For BettyBest2, my lovely friend Christian. I was so excited that I got you for secret santa, but super nervous! Its easier to let down a stranger than it is your friend and also writing role model! I love everything that BettyBest2 has ever written, and I've been in quite a writing slump lately, so I've been writing a few different prompts hoping to come up with something I think was worthy of them! I figured some Christmas-y fun would be a nice fit (though, they'll have a few other stories dedicated to them now in the future that are leftover!). Merry Christmas!

Even in the harsh cold of the early morning, Meliodas appreciated the view presented to him. As he steadied the gently quivering ladder, unsteadily perched against the side of the tavern, he had the perfect glimpse up a certain princess's skirt. How she managed to wear such a revealing bottom in this weather was beyond him, but he had no right to complain.

This hadn't been his original task; he'd been making his way down the cobblestone roads of Britannia in search of a store to restock his supply of a particular ale when he'd spotted the princess haphazardly standing on the top tier of the ladder. In the chilling December wind, the device had been a bit too unstable for his liking: so here he stood, instinctually steadying her. He looked upwards towards her, who was too involved in her task of wrapping a strand of garland around the edge of the roof to note his presence.

He allowed his gaze to linger for a few appreciative moments longer before announcing with half-lidded eyes, "quick, lean over there just a tiny bit more. I can't see the color clearly enough."

And there was the embarrassed shriek he expected, her step faltering as her hands spiraled at her sides, completely caught off guard. In the next moment she was stumbling backwards, the pink evident on her face, and his arms readily caught her bridal-style.

"Lord Meliodas!" she huffed, the warm breath a fog in the air as her hands situated on his shoulders, "you shouldn't sneak up on me like that!"

"Sorry!" he chuckled, "you were concentrating so hard, I didn't want to interrupt! What are you working on, anyways?"

"I'm decorating, of course!" her eyes widened as if this was the most obvious answer in the world. "There's so little time left, and so much to do," her fingers twitched nervously against his shoulders as she sagged into his chest, "but I know if I really put a lot of effort into decorating and keeping the festive spirit up, it'll mean a lot to the kingdom… And yet I still have so much to do personally, it's all a bit overwhelming-"

Meliodas blinked, shaking his head to clear it. "Slow down a second! What are you decorating for?"

It was Elizabeth's turn to blink now, her eyebrows furrowing as her tempting lips pursed into a slight pout, "What do you mean what for? For Christmas, of course! It's such an important day to Lioness, to all of Britannia really, and with the wreckage from the Commandments leftover no one's hardly had time to be festive."

Meliodas simply blinked again, his previously groping hands still on the princess in his arms.

She observed his blank reaction, tilting her head to the side. "Meliodas…" she slowly questioned, "did you not remember that… It's Christmas Eve?"

He hadn't. He really, truly hadn't. Being alive for so many centuries had made him forget all about his birthday, about holidays, about the calendar in general! He'd been wandering alone for most of those years, so he'd never felt much of a need to celebrate. When he was with the Sins he'd just happen upon holidays, and would spend most of them drinking so much that he'd forget them in the morning.

But this was obviously important to Elizabeth. She had a family and a proper upbringing! She probably had traditions she celebrated.

He slipped into his indifferent mask, "Of course I didn't forget. I was just asking what you were decorating for over in this area, specifically." It was barely a passing lie, and she pursed her lips as she tried to read him - she was getting too good at reading him! - before simply nodding. She rolled out of his arms, dusting off her skirt as she stood on her own two feet, barely able to balance her accident-prone self on the icey road.

Both hands on his hips, he nervously glanced at her, an accident waiting to happen. "How about I throw the last of this garland up, and you hold the ladder?"

Elizabeth twirled the ends of her silver hair around her finger, biting her lip, "I really can do it myself, Lord Meliodas, I don't want to bother-"

"Not a bother at all!" he quickly interrupted, already stepping up the tiers of the ladder as she placed her delicate hands on the bottom. He didn't actually expect her to be any support; he knew how to balance, and her company was good enough reason to keep her present. "I haven't done my part in decorating for the kingdom yet!" he smiled down at her, adjusting the strand of garland.

Minutes passed by as he finished the final touches on the roof, Elizabeth chatting on excitedly about the holiday. Luckily, it didn't seem like he was behind on much. The servants at the castle, where they were currently residing with some other guests in the aftermath of the Commandments attack, would prepare an extraordinary feast. The decorations were mostly finished. It was a time of happiness and joy, friendship and family, and an assortment of winter ales, Meliodas hoped.

"It should be a lovely day, I'm excited to get to spend it with you for the first time, Lord Meliodas," Elizabeth sighed dreamily, lost in her own imaginings for the holiday.

"I'm pretty excited too! Sounds like you have a lot of plans for the day." he remarked cheerfully.

"Of course," she smiled, before her eyes fell to the ground nervously, her shoes shuffling against the dusty snow, "I just hope you like your gift."

He choked loudly, losing his breath, the cold hurting his throat. Now it was his turn to nearly fall off the ladder. How in the world did he forget that giving was one of the most important aspects of this holiday?! Even if he had forgotten such an important fact, it made it exponentially worse that apparently Elizabeth had kept him in mind.

Now each moment counted. "I'm sure I will love whatever it is," he smiled down at her good naturedly, hoping she couldn't see the nervousness creeping over his expression. He straightened out the last bit of garland, making sure it was secure before hopping all the tiers of the latter, landing on the ground right in front of the stumbling princess. "All done! I'll see you back the castle tonight!" he noted, giving her a joking salute.

"Tonight? It's barely late morning? You need to leave already?" she couldn't hide her disappointment; it seemed she had wanted to spend most of the day together, decorating or otherwise. It was a tempting idea, and he nearly gave into it. But he had things to do, presents to buy, and very little time to get it done.

"I just remembered I have an important mission to finish! I'll see you later, promise!" he called back as he hurriedly made his way down the path towards the castle, standing regal in the center of Lioness.

The princess sighed as she waved goodbye to the captain, wondering why she couldn't be brought along to this supposed mission as well.

oOoOoOo

Meliodas was damn near ready to bust down the doors in his quest to find a certain someone to help him out. Luckily, as he rushedly headed into the grand dining room, he didn't need to wait long.

"Zeldris!" Meliodas called out, his younger brother turning his attention from the meal, and the woman, in front of him.

Fortunately, after the Commandments attack, Meliodas had managed to salvage the morality of some certain enemies, his younger brother included, much to his joy. Peace was in exchange for retrieving and reviving the vampire Gelda sitting next to him, of course: a strenuous but doable feat. Having family again was nice, and in times like this it was even better.

"What is it?" Zeldris huffed out, an angry edge to his tone that never seemed to fade.

"We made a mistake. We didn't even know that tomorrow was Christmas here!" Meliodas pulled out a chair on the other side of his brother, leaning tiredly against the wooden table. Of course Meliodas referred to him and Zeldris: how were two demons supposed to know about such customs?

Zeldris and Gelda exchanged a long, surprised look, before simultaneously turning back to the blonde.

Gelda took a bit of a breath, before beginning gently, as if consoling a child, "Um, Meliodas, you see, we didn't quite-"

"We didn't forget, you idiot!" Zeldris barked out a laugh, "how could you possibly not observe that this was happening? What was more difficult to notice, the giant tree in the middle of the grand hall? The ornaments everywhere? This entire kingdom talking about it for a month?!" The black-haired demon was laughing loud now, mockingly. "How unobservant can you be?"

Gelda attempted to press her lips together tightly, holding back what Meliodas was sure was her own laughter, but the corners of her mouth turned up nonetheless.

Meliodas, meanwhile, simply gaped in awe. Was he the only one that had completely missed the time of year? What had he been doing?! How had no one mentioned it around him? Or had he just not been listening?!

Meliodas took another deep, calming breath. He needed to remain calm. He had time! "Gelda, could you leave my brother and I alone for a moment?"

The vampire immediately began to scoot out her chair before Zeldris put his hand behind it, keeping it still. "No, she cannot," Zeldris kept his narrowed eyes on his brother.

"Zeldris, it's fine, your brother needs you. I'll be waiting upstairs," that being said, she put an extra bit of force into backing her chair out, elegantly taking her leave. "Good luck, Meliodas." she called back good naturedly. Meliodas gave her a smile before turning back to his brother, whose jaw was twitching in its strain.

"We were in the middle-"

"What did you get Gelda?" Meliodas quickly interrupted.

"What did I get her?" Zeldris questioned, some of his aggravation fading away to a perplexed tone.

"Yes! As a gift! Elizabeth got me a gift and now it's Christmas Eve and I have no idea what to get her!"

"A gift... " Zeldris blinked, his face losing its mask of animosity. Now he was just confused.

Now it was Meliodas's turn to smile mischievously, "You didn't know, did you? You didn't get her a gift."

"I didn't-" Zeldris cut himself off, restarting, "We didn't… Her and I don't- we won't-"

"Get gifts for each other?" Meliodas said with fake sympathy, "Mmmm, perhaps brother. But won't you feel oh-so awful tomorrow if your pretty little mate gives you something extravagant and you have nothing in return?"

Ah yes, Meliodas could see it now: the gears were churning in Zeldris's mind. Both brothers had a knack for exploring worse case scenarios in their heads. Nonetheless, Meliodas was impressed when Zeldris put another mask of indifference on his face, his arms folded and clenched as he glared down at the wooden table, regardless of the obvious panic that had wound through him.

"So what's your plan here?" Zeldris spit out.

Meliodas slid his chair out, the legs loudly dragging against the floor, another mischievous smirk creeping onto his face. "Obviously, we're going shopping."

oOoOoOoOoOo

The two demons quickly made strides down the center of town, where it seemed as though hundreds of stores and booths were set up, selling a range of precious items.

Money wasn't an issue; Meliodas made more than enough from the tavern as of late, and it wasn't as if anyone in the kingdom wasn't willing to simply give him anything thanks to him saving all their lives more than once.

"Alright," Zeldris began, "let's split up, see if we can find anything. We'll meet back here in a half hour," his tone sounded more strategic, like a mission rather than holiday shopping.

Meliodas nodded, though honestly, splitting up seemed like an awful idea. He couldn't for the life of him make a decision alone.

As he strolled through the streets, Meliodas continued to not have any idea what a proper gift for the princess would be. There were plenty of luxuries, of course: fine dresses, beautiful and ornate jewelry, pretty little trinkets made of jewels. But Elizabeth wasn't lacking in funds, admirers, or nice things: she'd been more than a bit spoiled in her royal upbringing. He'd seen the fine gowns she wore, had seen her lovely bedroom covered in plush materials and glittering trinkets.

As minutes passed by and he observed a particularly large jeweled necklace (something he could never imagine around Elizabeth's neck, much to his dismay), a part of him wish he'd dropped her infant form off with peasants: it'd have made this task a lot easier.

He went back to the meeting spot empty handed: nothing seemed nice enough, or special enough, to give to Elizabeth. He didn't just want to get her another nice thing. Though at this point, he wondered if he should just give in and get her another luxury item to add to her collection.

As he spun, looking for his punctual brother, his mouth gaped at a certain sight. His brother, arms flexing as he carried a stack of (was it fifteen?!) boxes of multiple colors. The stack balanced precariously in his arms, Zeldris's jaw flexing in concentration as onlookers gawked.

Meliodas was gawking as well. "What in the world did you get?!"

Zeldris threw a look at Meliodas, disgust in his expression at both his brother's surprise and lack of boxes. "I got things" he threw out, vague as ever.

"Obviously!" Meliodas shouted, approaching his brother and looking upwards at the large stack of boxes, each of a various size. He recognized a few of them from the various clothing and jewelry stands. "Gelda likes all this stuff?"

"Of course she does," Zeldris snapped, "she had all these things back in Edinburgh before it was destroyed, and now all she can do is borrow from Elizabeth" he sneered, giving Meliodas a pointed look at the word destroyed.

Meliodas blinked, "Huh, I guess you're right."

"Obviously," Zeldris remarked, "I see you've done well," he added, a smirk at his blatant mocking.

"Elizabeth already has all these things. Especially since being home! At least at the tavern she was on a budget, but now Baltra or her sisters will buy her anything her eyes focus on for more than a few seconds."

"Mm, sounds rough," Zeldris barely noted, his eyes already zooming on a particular platinum bracelet, covered in rubies. He walked off towards it without another word.

Meliodas sighed. It was going to be a long afternoon.

As another hour passed without any results nor company, Meliodas had made his way to the outskirts of town. He had tired out every one of the stores to no avail.

Meandering down a thin path, he noted that the buildings were beginning to thin. It was quieter out here, and darker. The cold, crisp air put him a bit more at peace. He'd always liked the winter. Now all he saw were hills, and the occasional home.

"Lord Meliodas?" a soft voice questioned, and though it was hardly a whisper he jumped at the familiarity. Sitting on the top of the hill he was now on top of was the princess herself, now dressed in a coat and a long skirt more appropriate for the weather.

"Elizabeth? What are you doing sitting around all the way out here?"

She hummed softly, looking back out into the dusk. "I don't know, it's peaceful out here. I've been helping out around town all day, I figured it'd be a nice place to catch my breath," she hesitated, "Are you catching your breath too? After your mission?"

He sighed heavily, taking a seat a foot away from her, "something like that," he duly noted.

Another few seconds passed and he sensed her hesitation in the way she eyed her twiddling thumbs in her lap, her bottom lip between her teeth. "Lord Meliodas, you seem rather down."

He smiled a bit; she was gentle and sweet, and always cared more about his wellbeing than her own. He decided it was probably best to just be honest with her: she was always understanding.

"Truthfully, I didn't really have a mission today."

"Yes," she nodded, "I know you didn't."

His eyebrows furrowed at that as he twisted towards her, "how'd you know that?"

She hummed again, giving a light giggle, "once someone observes you enough, Lord Meliodas, you're quite the obvious liar."

That made him blink; he'd never been called an obvious liar. Most people were completely unable to read him, even after years. He supposed it made sense though, if anyone was able to, it'd be her.

"So what were you up to?" she pressed, twisting towards him as well, tucking her legs against herself.

"Honestly," he carries on, "I was trying to look for a gift for you. I know Christmas is important to you, and the kingdom. But I really don't know what I can give you that you don't already have!"

Her wide blue eyes tremble a bit, the blush from the cold mixing with a new pink hue. After the shock subsides, a beautiful smile adorns her face.

"Oh, Lord Meliodas," she giggles, "you don't need to get me anything. I love the things I have in the castle, and I loved growing up there, but all my favorite memories are with you!" Her head tilts to the side, her silver hair tumbling over her shoulder, "All I want for Christmas is to spend it together."

Her words were genuine, and he finds himself blushing as well. When did he become a blushing mess, whose emotions were so easy to read? Goddesses, he's changed.

"You really don't want anything specific?"

"Hmmm, something specific?" her finger taps on her chin, "Well, I want us all to have breakfast together in the morning. And I want to show you the decorations down by the square! The light the three when the sunsets, and I think you'll love it a lot, it's so beautiful! After that, we can…" Her list goes on and on, a dream holiday she had seemed to plan in her head for a long time. For them, together. And Meliodas's smile only grows as he listens: he enjoyed the idea of this gift.

After she's done with explaining her plan, they both rise to head back towards the castle. About a quarter of the quiet yet peaceful walk back, he takes her hand in his as they walk, and adores the blushing smile that lights her face.

"Hey Elizabeth?" he comments after they arrive at the castle's door, the sky beginning to snow lightly.

"Yes, Lord Meliodas?"

"I like the idea of what you want for the holiday, but you had said earlier that you had gotten me something already?" he notes, curiously, "what was it?"

She smiles before, shockingly, pressing a kiss to his cheek. He's startled, and can hardly move before she's already taking the steps in front of him through the castle door, hurriedly making her way inside. "You'll just have to see tomorrow! Merry Christmas, Lord Meliodas!"