know the warning signs

// tell me i'm forgiven, say you'll always be mine //

It’s a shift from many others on LongNight – especially here in the Grounds. Everyone hunkering down, nervous about monsters making a reappearance again, choosing to spend as much time asleep as humanly possible. For him, however, after having an entire season of essentially that, the overabundance of exhaustion in his bones has lessened. He feels slowly more like himself, day after day, even without the sun to make an appearance when he’d otherwise known it was daytime.

It doesn’t bother him, however, considering the fact he’s gotten quite used to waking up at odd times throughout the day – sometimes going as far to not see the sun at all for a couple of days. Today, however, the butcher wakes early – he’s energized. He slowly peels himself from Danta to not disturb him, and slowly actually gets ready for the first time in ages.

Enough to slip away and snag breakfast for the both of them – a bitter but good coffee for the Maverick, along with plenty of breakfast meats and eggs, returning silently to set the tray on the side of the bed and sit beside his lover on the mattress, reaching over to gently caress his serene face, slowly and gently trying to wake him up. “Good morning, love.” The butcher hums softly, dressed in a warm emerald sweater embroidered with little foxes on it, paired with black pants. Far too dressed to have just gotten out of bed.

Astaroth

// say that everything is over, tell me i'm fine //

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

Asta executes his escape to perfection, because Danta is absolutely none the wiser as he slips out of bed and starts his day without the Maverick. He isn't exhausted this season, but given how intense Leafchange had been, he's been more than happy to go along with Asta's nap schedule and preference to laze around until noon and beyond. So when the butcher returns, it will be to find his lover still sound asleep, having rolled over to clutch at a pillow since the other man was unavailable, curled around it with his nose buried in the plush fabric and his tail flicking gently at the tip.

The scent of coffee breaks through slowly but surely, and his sleep blank expression twitches briefly towards a frown before long fingers are caressing his cheek, Danta turning his head instinctively towards the affection at this point. It's still a long sigh and a further flick of his tail before his eyes peep open, hazed with sleep and only vaguely aware of what they're seeing, settling little by little on Asta.

"Mm... morning," he rumbles, hiding a yawn in the pillow and lifting a hand to rub at his eyes. "...Foxes?" His fingers brush against the fabric of Asta's sweater as he drops his hand again.

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

// tell me i'm forgiven, say you'll always be mine //

He’ll let Danta take as long as he needs before he can fully wake up, though the question of foxes has Asta sitting back a little, peering down at the sweater he wears with a warm laugh that leaves him, soft and gentle. “I thought it was a fitting sweater for the day, do you not?” He asks, flashing his lover a vibrant, shark-tooth grin, before he’s leaning over him to press a kiss to his temple.

He withdraws just in time to snag the tray of food and the coffee in question, twisting around to place it safely in a space it’s unlikely to be knocked over. “I went and brought us some breakfast. And coffee for you, just how you prefer it.” His tail wags a little with the comment, looking far more awake as he peers down at his lover with a bright, honey gaze, drawing the fires up a bit higher to bring light and warmth raging into the room.

Astaroth

// say that everything is over, tell me i'm fine //

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

"I couldn't say - is the day going to be full of foxes?" Danta wonders with a sleepy smile, hiding a wide yawn behind his hand and rolling slowly onto his back so he can stretch out fully beneath the furs and blankets, back arching. By the time he relaxes again Asta has turned to produce the tray of breakfast, and as the Maverick comes around he starts to realise that the other man isn't just awake - he has been for some time.

"So you did," he says softly, a smile kicking up one side of his mouth. "I think this is the first time you've gotten up before me in seasons. Are you feeling okay?" Shifting to sit up in bed at last, Danta grabs a few pillows to fluff them up and set behind him, sinking into them and reaching immediately for the coffee after that. "You are magic," he informs Asta as he brings it straight to his lips for a hot and much needed sip of caffeine.

"How is Longnight so far downstairs, since you've already been pottering about?" he asks.

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

// tell me i'm forgiven, say you'll always be mine //

“Perhaps not the vulpines themselves, however, the behavior might be similar.” He boasts a little playfully, giving his lover time to wake up and stretch out. Without the tray in the way until he’s settled, there’s no risk of it falling. But as he wakes up more fully, sitting up, the butcher’s smile is soft edged but still sharp as he nods his head. “I believe all of my hibernation as of late is finally paying off. I am quite awake, as it turns out.” Which is a relief – because it’s perhaps the most normal version of himself he’s been in seasons.

His smile slants into a knowing smirk as he hands him the coffee and plucks a piece of bacon from the tray to nibble on. “I am well aware, darling.” Comes another playful boast, before he’s scooting up onto the bed to join Danta in the small space created, pulling the tray up onto his lap as his tail flicks contently off the edge of the bed. “Rather busy, unsurprisingly. Everyone is behaving at the very least. Though I imagine it is due to them being uncertain whether it is day or night.” He hums, snagging another piece of bacon to hand to Danta should he want some.

Astaroth

// say that everything is over, tell me i'm fine //

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

"Oho, I see. You are feeling foxy, are you?" Waggling his eyebrows at Asta and taking another long sip of coffee, Danta at least seems to be waking up a bit more as the seconds tick by; enough to properly admire the butcher in his all his cozy glory, awake and alert in a way he hasn't experienced in a long time. "Mm, I can certainly see that," he purrs, reaching out to accept the piece of bacon to munch on.

Scooting to the side to welcome Asta in to sit with him, Danta finishes one piece of bacon and reaches for another, casually slouching against the butcher to leech the warmth from him. "Well at least they're having a good time. Here's hoping we don't have a repeat of last year." His nose wrinkles a little as he recalls the Ancient who had turned up dead on the Dusklight steps as if hand delivered. The Family is gone now so he's hoping not, but... well. In Caido you can never be sure.

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

// tell me i'm forgiven, say you'll always be mine //

“Perhaps I am.” He teases, voice dropping a fraction as he lets more of his accent slip, his smile twitching more roguish as his tail flicks more playfully. “I used to go by Ferox, after all.” In case Danta forgot – he doesn’t think that he has – but the name is close enough as is and he’s fine enough now to make the joke.

Settling in beside Danta once the bacon piece is handed over, Asta’s free arm slips around his lover’s shoulders, keeping him tucked in as they enjoy their breakfast and to offer plenty of body heat for him to steal. “There is someone outside just in case.” He’d taken on a few underlings for additional help and the attuned harbors an arctic shift that seems to be perfectly content stationed out in the snow and cold. It felt like the perfect job for him, anyway.

The butcher stretches a little before he snags a piece of toast, glistening with a bit of butter and sweet jam, he swallows down the bite before he speaks again. “I have not even made tea yet.” A staple as of late to try and wake him from the neverending clutches of sleep. Another clear indicator he’s very much awake now.

Astaroth

// say that everything is over, tell me i'm fine //

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

"And yet, I somehow feel like you were a lot less foxy when you went by that name," Danta drawls, finishing his bacon and taking a smaller sip of coffee, adjusting to settle into Asta's side and rest his head on his shoulder. "Mm, good decision," he adds, of having stationed someone outside (and having taken on extra hands in general, given how much they travel and how preoccupied Asta has been for the past couple of seasons).

Watching the butcher grab a slice of toast, Danta soon can't resist following suit, though his has only a small amount of jam compared to whatever Asta has just bitten into. "No tea?" His eyes widen comically at that, clearly impressed, but he waits to finish his bite of toast before leaning in to plant a sweet kiss against the corner of his mouth. "Seems like you're getting through the worst of the year. It's good to have you back," he says.

Falling quiet to finish his toast and coffee - and to spear a breakfast sausage on a fork to enjoy - only when he's sated does Danta relax back again, sighing contently. "Shall we go down there to join everyone, do you think?" He smirks. "I'm feeling much more like myself after being treated to breakfast in bed."

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

// tell me i'm forgiven, say you'll always be mine //

“The world may never know, darling.” He smirks, hiding it with a few more bites of food and leaving the mystery to the air around them. Though, Danta’s right in that he was far less of himself then. More survival, act first ask questions later, a gut instinct cannibal. It’s enough to settle him into devouring the slice of toast and the sweetness of the jam like it’s a lifesaver, though it isn’t until the press of a kiss is placed to the corner of his mouth that really brings him to life.

He leans in a bit more to nuzzle his cheek against Danta’s and annoyingly interrupt the attempt to snag the sausage on a fork – only briefly, letting him get away with it as he hums a more honest answer. “It is good to be back, to be honest.” He murmurs, settling in to finish his breakfast, too, full and content and happy and surprisingly not succumbing to sleep once again.

If anything, he seems more awake. “We could. It could be a LongNight surprise.” He muses playfully, pushing the tray aside to twist and face Danta more fully, only to lean in and steal a much needed and sweet tinged kiss from his lips. He withdraws gently with a lingering touch to his arm before he slips off the bed to stand, to offer his hand to his lover and help him out, keeping the fire burning warm and bright from the hearth to offer more light for him to pick out what to wear today. “I would love to get back into a routine.” Before hormones and seasons fucked it all up for him.

Astaroth

// say that everything is over, tell me i'm fine //

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

"Is that so? Well, I know what my question is going to be when we next play truth or dare," Danta quips with a wicked little laugh - not that he would ever share it with anyone outside their room. Snapping playful teeth at the butcher as he risks interrupting his breakfast with obnoxious affection, luckily they're finished with their meal by the time Asta angles himself for a kiss, one that the Maverick delivers without complaint.

The grumbling comes as he draws away instead, of course, though he does accept the offered hand to slip out of bed at last. Stretching his arms above his head, tail sweeping low and lazy at his heels, Danta pads across the room to rummage around for something to wear. "A Longnight surprise," he echoes with a laugh, pulling on a dark sleeveless tee with the word SLUT sprayed across it, accompanying it with a cozy maroon cardigan.

Pulling on a pair of cuffed sweats to complete whatever look he appears to have selected, Danta then moves to plop himself down before their large mirror to fix his hair. "That routine being to terrorise anyone not being polite in our lovely little home?" he asks, grinning at Asta's reflection.

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

// tell me i'm forgiven, say you'll always be mine //

“Ah, I suppose I shall not pick truth, then.” He quips back, smirking to the wicked laugh. But they eventually finish up their breakfast and he’s able to take a few moments to indulge in more sweet endeavors, before the butcher is withdrawing reluctantly and offering a warm hand out to help his lover out of bed. Once they both are fully up and out of bed, the butcher can straighten out his sweater and brush away a few of the rogue crumbs from the piece of toast he’d devoured.

As for the rest of his get-up, he snags his cane from the wall just in time to come up behind Danta as he fixes his hair, spying the shirt in question with the maroon cardigan and the sweats, chuckling his amusement. “Mine, yes?” He smirks in the mirrored reflection of the Maverick, reaching out to brush a finger across his shoulder where the shirt is.

As for the routine, he boasts a playful look of innocence at odds with what he says. “Always, darling, I am a very efficient guard dog.” He breaks up the innocent look with the too toothy grin and the tilt of his head, the brief appearance of his little shadowed version of himself smiling over his shoulder at the Theocrat.

Astaroth

// say that everything is over, tell me i'm fine //

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

"Yes, well, I'll just have to dare you to pick truth for the next round," Danta says airily, as if this isn't his first rodeo when it comes to getting around such things. Smirking at the other man's reflection as he weaves a quick braid into part of his hair that will otherwise refuse to be tamed thanks to bed-head, he adds a couple of feathers and a small golden charm in the shape of a sun.

Fluffing the rest up and smudging a bit of kohl beneath his eyes, the Maverick is ready for the day in record time, straightening up to see the butcher prowl up behind him, cane in hand. "Mm?" he glances down at the cardigan, lifting an oversized sleeve to his nose and inhaling, smiling at the lingering scent of smoke and blood and honey. "This sure is," he says, before glancing down at the shirt. "Not sure about this one. You can wear it later though, if you like."

Flashing a fanged grin at the butcher and his shadow, Danta slips on some shoes and finally heads for the door. The moment he opens it, of course, Moira flaps down with indignance at having been accidentally locked out, burrowing her way between his shoulder and his neck and clacking her beak to them both.

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //

// tell me i'm forgiven, say you'll always be mine //

“Ack.” The butcher drawls with amusement, huffing his laugh intot eh sigh so it sounds less funny than it is. Either way, he snags the cane and prowls close to the Maverick, peering at him in the reflection. At the confirmation of the cardigan, he rolls his eyes playfully at the idea of the other shirt, straightening back up. “Mm, perhaps. I suppose it will depend on how slutty I will be feeling.” It’s said in a deadpanned tone, broken up only by the twitch of his lips in the smile of amusement while he tries not to break character.

It doesn’t last long, though, because Danta’s finished and they’re on their way – the door opening to the flurry of dark wings and the click of his cane as it hits the floor. “Apologies, darling, I thought you were roosting on the mezzanine.” He hums to the corvid, leaning over Danta’s shoulder briefly to peer at her, before he withdraws to let Danta lead the way – in the correct positioning, unlike their dare had been.

The Dusklight is much like what Asta had explained – bumping, bouncy, energetic but in an almost frantic kind of way. With others binging and uncertain of what day it is, the staff seem to have it all relatively handled – moving like a well oiled machine for each rhythm and bump that might occur. Music croons loosely beneath the sounds of the people within, the air thick with the scent of drinks and sweat and too much perfume and cologne.

Astaroth

// say that everything is over, tell me i'm fine //

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

"Foxy, slutty - you're full of adjectives today," Danta purrs as they head for the door, only to be briefly interrupted by Moira. "You know she can't stay mad at you," the Maverick assures him, leaning his cheek into her downy warmth and lifting a hand to brush one of his fingers across her feathery chest. Spending a few moments preening her bonded in return, it isn't long before Moira does hop from Danta to perch on Asta's shoulder instead, evidently preferring the vantage point.

The Dusklight, as the butcher had explained, is much like what he expects, Danta grinning and clearly thriving on the frenetic energy. "I will see you after you make your first rounds," he calls to Asta, tipping him a wink before sliding seamlessly into the fray.

He collects a drink, greets a few regulars and introduces himself to some newcomers, directing the flow of chaos to and from the bar and encouraging some shyer patrons to absolutely take their partying somewhere private, if they are so inclined. Once he makes it behind the counter, he spends a lingering few minutes helping to make a fruit punch for a large party in attendance - one that is sweetly, deceptively strong.

Only once they are gone does he get a second to breathe and, more importantly, accept the small stack of letters having been left for him behind the bar for perusal.

Dantalion

// get them drunk on rose water //