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Harry always remembered the Hunt being busy and chaotic, but he tended to forget that the weeks leading up to it were just as busy and chaotic.
Especially when a Clan or Circle had a child of age and debuting during the Hunt. There were special clothes with embroidered crests to order, and then fittings to arrange. Favors to decide upon and stock up on. There were Introductions to prepare. Once the schedules of feasts and Court-hosted events were released, they had to decided which ones they were attending and coordinate who was attending what event.
The last time around hadn’t been as bad as this, Harry swore. But then again, during the last Hunt, he’d just been helping out his extended family. This Hunt, however … some of his own children were making their debut.
Sometimes, when he got a moment to stop and breathe, waves of nostalgia would roll over him as he considered his own Hunt. It had gotten off to a slow start, had several unexpected twists and turns, and a good portion of his Circle building had actually taken place after the Hunt, but it was one of the better turning points in his life and he liked to focus on his fond memories from that time.
He chirped as an arm snaked around his waist and drew him backward until he made contact with a larger, much warmer form. He twisted his head around so he could stare up, meeting an affectionate orange gaze. “You’re home early.” He pressed a brief kiss against the corner of Mihail’s mouth, then narrowed his green eyes. “Are you supposed to be home this early?” he asked suspiciously.
His Alpha laughed. “I took the evening off. Since it’s not the Hunt yet and because I work so much then, they can’t really complain when I ask for some free time now.” As he spoke, he turned Harry around and picked up a hand, holding it in his as they started to sway, dancing in place. “I’m off duty for the rest of the evening and the night, even when it comes to emergency calls.”
“I love good news like that,” Harry murmured.
“Want to give me even better news, some that will guarantee me a decent amount of time off during the Hunt itself?”
It took him a minute, but when Harry caught on, he tipped his head back and laughed. “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint,” he said. “I have no urge to hunt, especially now when I’ve got firsthand experience about how much work that goes into it. Our Circle is going to stay as it is. That’ll have to be your good news.”
Mihail nodded. “It is,” he agreed. “Can you take a break for the rest of the day?”
Harry raised an eyebrow. “Date night?” There was a hint of hope in his voice.
“Date night,” his Alpha confirmed, raising their combined hands over Harry’s hand and gesturing for the other man to twirl in a circle. Harry rolled his eyes but obliged.
“What are you thinking of?”
Mihail turned towards one of the tables that lined the corridor, picking up an envelope and handing it over to Harry. “The symphony is having a few preliminary concerts, to do a few run-throughs before the big crowds come. Dinner either before or after, it’s up to you.”
“After,” Harry said as he opened the envelope, a soft smile appearing on his face as he saw a familiar name listed as the headliner of the first piece of thick paper inside. “If we’re repeating our first date, it should be as accurate as possible.” His green eyes flashed over to Mihail, giving the Alpha a knowing look. “And reservations are already made, aren’t they?”
Mihail simply hummed and gestured for him to keep going through the envelope. As Harry did, he discovered more tickets, the dates for each performance spread over the course of the Hunt. They weren’t all the same—while the first was for the symphony, the others were for performances like plays and dances. This time, both of his eyebrows raised. “You’ve got all of these nights off?” If that was true, it would have involved an impressive amount of preparation—and probably a fair amount of threats as well.
“I’m on call for most of the nights, so something might still come up but if it does, you can take one of the others or you can let the children use them for their own dates,” Mihail replied. “The only one I’m truly off for is the final one, and I booked a viewing box for that instead of the usual private booth because I know the others will want to attend.”
Harry immediately skipped to the final set of tickets and felt his heart melt as he realized what they were for—a performance of traditional dances by a Fae company, featuring the Circle’s adopted daughter as one of the principal dancers. He ran a finger under the name. “These aren’t on sale yet.”
“Tickets for individual performances don’t go on sale for another few weeks yet, but season ticket holders get first choice. The Fairy Dances tend to be popular so…” Mihail shrugged.
So his Alpha had bought the season tickets to ensure that they would be able to see their daughter perform.
He set the envelope of tickets on the table again, before stepping close to Mihail and drawing him down for a deep kiss. “Thank you,” he said when they broke away. “I love it. I’ll go get ready.”
His touch lingered as he drew back, and his hand hung in the air for a heartbeat when he finally lost contact. It was tempting to stay, especially when the heat flared in Mihail’s orange eyes and started to turn them red, but Harry knew that waiting would be worth it for both of them. So, he would get ready and go out to have an enjoyable concert and dinner, and then when they got back, he would show his Alpha just how much he loved the present.
Yes, waiting would definitely be worth it.