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You were more than a little drunk, you thought- no, you knew. It had to have been the eggnog- as a human, demonus didn’t affect you, though you had had a bit of it alongside both of your loves. Why, well, you liked it for the taste, and the experience of watching your lovers- Mammon especially, as Barbatos tended to pace himself- get drunk while you remained completely unaffected and sober. And you’d thought that tonight would be the same; you’d drink a little demonus with your lovers, enjoy some Christmas cheer in the form of eggnog and exchanging gifts, and eventually Mammon would succumb to the demonus and let loose some of his tsundere tendencies while you and Barbatos watched on in amusement. Instead… you could feel the heated flush of your cheeks, the byproduct of your drunkenness, and you could also feel. Well. A little bit loose yourself. Happily, floatingly so.
You lifted your glass of eggnog, giving it a strong look, an accusing look, before raising it to your nose to take a closer whiff of it than you had all night. Sure enough, the telltale scent of rum and amaretto greeted your senses, a sweet, spiced, almondy scent that blended perfectly with the spiced eggnog itself. Your gaze slid next to Barbatos, who’d brought the eggnog and supposedly made it himself. Knowing green eyes met your gaze with clear amusement at the reproach in your stare, and a single eyebrow rose in response.
“I do hope everything is alright?” His voice was deep and smooth, easy going and definitely entertained. Your own gaze narrowed upon him, and you thrust out your hand holding the eggnog towards him.
“You didn’t tell me this was spiked!” you exclaimed, perhaps a little hotter than was warranted, but then, you were drunk. Perhaps it could be excused. Mirth sparkled in Barbatos’ eyes as he looked from the glass of eggnog- the one he had kept meticulously filled for you- to your face, flushed as it felt with heat. He chuckled lightly, the sound tinkling, and replied,
“You had mentioned that you enjoyed alcoholic eggnog before; are you not enjoying it now?” His head tilted ever so slightly, his gaze questioning, seemingly innocent, and damn it, he was right, you had mentioned your fondness for it before. You just hadn’t expected him to provide it without warning. He was also right in that you had been enjoying it. The eggnog, spiked or not, was absolutely delicious, probably the best eggnog you had ever had in your entire life- most likely because Barbatos had made it himself. And, as a result of drinking it, and in the company of your lovers, you did feel, well, nice. You opened your mouth to retort- something, anything… and then closed it again, finding yourself without a rebuttal.
“Wait a minute,” Mammon finally spoke up, and he grabbed at your raised glass, swiping it from your grasp and taking a whiff of it himself. His eyes went wide as realization dawned upon him, and he turned to stare at you, hard. You found yourself flushing even more under his sharp gaze, lovely hues of blue and gold narrowing upon you before he leaned back once more, grinning a slow, wide spread grin. “You’re drunk, ain’tcha?”
“Gimme that,” you answered, reaching for and snatching your glass back. Trying to ignore his obvious glee, you took a deep sip of your (spiked) eggnog, letting the thick, delicious drink coat the inside of your mouth before swallowing it down. Now both your lovers were watching you with mirth and amusement in their eyes, so you took another drink, trying to gather yourself. Hurriedly, as you swallowed your second sip, you said, “Isn’t it about time to open our gifts anyway?”
“If you like, we can certainly do that,” Barbatos replied easily, nodding in compliance. You turned your attention then to the small pile of gifts sitting beneath the tree. It was easy to tell at a glance who had brought which gifts; there were yours, of course, simply and well wrapped, each tagged for one of your lovers; there were the gorgeous and fastidiously wrapped gifts that had clearly been wrapped by Barbatos’ expert hands; then there were the two messy and over-taped gifts in gleaming golden wrapping paper that all but screamed Mammon’s name. The sight of them all made you smile, perhaps a little goofily in your drunken state. All different, but handled with personal care and love in their givers’ own ways. You nodded, more to yourself than to your lovers, and spoke again,
“Let’s open our presents!”
“Ya don’t have to tell me twice,” Mammon replied, his eyes lighting up with excitement as he clapped his hands and rubbed them together. It was enough to make you laugh, fond amusement shining in your own gaze as you watched him eye the gifts. Then he was reaching for the two you’d brought, checking the tags on them and snatching up the one with his name on it swiftly. It was a small box, wrapped in green and blue plaid paper, tied off with a simple black bow, and he held it up to his ear, shaking it lightly. You found yourself laughing a little harder as he tried to interpret the sound the little package made, even as Barbatos scolded,
“Now, now, Mammon, I believe there is an order to these things. Doesn’t the youngest present usually open the first gift?” Green eyes found your own, as if seeking an answer. You shrugged, and replied,
“We can go from youngest to oldest.” You certainly didn’t mind going first, definitely the youngest amongst present company; you were itching to find out what your lovers had gotten you for the holidays, after all, sure as you were that you would enjoy whatever it was. You eyed the gifts yourself, trying to decide which one to reach for first- and Mammon interjected before you could make up your mind.
“Fine, fine, then they can open my gift first!” And then he was pushing the larger of the two messily wrapped golden gifts into your arms. You laughed at his eagerness, exchanging an amused glance with Barbatos, who nodded once more, green eyes shining.
“Alright alright, I’ll open yours first,” you acquiesced, looking down at the gift in your grasp. It was the largest of the gifts, a couple inches wide, just over a foot long, and it felt nice and weighty in your hands. You barely resisted the urge to shake it like Mammon had his own gift. Instead, you followed the multiple lines of tape all over the wrinkled golden wrapping paper, seeking a good place to tear it; when you found it, you slipped a finger beneath the paper’s seam and pulled. The paper tore easily, the tape a little less so, but after a moment or two of tugging at it, it broke, revealing a plain white box in two halves. Feeling Mammon’s gaze intent upon you, you wasted no time in lifting the top of the box off to find… a rather gorgeous looking sheathed dagger done in dual tones of black and gold.
You made a soft sound of wonder as you lifted the dagger from its box. Its sheath was mostly gold, with black and gold filigree inlaid into it in swooping curves that formed hearts and curls throughout. You reached for the hilt of the dagger, pulling it carefully from its sheath; there was filigree inlaid into the silver blade itself as well, ornamental designs of hearts, circles, and curls mirroring the design on the sheath. It was easy to see how sharp the blade was at a glance, the light of the room gleaming and glinting off the edge of the dagger. It felt perfect in your hand, like it had been made for you, and you couldn’t resist the desire to flourish it through the air lightly- before a pale hand caught yours carefully, causing your gaze to lift up to meet Barbatos’ as he admonished,
“Perhaps it would be wise not to swing that around while you are inebriated.” He was smiling at you, despite his words, amused still, and it took the sting out of the reprimand. His gaze shifted to your blind eye specifically, and you felt your cheeks flush once more. Well, he wasn’t wrong; swinging a dagger around while drunk probably was a bad idea. But did he have to point it out so blatantly? Your lips twisted into a pout briefly… before your gaze dropped once more to the blade you both held now, and you were caught up in how beautiful it was. How Mammon it was, the golds and blacks making you think of your lover perfectly, while being a gift that you instantly loved. You grinned then, a bit giddy, and looked up to Mammon’s waiting gaze, telling him,
“I love it!”
His cheeks flushed at your words and, before he or Barbatos could react, you pulled your hand free from the elder demon to lunge at Mammon instead, throwing your arms out to grab him up in a hug- dagger in hand and all. He yelped as he caught you in his arms, flailing a little to keep the dagger from stabbing or slicing at him as he did. You grinned and laughed at his shock, turning your hand to keep the dagger away from him even as you leaned up to place a peck of a kiss onto his cheek, continuing,
“Thank you Mammon, it’s beautiful!”
“I, uh, I mean! Y- yeah, of course you love it, it’s a gift from the Great Mammon!” he blustered, shifting you in his arms so one of his hands closed over yours where it held the blade, steadying your grip on the dagger and stopping its swinging motion. You laughed at his flustering, leaning back and extracting yourself from his arms.
“Yup, that’s totally it,” you giggled to yourself, finding your seat again so you could sheathe the dagger once more. “It has nothing to do with how thoughtful and sweet my boyfriend was in picking this out for me.”
Mammon’s blush deepened on his cheeks at the casual mention of his relationship with you. Barbatos spoke next, before the other demon could react further, telling him,
“Well, Mammon, I believe it’s your turn to open one of your gifts.”
“Y- yeah!” The exclamation was out in an instant, the demon’s attention returning to the small box he held. He wasted no time in immediately finding the wrapping paper’s seam with his finger, tearing it open and ripping the green and blue paper off the box. As soon as the paper was gone he flicked the box open, eyes shining brightly as he stared down at the ring that had been revealed. It was a thick, solid gold band, with a deep green, square gem inset in the middle; along either side of the gem, done in careful gold filigree, there was the symbol of greed. His eyes were wide as he stared down at it, asking quietly, “Is that-”
“It’s a tsavorite garnet,” you answered, smiling at his awe. “They’re rare, but are said to inspire love and commitment, and bring wealth and prosperity to their owners. I commissioned it for you.”
“It’s gorgeous,” he murmured, his eyes wide as he looked from the ring to you. Your smile widened as he swallowed thickly and carefully lifted the ring from the box. There was a moment while he shuffled the rings he already wore, making room for the new one, and then he slowly slid it into place on his index finger. It went on perfectly, settling into place at the base of his finger, and his eyes flicked back up to meet yours. His voice was uncharacteristically quiet as he told you, “I love it.”
“Good,” you replied, grinning goofily, happily. Then you turned to Barbatos, grinning still, and said, “Your turn!”
“Of course,” he replied, and reached for the gifts remaining beneath the tree. He selected the second of the over-taped golden packages; it was a small box, even smaller than Mammon’s ring box, although not by much. He was slow, much slower than you or Mammon had been, as he traced the seam of the golden wrapping paper to tug at the tape holding it all haphazardly in place. Methodically he pulled the tape up and from the paper, unwrapping the little box carefully; once he had it fully undone, he opened the little black box within, to reveal a pair of what looked like earrings. His smile was serene as he lifted them out; they were delicate golden hooks from which dangled small diamonds, and below that, little jade donuts wrapped in golden wire at the top. His gaze slid to Mammon and, chuckling as he brushed his free hand against the jade necklace he wore, he told him, “They’re quite lovely, and match my necklace. Thank you, Mammon. I truly appreciate them.”
“Ya like ‘em?” Mammon was blushing again… or more like still. Golden blue eyes flickered up to meet Barbatos’ green gaze, and then slipped quickly away, darting bashfully back down to his newest ring. His voice was blustery as ever as he added, “As ya should, ya should treasure a gift from me!”
“As I shall,” Barbatos agreed, laughing quietly again. Then his green gaze slid to yours as he leaned over and picked up one of the gifts he’d brought himself, offering it to you. “I believe it’s your turn once more.”
You accepted the present gingerly, turning it over in your hands. It was covered in a silver foil wrapping paper and accented with a big, delicate teal bow, a little bigger than both the boxes Mammon and Barbatos had opened, longer by a few inches. You weighed it in your hands; it was too heavy and big to be earrings or a ring, but other than that, you could only guess at what it was, and there was only one thing to do about it. Quickly you tugged at the tail end of the teal ribbon, watching as it came unraveled easily and expertly; then you were tearing at the seam of the silver wrapping paper, revealing a slim, velvet, black box. You opened the box just as quickly, eager to see what awaited you- and you laughed. Barbatos, similarly, chuckled, as your gaze flickered up from the small silver dagger he had gifted you, and he explained,
“It’s not just another dagger; it’s a broach that you can wear as well as a dagger you can wield.” His dark green eyes slid over to Mammon, who was craning his head to see the gift as well, and Barbatos shook his head in amusement. “Had I known that Mammon intended to gift you a dagger as well, I might have-”
“No,” you interrupted, grinning and lifting the little dagger from its box to get a closer look at it. The handle was inlaid with a large jade stone, and decorated with delicate silver filigree leaves and flourishes; a slim, delicate chain connected the hilt and the sheath, and as you pulled the blade free of the sheath, it gleamed sharply in the light of the room. You admired it for a moment before sheathing it once more, and turned all your attention to Barbatos. “It’s gorgeous, and I love it.” You shifted to include both your lovers in your gaze, grinning still. “I love them both, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything else in the world. Thank you guys, you certainly know how to treat me!”
“I’m glad to hear it,” Barbatos said, and if you weren’t wrong, there was a bit of relief in his eyes. You chuckled, nodding, even as Mammon crowed,
“Well, guess it’s my turn again!” And then Mammon greedily snatched up the other gift Barbatos had brought. You laughed louder at his cheer, watching as he literally tore the teal bow off the box before tearing off the silver foil paper as well, clearly anticipating whatever the other demon had gotten for him. Another black, velvet box awaited him beneath the paper, and he popped it open immediately, revealing an expensive looking golden watch. Golden blue eyes widened almost comically as he cried out, “It’s Wersace!”
You whistled as you shifted to get a good look at the watch. You’d heard of the brand before, and knew that it wasn’t cheap; Diavolo tended to wear it, if you remembered correctly, and if the crown prince wore it… Yeah. Not cheap. It was a lovely piece though, a thick golden band, with several golden circle displays on the black watch face, several small dials on the side, and a tiny little golden three-legged crow figure at the top, just below the word ‘Wersace’ that circled the watch face. Mammon had the watch out of the box in almost an instant, wrapping the band around his wrist and securing it into place. He looked up at Barbatos, seemingly awestruck as he said,
“I dunno how ya got yer hands on this- this is from a limited run collab Wersace did with the Three-Legged Crow Group! Thanks, man!”
Barbatos chuckled, answering,
“There are benefits to being the Young Master’s steward; if you know of that collaboration, then you’re aware that the Young Master modelled for it. As such, I was able to attain this piece for you.” He paused then, turning his attention to the last gift beneath the tree, and to you. “Now I believe it’s my turn once more; I admit, I’m eager to see what you’ve gotten for me.”
You reached for the last gift, passing it over to your oldest lover, wiggling a little in place in anticipation. You’d been meticulous with this gift, and you were looking forward to seeing his reaction; he accepted it with aplomb, and once more, began to open it slowly. It was a bigger box than most of the previous gifts, although not quite as long as Mammon’s dagger had been, once more wrapped with blue and green plaid; he carefully pulled up the tape from the paper without ripping it, instead unfolding the paper from around the black box within. Once he’d finished, setting the paper aside, he opened the box to find an assortment of small packets within. As a fragrant scent filled the air from the packets, he looked over to you with a surprised look.
“Lucifer helped me pick them out just for you,” you explained as the perfumed scent of tea leaves reached your nose. “They’re all from the human world, so not the kind of flavors you can typically get here in the Devildom. I hope you like them all!”
“I’m sure I will,” he answered, and his smile was warm and pleased as he met your gaze steadily. “I’ll have to prepare some tea for us in the near future- perhaps not tonight, I do believe we’ve already had plenty to drink.” His eyes glinted with amusement once more at his not so subtle reminder of your state, and you felt yourself huff as Mammon laughed.
“And whose fault is that, huh?” you asked, laying the blame neatly at his feet where it belonged. He chuckled in response, nodding as if to accept the blame easily, and gave a motion that could almost be described as a graceful shrug.
“I admit, I had hoped you would be pleased with the eggnog.” He looked a little…. ‘bashful’ wasn’t quite the right word, but you weren’t sure what word would be right to describe his expression otherwise. Whatever the word, it was enough to make you speak out quickly, assuring him,
“I was! I mean- I am. It’s delicious, see!” And you took another big swig of it to prove it, savoring the taste as it coated your mouth and throat once you swallowed. You continued, eager to put his worries to rest, “I like that it’s alcoholic too. I feel… good.” And you did. Your surprise at the spiked eggnog had faded, leaving only enjoyment of the alcoholic treat, and the happy buzz of being more than a little drunk. The happy buzz of being with your lovers for the holidays, exchanging gifts and enjoying one another’s company.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he said, and once more there was relief in his eyes. Perhaps it was because you were drunk, but seeing the palpable emotions in his gaze, when he was so often calm and collected, maintaining a steady facade… there was something precious about it in this moment.
Without thinking, you surged forward from your seat to capture his lips with your own. He made a surprised sound against your lips before he began to kiss you back, fervently. One of his hands scrambled to steady yours, still holding your eggnog, to prevent the drink from spilling between you; the other hand slid up your back, pulling you in close and holding you tenderly as his lips moved against your own for a long, long moment. It wasn’t until a soft exhalation of desire sounded off to the side of you that the pair of you parted. Two green gazes shifted then, to find Mammon biting his lip and watching you almost hungrily with wide, golden blue eyes.
“Sorry,” he said hurriedly, hastily, shaking his head, “I didn’t mean ta-”
“Why don’t we retire to the bedroom,” Barbatos offered, a knowing look in dark green eyes and a smile on his lips. Both you and Mammon inhaled sharply at the offer, exchanging looks between the two of you before you both turned back to the older demon. You nodded, quickly, eagerly, even as Mammon answered,
“Sounds good ta me!” Immediately, Mammon scrambled to his feet, clearly eager to get going. You wanted to follow him, but you cast your gaze around the room, and the mess you had made of it; your drinks were all sitting out, with wrapping paper everywhere, and boxes discarded from their gifts. Catching your gaze, Barbartos chuckled, and told you,
“I’ll take care of the drinks. The rest of this can wait until morning. Now go, my love. I promise not to keep you waiting.”
Well, that was that, then. Grinning goofily, happily, you reached for Mammon’s hand, setting down your eggnog to drag your lover from the room.