Chapter 41: We should move together

 Atha: Dungeon core, dual sword wielder. Doesn't want to be kept separated from his harem. 

We exit the tent of the guild master, and I slither before my party. 

"Move in with me," I tell them. They all blink at that. 

"Are you...sure?" Allan asks. I am certain that he won't have anything against it. I just don't know about all the rest. 

"We are a modern harem," I say, as I look them all in the eyes, one after the other. "We should get to living together, before we..." 

"Are you hearing wedding bells, Naga?" Dean asks in a drawl. 

"What if I am?" I ask, and Dean snorts. 

"I won't be tied so easily," the incubus says. I frown at him. 

"If you want to remain in the harem, you will be caught," Augustine voices my, and probably Allan and Vincent's thoughts. 

"We nearly got saddled with a baby," Dean reminds us, and I wave a finger at him. 

"A baby you could have warned us about," I tell him. "Now, you have to make it up to us." 

"By marrying you all? What about my rights?" Dean asks, in a whiny voice. 

"What rights? Your ass is ours," Vincent surprises me then. I turn to him. 

"Vince..." I begin, but he holds up a hand. 

"No! I nearly gave up my hopes and dreams for a baby that was brainwashing us and he," Vincent points at Dean then, fury in his eyes. "Didn't think we should know that the baby was an evil imp!" 

"There is an honor code between demons," Dean begins to defend himself, but Vince is having none of that. 

"What do we mean to you, Dean?" Vincent asks. For the second time, in so many hours. I guess, he is more than a little peeved. He has laid his hopes and dreams at our feet, while we skirt around our commitment to him. 

Then again, I have done the same. So far, the only thing we have all achieved, is to dance around each other. Pull and tug this way and that. 

"Do you want a love confession?" Dean asks. 

"A little appreciation would be nice," Vincent snaps. The two of them glare at one another for a while, until Augustine clears his throat. 

"I also think that we should move in with Atha," I slither over to him, and bring him in a one-armed hug. Yes, speak on my behalf, little songbird. "I mean, I don't want to stay at my parent's house until the rest of my life." 

I frown at that. 

"You just had to make it all about you, didn't you?" I snap at him, letting go of him. Just what was I expecting from him? He and Dean were made for one another. 

"I agreed with you!" Augustine yells, and I am taken aback. "I keep on agreeing with the lot of you! Allan is the only one who has never lied to me! I can't take this anymore!" 

Just as Augustine is about to storm off, I take a hold of his arm. 

"Let go, liar," he yells in my face. I can see that his eyes are wide with something I find hard to describe. A mix of fear, anger, and something else. 

"I am sorry," I tell him. I guess, his wishes have also been ignored. For the most part, at least. 

The only thing he wants to do is cook. Would it be so bad, to grant him his wish?

I look at Vincent, who has guilt written all over his face. 

Vincent's dreams can't be realized, without Augustine's help. 

Or mine, for that matter. 

"Let us pretend that we are all normal," Allan speaks then, and we all turn to him. "That we don't have our own interests, that go against the interests of the others in the party." 

The fact that he didn't use the word harem doesn't slip by me. I sigh then. 

Slow steps, Atha. He will come around. 

"Let us move in together, and act like we can give each other our own free space. Let us be supportive of Atha, when he creates a mob. Kind to Augustine, when he carts us to the kitchen. Loving to Dean, when his stomach grumbles. Understanding of Vincent, when he asks us to work towards his dream. His heart's desire," Allan finishes with a bright smile. 

"You forgot yourself," I tell him. He shrugs. 

"What you all gave me is enough. You are supportive of me, when I tell you all that I am learning a new healing technique, or that I managed to stitch a wound faster than usual. You are all kind, when you don't have to be, considering what I was. I don't know why, but you all have a crush on me. It makes me feel," Allan closes his eyes, and the lovelies smile comes over his face. "And you are understanding too. Of the fact that I am a slow study. With mana, and people skills as well." 

"Allan loves us," Dean blurts out, amazed. "For real now, he does." 

Allan blushes at that, and opens his eyes. 

"If you can treat me like this, why not treat one another this way as well? Would it truly be so hard for all of you, to become lovers in more than just name? I am not speaking about having sex. You can have sex with someone, without being their lover. The word lover comes from the word love. And that means something," Allan says. 

Then, he goes to Dean, and takes him by the hand. After that, he goes to Vincent, and takes his hand as well. Then, he tugs the two of them to Tine and me. 

"Vince, you take a hold of Tine. Dean, your hands better not wander to Atha's butt," Allan says, with more confidence than he has ever expressed. 

As Dean takes a hold of my hand, I give his a soft squeeze. Vincent moves, so that he is holding Time around the middle. 

"Take us home," Allan says, and I nod. As we move towards my cave, I can't help but think that something changed in our dynamic. 

Hopefully, for the better. 

Lover comes from love, huh? I rather like that. 

End of Arc One: Gathering the harem. 

Next Arc: Between home, and questing.