oh darling get me drunk, invite me in

all you have is your fire, and the place you need to reach

"Shut up," Danta scoffs immediately, grinning and feeling heat starting to rise to his cheeks. "You've had that muzzle off all of five seconds and already you're insufferable." No part of him is truly complaining though and they both know it, as the Maverick is happy to demonstrate as he leans in for another kiss. Willingly drawn closer with Asta's arm slipping around his middle, Danta busies himself letting his hands skate up the length of his lover's back beneath the chainmail, pressing warmth into the thick scar tissue that mars his shoulder blades.

"I have missed kissing you," he mumbles, finally drawing back enough to peer up at the butcher with an expression of tipsy, hopeless affection. "But come on now, really - you've absolutely also been missing out on all your favourite things." He gestures to the spread of food and variety of drinks on offer. "You've got a lot of catching up to do."

Dantalion

don't you ever tame your demons, but always keep 'em on a leash

i will never go backwards, i will never be seen
in the wake of disaster ...

“Me?” Asta questions, a quizzical look glittering across his face as he smirks back at his lover, spotting the flare of warmth that blooms in a very faint hue of red against the sharp and handsome cut of his cheekbones, able to tell the difference between the warmth of the liquor Danta’s already indulged in versus the heat his words create. “I am believing to think that you love me more when I am insufferable.” He touts in a whisper between them, brushed against his lover’s lips before they melt into another kiss.

Relishing in the touch up his spine and along the raised scar tissue that makes up his back, it takes every inch of self control in him to not push the Maverick against the table and have his way with him. He manages it, though, even if it’s just barely passing when they part. “Mm, so it would seem I do.” Have a lot of catching up to do. And it’s with great reluctance that the butcher parts enough to sip from the flute of tasty champagne, relishing in the sweetness rather than only bubbles he’d gotten before. Humming a note of content, he lets his dark gaze return to Danta’s as he squeezes him gently with the arm still wrapped around him. “You know me so well, darling.” Not at all a question, but simply a matter of fact. "Now, what else might we try? It is a party so I suppose dessert before dinner would not be improper?"

Astaroth

will you sink down to me?

all you have is your fire, and the place you need to reach

It takes great restraint on both their parts, especially after the drinking and dancing and kissing, and Danta turns enough to happily drape himself against Asta's side if only to stop from jumping into his arms and demanding to be taken off into the woods. One of his hands remains against the butcher's back, stroking gentle fingers down his spine, while the other reaches for a fresh drink for himself. "Joke's on you," he whispers back, pointedly not looking at the other man, "I love you more every day."

Clearing his throat and painting a breezy smile on his lips, Danta tuts and nods towards the dessert table. "Improper my ass, you've been undressing those cherries with your eyes since the second we got here. Go, get your sugar high before they're all gone." There are plenty sequestered away in the basket he'd procured, of course, but Asta doesn't need to know that.

Dantalion

don't you ever tame your demons, but always keep 'em on a leash

i will never go backwards, i will never be seen
in the wake of disaster ...

Half curled into Danta as they part and he sidles up against his side, he takes a second, more indulgent sip of the sweet blackberry champagne as he hears the whisper. Glancing sideways at his lover to know that he is, in fact, not looking at him when he says it, the butcher does the wise choice in pretending not to have heard him. Instead, he simply lets his tail curl around his legs a touch more and downs the rest of the blackberry champagne, as if he might be able to get the buzz quicker before he staunches it with the promise of food.

“They have white chocolate, darling.” He protests, as if that was the whole reason he was undressing them in the first place. It was one of his favorite chocolates, given how sweet and creamy it tended to be. “Alas, fine, fine. Remind me to treat you when we get home for allowing me my indulgences.” He purrs, because they both know Asta won’t need the reminder (and with the powernap on the skyship on the way home he’s likely to encounter, well…)

With his arm still snug around Danta’s side, the butcher drifts further down the tables to the desserts, pausing at the white chocolate covered cherries as if debating how formal he wished to be. And in true Dygra fashion, given the season, rather than politely snag one or two, the butcher snags a handful of them and promptly shoves them all into his mouth.

Astaroth

will you sink down to me?

all you have is your fire, and the place you need to reach

"They do," Danta agrees with a smirk as they approach said white chocolate delights. "And come now, I think we both know you're planning to treat me when we get home no matter what I do here at the party." Laughing under his breath, he's not actually watching all that closely as Asta takes in the dessert table - his own tastes veer towards the sharp or the savoury, so he's eyeing up some charcuterie board nearby when the butcher makes his move.

Glancing quickly up at him - just in time to watch the cherries disappear, stems and pits and all, into Asta's mouth - Danta's eyes widen and he tilts his head at the other man as if to ask and what the fuck now? "Listen," he says, trying and failing to contain his amusement, "I know you were probably hungry after being so patient all night, but I'm really not sure how you plan to fix this. Are they good at least?" And should he be stepping out of range of whatever happens next?

Dantalion

don't you ever tame your demons, but always keep 'em on a leash

i will never go backwards, i will never be seen
in the wake of disaster ...

“Ah, whatever would I do if you did not know me so well, darling?” The butcher muses playfully, letting a soft laugh leave him too as Danta peruses the charcuterie board further down. It’s the perfect timing for him to shove the handful of cherries into his mouth, all sweetness and cherry, pits and stems. The amount he’s filled his mouth with is perhaps a touch too much, but the butcher doesn’t seem to mind.

He chews down deftly in the pile in his mouth, snorting from his nose because it’s impossible for him to talk, but his tail wags with all the amusement of his fyrhund shift like a dog just caught stealing dinner from the table and having zero shame. “Mmhm.” He manages, lips quirking into a small smirk briefly, swallowing a portion of it down until he’s certain he’s got the stems and pits separated.

He reaches out, then, to catch Danta’s attention, twisting to look at someone none the wiser who lingers against the tree. He doesn’t recognize them and doesn’t seem to hang around anyone else that might be somewhat familiar, imagining they’re some bystander of a random region. And looking absolutely inconspicuous, he spits a pit out toward them, watching briefly as it hits their leg with a surprising amount of precision before he turns to Danta before he gets caught.

Astaroth

will you sink down to me?

all you have is your fire, and the place you need to reach

"Oh, good. That's good," Danta says, barely containing his laughter and opting to, yes, take a small step away from Asta just in case anything does come, er, spraying out of the other man's nose or mouth. He's just reaching for a cube of cheese from one of the charcuteries - and another drink, because why the fuck not - when the butcher nudges him for his attention.

Turning just in time to see Asta shoot a fucking cherry pit at someone, Danta bites the inside of his cheek hard enough to taste blood with the effort to stop from bursting out laughing and giving the game away. "You could at least give me some warning!" he hisses, promptly emptying his glass and setting it back on the table, offering Asta his cube of cheese as a chaser for his cherry ammo.

Dantalion

don't you ever tame your demons, but always keep 'em on a leash

i will never go backwards, i will never be seen
in the wake of disaster ...

Twisting toward Danta once he’s made his mischief, his lips quirk in a smirk that’s only brief before he’s turning his back away from the bystander he’d hit with the cherry pit. The person in question looks around bewildered and confused, going so far as to stare up at the tree and figure it was some kind of strange prank pulled by the varying will o wisps that flicker through the trees.

He takes the moment to clear his mouth of the rest of the stems and pits in a quick and effortless precision, turning back to Danta as he swipes the corner of his mouth from some of the red dribble from the dark cherries as the cube of cheese is offered. “Oh? And ruin the surprise, darling?” He purrs with playful mischief glittering in his gaze before he plops the cheese into his mouth, teeth slicing through the cube with ease.

He swallows the bite down and sweeps his arm back around his lover, fingertips dipping into the back pocket of his pants as he plucks a slice of meat from the varying charcuteries laid out after, offering it out to Danta before snagging one for himself. "I would say we managed without getting caught."

Astaroth

will you sink down to me?

all you have is your fire, and the place you need to reach

Grumbling something that's a mixture of accepting and grudgingly agreeable, Danta is at least grinning as Asta clears his mouth of the rest of the ammo, leaning into the arm that slings back around him. "I thought I was supposed to be the menace tonight," he says, nuzzling at the scruff of his jaw before turning his head to accept the savoury offering.

"Mm, I would say so as well. It's nice to have you as a partner in crime." He winks, reaching out to grab at a tray of what look like brownies to draw it across before Asta, should he wish to partake. In the meanwhile, Danta goes for a handful of breadsticks (several of which he shoves into his breast pocket) and a some kind of chutney to dip them in.

"Once we've plagued this table until you're satisfied, what would you like to do next?" he asks, before munching on a breadstick.

Dantalion

don't you ever tame your demons, but always keep 'em on a leash

i will never go backwards, i will never be seen
in the wake of disaster ...

“We are sharing the burden.” The butcher hums in a low, deeper accent, a conspirators whisper as his arm snakes around his lover’s middle. The cheese is a welcome savory but creamy change from the sweet of the chocolate and the cherry, and as he snags the meat for Danta he gladly gives up the bite to him, his fingertips brushing against his cheek gently.

Then, after devouring his portion of the slice of meat, he’s on high alert the second Danta’s sliding the brownies over. “We make the quite the pair, mm?” His tail flicks slower, easier as he watches his lover snag the breadsticks to stuff into his breast pocket. Amusement flickers in his gaze as he snags a brownie and chews on it, careful to not get the crumbs on Danta’s outfit, tilting his head over to him to hear his question.

Thinking while he chews, he swallows the bite down and hums a thoughtful sound. “I could think of a few things.” He teases, his voice dropping into a low purr as he glances sidelong toward his masked lover.

Astaroth

will you sink down to me?

all you have is your fire, and the place you need to reach

"Yes, well I certainly think so," Danta purrs after finishing his bite of the breadstick, smirking up at Asta and leaning into him further. Given enough time at the table he's quite certain that both brownies and breadsticks will disappear entirely - so it's quite lucky, in fact, that the other man has a few other suggestions up his sleeve. "Can you, now?" He grins, abandoning the breadstick in his hand (and promptly forgetting about the two in his pocket).

"Let me try to guess some of them. You want to go and dance again? Or... you want to try apple bobbing in one of the big barrels over there?" He nods over his shoulder, beaming. "Or," he says, lowering his voice, "you want to grab that basket I put together and get the fuck out of here? We can take a long detour through the woods, and then take the skyship home."

Dantalion

don't you ever tame your demons, but always keep 'em on a leash

i will never go backwards, i will never be seen
in the wake of disaster ...

Meeting Danta’s smirk with one of his own, he nods his horned head with a twist to his grin as he snags another brownie from the plate. As Danta works to abandon the breadstick, the butcher steals the last bite of brownie as he shifts his weight a touch, tugging Danta closer to him as he listens to all the options that are listed out as possible things they could do that might align with the butcher’s thoughts.

And of course Danta lists off quite a few things that are not what he means. It’s intentional, he knows it, and the only sign of his amusement his lover would see is the curl of his tail against his leg. Its very clear that he gets the butchers attention with the last comment, specifically when he leans in to steal a confirming kiss from his lips, withdrawing to brush his nose against the blonde’s as he smirks his shark-tooth smile. “That sounds perfect. Let us get the fuck out of here.” He trills with a thicker accent, ending with a brief hum of a laugh before he’s withdrawing to tug them away from the table back to the tree where their basket still awaits them.

Astaroth

will you sink down to me?

all you have is your fire, and the place you need to reach

"Music to my ears," Danta says, smiling the words against the butcher's lips, and it's with the faint scent of chocolate still in his nose that he lets himself be ferried along in Asta's wake. They reach their lurking tree in no time at all, the Maverick reaching out to snag at the basket (which has had the good sense to stay as he's commanded), hanging it in the crook of one arm and gesturing for Asta to continue leading them off into the woods with the other.

"I feel like I'm red riding hood in that fairytale," he remarks with a warm laugh. "Got my own big bad wolf to follow me home." Winking at Asta, Danta waits until they are far enough away from the rumble of noise and music and assorted chaos of the masquerade, before he's finally reaching up to untie his mask. "That was fun," he purrs, "but I imagine you'll agree it was a lot of work. Even more for you than me."

Dantalion

don't you ever tame your demons, but always keep 'em on a leash

i will never go backwards, i will never be seen
in the wake of disaster ...

Happy to guide his lover back toward the tree they’d departed, the butcher’s muzzle remains wound around the inside of his elbow as they walk. The red lines to his face have smoothed over, hidden partially by the bone mask he has still kept in place. As Danta collects the basket, he casts one last glance along the party to make sure they haven’t missed anything, and with the satisfaction of having accomplished all the shenanigans and the prospect of going home, he’s more than ready to drift into the paths that would take them away from the gathering.

Mirroring Danta as he, too, unties the mask from his face, he fiddles with it enough to attach it to the muzzle as if they were both parts of the same attire when he hears Danta’s laugh and casts his gaze over toward him, giving his hip a gentle squeeze once his arm is able to slip around him again. “I could truly be a big bad wolf to chase you through the darkness?” He boasts playfully. But he settles swiftly with a low and long sigh. “It was. And yes, it took a vast amount of self control, but I managed to keep my teeth to myself.” He hums, tilting his head this way and that before he’s looking back over at his lover.

“And you pulled off quite the perfect surprise, darling. However you have opened up the door for me to steal you away for dances regularly now.” I hope you don’t mind.

Astaroth

will you sink down to me?