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"Come here." Your voice comes out plaintive and whiney, bordering on childish, but you're too tired to care. "Barb. Come 'ere."
The demon glances over at you curiously as he shuts the oven door. He's tired too, but he sure as hell doesn't look it. Despite having spent most of the afternoon baking enough goodies to feed a small army or a particularly ravenous Beel, he remains completely pristine.
" Barbatos ." You say, patting the counter next to you.
He knows what you want, what you always want, but he still asks, "Can I help you?"
"Come heeeeeeeeeeeeere. That cake'll take at least an hour." Really, he should know better than to let you read the recipe by now.
Barbatos looks over at the kitchen timer, and then at the neatly set out pastry bag and filling you already prepared. He has no reason to decline. No reason to deny himself some relaxation time. Not to mention he's a demon, and as Lucifer is so quick to remind you, they're creatures of temptation the same way humans are of curiosity.
You hold back a happy squeak as Barbs, instead of sitting down next to you, wedges himself in between your legs and wraps his arms around you. With you on the counter, you actually have the (very slight) height advantage for once, and he takes the opportunity to nuzzle your neck.
"Thank you."
"It is my pleasure." Barbatos laughs, his breath sending shivers down your spine. This close, there's no way he missed it, but he doesn't comment on it. A small kindness.
You close your eyes and sigh happily, soaking up Barbatos' warmth and affection.
It's rare to get a moment of calm with Barbatos. He likes to keep himself busy, even when taking you out on dates. It's not bad , you've always had fun cooking and hitting up new shops with him. But sometimes, you want this.
"Can we just stay like this, for a while?" You ask, trying (and probably failing) to not sound like Belphie when he's in one of his moods. Needy.
For some strange reason, none of your demons or fellow exchange students have ever treated that like a bad thing. At most, you'll be teased a little, for being "spoiled."
Barbs' pronged tail snakes around your ankle in reply, and you flinch. "When did you--"
"I prefer this form." Barbatos reminds you, tilting his head so one of his horns brushes against your cheek. "Unless it makes you uncomfortable?"
"No," you stop yourself from saying god no . "I-- I like this form too." That feels vaguely like a confession, and you hide your too warm face in Barb's neck.
"Do you?" He laughs. He sounds pleased, although you don't know why. Maybe because, while it's still a glamour, it's less 'human'? And that means you like him, the demon?
As if he can sense you're overthinking things, Barbatos begins pressing kisses onto your throat again, while his tail snakes even higher up your pant leg. The kisses are nice, while the tail is… it's strange, but not bad. You can't really describe the texture. It's not like Levi's smooth scales, or Satan's hard segments. It's certainly not fluffy like Belphie's.
You brush it off after a moment. "You work too much, you know."
Barbatos stops littering you with kisses for a moment, instead nuzzling your collarbone. "And here I was under the impression this is a date." He says, mock offended.
You laugh. "You say that like we don't usually work on dates, mister "let's go shopping together"."
"What a terribly long surname." He says dryly, running his fingers up your side. "Wasn't that our first kiss? The human world fair?"
"It was." It was clumsy and hesitant, but it made both you and Barb smile. You've had many kisses since then, but that was one of your favorites. Especially because the grand majority of kisses have been quick pecks. Kitchen kisses are also pretty common, and… oh. "Barb-- Um."
"Hm?" He hums, somehow managing to sound curious.
"It occurs to me that we've never actually kissed in your room? Which also means that Lucifer has kissed me more in your room than you have."
Barbatos freezes. Pulls away just enough to look you in the eyes. And asks, " Excuse me ?"
"W-well. Remember in October? When Lu and I asked you about Diavolo's preferences, for his birthday party?"
Barbatos cocks his head to the side, acid green eyes narrowing as he recalls that day. "I went to fetch tea."
"And Lucifer said this really romantic thing about how much Dia and I mean to him." You add. "And he kissed me."
Barbatos has never been a particularly possessive demon. Not like some of the brothers. He's even actively encouraged your relationship with Diavolo.
But even he has limits.
You forget sometimes, that Barb is capable of the same casual feats of strength your other partners are. He wedges his hands between your thighs and the counter and suddenly you are no longer on the counter.
"Barbatos!" You yelp.
"I won't drop you," the demon laughs.
"I know that, but… a little warning." You shift in his arms, trying to wrap your legs around his waist better. You have no doubt he could manage even if you were a dead weight, but…
Barbatos patiently waits for you to stop fidgeting. "Done?"
Asking you're not gonna drop me, right? seems impolite, so you lean up to kiss Barbs' cheek.
"Now." He says, smiling at you. "We are going to my room, and I am going to kiss you until Lucifer is the last demon on your mind."
You are not at all opposed to that plan, but you do feel the need to say, "You know I'm yours, right?"
Barbs hums in reply. "I know."
If he were a human, you'd wanna explain more, assure him that he's the priority when you're with him. That one-on-one time is special. The whole polyamory thing is still confusing to you and you want to pick it apart, verbalize your feelings until there's no question that you love him and them.
But he's a demon, and saying that you're his covers all that and more.
You press your face against Barbatos' shoulder as he carries you. The castle is, well, a castle, befitting the Prince of the Devildom, so it takes a little bit to actually get to Barbatos' room.
It's just as strange as you remember, with more doors than you can count and a staircase that doesn't make sense.
Through one door is his actual bedroom, a tiny space that doesn't seem to get much use. You note that the bed is meticulously made right before Barbatos sets you down on it, and he laughs when you cling to him. " Stay." You whine.
"I'd like to take my jacket off."
How very reasonable. "I thought you were gonna kiss me."
Barbatos fixes you with a look, and you let go. Sometimes it's fun to push his buttons, to get him a little riled up and stern, but you're not in that kind of mood.
No, you want soft and sweet and Barbatos twining his fingers with yours as he leans in to kiss you, now sans his jacket. He tastes like cake batter and mint, and you love him.