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Whenever the team had leisurely time, both Escanor and Merlin knew what to do; relax, that was. Whether it be inside or outside, neither one of the two cared... though Merlin much preferred to be inside in the bath where she could easily read her books and settle down into the warm water. But wherever she went, Escanor was bound to tail behind like a lost Hawk looking for scraps.
“Right there,” Merlin crooned softly as she leaned back against Escanor’s lithe hands, probing the man to gently massage the mage’s desired location which, of course, had to be her shoulders. Sighing contently, Merlin eventually decided to place a small string inside of her book to mark the page where she left off. With that, she laid her book aside and settled further into the tub, continuing to lean into her comrade’s gentle touches.
Escanor was such a weird man. During day, his body would double in size as well as his power. All the sun did was give him power, courage, and a big build. But however, nearing the time of sunset, he was such a weak and frail figure. He was normally left with no power whatsoever and of course, he was left to be such a sheepish and skittish being. Merlin found it quite cute to find Escanor all flustered whenever she demanded he rub a certain spot- but wherever she demanded, he was there. The lion sin continued to tend to the elegant boar sin, hand on foot. He was always there when Merlin needed him and she was always there when he needed her.
Though Escanor was quite embarrassed, he wanted to gently test out something he had seen Meliodas and Elizabeth do- not to mention that he had seen other human beings do such a thing as well. However, this probably wasn’t going to turn out in his favour. Mostly because he was constantly so timid to the point he’d cry. If he were lucky, maybe this time he’d just faint from being overwhelmed.
“Lady Merlin...? May I try something on you?” he softly asked, his voice almost a whisper. Escanor practically felt Merlin smile, causing his face to heat up at the kind gesture.
“Go ahead. Do as you please.”
Gulping and only burning up even more at the words of Merlin, the man leaned forward to gently press a kiss upon Merlin’s wet shoulder. Not quite expecting the gesture, Merlin fell silent before she chuckled and adjusted her gaze toward the sheepish lion sin.
“That’s it?”
“Y-Yes,” Escanor stuttered softly, “unless you want more- I hope I don’t sound like I’m pressuring you-“
“Shh. Keep going. You’re doing great. Just a few more though, okay? After this, I need to get out and start drying off. I have things to do later such as practice a few spells I have in mind. I’ve wanted to test them out for a while,” she crooned, tilting her head to one side to continue allowing Escanor to softly pepper her with kisses.
Trailing each delicate kiss from Merlin’s shoulder to her jawbone, the man nervously kept close to the mage. Would he end up somehow upsetting her? Perhaps even making her dislike him? Oh, the possibilities were endless! However, before Escanor thought once again, Merlin caught him off guard.
“Enough. Thank you for the time, Escanor. I appreciate it,” she eagerly hummed after turning aside to gently peck the man’s soft lips. Standing up after Escanor fell back on the stoney floor, she turned around before raising a brow. She could’ve swore she had a towel! “Could you be a darling and fetch me a towel?”
Redder than ever and burning hotter than the sun, Escanor managed to scramble to his feet before rushing to grab a towel. He handed it over to Merlin before looking away and covering his face. Of course he didn’t want to disrespect Merlin’s personal space or her body... though he did disrespect her personal space a lot by railing along her wherever she went. Hearing a small laugh, he silently groaned and bit his lip.
Merlin, more amused with Escanor than Meliodas was with boob physics, smiled warmly and she wrapped the towel around herself, stepping out of the tub. “You can uncover your face now... though I wouldn’t mind if you had another peek,” she teased, causing Escanor to only keep his face covered even more and start mumbling gibberish. Oh well. He was missing out! So much for a prideful sin! “I’m getting dressed. You know where to find me,” and finally, Merlin was gone out of the bathroom, leaving Escanor alone and flustered.
* * * * *
“Man, what’s gotten into him? He looks like the sun!” Meliodas laughed, staring at the dazed pride sin who was sitting at the bar table, grinning at his teammate. “Do you think he got to touch some boobies? Or hold some panties? Ooh, he must be lucky!”
“He got to see Merlin naked, he got to kiss her, and they shared an intimate moment together. Just normal human emotions. He will be fine,” Gowther stated rather proudly before posing. “I took a bit of his memory to see what his problem was. I found it out and it isn’t a problem after all. He seems quite fine and happy. Therefore, I think I shall leave him alone for a while. Maybe then I can check his memories once again and see how this feels. Sparkle.”
“Nah, Gowther. Just leave him alone for good. This is probably the first time he’s gonna get laid!”
“Though I do not know what that means, I think I understand. Somewhat.”
“Here... lemme explain it to you, dude.”
While Escanor continued to daydream about the whole scenario that happened what felt like seconds ago, Meliodas started to teach Gowther about being ‘laid’. Wow. What a bunch! At least they were all having fun!