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Those monsters choose the right time to flee. Now Ban was too preoccupied with Meliodas’ unconscious and bleeding form. As it was, they’d get to live another day.
Ban hadn’t realized the severity of it at first. He’d expected Meliodas to just bounce back on his feet as he usually did. When he didn’t, Ban knew. He quickly abandoned his stretching and jogged over to his captain. The last of his own injuries swiftly healed as he did.
Meliodas remained unmoving as Ban kneeled by his side. Turning Meliodas’ head slightly, Ban saw the root for his lost consciousness. He had a gash across the side of his head. Blood oozed out and had turned his blonde locks a morbid red all the way down to his shoulder. He also had a larger, deeper gash across his stomach. Unease settled in Ban’s pit as he examined and wrapped the wound with a piece of his shirt. Normally, Ban wasn’t too worried about Meliodas’ injuries – the captain had some exceptional healing abilities – but by the looks of it, these would need tending too. Not that Ban was about to bring Meliodas back to that village. On purpose or not, the information about the monsters in the woods had been less than adequate. He was not about to trust them again.
Home to Liones it was then.
Merlin was supposed to put up a portal not too far from here anyway. It would be just as fast as the village. Plus, there Ban knew Meliodas would be cared for properly. The captain of the Seven Deadly Sins was too valuable to the kingdom for some half-assed healer. And it wasn’t like any of the other sins would let anything less slide either.
Having made up his mind, Ban gently scooped Meliodas up in his arms. As he did, he couldn’t help but quietly curse at how tiny he felt. It almost seemed wrong to think that. Sure, Ban had more than once joked about the captain’s lack of height; he’d called him vertically challenged, used his head as an armrest, placed his stuff on the top-shelf, and whatnot. And yeah, he’d definitely failed to hide his laughter as Meliodas was mistaken for a child, on multiple occasions. Hell, Ban himself had mistaken him for a child the first time he ever met him – a child who had then promptly thrown him outside through the heavy prison wall. But despite it all, Meliodas had never actually seemed this small before. He always had a presence that matched his power and a mood that rivaled the sun. Now though, unmoving and light as he was in Ban’s arms, it just felt wrong.
Ban carefully maneuvered Meliodas onto his back, starting his trek back home. He ignored the blood he could feel seep through the improvised bandage and into his own jacket. The monsters were lucky. If he’d had the time to spare they would all be dead three times over by now. But that would have to wait. The captain came first.
Ban made it about halfway there before Meliodas started stirring. He groaned hoarsely against Ban’s shoulder as he started to move. Relief flooded Ban’s heart as he put Meliodas back on the ground. He made sure to keep a steady hand on his shoulder, just in case the captain was about to collapse again.
“Owie,” Meliodas muttered as he wrapped an arm tightly around his own stomach. Ban almost snorted, settling for shaking his head at the underwhelming reaction.
“You feeling okay there, Captain?” He tried to catch Meliodas’ gaze, but he was still curled around his midsection. “You back with me?”
“Feels like I cut stabbed,” Meliodas admitted. This time Ban did snort.
“I’m pretty sure you were.”
“Oh.” Meliodas finally straightened, meeting Ban’s eyes. “Then I guess I’m just as expected.”
He shrugged Ban’s hand off casually and took a few staggering steps forward.
“Whoa! Hold on a second, Cap’n.” Ban was quick to stop him. He had just been bleeding all over Ban’s back, he was not about to let him walk back to Liones like that. “Didn’t you hear me, you were stabbed.”
“I’m fine,” Meliodas dismissed – and yeah, when Ban looked the wound had stopped bleeding. “Where we ‘eadin’”.
Ban watched him for a moment. He was swaying slightly, his words slurring together a bit at the end.
“Liones.”
“What about the monsters?”
“Not our problem.”
“Ban.” The reprimanding tone would have worked a lot better if Meliodas hadn’t been rubbing at his eye like a sleepy toddler. “I’m serious.”
Ban sighed, knowing that Meliodas still wouldn’t let it go; “We got the one causing the problems. As for the others… not our problem.”
“But-”
“No buts. We’re heading home,” Ban pushed, and Meliodas relented with a sigh and a nod. Too easy, he needs to rest.
“But you ain’t walking,” Ban added.
“I’m fine,” Meliodas insisted again. Right before he stumbled. In fact, he probably would have fallen flat on his face if Ban hadn’t reacted as quickly as he did.
“Riiight,” Ban drawled, pulling Meliodas back to his feet. Once he had, he kept a firm grip around his arm. He did not trust the captain to not do anything stupid again. Like walking. “Because everything will be better if you break your nose falling asleep walking.”
“I won’t-”
“Nope!” Ban lifted Meliodas onto his back again before he had a chance to even finish his protest. Meliodas sighed dramatically but flopped down against Ban’s shoulders.
“You’re lucky I’m too tired to argue,” Meliodas mumbled.
“Uh-huh.” My point exactly. “Get some rest, Captain. I’ve got you.”