Harvey (Team Crafted)

Like Rabbits

"What would you do if you lost me?"
      The words rang in Sky's head.
     "What would you do if you lost me?"
     "...I don't think I'd do much of anything..."
     A distant conversation, from years ago.
     "What does that mean?"
     "I don't think I could go on without you. Don't look at me like that, I'm serious."
      "No, I believe you... I just... wish you weren't."
      The smell of the ocean, the crashing of waves on rocks far below. Hard ground beneath his feet, fresh air all around, a breeze blowing, carrying the distant, familiar scent of lavender...
     Sky dreamed he heard quiet, gentle footsteps behind him. He dreamed of a warmth of familiarity and fondness in his chest as he knew who was there. He dreamed of a smile, touching his lips. He dreamed of a soft hand lightly touching his back, carefully letting him know someone was there, and a voice that could only belong to one person saying his name.
      Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.
     "Sky?"
     Sky jumped against Deadlox's hand, and said male pulled back. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sneak up on-"
     "It's fine, it's fine." Sky said rather harshly, bowing his head quickly. He was quiet for a second. Deadlox pretended like he didn't know exactly what his old friend was doing for his pride's sake, but he was well aware Sky had been crying.
     Sky finally turned to him, glad for the sunglasses covering his eyes for once. "What do you want?"
     "Well, Harvey isn't back yet."
     Sky blinked, and instantly his expression grew much more serious. "What do you mean he's not back yet? He left yesterday afternoon."
     "Yes, and I'm worried."
     Sky sighed, rubbing his eyes and cursing. "He must have gotten lost in the storm just like I told him not to... Damn fool..."
      "Hey, he doesn't know much about survival. Don't be so harsh..." Deadlox remembered what Sky had been doing before he woke him from his daydream and turned his advice on himself. "Did you stay up all night again?"
     Sky looked away, out over the vast swamp and woods with a stony look on his face. "So what if I did?"
     "Sky..." Deadlox sighed inwardly. Things had never been the same since Seto died, or went away, or whatever the Soothsayer meant by "not of this world". The team had broken up, they weren't as good of friends as before, Sky was completely broken. That amulet Seto made him, he hid it away, never wore it. He never smiled or laughed like he used to. He just led the team, ordering them around sternly, trying desperately to avoid any more death. Deadlox sighed again, this time out loud. He felt bad for Sky, he really did. He tried to be nice to him, to try and cheer him up, especially after not seeing him for so long. He had to admit, it kind of stung when Sky saw Deadlox for the first time in the grassland and didn't even say hello. Sky sure was colder, but there was still light inside him, Deadlox was sure of it. "Sky, should we go out looking for Harv?"
     Sky was quiet for several moments. Deadlox wondered if he was still listening. "Sky?"
     Sky exhaled slowly. "If he's not back by tomorrow morning, you and Jerome and I will go looking for him. You two are the team's best trackers and I'm going to make sure you don't mess up worse than he did." With that, Sky turned and began the slow descent down the hill to renter the guild at the north entrance.
     Deadlox stared after him, then looked out over the landscape of trees a final time. He ran his fingers through his hair slowly. "...I hope you know how much we miss you, Seto..." He said softly, before he followed Sky downwards.

Harvey felt this low feeling in his gut. Like something was wrong - like he was dreading something awful, but he didn't know what. He opened his eyes and found himself in an old, unfamiliar place filled with familiar people. He was standing in the living room of a house, which was big and suburban like they were on Earth. He didn't think that though - it didn't occur to him at all that it was strange that he was in a completely different place than when he fell asleep.
     The walls were white and the floors were glossy wood like in a studio. Harvey was facing the front door and standing at the bottom of the stairs which lead up to the other floors. To his left was a little parlor with big open windows, a seat, a coffee table, and a couch, with a fuzzy white carpet on the ground. Around the staircase to the left, behind where Harvey was facing, was a dining room and past that the kitchen. To his right was a study, a bathroom, and down the hall a big living room that was overlooked by a balcony that was the second floor.
     Harvey barely paid any attention to his surroundings. He saw people walking around, but it was like they were ghosts, shining bright and not all the way visible. He reached out to one of them as they passed, one he instantly recognized, but they didn't even cast him a wayward glance. Harvey felt fear well up in his chest. "H... Hello...?"
     He stepped down off the staircase. None of the seven people looked at him. Harvey looked around as they all passed casually, going about their daily business. "C-Can anybody hear me?" He tested, to no avail. "Can you see me?! G-Guys?!"
     Nothing. Harvey's breathing quickened as he felt more dread weighing down on him like the impending end of the world. "H-Hello?!"
     Then, there was a hand grab his shoulder from behind. Harvey heard a cry, and his body jolted as he spun around - and suddenly he was sitting up.
     He was staring into black eyes like two pieces of coal, dark hair, a green hood, a black mask. Houlden. Harvey was laying on a couch on his back. Houlden was over him, hands on his shoulders. They were in the one room cabin again, the one with the cracking fireplace and the leaky ceiling. "Hey, calm down." He ordered, in a very calm but stern way.
     Harvey made a little noise. "S-Sorry..."
     Houlden climbed off of him swiftly and pushed back his hood as Harvey pushed himself into a sitting position. "You slept in." Houlden stated. Harvey blinked, and noticed then that white light was pouring into the cabin from the windows, which were half obscured by snow. "I went hunting."
     Harvey blinked. "What did you catch?"
     "Rabbit. I'm making a stew."
     Harvey held back a wince. These people were so violent towards such cute little creatures.... But they had no choice if they wanted to survive. Harvey chose to not look at Houlden as he was cooking. He stretched, then stood, then pulled up his hood and picking up his bag. "I think I'm gonna sit outside and read..."
     "Better stay in." Houlden replied. "It's freezing out there. I still can't feel my feet."
     Harvey blinked in surprise at the fact that the (former?) bandit gave him a warning. "Oh... Okay." Harvey sat back down on the old couch. He studied his enchanter script up until lunch was ready. He and Houlden sat by the fire, eating from some quickly constructed wooden bowls. They were in a comfortable silence for a bit till Harvey finished and set down his bowl. He opened his mouth to speak, but Houlden beat him to it.
     "As soon as your mouth is free, you just have to ask more questions, don't you?"
     Harvey shut his mouth. "...Actually, I just wanted to say the stew was really good."
     Both Houlden's eyebrows raised in surprise, but he said nothing as he spooned another bit of soup into his mouth. Another silence. Harvey shifted awkwardly.
     "...Houlden?"
     Houlden sighed loudly and nearly slammed his now empty bowl onto the ground. "What."
     Harvey didn't look the least bit intimidated by his harsh tone, mostly because he was so used to it by now. "How can you bring yourself to kill rabbits...?"
     Houlden again looked surprised. He didn't know how to answer, but Harvey continued anyway.
     "They're so cute... and soft... and small... How can you do it...? I couldn't even kill a cow..."
     Houlden huffed. "You just don't think about it."
     "But how can you not think about the life you're taking away?! It didn't deserve to die!"
     "No, but I have to hunt to survive. It was rotten luck, but Harvey, I had to. I had no choice in the matter unless I wanted to starve."
     Harvey buried his face in his hands. "But... I-It was innocent..."
     Houlden felt something in his heart twinge. In a way, Harvey reminded him of the rabbit before its untimely demise. White, pure... innocent. Houlden sighed and picked up both their empty bowls. "Okay, I'll tell you what. Let's make a deal."
     Harvey sniffled, looking at him in confusion as he stood. "H-Huh...?"
     "I'll try not to kill any more rabbits, and you try to stop being so... sensitive."
     Harvey blinked, before he shakily nodded and smiled a little again. "O-Okay, I'll try..."
     "Then for god's sake, stop crying already." Houlden pulled him to his feet just a little more gently than usual. Harvey wiped his eyes to hide his blush at the contact. "There, dry your eyes. Better?"
     Harvey sniffled a last time and nodded, smiling. "B-Better..."
     Houlden let go of him. "Good. I'm gonna to brush the snow off the windows."
     "Why?"
     "So I can see if someone is coming."
     Houlden raised an eyebrow at Harvey as he zipped up his jacket. "I won't be long."
     "That's alright!"
     Houlden rolled his eyes. "Whatever, kid." With that, he turned and walked out the front door. Harvey hurried after him as he pulled up the fuzzy hood of his own jacket. Houlden was right; it was freezing outside. It was just like New York City around this time of year. For a moment, as he stood in the crisp winter air, watching his breath fog out in front of him and partially obscure his view of the spruce forest not far away, he was nostalgic for a simpler time. He remembered winter breaks in their cabin in the woods of Maine with his family. They all went there together for Christmas. He hadn't seen his family in so long...
     Harvey breathed in a slow, deep breath of cold air. Just relax... He told himself. Think of it as some crazy, DnD vacation.
     He sat down on the cabin's snow and ice-covered steps and watched as Houlden went to the first window, right beside him. Harvey watched him push all the snow off the sill and scrape all the ice and frost off the pane before he made his way around the corner of the house to the other window. He had been gone only a few seconds before an idea spawned in Harvey's mind and he smirked slightly in excitement just thinking about the outcome.
     Houlden came back around the corner brushing snow off his hands, and promptly was hit right in the chest with a snowball. Caught by surprise, he stumbled back a step before catching his balance. He looked up in angered alarm, until he saw Harvey grinning at him cheekily. His expression softened, and not for the first time, he was glad his scarf was there to cover his smile. "What, is this a challenge?"
     Harvey responded by throwing the snowball he had stored in his other hand, though Houlden dodged this one.
     "Alright fine, didn't know you had a death wish!" Houlden returned fire, and mayhem ensued.
     The pair chased each other around the white clearing till the once pristine snow was covered with footprints and heaps of kicked up snow. Neither even noticed how cold they were as time went on. Finally, Harvey fell on his back in the snow, laughing. "A-Alright, alright, I admit defeat...!"
      Houlden breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, I didn't even have to break a sweat."
     "You're an ass!"
     Houlden smiled again and knelt on the ground. Harvey made a lazy snow angel and didn't notice what the other was doing till he looked up again. He appeared to be making a snowball, but bigger. "What are you doing?"
     "Nothing."
     Harvey pushed himself up so he was sitting and he crossed his legs. "That's not nothing, whatcha doing?"
     Houlden didn't reply as he finished the soccer-ball-sized ball and began rolling another.
     Harvey stared at him, till he realized. His eyes widened a little and he smiled warmly. "Aw, Houlden, are you making a snow man...?"
     Houlden rolled his eyes. "Don't act like it's some big thing. I wasn't doing anything and I wanna keep moving so I don't get cold."
     Harvey grinned. "I'll help you, I'll make the middle one!"
     Houlden nodded. "I appreciate the help." He said, solemnly, though he was smiling too and this time Harvey could see it in his eyes.
     Harvey happily began rolling his own ball, but it kept falling apart. Growing up in New York, there was lots of snow, but rarely any place to make a snowman unless you went to Central Park - and his father was not the sort of man to take his kids across town for a play in the snow. Basically, Harvey had little experience in snow craftsmanship.
     Houlden noticed quickly and walked over to him. "Look, I know you're, like, the gentlest person on this planet, but if you don't press the snow harder, you're never gonna make a snowman.
     Harvey huffed. "Well, why don't you show me if you're such a genius."
     Houlden rolled his eyes and crouched down next to him. "You have to pack it in tight between your hands."
     Harvey tried to do as the taller male instructed, but the snow still crumbled. Houlden shook his head. "No, tighter..." He took Harvey's hands in his own and used them to squish the snow hard, squeezing Harvey's hands in the process. "You have to squeeze it hard, put pressure on it. Like this..."
     Harvey was no longer paying attention to his snowman torso in the making. Houlden seemed to realize this not long after and he instantly let go of his hands. "...Just... Follow those instructions and you'll be fine..." He quickly returned to his own snowball.
     Harvey simply continued to stare at the snowball in his hands, his cheeks bright red.
     Only a few more minutes and they had stacked each of their snowballs of varying sizes on top of one another to form their snowman. They stood side by side, Houlden with his arms crossed and Harvey with his hands on his hips. "He still needs eyes and a nose..." Harvey said.
     "Well... I don't have any carrots or anything, but..." Houlden went back inside the cabin, and when he came out, he had an apple, a dagger, and two pieces of coal. He had Harvey hold onto the coal as he cut out a thin slice of apple and then placed it in the center on the snowman's face. Harvey smiled and put the snowman's eyes on him. He blinked as he was moving his hands away. "Hey... He has black eyes, Houlden, he's just like you!"
     Houlden tilted his head. He looked at the snowman's coal eyes and he couldn't help but smile at Harvey's comment. "Yes, I suppose you're right..."
     Harvey laughed softly. "Y-You're a snowman!"
     Houlden looked at Harvey again, and noticed that he was shivering. He stared at him, then looked up at the sky. It was snowing again, but just in little flurries. Nothing like the heavy fall last night. The grey sky was beginning to grow dark - they had been outside for a long time. Houlden placed a hand on Harvey's back and guided him inside. "Let's get you by the fire..."
     Harvey didn't protest in the slightest, but shuffled along with him. It was much warmer inside. Houlden tossed a few more logs into the barely lit golden fire. He sat the shivering Harvey right in front of it and threw the only blanked in the house over his shoulders along with his own floral-printed jacket. He was used to the Minecraftian winters, and he knew the human was far more sensitive (physically and mentally) than him anyways.
     Harvey smiled shakily. "Th-Thanks...! That was really f-fun..."
     Houlden hesitated, then nodded. "Yes." He said decidedly. "It was."
     Harvey hummed, looking into the fire he had started the night before. "It's so warm..." He breathed a contented sigh. "Only way it could get better is with hot chocolate."
     Houlden wrinkled his nose. "What's that?"
     "Hot chocolate? It's this really nice drink... It tastes like chocolate and when you drink it, it makes you feel all warm inside."
     Houlden hesitated. "How do you make it?"
     "Just hot water and cocoa powder. I haven't had it since I was home, I miss it..."
     Houlden thought for a moment, expression as solemn as even before he got up. He put a kettle of water over the fire to boil. Then he opened his pack and pulled out a smaller leather pouch.
     Harvey watched him. "What are you doing?"
     "I... actually bought cocoa powder a few weeks ago."
     Harvey's eyes widened as he watched Houlden pour a little of the brown dust into his hand. He could smell the dark chocolate in it. "Y-You did...?!"
     "I had some extra money, and... I dunno. It was on sale." Houlden shrugged and Harvey beamed, snuggling in his blanket and the jacket as he watched Houlden make two cups of it for both of them. When he was finished, he handed Harvey's to him. For awhile they were quiet as they tried it comfortably. Houlden liked it a lot - Harvey felt a bit nostalgic again. Finally, after another long, comfortable silence by the fire, Harvey spoke up.
     "Houlden?"
     Houlden sighed before he could stop himself. "What, more questions?"
     "Oh, sorry..."
     Houlden blinked, and felt an uncharacteristic pang of guilt in his chest. "Hey, it's... It's okay... Sorry, what did you want to ask me?"
     "Um... I just wanna know how you knew so much about my wand... I didn't even find any information about it in my magic book..."
     Houlden blinked, before he sighed. "I knew you would ask that..."
     "You don't have to tell me, it's fine!" Harvey said quickly, but Houlden shook his head.
     "No, I don't mind telling you..." Houlden set down his hot chocolate. "Just... don't tell anybody about this, okay?"
     Harvey nodded earnestly. "I promise."
     Houlden was quiet, thinking over his words carefully as he stared down into his half full cup. After a moment, he opened his mouth to speak, but promptly shut it again. He did this again. Finally, he huffed and held out a hand, palm up, as though prompting Harvey for a tip or something. His eyes were shut, head bowed like he didn't want anybody to look at him. Harvey was about to ask what he was doing when from his palm suddenly came familiar wisps of magic - but instead of being gold like Harvey's, it was blue. Dark blue. Indigo.
     Harvey's eyes widened in shock. He wondered a lot of things, but... this...?
     "I'm half Sorcerer." Houlden said lowly. "My father was a wand maker... The last one actually, almost the only one to survive the Magist War. He's still there, making wands in secret because they were outlawed."
     "O... Outlawed...?"
     "They're dangerous, like I told you. Now that you've used it, you'll die if it breaks. If you're away from it too long, you'll grow weak. You won't get in trouble having one - it's making them that's the real crime. But my old man doesn't sell them so he ain't been caught yet. He just does it for fun... He wanted me to take over the shop once he died." Houlden scowled. "I'm no shopkeeper. I ran away years ago, when I was fifteen. I haven't seen him since."
     "...I'm sorry..."
     "Don't be, I don't miss him."
     Harvey stared at him, before his gaze flickered down to the indigo magic. Once again, he grew curious. He reached out a hand to touch it, but before he could, Houlden closed his hand and the magic dissipated. "Let's take about something else." Houlden finally looked at Harvey again. "What about you, what's your tragic backstory? What was your life like in your realm."
     Harvey blinked in surprise at the question, before he giggled. "Y'know, as long as I've been here, no one has ever asked me that."
     "Really?" Houlden hesitated. "...So what was it like? C'mon, I told you something about me."
     Harvey hummed. "I'll bore you... Earth, my home world, is much less interesting than this one. People don't fight for survival or hunt. We just do day jobs, earn enough money to buy food, eat to survive, and work more for more food. You buy houses or apartments, get married, live in a city you like. It's just like here, but... safer, I guess. But much more boring."
     Houlden thought over what he said. "...Sounds nice."
     Harvey shrugged. "The grass is always greener on the other side."
     "Well, what about your life specifically?"
     "I didn't really do anything..."
     "Oh c'mon, didn't you have any family, any friends?"
     Harvey opened his mouth, then shut it again. A look of sadness passed through his eyes. "...No..."
     Houlden noticed the look and changed the subject a little. "...No girlfriend...?"
     Harvey snorted. "Oh, no, I'm not interested in that sort of thing..."
     Houlden leaned forwards, humming thoughtfully. "So you live all by yourself. In one of those... apartments. No friends, no family. Sounds lonely."
     Harvey hesitated, looking away before speaking quietly. "You wander around on your own, surviving in the wilderness... No team... No family..." He looked up at Houlden, smiling sadly. "Sounds lonely..."
     Houlden stared at him, and Harvey stared back. The smaller male's heart was beating fast while the golden fire flickered and crackled beside them. Then he felt something touch his hand. He looked down in surprise, jolted from his trances state of staring into Houlden's eyes, and saw Houlden's rough hand holding his own. "You're tiny, and soft, and sensitive... But you're smart, Harvey, I gotta admit."
     Harvey couldn't help but blush. "...Can... Can you give me a nickname, Houlden...? I-I haven't had one in a long time..."
     Houlden looked surprised by the sudden request. He looked away, thinking, before he smiled a few moments later. "How about..." He squeezed Harvey's hand, pulling him a little closer. "Rabbit..."
     Harvey's heart raced. "...S... S-Sure..." He said meekly, his voice betraying him. He could have sworn Houlden was smirking behind that scarf of his. Without thinking, Harvey reached up very slowly and touched the fabric. Houlden didn't stop him, just stared down at him. It was soft, like silk, but thicker. Harvey hesitated, before he pulled away, blushing beet red. "S-Sorry..."
     Houlden stared at him a moment before replying. "No... Don't be..." He reached out and put his hand very gently on Harvey's cheek - more gently than Harvey thought he could be. Harvey liked the touch. He hadn't felt anything so affectionate in... Well... He couldn't remember a time. Harvey's eyes fluttered shut almost involuntarily and he leaned into the hand, instantly lost in its unfamiliar but comforting warmth.
     Houlden's heart throbbed at the sight. "Oh, Harvey..." He said softly, forgetting the new nickname for the moment. "How long has it been...?"
     Harvey shivered and looked up at him in answer, a look in his eyes as pure and gentle as ever. Houlden heart simply melted. "That's fine... I can change that..."
      The night went on, passing by slowly for the pair - but neither noticed indigo flames overtake the gold ones, holding them there. Indigo on the outside, but gold shining through from within its fiery blanket, filling the room with warm, flickering golden-green light.
     Hours later, as Houlden was lying on his back on the couch with Harvey curled up on his chest under the covers, he could only think, What is he doing to me...?