diff --git a/independent-projects/arc/processor/src/main/java/io/quarkus/arc/processor/Methods.java b/independent-projects/arc/processor/src/main/java/io/quarkus/arc/processor/Methods.java
index d48294834bc68..a5290ed4c1ce9 100644
--- a/independent-projects/arc/processor/src/main/java/io/quarkus/arc/processor/Methods.java
+++ b/independent-projects/arc/processor/src/main/java/io/quarkus/arc/processor/Methods.java
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ private static boolean skipForClientProxy(MethodInfo method, boolean transformUn
     }
 
     static boolean skipForDelegateSubclass(MethodInfo method) {
-        if (Modifier.isStatic(method.flags()) || method.isSynthetic() || isDefault(method)) {
+        if (Modifier.isStatic(method.flags()) || method.isSynthetic()) {
             return true;
         }
         if (IGNORED_METHODS.contains(method.name())) {
diff --git a/independent-projects/arc/processor/src/main/java/io/quarkus/arc/processor/SubclassGenerator.java b/independent-projects/arc/processor/src/main/java/io/quarkus/arc/processor/SubclassGenerator.java
index 126e917a878b8..f665300bc4444 100644
--- a/independent-projects/arc/processor/src/main/java/io/quarkus/arc/processor/SubclassGenerator.java
+++ b/independent-projects/arc/processor/src/main/java/io/quarkus/arc/processor/SubclassGenerator.java
@@ -637,13 +637,10 @@ private void processDecorator(DecoratorInfo decorator, BeanInfo bean, Type provi
         }
 
         List<String> constructorParameterTypes = new ArrayList<>();
-        // Fields and constructor
-        FieldCreator subclassField = null;
-        if (decoratedMethods.size() != nextDecoratorsValues.size()) {
-            subclassField = delegateSubclass.getFieldCreator("subclass", subclass.getClassName())
-                    .setModifiers(ACC_PRIVATE | ACC_FINAL);
-            constructorParameterTypes.add(subclass.getClassName());
-        }
+        // Holds a reference to the subclass of the decorated bean
+        FieldCreator subclassField = delegateSubclass.getFieldCreator("subclass", subclass.getClassName())
+                .setModifiers(ACC_PRIVATE | ACC_FINAL);
+        constructorParameterTypes.add(subclass.getClassName());
         Map<DecoratorInfo, FieldDescriptor> nextDecoratorToField = new HashMap<>();
         for (DecoratorInfo nextDecorator : decoratorParameters) {
             FieldCreator nextDecoratorField = delegateSubclass
@@ -653,6 +650,7 @@ private void processDecorator(DecoratorInfo decorator, BeanInfo bean, Type provi
             nextDecoratorToField.put(nextDecorator, nextDecoratorField.getFieldDescriptor());
         }
 
+        // Constructor
         MethodCreator constructor = delegateSubclass.getMethodCreator(Methods.INIT, "V",
                 constructorParameterTypes.toArray(new String[0]));
         int param = 0;
@@ -664,10 +662,8 @@ private void processDecorator(DecoratorInfo decorator, BeanInfo bean, Type provi
                     constructor.getThis());
         }
         // Set fields
-        if (subclassField != null) {
-            constructor.writeInstanceField(
-                    subclassField.getFieldDescriptor(), constructor.getThis(), constructor.getMethodParam(param++));
-        }
+        constructor.writeInstanceField(
+                subclassField.getFieldDescriptor(), constructor.getThis(), constructor.getMethodParam(param++));
         for (FieldDescriptor field : nextDecoratorToField.values()) {
             constructor.writeInstanceField(
                     field, constructor.getThis(), constructor.getMethodParam(param++));
@@ -700,10 +696,6 @@ private void processDecorator(DecoratorInfo decorator, BeanInfo bean, Type provi
 
         for (MethodKey m : methods) {
             MethodInfo method = m.method;
-            if (Methods.skipForDelegateSubclass(method)) {
-                continue;
-            }
-
             MethodDescriptor methodDescriptor = MethodDescriptor.of(method);
             MethodCreator forward = delegateSubclass.getMethodCreator(methodDescriptor);
             // Exceptions
@@ -818,9 +810,7 @@ && isDecorated(decoratedMethodDescriptors, methodDescriptor, resolvedMethodDescr
         // Create new delegate subclass instance and set the DecoratorDelegateProvider to satisfy the delegate IP
         ResultHandle[] paramHandles = new ResultHandle[constructorParameterTypes.size()];
         int paramIdx = 0;
-        if (subclassField != null) {
-            paramHandles[paramIdx++] = subclassConstructor.getThis();
-        }
+        paramHandles[paramIdx++] = subclassConstructor.getThis();
         for (DecoratorInfo decoratorParameter : decoratorParameters) {
             ResultHandle decoratorHandle = decoratorToResultHandle.get(decoratorParameter.getIdentifier());
             if (decoratorHandle == null) {
diff --git a/independent-projects/arc/tests/src/test/java/io/quarkus/arc/test/decorators/DecoratorDefaultMethodTest.java b/independent-projects/arc/tests/src/test/java/io/quarkus/arc/test/decorators/DecoratorDefaultMethodTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..ca072e9ae26cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/independent-projects/arc/tests/src/test/java/io/quarkus/arc/test/decorators/DecoratorDefaultMethodTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+package io.quarkus.arc.test.decorators;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+
+import jakarta.annotation.Priority;
+import jakarta.decorator.Decorator;
+import jakarta.decorator.Delegate;
+import jakarta.enterprise.context.ApplicationScoped;
+import jakarta.enterprise.util.TypeLiteral;
+import jakarta.inject.Inject;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.extension.RegisterExtension;
+
+import io.quarkus.arc.Arc;
+import io.quarkus.arc.test.ArcTestContainer;
+
+public class DecoratorDefaultMethodTest {
+    @RegisterExtension
+    public ArcTestContainer container = new ArcTestContainer(Converter.class, ToLengthConverter.class,
+            NoopConverterDecorator.class);
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("serial")
+    @Test
+    public void testDecoration() {
+        Converter<String> converter = Arc.container().instance(new TypeLiteral<Converter<String>>() {
+        }).get();
+        assertEquals(5, converter.convert("Hola!"));
+    }
+
+    interface Converter<T> {
+        default int convert(T value) {
+            return Integer.MAX_VALUE;
+        }
+    }
+
+    @ApplicationScoped
+    static class ToLengthConverter implements Converter<String> {
+        @Override
+        public int convert(String value) {
+            return value.length();
+        }
+    }
+
+    @Priority(1)
+    @Decorator
+    static class NoopConverterDecorator implements Converter<String> {
+
+        @Inject
+        @Delegate
+        Converter<String> delegate;
+
+        @Override
+        public int convert(String value) {
+            return delegate.convert(value);
+        }
+    }
+
+}