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The Sins had all gathered in the Boar Hat. It was Christmas night, and all of us had spent the day doing last-minute shopping and hanging out with each other.

I had spent the majority of the day in the town we were staying in. It was rather small, and on the outskirts of Liones, so I wasn't familiar with it. The people were kind, and it was was really cool for such a small town. Lots of stores, taverns, and restaurants- a perfect place for the annual Eight Deadly Sins Christmas party.

We all sat in the Boar Hat, mingling and enjoying the festivities. Ban and Ellie were making food, while King, Diane, and I were finishing up decorating the tavern. King had found a way to make the effects of the mushroom lasted longer, so she was small enough to enjoy the party inside with us, like she was at the fighting festival. Meli was getting the barrels of alcohol ready, and Hawk was drooling over the food being prepared while devouring any scraps that found their way to the trash or floor.

I was hanging the mistletoe near a window, which had a small indent to sit in. An evil move on my part, since I intended to use it to do my whole 'Christmas Matchmaker' thing. Diane was hanging a wreathe on the door and King was finishing lighting the various candles that we used as Christmas lights.

I stepped off the chair I was standing on, moving it to its place at one of the various tables in the Boar Hat. I leaned against the wall, holding a pint in my hand and absentmindedly holding it at my lips. I wasn't drinking it, just letting the liquid sit at the edge of my tongue. It was something I did when I was nervous- that or fiddling with my clothes or biting my nails.

Why am I nervous, you don't ask?

Because I'm pretty sure my gifts are going to be total let downs this year. I think so every year, and everyone usually likes them, but I'm always horribly nervous up until the moment they open the gifts. So, yeah, total let downs.

Fatal flaw number one, I have zero confidence and self esteem. I also might be kind of a dumbass, but that's beside the point.

I glanced at the tree in the corner of the room, which was decorated with small flames (that I made sure didn't burn the tree) and little trinkets we all found while we were out and about. Our gifts sat on the mat that surrounded the trunk of the tree, the glittery wrapping paper glinting in the light of the flames. The six that I had neatly wrapped and labeled sat further to the back, amongst the various gifts from the other Sins (and Ellie and Hawk, but they're pretty much part of the group, so I'm counting them).

"(Y/N)!" Diane snapped me out of my trance, causing me to jerk my head in her direction. As a result, the liquid in the cup I was clenching between my teeth sloshed, and fell onto my clothes and the floor. "Isn't this great?! I get to spend Christmas inside with you guys!"

"Duh," I grinned, wiping the liquid off my clothes. She was practically bouncing in excitement, her horrendous sweater jumping with her body. It was part of tradition for all of us to wear them. Although, it seemed that Diane, Escanor, and I (as well as occasionally King and Meli) were the only ones who ever participated. "It's the best Christmas present I've gotten in my life."

She giggled, smiling broadly. "I'm so excited! I'm hoping the captain likes my gift!"

"I'm sure he'll love it," I chuckled, glancing over at the blonde, who was groping Ellie as she attempted to help Ban. Hawk was practically biting his leg off in his attempt to stop him.

"How about you?" She spoke suggestively, causing me to look back at her with a raised eyebrow. She was smiling cockily, looking into the kitchen where I was staring.

"What?"

"You know~" she purred, nudging my shoulder. "Do you have a special someone you got a gift for?"

My face instantly flared up, and I hurriedly looked off to the side. I knew exactly what she was talking about, but deciding to play fruitless innocence. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about..."

"Oh," she smirked, pointing to the tree. Her voice grew obnoxiously loud. "So you didn't spend extra on Ban's gift?"

"Be quiet!" I ushered, haphazardly setting my drink on the table near us as I dove to cover her mouth. "You don't need to tell the whole freaking kingdom!"

She licked my hand, causing me to draw my hand back in disgust. I waved my hand, flicking loose saliva off, then wiped the remnants on my own ugly sweater, which I had tied up to that it sat like my usual attire. It bothered me to have an entire shirt on unless I was sleeping. I know that sounds super whore-y, but I'm just so used to my normal costume, that it feel really weird.

👌🏻

She grinned in victory. "So you did get something special for him~"

"It's not like you didn't spend more then our limit on Meli," I hissed, causing her to flush red and puff out her cheeks.

"Hey, don't push this back on me! I'm teasing you!"

I laughed, trying, and failing, to calm down the raging blush on my cheeks. Every year (save for the ten years, well, fifteen for me, we've been separated) we always did this- the small bicker about the spending on the gifts and teasing each other about spending more on our, uh.... preferred men of the group. She always spent extra on Meli, and I always spent extra on Ban. It felt stupid how easy to see through the both of us were, and still are.

After the little annual ordeal, we chatted together about anything and everything. King came to join us at some point, followed by Meli, since he was unwanted in the kitchen (mostly by Hawk, but Ban didn't want him to poison the food with his horrible cooking, so he agreed with the pig). We talked and hung out until Ban and Ellie came out of the kitchen, holding large platters of delicious looking, and smelling, food.

My mouth was practically watering as I approached the table, hands reaching greedily for the food. I was smacked across the head before I could grab the first piece. Frowning, I looked up at my attacker. Ban was looking down at me with his usual, shit-eating smirk.

"Hungry?"

"Duh. I haven't eaten all day."

"I saw you sitting in the bakery binge-eating every pastry they had while I was out."

"No, you didn't."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Then who was it?"

"An evil doppelgänger or something, I dunno. Can I eat now?"

"Was it you?"

"If I admit it, can I eat?"

"Sure."

"Then, yes, it was. Now can I eat?"

"Just wanted to let you know you should probably wait for everyone else to eat, that's all."

I looked around, seeing that everyone had now grabbed their plates and began eating. I looked back at Ban, only to find that he had a plate as well. I glared as he smirked at me.

I quickly plated up my food and joined in on the conversation. The table had four sides, each with room for two people to sit. All of us took up the two spots, except for Hawk, who sat alone. Ban and I, King and Diane, Meli and Ellie, and then Hawk was by his lonesome, digging into a combination of kitchen scraps and the food we were eating, not even to attempting to join the conversation. The only things he said were through a full mouth, and they were things like, "Ban you're an amazing cook" and "This is freaking awesome!"

Even if Ban was a complete asshole, he was a great cook. That was something just about everybody could agree on. Guess his assholery and cooking skills were his two main character traits.

And one of yours is your ginormous crush on him~

Diane's voice practically purred in my head, without warning or conscious thought on my pet. My face heated up slightly, and I shoved more food into my face, to the point where my cheeks were puffed out, to cover it up.

We all had our fair share of booze by the time dinner was done, pints constantly being refilled throughout our eating adventure. There was lots of laughter and drunken fun while we ate- it seemed that Hawk and Ellie were the only people who remained 100% sober. Could pigs even get drunk...? Huh, I'll have to ask Hawk about that one.

We exited the table with full stomachs, all of us (except Meli -_-) pitching in to help with the dishes and cleanup afterward. We sang along to horrible, a-cappella Christmas songs, dancing and laughing and we drank Bernia Ale and picked at the desserts Ellie has set out after the dinner plates were cleaned up.

Finally, the main event came. No, not opening gifts, dumbass. Christmas Matchmaker time.

I slank off to the corner of the room, and grabbed the strategically hidden mistletoe I had hung. There was a more obvious one by the door so people wouldn't get suspicious of where the traditional kissing plant was.

I went into stealth mode, creeping around the room, until I found my first targets. The captain and princess were chatting at the bar Counter, laughing and smiling as they discussed whatever it was that they were talking about.

I walked over behind the bar, crouching so that I was out of sight to the lovebirds, then lit a small flame on the top of the plant. I didn't burn it, it was just so I could manipulate it. I floated it over to the couple, allowing it to sit above them for a few moments. Meli was the one who noticed it, and pointed it out immediately.

"Oh, look Elizabeth," he said, pointing up at the plant, causing her to look up at it as well. "Mistletoe."

Ellie's face immediately flared up at the sight of the plant, and she chuckled awkwardly. "S-Sir Meliodas, it's okay, we don't have to- eek!"

She squeaked quietly as the captain planted his lips against her cheek, allowing his face to linger there as Ellie grew red. Her face was a color that would put a tomato to shame. I smiled, discretely removing the mistletoe from their sight and back into my hand, and looking to the two as the captain pulled away. He grinned cheekily as the princess buried her face in her hands, flushing an obnoxious red. I quickly snuck away from the two, still smiling stupidly.

Next target: Diane and King.

They were talking over by the tree, laughing and smiling as they chatted, just as the other two were. I sat down at a table, grabbing my abandoned pint and smirked evilly at the two. I did the same exact thing: lit a flame, and hung it over them.

King noticed it first, but didn't say anything. His face began to glow pink and he started stuttering as they talked. Diane continued for a while, confused, before she noticed as well. She smiled, and leaned in to give King a kiss on the cheek. However, the boy looked up just as she did so, probably to tell her about the plant, but he inadvertently made it so that their lips connected.

Both of their eyes grew as wide as dinner plates as they stood there, staring at each other for a few moments. After realizing what was happening, they both quickly pulled away, red-faced and stuttering out apologies.

I smiled, my mission complete, and burned the extra mistletoe above them so there was no longer any evidence of my interference. I jumped, hearing a small thud from next to me, followed by a familiar chuckle. I sighed in relief, turning to face the figure next to me.

"Playing 'matchmaker' again?" Ban asked, smirking as he watched Diane and King. I looked at the two as well, smiling.

"I always do. It's sort of a tradition now."

"Except now you can't put it over me and the captain."

I laughed, "Yeah, it's a sad change, but him and Ellie are cute together."

He looked over at the two with a monotone gaze, but I was educated in those, and could see that there was a pang of sadness in his eyes. I nudged him, causing him to look down at me with a raised eyebrow, the momentary sadness disappearing.

"Cheer up, tree legs," I smiled, and he scoffed, chuckling. "You and me'll just be lonely this Christmas."

"You're lonely every Christmas," he snorted, causing a small pang of sadness to shoot through me. I covered it up quickly, knowing his words were intended as a joke, by laughing.

"Yeah, yeah. Like me secretly shipping you and Meli counted as you not being lonely too."

He laughed, and we continued to talk for a while. Diane was the first one who decided to hand out her presents. The way we did it was a bit weird- everyone gave out their gifts whenever they wanted.

She handed me a generically sized box, that looked conspicuously like a box for clothes. I thanked her, and she handed Ban his gift, then skipped off to Meli and Ellie.

I quickly unwrapped it, burning the wrapping paper so that I didn't have to get up throw it away. In the box was, just as I predicted, clothes. A large, black flannel shirt that was at least a few sizes too big for me. A note was placed on top of it.

'Your favorite pj's were covered in ale back at Baste, and they were both pretty much just big shirts. I figured you'd like this.

<3 Diane'

I smiled down at the shirt, taking it out of its box, along with the note, and setting it aside so that it wouldn't be in the way and I could bring it up to mine and Ban's shared room. I burned the box, then looked over at Ban, who was chuckling at his gift.

"What'd you get?" I asked curiously, and he picked up a small piece of paper, which had been in a small box wrapped carelessly. It read, 'I hate you, but it's Christmas.' Inside the box was a small dagger. It didn't look to be very expensive, although, dagger's usually didn't cost much since nobody ever uses them- especially it Ban. The only ones that costed a lot were really nice ones. I laughed. "At least she tried."

"No, she didn't," he chuckled, tossing the box over next to where I had put my neatly folded shirt.

Everyone eventually handed out their gifts. King went after Diane, then Ellie, Ban, Meli, and Hawk. I was the last person who had to do mine. From King I had gotten a necklace with a a small fire pendant on it, it was adorable, and the perfect size. From Ellie, I got a new pair of gloves that she had made. I slipped them on, and they were surprisingly well made. They were fingerless leather gloves that went up to my wrists, and had small metal spike on each knuckle. Ban had given me an enchanted (favorite/cookie) cookie, which was endlessly eatable. It was cheap, and these things could be found all over the place pretty easily, but it meant a lot since it was my favorite flavor and, you know, from Ban. Meli gave me a pair of amazingly made daggers. They were a deep purple, with crimson edges. I stored them in small sheathes he had given me as well, which I fastened to my shorts. Hawk gave me a hug. Literally. He jumped on top of me and slobbered all over my face, then told me it was my gift. The only person he actually got anything for was Ellie.

Now, it was my turn to hand out gifts. I gave Diane and King theirs first. I had gotten Diane something intended for her normal size, just as almost everyone else had, and she seemed to love it. It was a new bag- the same cheetah print as her last one, because she loved the design, but more durable and spacious. Because it was so large, we had to store it outside. I gave King a stuffed animal version of his pet dog, Oslo. He seemed to be on an equal level of an appreciation for its cuteness as I was. I gave Hawk his next, and, ironically, it was similar to what Ban gave me (the cookie, which I stored in the inside pocket of my cloak and nibbled at from time to time), except it was a plate of scraps I had enchanted. Then was Meli and Ellie. For the captain, I got him a new sheathe to hold his sword hilt. It was the same size as the other one, but had a dragon pattern on it. For the princess, I got her an earring. It was similar to the one she always wore in her left ear, but it was black, and had a crimson symbol like all of the ones the sins had, except it was a phoenix. My explanation was that she was a part of the Sins now, and deserved her own title: the Phoenix Sin of Mercy- something I made up on the fly. She seemed to like it, though, and I thought it suited her.

And now was the most terrifying one: Ban's.

My heart pounded in my ears as I approached him, holding the long, slender box in my hand. My hands shook slightly, and I stared down at the box as I sat down next to him, at a lone table in the corner of the tavern.

"H-here," I muttered, red-faced as I pushed the box toward him. "For you."

He sighed, lazily ripping off the wrapping paper and opening the box. Clearly he wasn't very excited about the whole gift thing, although, he never was, so it wasn't very surprising. His eyes widened at the sight of the gift, his surprise evident.

I had gotten him a four-sectioned staff, similar to his sacred treasure, Courechouse. Although, instead of being entirely silver, this one was a sleek black color with crimson chains that matched the color of his outfit and our Sin tattoos. On the bottoms of each of the end staffs, his Fox symbol was printed in a small, crimson image, matching the color of the chains.

"(Y/N)," he breathed, picking up the weapon in his hands. It was made out of a sturdy metal, and I was positive it wouldn't break during a fight since I had it enchanted to be sturdier, just to be sure. I may have gone a bit overboard, not gonna lie... "You little fucker."

"Do you not like it?" I spoke, but my brain had already decided he didn't. My face was bright red, and I covered it with my hands the best I could as I started shaking my head. "God, I knew it was going to be a bit much and it wasn't really your style... I should've just gotten the silver ones! I just thought it'd be cool if you had a temporary weapon until we found Courechouse. Geez, I'm so stu-"

"Stupid. Yeah, no shit," he finished, causing me to look up at him with a frown. He reached down toward me and ruffled my hair, smiling- not smirking. "Because you didn't let me finish. I was going to say this was the best gift I've gotten in a long time..... Thanks..."

My face immediately lit up, still bright red, by at least I was smiling now. "You like it?! Oh, shit, that's great! I can't believe it! Yes! I'm so happy!"

I tackled him in a hug, knocking him entirely off his chair and onto the floor. I squeezed him in a bone crushing hug, careful not to actually break his bones.