Meliodas is casually dressed and was sipping water sitting on the bar stool Dow stairs of the tavern, waiting for Ban to wake up and come out of his room. He's taking longer than usual and it's worrying him, but he rubbed it off with much effort and continued to drink his water.

"Hey Captain." Diane comes out of nowhere along with King next to her. Her face looked flushed and full on pink.

"Yes? What do you need?" Meliodas questioned politely, shifting his body to face them both.

"Well I've been thinking, would you like to come with us, as King gets supplies for the tavern?" She puts the palms of her hands together looking delighted if he did come along.

Meliodas took a moment of thought. Should I wait for Ban, or go with them? Was what he was thinking of. But what else was he supposed to do while he waited, he would like to spend some time with his friends. And he nodded his head.

"I also have a few questions along the way..." Diane whispered, as her cheeks burned pushing herself to say what she just said. Mel replied with a smile and a "of course, I'll answer all your questions." Giving Diane a breather making her sigh of relief. She noticed how different Meliodas is after knowing his relationship with Ban.

-------

Diane's mind starts to go insane with the sound of out of synch crunching of gravel, as she and Meliodas step on the ground causing it King just floats holding his sacred treasure. Mel looked around his surroundings then looked ahead of where they are headed, and he noticed that they are going to a crowded Market. And her first question popped out of nowhere, with her hands intertwining and her nervous shaking.

"What did it feel like?" Diane brought a chunk of her hair and nibbled it in a timid manner. King immediately knew what she was referring to in a brief amount of time. "D-Diane!" King gave a rapid response to her curiosity.

"Sorry but, I don't know what you mean by that question..." Meliodas starts, his face unreadable as ever. "Could you make that a bit more clear to my understanding?" He cocks his head to the side just a slight bit to look at Diane and King in confusion.

"Oh--uhhh, we--ll..." She stutters, fisting her dark chocolate colored brown hair tightly. "Well...... Your first time with Ban...... How did you feel?"

Meliodas inhales a breath now knowing what she meant, it made his face a little pink showing the very small amount of crimson starting to burn his face. Holding back much of his embarrassment.

"I don't regret being with him if that's what you're asking. But, for my first time in years, I was hurting and aching, but I held in for him."

"It hurt..." Diane repeats under her breath. "Are you fine now? Do you still hurt?" Her voice held concern.

"Yes I'm fine now, why do you ask?" Meliodas queried.

"Oh um, just curious..." Diane blurted out shaking her head rapidly.

"But, how would you feel if Ban wanted to marry you?" Diane's pink cheeks faded as her face became serious.

"Marriage...?" Meliodas whispered to himself. Bringing his hands together intertwining them and moving them around in a giddy manner.
"Well, I don't know what to say Diane. Would you think he'd want to marry me?"

"Of course Captain! If he didn't want to marry a great person like you, he wouldn't want to have a child with you, but he does want to have one with you and I'm not saying this in a weird way but I love you both together. You two seem to really love each other and he also doesn't seem to regret being with you." She stated. And her attention was brought to Mel as he placed a hand on his stomach smiling to himself. Maybe what she said helped him.

"Okay, thank you Diane." Meliodas smiled as he nodded to himself then says, "shall we get what we need for the tavern?"

Both She and King nodded and they continued to head for the market.

-------

The whole way to the market, Meliodas shivers once in a while having his baby blonde hairs stand straight up. He felt as though he was being watched, but he didn't say to Diane or King cause it would worry them and make them want to turn back to the tavern, so he ignored his senses to finally reach the market. And for sure it was crowded with people of all kinds. And it happened more often this time.

He was for sure that he wouldn't lose neither King or Diane in a crowd such as this, but as he continued to wonder the market and he found himself blanked out. He found himself in a more quiet area of the market, more of a deserted place is what it looked like. And his hearts skipped a beat as he sensed bloodlust aura oozing towards him. His face never changed expression holding his own as the aura surrounded him and the sensing of humans all around him gather.

They looked like thieves and definitely looking for blood to splatter and waste a life for their pleasure of bloodlust.

"Little boy, don't be afraid." One of them says in the shadows. And another comes out to shadows exposing their buff body attired in ruined loose clothing showing their standards of wealth.

There's too many, he can't fight them all in this state he's in, but for the love of coming back to Ban he'll have to try.

"What do you want?" His face never changed to give into fear or fright, he stood his ground clenching his fist as he sensed more men coming his way. Why go through so much effort for someone like him?

"What we want is blood and pleasure you see. I'm the leader of this group here, and some of my men really want to hear screams of their victim as they release their lust and bloodlust on you. What is your name little boy? before we kill you..." Some of the men laughed and snickered while taking out their weapons and daggers.

Meliodas shook his head and sighs to himself, but then again he'd be endangering it. "Look, I don't have time for this so if you'll just let me by and----"

The thieve leader leaped in with their weapons aimed at Mel's head yelling to the top of their lungs, but dodged in the nick of time. Getting out of that attack with a scrape on his cheek and a drop of blood swells into a little bulb of red crimson fluid, and slowly drips down Meliodas's olive skin toned jowl. Tickling him as it lightly trickles down and drips on the dirt ground.

A mere human making a demon lose a drop of blood? How is this possible?

Mocking laughs from the humans happen as he notices that the expression on his face slightly changed into a more serious one.

"You finally see the picture huh? That we aren't human at all. What human would be able to harm a precious royal demon prince like you... We really do want to kill you but let's think again. Us demons want to ruin you and your hope. So do please scream all you like, we have so much day light to burn."

-------

"Meliodas... My demon, my lover, my mate. I want to take you away with me and we'll have adventures together forever. Please, all I ask of you is this question.... Will you marry me?"

Ban shakes his head as he stares at himself in the mirror kneeling, holding the ring that he wishes to give to Meliodas. "No, not good enough..." Ban sighs to himself, observing the valuable diamond and gold ring in the fancy black velvet box.

Meliodas was taken by Diane and King to go somewhere as long as he has time to prepare for this. And the nerves are starting to get to him, his palms sweat and his body felt heavy enough to just about collapse.

Until his mind strains with pain pounding like a heart beat. This is the second time it's happened after he's been with Meliodas, and he knows full well what it means. Before around when Duke was assaulting Meliodas, the same thing happened with his head and it strained with pain and grief and that's when he knew that Meliodas was calling him for help. And he's doing the same right now.

Quickly he placed the box holding the ring in the pocket of the red jacket he's wearing, and rushed out of the tavern slamming the door on his way out. Probably even disturbing the rest of the sins in the tavern, but he doesn't care. All he knows is that Meliodas is in trouble and it makes his heart pound loudly in his ears, making his mind imagine the worst for what's to happen. "Wait for me, Meliodas!"

--------

"Stay away from me you insolent demons!" Meliodas bites, feeling a demon from behind grab him but Mel's leg jerks next to the leg of the demon behind, pulling his forward to trip that demon's stance and Mel pulls him over his back flinging the demon over to a couple more of it's comrades.

"We expected fighting back from a demon prince, but you're out numbered your highness it's time to just give up."

"Never, I must go back to Ban!"

"Ban? You mean that human? What will he do, save you?"

"He doesn't just save me, he protects me." Meliodas argued. But the demon speaking is correct, he's out numbered and he could take them on, but it would be endangering it. He couldn't take the risk.

"Better should have been keeping an eye on us than spacing out into your fantasy of thoughts!" The leader moved faster than Meliodas could see for a split second, but it was enough to catch the petite demon off guard.
And he thought that this was it for him. I'm sorry Ban, you're going to have to wait for me, I'm so sorry.... Please forgive me...

The crunch of flesh consumes the air and warm blood splatters on Meliodas's face, his eyes were squeezed tight shut and he thought that it was quick and painless just as he hoped. but it wasn't his blood as he felt a drop trickle to his lips and he licks it away tasting that it was not his blood.

He opened his eyes half way to see a female with long black hair now splattered with blood and a daggers end poking through one side of her flesh to the other. Her back was turned from Meliodas not showing her face of agony as pain through her stomach increases. Blood stains her what looks like to be a business owner type of clothes.

"What a nuisance..." The demon leader mumbles under his breath.
"A waste of my energy and time to kill a weak human." His dagger jerked out of her flesh making her fall back, but Meliodas caught her being as gentle as he could.

"I shouldn't waste anymore time here, I sense someone else coming... Let's go." The demons rushed out of the market again looking like normal humans that lack wealth in the streets.

Meliodas looked around to see if any decided to stay and continue to fight, but none of them were there. A relief for him as he heard breathless gasp and heavy panting for air from the fragile human that he holds in his arms. Shit... He could risk this stunt, but it could cost her life if she consents.

"Human girl..." Meliodas starts. "What's your name, why did you save me?"

The woman laughs as if it was a joke, leaving Mel confused. "Well you are his special someone that he would love to be with forever. And besides, how can I not help anyone in need of help as they are ganged up by men."

"But those weren't men, they were demons and beyond your power level." Meliodas places a hand over the wound just below the woman's chest, it was dangerously too close to her liver, or one of her organs. Luckly she was just barely in the right place at the right time to get away with just this amount of damage. Meliodas sighs to himself as he knows that he can use his powers to kneed her wounds.

"Hold still, this might sting a bit." Mel explains honestly, and his other hand holds the back of the woman's neck pulling her to sit up and his other petite hand on her wound. Concentrating delicate energy on his hand to flow down to her ruined flesh, opened and flowing blood rushing out of her form. Her lungs were wheezing as she was desperate to breath properly with her adrenaline pumping loudly through her ears, and she felt it pound in her throat.

Black energy touches her skin, soothing her and the pain away. He's not much of a druid healer, but he can patch and knead things up before they go infected to become worse, at least on minor injuries he can. Her flesh took in the darkness to heal her wound with open arms, kneading her skin like painless stitching.

"Does it hurt?" Meliodas's hand twitched when his power pushed forward to aid her more. She grunts in response, then denied that she was hurting with a nod.

"I'm sorry that I got you into this mess, I should repay you when I get the chance----"

"Captain!" Diane's voice yelped from behind, almost startling Meliodas, but the woman flinched in shock.

Meliodas ignored Diane's call, and continued to keep his attention of the woman and asked. "What's your name?"

Her breath stutters as she forced her words out as a groan. "A-Akane..." Was what she forced out of her lungs with all her energy left.

"Akane..." Meliodas repeats. "We should take you to first aid so you can be properly taken care of----"

"No, I'm fine, I have no intention to go there..."

"Actually miss, that wound does need to be confirmed that it won't get infected." Diane hopped in the argument.

Akane notices how hard they are trying to persuade her, she sighs to herself and rolls her eyes, nodding her head in agreement. Diane smiles with the response, she picked the woman up out of Meliodas's lap and started to head out.

And that when it happened again, the tingling of his hairs. His body stops its movements, while the other two continue to hurry their walking into a speed walk towards King, who is waiting for them outside of the shaded area of the market.

Out of curiosity and hunches of who is might be, his sense for magic reaches out in at least a two mile radius. But there was nothing.

"Meliodas!" A deeper voice than Diane's, King, or even that woman calls out his name. And a taller form from behind Meliodas wraps in arms around his pulling him into a tight hug.

"Ban." Meliodas whispers delightfully
Swiftly turning his body to hug Ban back, embracing his arms around the nape of Ban's neck. And smiling with bliss as he felt warm familiar hands on his waist, firmly holding him.

"What have you been up to?" Ban questions. He lifts Meliodas in his arms and having both of Mel's legs around his torso. He doesn't answer Ban, only holding his grip on to Ban tighter. Ban takes the hint of thats he's been through a lot and he respects that.

"I'm fine.." Meliodas starts, Ban couldn't tell if he was enthusiastic or there's something bothering him.

But for now, it didn't matter. He has his lover back in his arms where he will be safe.

"I love you" Ban whispers, feeling Mel's cheek grin, a little grunt in response and a sigh.

"Saying 'I love you' after a dramatic and thrilling fight, so cliche." Mel states, rolling his emerald eyes after hearing chuckle from Ban.

"That's so iconic saying it that way."

Meliodas chuckles at Ban's accurate response. And when the time was right to Ban, he came in to capture Meliodas's lips. Kissing him. He's never loved someone this much.
His kiss was light yet firm to feel each other's lips loud and clear. It was so mesmerizing.

"I love you Ban." Meliodas sighs, with his breath taken away from Ban's kiss.

"Now who's being the cilche one..."

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I have literally nothing to say, but hoped you like this chapter. Again all love to my readers! ❤️ Please Continue to support and I'll do my best to continue the story.