The Demon Butler watched the scene with his classic pleasant smile, standing to the side with one hand held to his chest. The Demon Prince was chuckling beside him, talking about how much he was having. And if someone were to take a picture of the two, the people who saw it in the future would never be able to guess that they were standing in the middle of chaos.
It was a rare weekend where everyone was free, with no exceptions. The brothers, angels, royals, and humans all found themselves free for the weekend. When Lord Diavolo found out, he insisted they take a short trip all together.
That was how everyone ended up at a private ice skating rink. Barbatos nodded in acknowledgement when Lord Diavolo talked about joining Lucifer, watching the Demon Prince skate over to the Avatar of Pride. The butler’s smile never wavered as his eyes wandered around the rink, his expression giving nothing away in terms of his own thoughts.
Nearby, Simeon and Solomon were standing by Luke, trying to help the young angel maintain his balance on the ice. Mammon was on the other side, taking pictures of the rink, mumbling something that he couldn’t hear. Belphegor was napping on one of the tables outside of the rink, and Beelzebub was sitting beside him with a pile of snacks. Asmodeus was taking selfies with Satan, the latter looking less enthusiastic about the stream of pictures being taken.
His gaze continued to wander, finally landing on the figure he was most interested in. Her black hair seemed to float behind her as she sped around the rink, delight sparkling in her icy hues. The snow mage he had come to befriend had been the most excited about the trip, talking nonstop about how much she had missed wintry sports. The Avatar of Envy that was usually by her side was unable to keep up with her energy, and merely sat in one of the booths. He glanced up as he played games, giving her a fond smile whenever they made eye contact.
Yuna paused as she looked away from Leviathan, unable to shake off the feeling that someone was watching her. She hummed in surprise, smiling brightly when she made eye contact with Barbatos. He smiled back at her, his eyes closing into pleased crescents as she skated her way over to him.
“Are you enjoying yourself, Yuna?”
“Of course! This rink is amazing! It’s so weird to be in this huge rink with no one else.”
“As long as you are happy, then the Young Master and I are happy as well..”
“Formal as ever! Loosen up, let’s have some fun!”
The Demon Butler chuckled as the snow mage teased him lightheartedly. His eyebrows raised in interest when Yuna let out a squeal of excitement, watching as she skated around him as she clapped her hands together.
“I know! Let’s have a race Barbatos!”
“A race?”
She nodded with excitement, coming to a halt in front of Barbatos with a pleading look in her eyes. He hesitated for a moment, glancing at Diavolo to ensure that the prince was still occupied before turning his gaze back to the snow mage with a small smile.
“Very well then.”
Amused filled his gaze as the snow mage clapped her hands once more. When she spun around in excitement, he skated backwards, just barely avoiding getting hit in the face by her long black locks. Yuna’s icy hues filled with a competitive fire, glancing at Barbatos as she slid into the empty space beside him.
“Ready? Set… go!”
She started the countdown with no warning, giggling as she started skating. The Demon Butler smiled pleasantly, following her with ease. As they continued to skate around the rink, he settled with staying just behind the snow mage, never pulling forward but never falling behind. Yuna giggled quietly, unsurprised that he was keeping up with her. After all, she had yet to find something that he couldn’t do.
She glanced over her shoulder, giving Barbatos a smile, unaware of the slight bump on the ice in front of her. Her eyes screwed shut as she stumbled, and she braced herself for an impact that never came.
Barbatos was quick to act, swooping in to catch her faster than she thought possible. Her eyes flew open in surprise, and she grasped his shoulders to steady herself. He looked at her with amusement as he spun her around, dipping her gracefully as if the fall had been something they planned.
Her hands flew cover her mouth as she let out a quiet gasp of surprise, her cheeks tinted pink as he leaned closer to her. The Demon Butler gave her a soft smile, holding her in that position as he leaned even closer, his gaze never leaving hers.
“I wonder… If I had met you first, would I be able to hold you like this everyday?”
“W-what?”
She looked at him in confusion, just barely able to catch the hint of sadness that seemed to flicker in his normally unreadable gaze. Just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, and he was once more smiling pleasantly, his eyes closing into crescents as he helped her stand up once more. Yuna’s look of confusion lingered even as Barbatos pulled away, his expression giving nothing away as he placed a hand over his chest with a slight bow. A polite smile lingered on his lips as he straightened back up.
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
“N-no… I’m fine… Thank you Barbatos.”
“Of course.”
And with that he was skating away, as if nothing had ever happened, leaving the snow mage to wonder if she had imagined the quiet words that had left his lips. Even as Leviathan rushed over to her, asking if she was ok, her gaze lingered on the butler who was standing beside the Demon Prince once more. As Leviathan took her hand and led her towards the booth to take a break, she glanced over her shoulder to look at Barbatos once more. He smiled as they made eye contact, lifting a finger to his curved lips before turning his attention back to Diavolo.
I wonder...
(Art by: @nekoonell on twitter!)
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