mississippi boys, inner city boys

// I thought of angels choking on their halos //

Danta feels victorious for approximately two seconds, before his legs are being pulled out from beneath him and he goes down just as Asta pops back up out of the water. Thrashing to get his feet back under him, the Maverick emerges - sort of. Keeping low so only his eyes are visible out of the water, whilst the urge to sass the butcher and his silly cumbersome horns is a strong one, he resists as best he can.

Only when Asta manages to rake some of his hair out of his face will Danta make his move - it's not the same unless the butcher knows who's responsible for it, after all - and he throws himself at the other man in a tackle. "You said we were going for a swim," he complains, trying to splash him and pre-emptively bite at any part of Asta that swats at him in return.

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

you were destined for the glory, the honor and the fame
i was destined for the bullet, to be the gun with no name

It’s a curtain of hair that blots out his vision for only a second before he’s brushing it out of the way, eyes widening and a dark laugh barking out of him, unfortunately taking the air out of his lungs as Danta lunges at him. “We are!” He insists, precisely at the time he’s tackled back into the water, dropping below the surface before rising again with a gasp of air, one that turns into a huff of a hiss to feel Danta’s fangs prick on his wrist.

Water splashes around them and drips from his face as he swats at the blonde, trying to loosen his hold on his wrist in the meantime. “No teeth!” He complains, flashing a sharp smile at the other Ancient, almost as if in warning he might use his if he doesn’t stop. His tail sweeps out under the water, winding around Danta’s leg tightly, his other hand moving to splash water back at him to add to his attempts to get the Maverick to let him go.

Astaroth

fate's been playing the long game on us, sweetheart

// I thought of angels choking on their halos //

In Torchline, it's little wonder that no one at all is trying to stop the two Ancients from their squabbling; if anything, the few people who remain at the fountain are either placing bets or also trying to splash them (or each other). Danta, for his part, doesn't even register that they are there. Too busy with Asta's arm in his mouth to respond that this is the weirdest swim he's ever taken, the Maverick can't help but bark out a rough laugh - letting the other man go, thank you - at his demand.

"Oh, suddenly there are rules?" He raises his eyebrows, trying to swamp to his feet only for a very cleverly placed tail to drag him back down. "I'm so sorry, I didn't realise we were being civilised in all this." Already he's trying to splash Asta back, or otherwise wrestle him back beneath the surface of the fountain, though as drowning attempts go it's really a feeble one.

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

you were destined for the glory, the honor and the fame
i was destined for the bullet, to be the gun with no name

He’s also oblivious for a moment, of the nets being taken and the people they’ve absolutely interrupted. Does he care? Absolutely not. All he cares about right now is ensuring the blonde doesn’t drown him in this fountain. So he pushes back a little as his arm is released, as the complaints are aired and he’s tugging him back down with his tail.

“Ah, well, I warned you.” He drawls with a too sharp and too charming grin. It’s met with a perfect splash to his face, tail tugging Danta closer which goes quite well actually considering the Maverick is already launching himself at him again. This time the butcher is ready, though, mouth parting and snatching a bite at whatever he can that gets in his way.

The fountain will heal it, right? It healed Flora’s, at least.

Astaroth

fate's been playing the long game on us, sweetheart

// I thought of angels choking on their halos //

Warned me about fucking what? Danta would like to know, but at that moment he's succeeded in splashing the other man and there's a surprisingly strong tail dragging him closer in the water. Having been preparing to try and grapple the other man by the horns again to steer him out of the fountain for good, Asta has apparently been waiting for this, because the next thing the Maverick knows, there's a shark launching back at him.

"You said no teeth!" he manages to bark out just as the butcher makes contact with the line of muscle running between Danta's neck and shoulder; hopefully no one notices the blood spurt up into the air, or the way the Maverick's snarl is a little less playful as he goes down. "That is enough." He growls, slapping a hand into the water to grasp at the butcher's spaded tail and pull - hard.

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

you were destined for the glory, the honor and the fame
i was destined for the bullet, to be the gun with no name

And you were surprised there were rules! Is what Astaroth would say if he wasn’t already lying in wait like a sharp ready to dive in and chomp with his sharp teeth. He doesn’t even intend to bite as hard as he does – but his teeth make up for anything that could potentially come off as gentle, turning it from something fun and playful into quite literally a potential murder scene. It’s as much of the second one to feel the blood paint his skin and teeth, enough that he doesn’t notice (much like the bystanders), the dark blood that spurts from the Maverick’s neck.

He's already releasing him by the time the less playful growl slips past Danta’s lips which is a good thing given that when his tail is grabbed he’s jostled – and had his teeth still been in the other man’s neck he would have definitely torn something out. “You’re in a healing fountain, darling, you’ll be fine.” He protests, slipping as he tries to stand with the grip the blonde has on his tail and he drops to both knees within the fountain, trying to tug Danta down with him so that the wound might heal. Already the soft little marks given from their romp on the beach had healed – surely this would too given a bit of time in the fountain.

Astaroth

fate's been playing the long game on us, sweetheart

// I thought of angels choking on their halos //

That is not the point, Danta wants to bark out at Asta, and he releases the other Ancient's tail if only so he can try to swat away the hands trying to tug him back down, as if worried he's still trying to playfight with him. The water around the Maverick is growing darker by the second, near black in the moonlight, and even soaking wet and with the fountain raining around them, his shirt is going to be stained pink at the very least from all the blood.

Keeping a hand clamped across the bite on his neck - and stopping the second spurt of dark crimson from spraying quite so spectacularly with the thunder of his pulse - Danta manages to back himself up beneath one of the streams of water within the fountain, tilting his head to direct it against the wound. It starts to close near instantly, thankfully, though the Maverick is still feeling pretty light-headed, and he slumps to sit in the water to take a break while he recovers.

"It's all fun and games until somebody bites too hard," he complains.

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

you were destined for the glory, the honor and the fame
i was destined for the bullet, to be the gun with no name

The demeanor this time is different, and he seems surprisingly unphased by the blood leaking from Danta’s fingers as they clamp over the wound. Any pain lingering from his own body has vanished by now, leaving him completely limber and relaxed, water splashing against his skin as his tail is released and the Maverick swats at him. He lets him, though, even as his hands are more gentle, trying to help rather than maim.

Drifting closer as soon as Danta slumps, he sidles in beside him and lets himself be used as something steady within the fountain to lean against. And at the complaint, he snorts, nodding as he peers out into the water and how his tail flicks this way and that, breaking apart the ripples that have formed. “Alas it is too easy for me to do, unfortunately.” There are times, few and far between, that he almost wished to have the normal blunt teeth everyone else had. But he knows he wouldn’t entirely be the same without the sharp ones he has.

“I am sorry, though.” Tilting his head toward the blonde he lets his dark gaze scan over him and his healed wounds.

Astaroth

fate's been playing the long game on us, sweetheart

// I thought of angels choking on their halos //

"I'm starting to miss when you were stressed and polite and uptight," Danta mutters, and the growl in his words and the suspicion in his eyes as the other man draws closer isn't entirely for show. Still, as Asta settles beside him and the Maverick has a chance to properly catch his breath and recover, he does slump a bit against the butcher, even if his pout remains spectacular by anyone's standards.

"Oh, you sound it," he drawls sarcastically of Asta being sorry, letting his hand rub across the smooth skin previously punctured and torn before letting it drop into the water. Tipping his head back to almost glare at the other man, Danta sits himself up straight before he speaks. "As your Theocrat, I ask that you take me back to our temporary home now," he informs him. "I'm quite finished with swimming."

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

you were destined for the glory, the honor and the fame
i was destined for the bullet, to be the gun with no name

“It will return when I am not on vacation, I am sure.” Asta hums, still very clearly unbothered as Danta keeps his pout, as the Maverick leans against his shoulder and the butcher relaxes for a few long moments, letting it soothe any of his own aches and pains. Which, are surprisingly minimal at the moment (likely from being in the water so long already).

He is sorry, mostly. But he’d be lying if he didn’t think that Danta was asking for it when he started fighting dirty. The butcher merely finished it.

Blinking down at him to hear the stern voice, it’s with a raised brow and a dark hum of a laugh to hear the Theocrat come out of the blonde, and where he’d rather push back and press at those edges to get him to react further, the butcher knows he’s already pressed his luck, vacation or not.

So he shifts in the water, dropping lower as if to offer his scarred back for Danta to climb onto. “Yes, your highness.” He drawls, glancing over at him from over his shoulder.

Astaroth

fate's been playing the long game on us, sweetheart

// I thought of angels choking on their halos //

"Long live business as usual," Danta mutters at that, his feathers evidently still ruffled (mainly because he expects another fight on his hands when he requests Asta to be his taxi ride home) as he sweeps his wet hair out of his face. Examining the rings that adorn his fingers as if to check he hasn't lost any in the fountain, when he glances back at the butcher to see him acquiescing, let it never be said that Danta can't be sweet-talked out of a bad mood.

"Quite right," he mumbles, shifting in the water to snake his arms around the other man's neck so he might piggyback him back to the inn. "Perhaps," he says slowly as he hooks his legs around Asta's waist, "I did provoke you somewhat." The words are mumbled into the crook of the butcher's shoulder, though Asta will doubtlessly feel the start of a smirk curling across his lips. "I'm sorry as well."

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

you were destined for the glory, the honor and the fame
i was destined for the bullet, to be the gun with no name

It’s like the magic word to get the Maverick to relax, the way he drops and obliges the blonde’s request. And when he feels the arms slide around his neck and the rest of him presses against his back, Astaroth waits a few moments before he’s lifting the other Ancient out of the water. “Mmhm.” He drawls, quietly letting the amusement glimmer briefly to the surface as he’s heading out of the fountain.

And yes, before you ask, he does snag that sandal that had slipped off.

“I was simply reminding you that I can also fight dirty.” Feeling the smirk bloom against his neck, he offers his own playful taunt, falling from his lips with a surprising amount of seriousness before the chuckle slips from him. “Apology accepted, darling.” He purrs, tilting his head a little to make more room for the Maverick as he starts the trek back toward Haulani, dripping everywhere in the process. “Are you feeling better now?”

Astaroth

fate's been playing the long game on us, sweetheart

// I thought of angels choking on their halos //

"You didn't have to remind me of anything," Danta protests, grinning properly now and sticking out his bare foot for Asta to replace his missing sandal - saves him carrying it, he figures. "I never forgot you could." He and the other man have been fighting dirty for as long as there has been fighting to be done, after all, though it's true that their fights are often done beneath the sheets these days.

Adjusting himself comfortably as Asta sets off, they are quite a sight as they head back through the winding, moonlit lanes of Haulani's streets, dripping wet and in relatively high spirits, all things considered. "Much better," he purrs, peering at the bars and stalls as they meander past. "Though I'd initially planned to see if you wanted to go out drinking in Torchline, now I think I'd be tempted to sit in with a bottle of something." He raises his eyebrows, asking for the other man's thoughts.

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

you were destined for the glory, the honor and the fame
i was destined for the bullet, to be the gun with no name

“That means I have done a good enough job, then.” The butcher hums with a small grin, one that Danta may be able to feel stretch across his cheeks. And as the leg sticks out the sandle is placed on easily, before he’s winding his arms around the Maverick’s thighs to keep him against him as he takes the blonde back toward the Inn.

He, too, takes his time — glancing at the shops as they pass — when the question airs and he tilts his head slightly toward the other. “That sounds divine.” He agrees wholeheartedly. “Now the question is what we shall get..?” He was game for anything, even if a part of him felt as if a gin of some kind might be of utmost refreshing given that they’re in the tropical region during the hottest time of the year. Hardly a whiskey kind of night, in his opinion.

Astaroth

fate's been playing the long game on us, sweetheart