the dining hall in time for the meals. Anastasios was grateful to the Fey. 

"You are his friends, correct?" Mustafa asked with a soft expression. "Must be nice, to have friends who are ready to stand up to one of the strongest calamities of this age, for a friend." 

"You are ranked as calamity?" Anastasios asked, and his hands balled into fists. "And you thought to tell us now?" 

"Well, it was never a topic," Mustafa said with a shrug. He got out of the water, and then proceeded to conjure a box, and a bouquet of white roses. "Bring this to the Fey. With my love and adoration." 

"His name is Harvey," Darius said, his eyes narrowed. "Don't speak about him as if he is an object!" 

"My apologies, demon," Mustafa handed Darius the gifts, and waved the two off. "Go — now. Come back and tell me all about his reaction, later." 

Anastasios took Darius by the hand, and then led him out of the oasis and into the dimensional pocket. They found Harvey in the same position as the one they had found him in, when they came to tell him of Mustafa's proposal. 

"What is this?" Harvey asked, eyeing the gifts. 

"He really is your soulmate," Darius said, as he handed the gifts to the Fey. "He sends you these." 

Harvey brought the roses to his nose, and smiled. Then, he opened the box. He gasped, when he saw what was inside. Caramel-filled chocolates. His favorite. 

"How did he know?" Harvey took one, and closed his eyes, when the familiar taste of the treat spread into his mouth. 

"He is your soulmate, remember?" Darius said, and then looked at Anastasios. "Come on, let us go and tell him that Harvey liked the gift." 

"Wait," Harvey said, taking an empty sheet of paper, and writing a simple cooling rune on it. He poured some of the beast blood that was on his desk in a bottle on the paper, and made it work with a bit of mana. "Bring him this. Tell him that I liked the roses and the chocolates."  

"You will be exchanging gifts, then?" Anastasios asked, and then took the rune. "I thought that you didn't want to have anything to do with him." 

"These chocolates went out of production a couple of years ago. The realm that made them had a climate change, and the people there died," Harvey said, his voice turning saddened. "He must have kept the box for himself, but he decided to give it to me." 

"Now that you say it like that, it does sound like a nice gesture," Anastasios said with a soft smile. "Ok, we will be going out, now."

"Enjoy your chocolates," Darius called, and then the two walked out of the rune. 

"Well, mister hotshot runesmith, why don't you ever bring me chocolates," Anastasios teased, and Darius smiled at him. 

"You refuse to tell me what type you like, Nastia. I tried to find ones filled with blood, but no one sells them," Darius defended himself, and Anastasios chuckled. 

"How are people going to put blood in a chocolate?" Anastasios asked, and Darius's tail wagged. 

"How about I make you the chocolates? I can get Rey to send me some cocoa powder, milk and butter. Then, I can make you a handmade chocolate with little sugar figurines in it," Darius suggested, and Anastasios licked his lips. 

"Now that you told me you will be making me chocolate, you better not forget, or I will be angry with you, and you will need to sleep in Harvey's house," Anastasios threatened, and Darius faked fear on his face.

"Anything but that, my love," Darius said dramatically, waving his arms around. 

"Insolent child," Anastasios murmured fondly, and then the two went out of the dimensional pocket. Mustafa was waiting for them at the edge of the water. 

"I take it, he liked the chocolates?" The wizard asked with a soft smile. 

 "How did you know?" Darius asked, and the man just placed a finger on his lips. 

"A secret," Mustafa said, and then looked at the rune that Anastasios was carrying. "Ah, an old-fashioned courtship, is that what my delectable Fey wants?"

"Harvey wants to take things slow," Darius said, and Anastasios went to the wizard, and handed him the rune. 

"This is not a tattoo rune, but Harvey made it for you," Anastasios said, and the wizard cradled the rune in his hand. 

"For me, this is a treasure like no other. He figured that this place was too hot for me, and thought to bring me relief," Mustafa told them, and then chuckled. "My dear Harvey is such an adorable Fey." 

He placed the rune on his boxer shorts, and stuck it there with magic. Then, he laid on the grass, and gave a content sigh. Darius and Anastasios left him there, going back to the dimensional pocket.