Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Meliodas was a good son.

Genuinely, he was.

Ever since he was but a little kid, ever since he learned what the word Father meant, he has been. He has obeyed his father, he has trained as it was expected of him.
He had killed as he was ordered, he had wielded a commandment as soon as his father had given it to him.

He was a good son.

But even him had limits, which his father, the king, had always been a fan of pushing and bending to see how much he could get away with.
And believe him, the limit was high.

Today, that limit had finally been reached.

— Do not talk to me in that way, Meliodas! —
— I am doing so and I will continue if you dont stop being so-- so--! —

It took all on him not to actually go and insult the king in that exact second.
Chandler already looked like he was going to have a heart attack on the back, he wouldnt put his master through extra stress if he could avoid it right now.

—Enough! You will respect your father as long as I am living! —
— Right now, I would rather pretend you are not!—
— You insolent, ungrateful brat! withdraw of my sight!—
—Oh, I will —

With that final promise, the ever perfect heir stormed out of the demon palace.

It was quite for a while, before Chandler finally spoke, the tension on the royal room still as heavy as a red demon.

—. . .I should, go with him—

The demon king put a stop to the words of the master of his son, clearly still displeased with the firstborn.

—No, he is being a mere brat, let him to cool down. After all, he will return with a call.—

Obviously, the great demon had not been paying much attention (if any, to be honest) to his eldest. Meliodas was slow to anger, mistakingly emotionless as he appeared to the rest, but his rage roared with the fury of a hundred dragons once invoqued.
And the firstborn's rage was not a simple tantrum that would slip with some time alone.

And any promises on its fire were meant.

So it came to not surprise of the master, that when the demon king finally called Meliodas back, believing him to still be on his cursed territory, not a soul answered.

With it, of course, came the panic of their forces, who needed, and couldnt find despite scorching their lands searching for him, their captain and prince.

Thousands of miles away, under the warm of the sun so unknown for the beings of darkness, a blond young man wandered through a dirt path.

He felt his own dark mark dissapearing, his esmerald eyes re emerging after decades.

— Ugh...maybe I overreacted —

Whatever, he was not going to return home for a while. Let the old man struggle on his own, he had forgotten what that meant since his son's birth anyway.

Chapter Text

It was probably two days into his trip to the human world that Meliodas realized something important.
He had absolutely no idea where to go or what to do while he was here.

Which brought him to his current situation, aimesly walking, following a dirth path that seemed to not guide him to anywhere.
Is not that he was complaining about the view, or having finally time alone after what felt like an absolute eternity (and to be fair, in human years, it probably was.)

Just...what was he going to do now?

As any demon, he sinned of pride. No way Meliodas would return to his father so soon, like a puppy with the tail between the legs.
First he would die.

And he mantains that mentality, even as he feels the tug of his mind where the king called him back, probably already realizing his son was no more on their accursed territory.

Ugh, if only he could find someth-

— AAAAAAH —

. . .oh well.

The prince gaze searched for the origin of that scream, not too far away in the same path he was on.

A little human child, running at the full speed her tiny and week legs allowed her to.
Behind her, up to six wild wolves in a ferocious hunt.

Well, that certainly guaranted such a high pitched scream from such a small weakling.

As soon as the little girl saw him, however, she made a desesperate gesture with her hands. Not a cry for help, but a warning.

Was....the human trying to warn him from the danger that chased her?

There was something in that realization he couldnt quite literally place, a feeling foreigner to him in his centuries alive now rooting in his chest.
Whatever it was, moved his body.

In a second, instead of obeying the warning of the girl and moving to avoid the predators (nothing but feral pups on his eyes, but in fairness, to such a tiny being they must be perceived as much of a dangerous threat as a grown dragon), he put himself between her and the wolves.

Intrigued by the action, the wild animals stopped in their track, low growls and bared teeths an indicative that it wasnt over despite their curiosity.
Oh, the dumb beasts thought him a slightly bigger pray, that was almost cute.

But they were too low in the chain to even gain a movement out of him. It would be beneath him to draw his sword (dagger insisted galand one time, but whatever that walking tree had to say couldnt matter less for him.) against such small inconveniences.

Instead, he stood there, his green eyes looking coldly to the biggest of the wild pups.
That was all it took for the beast to cower, a pathetic whimper leavings it's snout as it and the others ran away.

Seriously, how did humans even had problems with this things at all...?

....

Ah, right, humans. He is not alone right now.

Behind him, he could feel the tug of his clothes under little weight.
The small child was holding onto his shirt as best as she could, hiding from the now gone predators, as her hazel eyes gazed in the direction the animals took.

...Okay, how do you do this, last time he had to comfort a kid was Zeldris crying because he felt from a roof while practicing how to fly....

—Sir?—

Luckily for him, the little girl seemed more kin to talking that he usually is.

—They are gone, you can stop hiding now—

It didnt truly hit him until then, when he heard the sound of his own voice, slightly gentler than it should, altough still tainted by his indifference. What was he even doing?
By all accounts, why didnt he just let this kid die?

Whatever his mind was trying to get at, it stopped as soon as the small human let go of his shirt, a bright smile iluminating the face of the weakling.

—Thanks you, thank you so much sir!! —

Noisy.

Before he could recall what the human-courtesy for such gratitude display was (because yeah, he was going to pretend, last thing Meliodas wanted to deal with right now was the goddesses clan realizing he was in the open and alone.), the little one took his hand in a showcase of bravery he was not expecting from something her size.

— Is there anyway I can repay you?—

The naivety was something most would have found adorable, and in all honesty, something Meliodas would have found adorable himself, maybe some centuries ago, on his own youth, before his emotions became as numb as today.
'She reminds you of Zeldris' A voice in the back of his mind reminded him, a voice he had grown used to ignore.

For a moment, he thought about declining. There was nothing a fragile human could actually offer to him.
But the little girl had other plans, clearly.

— Oh! I know! Come home with me! I will tell mama what you did for me!—

As the girl dragged him through the dirth path in the opposite direction he had been traveling so far, with all the might her tired body could muster, the prince resigned himself.
Oh well, is not like he had anything better to do for a while, what is some minutes lost to retrieving a human kid to her parents?

|○|

The path to her home ended up being quicker than he thought it would be.
Truly, how he didnt saw the second path when he was walking, he didnt knew.

The little human, Samantha, she had called herself, had been rambling all the way, talking about the soup her mother made, how big their farm was (he made the math, is actually pretty small), even told him about the current drama between the cows.

By the way, he was on mili the cow side, rona the cow was being an asshole.

The kids pace had relaxed at some point, the tiredness of literally running for her life starting to catch up to her, yet still excited about telling her mother about her savior.

The house finally came into view, realizing it was the back view of it.
The little girl's pace went up again, pretty much yanking the prince again to turn around the house.

— Mama! Mama! —

It was a humble home, big enough for three (four, if someone shared a room) people, the living room and the kitchen were next to each other divided only by a open wall, so in the exact moment they entered the house, the mother of the kid came into view.

It hadnt caught his own attention before, but the little girl had small scratches, which were the first thing her mother saw when turning around.

— Samantha! For the goddesses, what happend to you!?—
— A pack of wolfs chased me down!—

...Well damn kid, the poor woman is going to have a heart attack.

— But dont worry, this kind sir saved me!—

It wasnt until then that the mother of the kid looked up to see him, her eyes the same shade of hazel that her daughter.

— Oh, goddesses, thank you, thank you so much!—

He barely registered the woman's thanks, catch into the irony of the little kid calling him "kind".
Not once in a hundred years he thought that would be used as a description for him, it almost made him genuinely laugh.

— There is no need, i was just passing by —

Okay, now time to...

— Please, stay for lunch, is the least I can do for you—

....
Oh well, he hadnt eaten in a day or two, it couldnt hurt to stay for a little while.

Chapter Text

Meliodas found out soon that human cooking could be a little better than he actually expected it to be.
Yeah, they didnt eat dragon meat, to his dismay, but cow meat proved itself to be actually pretty tasty.

Olivia, the little's girl mother, was actually a great cook.
They had waited a while before eating lunch, but the time was worth it. And not just that, her plates looked....divine!

...Darkness, he cant believe he used that word as a good thing, but genuinely, he couldnt find a better way to describe them. Just by looking at them he knew they would be extremely tasty.

— So, did you liked it, boy?—

Olivia's soft voice from across the table snapped his attention back to reality right after his first bites at the food (that he couldnt pinpoint the name of for the live of his right now). For a moment, Meliodas felt the most confused he has in years since he learned he had been calling Chandler and Cusack the name of the other at like 4 years old. Actually, he felt offended. How could he not like this?? How could she doubt it? That human's food tasted greater than a dragon's meat!!

And then he realized.

His expression was the exact same as always, no excitement for the food would be showing. Centuries of training to keep your emotions at such bay you barely felt them at all made it so his face would barely change.
Of course she would ask, for all she knew, he had tasted something as bland as watered chicken and called it a day.

It took a lot of effort from his part to conjure a slight smile, face muscles not used to the change done for something as soft as this.

— Yeah, is delicious, the best I have ever eaten —

For the first time a long while, he wished to be more expressive, smile as bright as the sun while emoting with his arms and voice, because this food deserved it.

A small smile and a gentler tone that his stone cold usual one was the best he could do right now. He, to his own surprise, hoped the human could understand the deep behind those little details.

Why, in name of both deities, was him even concerned of what a mere human thought of his actions?

Whatever, his answer seemed to be all Olivia needed, for inmediatelly her motherly worried expression turned into a warm smile.

— Oh, thats good then! You scared me for a second, boy, I know my food isnt perfect, but I dont want to serve something to a guest that they wont like —

"isnt perfect"

Lady, if it was on him, you would be getting named the head of the royal kitchen.

Some minutes passed on silent as the three of them eat, and Meliodas had to keep himself from absolutely devouring the plate.

—So, what is your name sir?—

Samantha asked, still with food on her mouth. Meliodas didnt pay as much attention at the scolding her mother gave for talking with full mouth, since he caught himself in a corner.

—Mel....—

If he tells this mortals his actual name, they will surely recognize him as the merciless leader of the ten commandments, the eldest son of the demon king....

—...dris, Meldris —

Meldris
IS THAT THE BEST YOU COULD THINK OF, GREATEST IDIOT?

He kinda expected to be called out as a liar almost as he finished saying those words, but the accusation never came, instead, mother and daughter smiled at the information and continued eating.
...Of course, why was he expecting such a level of alert from mere human farmers.

With an internal sigh, he continued eating, only to realize then that he had already eaten it all. Dammit, it was good..

—So, Meldris, are you new in the village? I dont think I have ever see you —
—Ah, actually, I was just...travelling —

Unlike his stupid fake name, this time it didnt escape from the woman how there was more to say.

—...I had a fight with my father some days ago, and kinda...stormed out, so I am currently just travelling to see where i can stay —

Okay, that was enough information to give a good explanation without saying why, or who.
Enough information, never too much, never too little, just as Chandler had thaught him decades ago, and would repeat again everytime he forgot.

Chandler must be worried by now...

Olivia gave him a knowing look. Way too different to his father's, her was warm, knowingly caring, while his was the reason of his night terrors.

Night terrors he would never admit to having.

—I see...—

And then, a little spark on her eyes. A spark that tried to tell him something he didnt understood.

—Would you like to stay, then? I owe you so much for saving my daughter, so what about a warm bed while you set yourself?—

Before he could even process the question, Samantha was off her chair and at his side, childish enthusiasm as she held his arm.

—Say yes say yes!! I am sure my friends at the village will want to meet you!!—
— Samantha, your manners!!—

Staying at...a human village.

Oh, his father would lost it if he did that...

....

Then his mouth spoke faster than his brain.

—I would love to, thank you —

|○|

Okay, looking back at some few days, staying wasnt exactly the worst idea he has had in the last month.

To his surprise, the village happend to be actually really close by, he had just not seen it because most farms were making a space between it and the main path he had been taking until then.
Samantha had been dragging him across the entire place, from the shops to her friends houses.

It was a small village, nothing important, those places where everyone knows each other and the doors are unlocked and open during the day.

He found himself thinking it was good thing that it was so far away from the front lines. Small enough to not drag attention, and so far so they wouldnt be forced to abandon it all anytime soon.
With some luck, Samantha would grow and die without ever seeing the cruelness of the war firsthand.

....

It was just a passing thought. For demons, humans were talking cattle, so why would he find relief in knowing this little human would live and die a peaceful life?

As he observed his own hand, that she held with such gentleness and childish strenght while showing him around, he repeated the question on his mind.

Finally, they arrived to a shop to buy some extra ingredients Olivia needed.
It took him by surprise when the woman in the store gave him some extras for free, as a "thanks" for what Samantha was going around saying.

Who even gives food away for free...

With the shopping done, both of them started heading back to her house.
Night would arrive soon, and it wasnt good for a little kid to be outside and awake so late.

Chapter Text

It had been some weeks since he arrived to the human village already.

And....Meliodas would probably be transformed in stone by Galand if he attempted to deny it, so he will be honest. He liked this place. Samantha and Olivia were the warmest, kindest people he had known in centuries, truly, and had taken him in their house without asking for anything in return. No fighting, not protection, nothing.

It was a nice feeling.

— Meldris, are you sure dear? I have already told you is not necessary —

Just because he wasnt being asked to do something, doesnt mean he was going to sit down. He had been raised as a prince, yes, but he also knew that when it came to his father, all given had to be returned in a way or another.
His title, his commandment, his rank were all gifts from his father, and so he returned it with his loyalty and sword.

So, he also wanted to repay her.

Initially, he did it by simply going to do the shopping necesarry, or helping her with the laundry.
Later, he had even started to ask for chores that needed to be done with help, like cleaning some things.

Today, he decided it was his turn to cook something for Olivia and Samantha.

It cant be that hard, he has seen the royal servants do it thousands of times, he has seen the gifts of food Monspeet made for Derieri, and over all, he has been observing Olivia cooking.
He was the eldest prince of the demon clan, a simple kitchen wouldnt defeat him

—I am, that I can assure you, i want to repay you.—

Olivia sighed then, her hazel eyes giving him that knowing look, mixed with...something he couldnt recognize this time.
Whatever it was, she finally stepped down, so it wasnt something that concerned him.

Okay, now, to cook.

|○|

—. . .—
—. . .—

Both prince and mother stared silently at the result of Meliodas's attempts.
Honest to all god that could hear them, it looked terrible.

It was somehow both burnt and raw, and Olivia is not sure some of those ingredients went in this plate.
It takes her a single look to the slightly sad gaze of the young man (She had learned by now that any display of emotion, as small as it could appear, was actually a great one from his part) to try and change the mood.

— Well, it could be one of those "it tastes better than what it looks!", lets not judge it so quickly and take a bite each!—

Worse mistake in both her short and his century long lifes.

As she said, they took a bite each at the same time.
Currently, she was throwing it up on the trash can. He? Putting centuries of training to work not to puke it while his hands leaned on the table for some kind of support.

— . . . —
— . . .—
— Okay, it was bad...—
— Sorry...—

Meliodas knew he was talking nonsense. Apologizing to a human genuinely? Not to mock them? Oh Chandler is not going to let him forget this if he learns about it.
But it was true, he was sorry. He wasted resources into that....abomination of a plate.

— Its okay Meldris, everyone has different talents—
— . . .but. .—
— If you want, I can help you learn how to cook!—

The idea of cooking half as well as Olivia seemed like a dream for the demon prince...

—I...would actually like that —
—Then, lets get started!—

Okay, it cant be that hard with guidance.

|○|
—Okay, now, that one spice —
—No, Mel, the other one...

...where did you found a third spice—

|○|
—Cut it in smaller pieces...not so small-- —

|○|
—Be careful with the heat, no no, less heat, it will not cook faster just because you put it at max!—

|○|
—Okay, now you have to learn how to make the presentation! —

She guided his hands, step by step, as she gave him tips.
For once, he could say that gentleness in teaching made him concentrate.

|○|
—. . . wow—

Both of them stared at the freshly made plate.
While the cooking had been a....curious experience, the finish product was just...gorgeous.

—Now thats what I call a plate, want to make a double bite again?—

This time, Meliodas was actually confident on the result of his cooking, so, of course, he agreed.

One
Two
Three.

. . . .

Once again, the trash can is suffering, and Meliodas is just facing the wall.

—. . . okay, maybe cooking is not one of your talents...Meldris...—
—Dont tell me . . . .—

Chapter Text

Meliodas put down the last of the clean dishes, maybe in some minutes he would return to dry them as he had intended to do initially....
For now, he was a little more focused on the absolute silence that was governing the house at this moment of the day.

And look, he may be far, very far, from being an at least decent older brother, but he was one at the end of the day....and therefore, he knew the most sacred rule:

A quiet child is the biggest reason to worry in this world, check on them as soon as possible.

Almost inmediately, trying to not appear to himself that he was rushing to check on a human, he made his way for the living room, slightly worried (though he would deny it if ever questioned) for what the little girl could have gotten up to while he cleaned and Olivia was outside doing some farm work.

—Samantha?—

He called for her, already eyeing the whole place.
Well, nothing seemed broken nor in flames, so that was already a progress from the usual chaos that involved a kid falling totally silent in the middle of the day.

Finally, he found her, her little body almost hidden by the couch she was sitting besides.

The reason of her silence? She seemed to be...knitting.

Huh, he didnt knew a girl so little could knit.

Her eyes flew from the piece she was working on to him, surprise written all over her face at his sight.

— Meldris! No! what are you doing here!?—

He was...not expecting that reaction, at all.

— ...Your mom left me in charge of taking care of the house...?—
— No! I mean in the living room!—

The little girl stood up, and tried to hide what she was doing from him, her face frowned in embarrasment, all while trying her best to push him away from her work.

— Come back later!! —
— Okay okay....—

He sighed, hands raising in defeat (an habit he had picked up from Olivia after some time).

He turning his back to whatever she was doing seemed to calm Samantha down, who inmediately went back to knitting, now with her own back turned so he couldnt easily see what it was.
Why all the secrecy....?

Oh well, it wasnt his problem.

He returned to the kitchen to finish dealing with the dishes.

Even after a good while staying with them, there were things about humans he could just...not fully grasp.
Like half of the thing Samantha did, to be honest, and the way Olivia would just let her be.

Honestly, if he ever acted up in the same way the little girl did whenever she wanted to help with the cows or spent extra hours sleeping, his father would be so furious....if he concentrates enough, he can even feel some phantom pains in his back from the last time he did something so reckless.

If his seven hearts ached in a way too close to treason at the idea of Olivia ever putting a hand over Samantha in the way his father did, Meliodas choose to ignore it.

— You can come back now Meldris!!!—

Talking about the little light...

With something a little too close for his own comfort to a lighthearted scoff, he turned around to go back to the living room he had been thrown out of.

— Well, what is it?—

The little girl was giggling, clearly proud of whatever she had done while he was finishing the dishes.
Suddenly, she showed him a....blanket.

It was a beautiful one, while not the best technique, it was black with little white spots that seemed to imitate the stars in a way.

—Is for you, Mel!—

He hold it for a long moment, his eyes memorizing every single detail of the gift.

....As always, his resting cold face and lack of words delivered the wrong message to the human.

—Do you. . .like it?—
—. . . .—

That unfamiliar warm settled down once again in his chest, as his lips curled ever so slightly.
His hands, no, his arms were twitching, begging him to do something he wasnt even sure he remembered how to do anymore.

So Meliodas's hand traveled to the hair of the little girl, a small, reasurring gesture he was sure he once used to do to Zeldris.

—I love it, thank you, sammy...—

Chapter Text

—Come on Meldrissss!! Lets go!! —

Meliodas sighed at the insistent voice of the little girl, who currently was trying her best to drag him outside the house, tiny hands doing an enourmous effort despite only being able to move him some centimeters. (Which he allowed her to, although that’s information she doesn’t need to know)

—What got you so excited today? —
— The flowers!! We have to go and pick them as soon as possible!! —

He really did not, despite how much he tried to, understood the explanation the little girl gave him yesterday about some flowers, medicine and “we need to get them as quick as possible”. All he managed to catch is that, while not deadly urgent, it was better to go as early as the sun rose.
Still, a childish part of him he didn’t even knew still existed really, really wished to still be on bed now, even as her mother started cooking for their return.

As he reached for the last basket they would need (Although Meliodas cant even picture why would they need five baskets for some flowers), he let a weask smile pose in his lips. The gesture, he had learnt, came easily to him now. It was nowhere near as nice as those smiles mother and daughter gave, but it was..something.

—Okay okay, lets go then —

He closed the door behind them as Samantha ran with her baskets, ready for what should be just another calm day.

.
.
.
The path to where the flowers would bloom the most was nice, they picked some flowers that had bloomed individually on their way, while Samantha walked with little jumps, singing a human song about harvest...which probably would be better tuned by an adult or an actual singer, but part of the beauty of the moment came from the genuine happines of her voice, even as she failed some notes.

He closed his eyes and let the comfortable moment relax him. It was . . .nice, he liked going out with this little human and just see her be happy while doing the most mundane chores. Nothing she did was of importance or value to the great scale of things, she wouldnt become a warrior that changes the course of war, probably neither a medic that save thousands of lifes, she was no higher being, no royal, just. . .the happy daughter of a couple of farmers, who would spend her days doing errands, helping mom with the house, and collecting flowers....
And yet, her life seemed so. . .full and warm . .

How could someone be so devoid of duty for the great, and still so content?

— We arrived!! —

The cheerful voice of Samantha brought him out of the void of his thoughts, and for a moment he couldnt help but stop his steps, breathless.
When she said there was a place to pick up many flowers. . .he wasnt expecting such a view.

It was like an ocean of white flowers, butterflies already flying everywhere, with some trees giving shade here and there. It wasnt as beautiful as that one abandoned temple he sometimes spent his time at but. . .it was such a peaceful place.

Samantha was quick to run to star picking flowers, rambling about how they should pick as many as they can, and something about not taking too many at the same time, with that considerate inconsistency human kids had in their innocent desire to be greedy and good at the same time.
After coming out of the momentary shock at the view, Meliodas finally started picking up some of the flowers to put on the basket.

Hm, he couldnt help but think he knew this flowers from somewhere...

—I think I saw someone flowers moving Mel! Probably some bunnies! —

— Be careful, dont try to grab it —

He warned, already knowing human kid's tendency to try and pet any soft animal they came across. Truly, what was up with that?
(He shushed his own mind when it tried to remind him he, also, used to try and pet anything that looked "not that agressive" on the purgatory. That had been stupid of him anyway, and he outgrew it pretty quickly)

After making sure his basket was full, he was about to turn around to ask her for another one. However, just as he did, his senses froze him.

There was a demon close

How. . ? No, why? Usually, lower demons would scatter away of any place they as much sense him around, his scent usually enough to scare off anything below the color ranks.
Then, why was one so close by? It couldnt be that stupid surely...

....Oh. Of course...

He had been supressing his own demonic energy so long in order to not attract the attention of any commandment searching for him (or worse, one of the goddess clan passing by), the lower demon probably didnt even knew he was there.

He scoffed then, that was a problem. Samantha was a human, and if high ranking demons didnt see them as more than, relatively, intelligent cattle, then inferior demons saw them as just walking snacks.

— Oe, Samantha, maybe we should return already —

The kid looked up from where she had been picking flowers, her baskets almost full now, with a pout, surely, in her naivety, finding his sudden urge to return to be a hassle

— But the day is still young!!! Come on Mel! —

Despite her complaining, the little girl quickly picked up her basket to run to him.
The worst mistake.

He felt it again, the demonic presence, but too late to act. Quick as lightning, something struck the girl's leg, making her scream in pain.

Before he had even registered the full sound, his body had already moved.
If that lowly being thought itself fast, he would show him what speed really is.

In a mere instant he was besides Samantha, darkness pulsing on his whole body as his claw struck the insolent being that attacked her while his other arm hold her in a protective stance. Meliodas made sure to dissipate his power as soon as it arrived tho, not wanting to scare the child more.

When he could see the demon under his hand, it was but a damn snake, death as it was now, its cursed blood killing the flowers and grass below it.
He growled, this thing had dared to hurt her? On his presence?

...

It was good the snake was already death, or he would have felt his power weakening in an unconvenient moment. Had that been...hatred? From himself?
No, it couldnt. His father had trained him better than that in order to handle his commandment. There is no way he was that attached to a human to actually feel hatred on its behalf....

—M-Mel...—
—Hey, are you okay?—

Her weak voice snapped Meliodas out of his thoughts. Right, it had been able to hurt her, he had to check that.

— I- I feel bad...—
—Let me see. . .—

Just one look at her leg, and he felt his blood run the coolest it had on his entire life.
Two small dots were all the injury, and yet, the entire zone around it was purple and black, not in a normal way of venom infection or damage, but in darkness.

That damned thing...

—Okay- dont panick, I will take you home, okay? —

He tried to reassure her so she kept her pulse low, even as his seven hearts started going a little too fast, self control he had so carefully trained since he was able to comprehend what his purpose is was severely being put to test, and quickly slipping away.

— Close your eyes, we will be home in a moment —

As she did what he asked on first try for once, he grabbed the baskets so she could hold them and concentrate on something else than the pain. Once he was sure she was closing her eyes, he did something very, very stupid.

Used his wings.

It was too risky, for Samantha to realize he was a demon, the little girl could spread the word quickly and make his facade shatter, it could even get to the goddess clan (and then it would be an actual problem instead of a bother), but in that moment he couldnt care less.

(it was almost out of character, for him to care this much of someone to be imprudent. . .)

He was a quick flyer, wings designed for velocity in travel rather than in stability, so it took barely a minute to arrive to their home. He really didnt want to cause damage to Olivia's house, but with his arms full, he had no option but kicking the door, to open it. By mere miracle it did not break fully.

— Olivia!! Samantha was bitten by a snake!! I will be going to the village's medic! —

He had just finished saying that when his legs were already working again, rushing on inhuman speed to the village. Luckily it wasnt that far away compared to other houses.
Such a rush he had been in, he didnt realize he had brought the baskets with them too.

After knocking on the door (more like body slamming and asking for the doctor to came out), he spared a glance to Samantha.
She was so pale, in a way it didnt made sense for a farmer girl, her little face looked in so much pain, it didnt felt right, not in such a cheerful little girl.

He was about to knock again when the door opened, the man inside looked confused in the small moment before his gaze reached Samantha.

— by the goddesses, what happend to her? —

As Meliodas tried not to cringe by the saying, the taller man took the child on his arms to bring her inside, dropping the baskets in the process. Meliodas barely avoided stepping over the flowers, not really thinking about it, just a reflex.

— A demonic snake bit her while we were collecting flowers —

The village's doctor was no pale nor weak man, despite spending most of his time inside doing research, and yet Meliodas was able to see the way blood drained from the poor man's face at those words.

— Oh no. . boy, bring me those flowers and then go for Olivia, I will do what i can —

Meliodas did not even thought on asking what for, he just did so.

Olivia arrived ten minutes later, out of breath and looking utterly distraught. He couldnt look her at the eyes even as she ran to him and hugged him, comforting while searching for the same.

— Is there- Is there any news? How is she? —

Before he was able to speak, the doctor opened the door again.

— Olivia, you arrived quickly- —
— Where is samantha? Will she recover? —

He hated the silence that came with that question, and break it.

— Doctor? —
—. . .Is a good thing that you brought those flowers, Meldris, since they are part of the cure for this demon's venom, the effects of it have slowed down —

Slowed down, not stopped

— Are you not. . .able to create the cure yet? —

Darkness, how he wished his voice did not sound so plain most of the time, even now as his seven hearts strained and pained.
The man sighed as he shaked his head, much to the pair's dismay.

— The cure for this demon's venom is not like for a normal snake, I need a certain amount of demon blood to make the antidote. The higher the demon, lower the blood, but finding demon blood is too hard, and she doesnt have that much time...—

Olivia covered her face as a sob escaped her, the implication of those words too much for her poor heart.
Meliodas, however, was looking at the ground, an idea being born on his mind.

If demon blood was all he needed....

—. . .how much blood would be necessary? —

The doctor looked at him for a moment, confused, but moments later took an empty vial from his pocket.

— Assuming the demon in question is at least red or grey. . .a full vial like this for a single antidote. —
— Give it to me, I know someone who can give me the blood close by, but I need to go now. —

The man hesitated, but handed it to him anyway, starting to warn him to be careful. As soon as the glass touched his skin, Meliodas nodded and ran on the opposite direction before he was able to finish his sentence.

— Demon blood is- hey kid wait! demon blood is no joke, be careful!! —

He ran until he was sure none of them could see him (and it was a reasonable distance for him to search someone else).
Finally alone, he opened the vial and stared at his hand. The doctor was right, demon blood was unique in ways that made it special, but it was also the biggest proof of their nature, destruction ran on their veins. Even a simple, lowly red demon's blood was enough to kill and transform any human who drank it.
Because of that, he always knew how important his own blood was.

The blood of a demon prince

Not even him was sure of the amount of power his blood concentrated, how it could be used by enemies searching to fight the demons with their own power. Chandler had drilled it into him, a thousand times, to be careful with the blood he spilled.

"your blood is worth a thousand castles and a weapon that could burn both sides to the ground, my prince, never let anyone get their hands on it"

It was stupid, to go against his master's lessons in such a blatant way just to, potentially, give more time on this world to a human child.
Humans didnt even live that long, they were weak, and most of what they did was pointless in the end. For demons, humans usefulness was in their souls as a source of magic.

Whether Samantha died today or lived up until her hair was gray, it would be insignificant. Her life wasnt worth the spilling of royal blood....

— Is for you, Mel! —
— Do you. . .like it? —

You, damned self liar, his mind scolded.Just do it.

A quick slash on his hand, and the vial was filled.

He returned as quick as he could without making obvious that the supposed contact was a farse. Still too fast, he knew, but at this point, it didnt really matter to him.

He handed the vial, warning the doctor that his "contact" said it was high level blood. Once the doctor went back inside to prepare the antidote, there was nothing else he could do.

And so, they waited.

Olivia kneeled the entire time next to the door, hands together in a prayer to the goddesses he tried not to scoff at.

Now, Meliodas would love (no,like, thats a more aproppiate word for someone like him.) to say he just stood there and waited patiently. With the blood delivered, it was just a matter of time for her to be healed, his logic knew it, so he just needed to stand there and wait.

But truth to be told, he paced.
From one point of the house to the other, he paced around, his seven hearths pumping so quickly he could almost feel his blood heaten. One arm holding the other behind his back, and trying his best not to scratch himself due to the anxiety.

She was going to be okay.
She had to be okay.

Just as he thought his pacing around would start leaving a trail under him, the door opened again.
. . .Darkness, he hadnt even realized the sun had started to lower until now.

— How is she!? —
— Did it work? —

The doctor had to take a step back from them after they both jumped to ask, the desesperation of a mother so clear.

— The demon blood was more than enough, I just needed a drop to make some antidotes —

Meliodas let out a breath that he didnt even realized to be holding.

— She will need rest for a days, but Samantha will recover like nothing ever happend —

With that, he allowed them to take her home.
Just as they were leaving, tho, the doctor stopped him.

— Meldris, right? I dont know how to explain how grateful to you I am. I dont- I dont know where your contact found such a powerful blood, but I think I will be producing antidotes for years with it! You have saved so many lifes, thank you —

He nodded politely before leaving to catch up to Olivia.

you have saved so many lifes

Saved lifes. . .him?
He was a demon, his entire existance was destruction. If it wasnt for those flowers, his blood would have probably killed the girl in a second. It was the doctor who deserved the praise.

He was no savior.

When they arrived, no one had energy to cook. Olivia went for some bread and heated the soup she had made earlier, and they both sat outside to eat it.

— Thank you, Mel —

She murmured while eating, causing him a light hearted scoff.

— It was him who saved her, you have nothing to thank me for. —

There was silence as they continued to eat.
Just at the very end, she took his hand, firm yet gentle.

— No, thank you, Mel. —

Before he could argue it again, she took the empty dishes and went back inside, leaving him only with the company of the stars.

Just then he looke down to his hands, lost on thought.

. . .huh, I forgot to heal the injury?

Chapter Text

It had been some weeks since the incident with the demonic snake and Samantha.

Outside of slightly slower mornings while the girl recovered, nothing else had changed. . . Well, not counting the fruit basket the doctor sent to Meliodas as a "thank you" gift after he had done some more antidotes using his blood, despite the blond telling him, time and time again, that he didnt needed to thank him.

Humans, stubborn the lot of them.

But now that Samantha was back on good health, everything was the same again. The girl lamented, daily, the harsh end to her flower-collecting adventure, and didnt seemed to trust high grass for the moment, but as always, it was hard to make her mood sour for too long.

— Meldris, I want eggs! —
— You know those eggs will be toxic as soon as I put them in the pan —
— No, I mean we have no eggs today! I want eggs! —

Oh right, they accidentally ate more eggs than what the chickens could make the other day.
He left the book he was reading on the table (yeah, he had taken a liking to human literature in the last month) with a sigh.

— Did you checked if they already laid eggs today? —
— I did, and they havent! —

Another sigh left him, he would have to go and buy to the town.

— Okay, want to go town with me? —

The little girl seemed to think for a second, before giving him her classic puppy eyes (he didnt had it on himself to tell her that they didnt really work on him, so he let her believe it was a success).

— Mel. . . .—
—. . Okay, I will go, stay on your room meanwhile —

He was fast enough anyway, Olivia probably wouldnt notice he left before returning from the farm.
Quickly, he grabbed an outfit (hand me down from Olivia's husband that she cut for him after the third day of Meliodas using his commandments outfit in a row, if he remembered right) and went on his way to the town.

By now, he was quite used to the small town and the people living there. He didnt had the whole "wave and smile at everyone who tells you good morning" thing mastered out yet, to be honest, but he seemed to at least not scare people off by looking on their direction anymore.

— Good morning Meldris! How can I help you today? —
— Hello, Amanda, can i have some eggs? Samantha has been wanting them all morning —

Small talk didnt come easily to him, but by the darkness, he was trying. Still, he felt relieve whenever the interaction was short, less he did or said something that ruined the mood.
With the eggs on the bag, and some coins less, he started walking back home.

. . .Home.

The thought made him sigh, yet smile all the same.
It was such a foolish way of thinking, and yet he couldnt stop himself from it. Darkness, his father would be so pissed if he knew he was calling a human farm home.
To allow himself to grow attached of this humans was so out of character, and yet it had happend.

Guess even him could be foolish.

Walking through the town was oddly comfortin. Too early in the morning for most of it to be awake and working yet, with the exception of some store owners, and yet the silence was not deafening, but welcoming.

When he was arriving to the limits of what was the actual town from the path to the farm, he felt it for the first time in months.
A surge of magical power far away.

Huh, weird. . .was there a battle somewhere nearby?

No, he couldnt feel anyone else, and the frontlines of the war were still so far away, he couldnt even see them while flying. Even with the conflict at its worst, it would take decades before it came any closer.
Maybe someone was showing off some kilometers away, nothing he had to worry about.

— Samantha, I am back —
— And where were you, young man?—

Meliodas stopped on his tracks when he heard Olivia. Had he taken too long? Since when was he so slow when doing errands?

(he scolded his mind shush when it tried to argue "since when did he, the prince, did errands")

Silently, he held up the eggs he had bought, as both and explanaition and a way to try and keep himself from being scolded by the mother.
Just as she was about to speak, probably to scold him for leaving Samantha alone while she checked the farm, the little girl ran from her room to him, hazel eyes shining in happines at the sight of the eggs she so much wanted to eat.

— You got them!! Meldris you are the best! —

Realization dawned upon Olivia regarding why Meliodas had left early on the morning to go and buy some eggs.
And with that, the small frown left her face, replaced with a knowing look and a soft smile.

— You spoil her so much . . —

And despite her words, she inmediatelly went on to make something to eat with those same eggs.
Just another day, and yet so warm.

It was later at noon when that peace died.

Meliodas had been on the porch watching Samantha playing, Olivia calmly reading something on a chair besides him, when the day became night.
Olivia raised her head, confused at the sudden darkness, and called for Samantha to return to the house inmediatelly, in which Meliodas got ahead of her, already dragging the child back in the exact instant he felt the darkness appear.

— What is this? An eclipse? But it was so sudden, I didnt even see the moon. . . —

She wondered, looking around in confusion, trying to make sense of the sudden darkness, not noticing how tense Meliodas was besides her.
Because he knew damn well what that darkness meant.

Chandler

How he wished it was only a rare eclipse...

What was doing his master here? He rarely, seldom, abandoned the demon realm. For what goodness damned and forsaken reason could he be on this realm?

You know it damn well, he is here because of you, his mind reminded him.

And by the darkness, his seven hearths felt his blood ran cold.
He had taken too long, this whole. . .whatever the hell he had been doing the past year, it extended too long, for his master to personally come to Brittania to find him.

And Meliodas knew his master, the man had been his second father, raising him since he was but a demon cub. As much as the demon adored him, Chandler could be. . .intense, for lack of a kinder word, when it came to him. His master both worshipped the ground he walked on, and was very skilled on the art of believing him in need of his guidance and protection the entire time, like he was still a easily manipulable child.

Which meant Chandler would not be angry at him for staying away this long. . .but. . .

His eyes returned to Olivia and her daughter, both so confused, almost scared, only by the darkness his master brought with his sole presence.

. . .No, he couldnt let Chandler see them, take his ire on them.

Inmediatelly, he tried to hide his own magic the most he could, scared of his master finding him.
(A effort in vain, he knew, for Chandler would find him in a mere second if he tried)

His mind raced, the posibilities of what would happen too many, and none too nice, flashing on his mind.

. . .

And he knew what he had to do.

— Go inside, I will go and check that everything is fine back at town, this darkness is unnatural —

The little girl didnt need to hear more, nodding in that trusting way and running to her room, so scared of the darkness and wishing for the comfort of her bed more than anything in that moment.
. . .Olivia, however, stayed.

—. .Meldris? What are you planning? —
—. . I already told you, I will go to check on the town, stay here with Sammy. —

Before he could give an step out of the porch, he felt his hand be grabbed by two of hers.
The same hand he had cut months prior to save Sammy's life.

— . . .you are not going to return, are you? —

He couldnt turn to face her, the pain on her voice, and the way he just knew she had that gentle yet knowing gaze on her face, he just couldnt handle it.

—. . .For what it matters, I will miss you two. —

That made her grip at his hand tighter, and as much as he knew that he could very easily break free from that hold (and honestly, break her arm, if he was any crueler.), something on him did not want to do so. Knowing that once that touch was over, an eternity would pass before he ever felt such care again, if ever.

— I dont. . .I dont know what you are planning, Mel, but if I can help in anyway. . .—
— Go with your daughter, Olivia, this is. . this is my own problem, and I have to be the one to solve it. —

Before she could say anything else, and before he lost more time that Chandler would use to find them, he broke the contact, careful in a way that just didnt fit him to not hurt her.

— Goodbye, and thank you. —

Inmediatelly, he ran.

— Mel! —

"Mel !! Melio---!!"

Just when he knew he was out of her sight, did he allow his mark to re appear, and materialized his wings once again.
He had to be fast, faster than his own master now that he had made his magic clear.

And luckily, he had always built his wings for velocity.

Finding Chandler was the easiest part of the whole ordeal. His master had always radiated power, and such he was never hidden.
It helped that said power was quickly moving towards him too.

As soon as the older demon was visible for him, Meliodas ducked, making a crater in the ground as he landed, which, of course, Chandler outdid.

— Young Master Meliodas!! Oh, I have been so worried!! —
— Enough to annoy me, Chandler? —

He scoffed, and realized, to his own horror, that casual rudeness did not came as easily as before to him. Still, he put on the act, letting his muscle memory do its job.

— Your father is so enraged, young master, and so worried he allowed me to come to search for you. Come on, lets return home now. —

If one or two of his hearts skipped at the notion of his father being still angered, Meliodas chose to ignore it. He could take the demon king's rage, as he had always done. It didnt matter.

So he complied, nodding without much interest, falling back on the routine of the dutiful son and warrior, already wondering how much of a mess he would have to fix on his own troops after his prolonged absence, just like he always did, as the only one who could, actually guide them to victory. The duty he was born for.

And yet, he couldnt help but take a last look back as his master guided him towards the closest entrance to the demon realm, an ache on his chest unable, and unwilling, to be ignored.

Home, huh. .. ?