Misplaced the doll's emotions

You shrieked as Meliodas tossed up the bottom of your shirt (see outfit above) revealing your black underwear. You swatted him on the top of his head and he laughed. "What did you do that for?"

"Dunno. I usually do it to Elizabeth but she hasn't been hear in a while, she looks funny when she's embarressed" the Captain said absently.

You turned away from him, wiping down the last of the tavern tables, a sad expression impressed onto your delicate features. "I see..." You clutched an empty tray under your arm and walked back over to place it behind the bar, "well you don't have to suffer for too much longer I guess.." You trailed off, he raised an eyebrow at you.

Suddenly the Boar Hat's door burst open and the youngest princess of Liones burst in with a cheerful smile on her face. She was wearing a long dark blue dress and had her hair straightened, flowing beautifully down her back.

"Oh! Good morning (Y/n)!" She waved to you, you gave her a two-finger wave before crouching down under the bar to wipe down a few of the ale bottles, choosing to avoid the confused gaze from your former lover.

Meliodas grabbed a glass off the bar counter to clean it out with an old strip of fabric, looking to the princess "hey Elizabeth, what brings a Princess to my humble pub?"

"Um" she twirled a piece of her hair, "I had something i wanted to talk to you abou--"

"Could you save it for later?" He glanced over his shoulder, "I'm a little busy right now"

You stood up, set the Vanya ale bottle you'd been polishing onto the table and dusted your hands, "no no, don't mind me" you slung your bag (see picture above) over your shoulder, "I'm heading out anyway".

You marched past the boy, and then the princess, opening the door to head out. Meliodas tried to grab your hand as you came past him but you dodged his arm. He frowned, "will you be back later?"

With a nod, you walked outside, spreading your wings and throwing yourself high into the morning air.

"So the boss hasn't been acting himself" Diane, now human size thanks to Merlin's magical pills, stretched her arms up over her head as you both walked through one of Liones' main streets.

"No, not since I went into my astral form to go investigate the tremor"

"What did you actually find over there?"

You shook your head, biting your bottom lip, "nightmares".

Diane began to tear up, she stopped in her tracks, "(Y/n), something happened yesterday..."

You turned to her, she looked up at you, her eyes a stunning purple color, one that reminded you of your King of Camelot, who was still helping Merlin in her lab.

"I..I remembered... something about King.." She clutched your hand between hers and pulled you towards her, her pupils shaking.

"What is it Diane?" You held the back of her other hand, reassuring the small giant, "what did you remember?"

Her violet orbs met yours, "I.... I love him".

You pulled her into a tight hug, tearing up yourself with joy, "Oh Diane! I'm so happy for you!"

Her arms folded around your upper back as she rubbed her wet nose against the covered area of your shoulder, "I need to tell him! Please! Come with me to the Fairy Forest" She pulled away and your eyebrows knitted together gently.

"I want nothing more than to have the two of you reunite and finally confess to each other" you looked down to the cobblestone floor, "but I'm sorry, Arthur's other body is in danger, there's a demon marching on Camelot and I must go stop it".

She wiped her eyes, smiling at you, "I understand" she put her fist into her open palm in a gesture of 'I've got it'!. "I know what I'll do! I'll go with you to stop this big ol' demon, then you can astral project me to King once Arthur is safe, and I can tell him how much I love him!"

"That's an awesome idea!" You both giggled and hugged each other, just as Elizabeth approached you, looking a little upset. "Something up princess?" You cocked your head to the side, it was tricky to read the emotions of another angel-spawn like yourself.

"Sir Meliodas... he's acting strangely" She clutched the centre of her shirt, balling it up between her slim fingers, you looked at Diane and the human-sized giantess shrugged.

"I'm sure he's just anxious" You replied, knowing full well the treat that was troubling the sin of wrath to this degree, the Ten Commandments, they just had to come back.

"I want to help him, Lady (Y/n) what would you suggest I can do?"

"Um" You tapped your chin, "well I think he just needs some space right now. Diane and I are on our way to look for Gowther, your welcome to join us"

"Really?" She seemed excited now.

You nodded, "of course Princess".

(8+ years ago)

"Gowther!" You wave as you spot the pink-haired boy wandering along on top of one of the town houses.

The boy looked down at you, his eyes appealing to your pretty lace dress you had dawned, purely for comfort. He jumped down and landed in front of you, his clothes ragged and body  and hair dirty. "Yes (Y/n)?"

"Come on" you slung your hands around one of his arms to drag him back towards the castle, "Its bath time, no way your sleeping like that. You stink" you giggled.

The sin of lust blinked as you entered the warm lights of the main castle corridor, he let you pull him from room to room until you arrive at one of the royal suites bathrooms. With beautiful marble floors and a claw-foot bathtub in the centre, golden decorations covered the edges and walls and silk curtains had been drawn back, revealing the settling night sky.

"Strip" you pointed to his clothes, turning your back on the young man.

"Ok"

You could hear shuffling as the  sin removed the itchy, filthy clothes he had wrapped around his pale frame. There was a light splash as he sat down in the hot water. When you turned around, you began to smile as you noticed the sin was paying particular attention to a small rubber bird that was floating in the bath. A kids toy, yes, but he had likely never seen one before.

You grabbed the soup, and hair washing jars and placed them beside the bathtub. "Think you can do this yourself now?"

"I prefer when you do it" He said blatantly, you shook your head in amusement, then pulled your (H/l) hair up into a ponytail.

Sitting on a stool at the head-end of the tub, you took a small metal cup and dipped it into the hot water, once it was filled, you lifted it up and poured it over the boy's pink hair. Carefully, so as not to get it in his eyes, you used your other hand, placing it against his forehead, to create a sort of barrier to stop the water rolling onto his face.

Gowther let his head fall back against the marble and closed his eyes, "why is it that humans find bathing relaxing?"

You poured another dose of the warm water over his hair, humming once, "hm... I guess, after a long day they must come home feeling sore, baths are just one of the things they do to relax their muscles".

"I see" 

You lifted the lid off one of the jars and tipped some of the lotion-like liquid into your hand, it smelled like roses. You rubbed your hands together to mix it into bubbles, before getting to work putting it through the sin's hair.

"What else can they do make their muscles relax?"

"Um" you felt caught off guard at the question, memories you recalled that could answer that question shocked you at their lewdness. Damn you Ban. You blushed and halted massaging the shampoo through the sin's hair, "uh... I guess... well, sleeping is good".

"I've heard that one" He smacked the rubber bird, sending it dipping underwater in a test of its buoyancy, "what else?"

"I'm not sure what kind of answer you want from me" You placed your hand back against his forehead and carefully began pouring more of the hot water over his foamy hair to rinse out the shampoo.

"What about sex?"

You swallowed, shaking your head quickly just to make sure you had heard what you did, "what about sex?"

"Merlin was talking about how she does it to relax"

Your eyes widened slightly, "with who?"

"You have to have someone else to have sex?" Gowther looked back at you innocently, looking quite handsome and vulnerable without his glasses on.

"Uh... most times yes" You pulled a loose strand of hair behind your ear with wet fingers, "its pretty standard to do it with a partner, since its an act of intimacy".

"What kind of intimacy?" The sin grabbed your pointer finger and set it back on his hair, "this kind?"

"Not exactly" you replied. The sin frowned, moving your arm again, this time your finger rested against the centre of his chest.

"What about this?"

"I'm not sure you understand"

"I don't understand"

"I see"

There was a long silence, you withdrew your hand back and poured some conditioner into your palm.

"Help me understand" Gowther said suddenly, his voice as emotionless as ever, but with a slight look of agitation decorating his pretty features.

"I'm not sure I'm the right person to help you with this Gowth" You lovingly pulled some messy strands of pink hair out of the boy's face, "it isn't something I can just show you".

"Alright" he turned back around, facing away from you and letting you get back to washing his hair, "another time then"

You smiled softly, "another time".

"So you put him back into his doll form with Absolute Cancel?" You raised your head up to Merlin, the female sin had her arms folded over her almost nude chest, looking down at you.

"Yes, I did. He's having trouble controlling his powers and I don't have time to make another suit of armour for him right now, we have to be getting to Camelot right away".

Your thumb gently grazed the smooth cheek of the Gowther doll in your hands, he moved lifelessly against your hand, falling over to one side against your other hand.

Meliodas wandered up beside you with his hands deep in his pockets and a smile plastered to his face.

"Hey Captain" Diane perked up her voice over the still silence, "did you know about Gowther?"

"Nope, this is the first time I've heard about it".

"What about you Lady (Y/n)?" Elizabeth placed a hand on your shoulder, her height just a bit taller than you as you both leaned over to look at the doll, "did you know about him?"

"I knew he was a doll, it didn't matter much to me though"

"Exactly right" Meliodas patted your lower back cheerfully, "what he is doesn't matter to us, Gowther is our precious ally! That doesn't change anything about the Seven Deadly Sins"

Slader, the leader of a Holy Knight group, and a quick ally of yours, was chuckling beside Merlin as he listened. Meliodas looked up at him at the sound of his humorous chortle.

"Hey Slader! Care to join us for a bit? We're down a member and I think we'll need all the help we can get in this upcoming battle in Camelot".

"Your coming Lady (Y/n)?" Slader rested his arms on his sword.

You nodded, "obviously" you rolled the doll over, "my son is there".

Blood burst from Slader's mask, through the nose slots, "SON?!?"

Diane was shaking with laugher, Merlin rubbed the soldiers back in triumph, "you certainly missed out on the news didn't you, a lot goes on when most aren't around" Merlin smiled and winked at you.

You shrugged your perfect-skinned shoulders, "I guess". You raised an eyebrow at the sin of gluttony, "speaking of Arthur, why did you send the other half of him back? He vanished right when he was telling me about one of his wonderful adventures in his kingdom".

"Oh" She poked her cheek, "well I believe Arthur needed his full strength just in case we don't get to him on time, you understand, don't you (Y/n)?"

Your face grew one of sadness, "you could've let me say goodbye".

"Its not goodbye" Merlin assured.

"Merlin's right!" Diane placed her hands under yours, Meliodas smirked, "We'll be seeing him soon as we get to Camelot! We'll leave at first light!"

"Thanks Diane!" You grinned, you two hugged with a kiss on each other's cheek, a common thing you did with your closest female friend.

Meliodas tapped the side of his head, "ohh, that's right. We've got to leave early tomorrow to get there by the afternoon, that's when you said the threat will be there right?"

You nodded, "right!"

The Captain holds a thumbs up, "then lets get ready to go! Lets head back to the tavern for a big, before battle feast!"

"I'll cook!" You grinned and they all cheered, thankful they wouldn't have to loose stamina to the blonde sin's awful cooking.

MWA MWA MWA XX I LOVE YOU ALL! HOPE YOU'RE HAVING A WONDERFUL DAY!