Ladon Bonfire: Ambriel & Davian
For three Halloweens in a row now, the Ladon bonfire was where Davian and Ambriel ended up. The first year, Davian had knowingly let Ambriel drink the spiked punch - and then went and rescued students who were in danger while resisting the temptation to take advantage of him in his uninhibited state. The second year, Davian had offered Ambriel a drink knowing it was spiked and anticipating Ambriel to have remembered they came that way at Ladon parties, but Ambriel had not remembered and Davian only reminded him after. This year, Davian wasn't sure which way the angel would go. There was something different about him now and though he knew Ambriel better than he knew him a year ago, he almost felt like he knew him less.
Davian himself had made a binding demon promise not to indulge in those kinds of stimulants anymore. Ever since Alex's near death experience in New York after smoking too much Nightshade (apparently humans weren't meant to smoke it at all. Who'da thunk?)Ambriel pleaded with Davian to quit. Davian had folded. He swore off drugs of any kind. He took it beyond what Ambriel perhaps intended. Not just quitting the Nightshade and marijuana, but even cutting out his cigarettes - what a long and cranky withdrawal period that was! - and alcohol.
These days, Davian was sober and drug free. He still got cravings to light up and smoke, but those were suppressed by replacing it instead with sex. Monogamous sex had never in his life sounded so good to Davian. Demons didn't do it, and now he was married. No one, not even him on his most optimistic days, could've told him he might one day be as happy and content as he was to be with only one person.
Problem was, that one person was not himself. Ambriel was a drone that went through the motions and seemed to only show life when he was alone with Davian. Every day that Ambriel didn't become more like himself, Davian got more worried. And what was a sloth demon to do when they were worried about something? They slept.
Davian tucked himself under Ambriel's arm near the bonfire and casually draped his leg and arm across the angel's torso like he was hugging a giant stuffed toy. He was tuning out the noise around them, able to sleep in almost any condition, and made a soft groaning sound like he always did when he was starting to drift off to sleep.