The way Meliodas's expression changed to that damn smirk he normally shows before pushing his face into Elizabeth's cleavage should had been a red flag, but it was too late to refuse and they didn't have any other options.

But gosh do Meliodas have talent for stupid plans.

"At least he didn't suggest drying my hair….however I am sure he wanted to"

"You want me to what?" Zeldris looked at the blond man in disbelief, he surely has to be joking. A blush appeared on his face the moment he heard Gelda's muffed laughter behind him, she was enjoying this too much.

"I want you to pretend you are me when you walk round Liones, you guys only come at night so it will be easier" Meliodas crossed his arms around his chest with that smug, hittable look as if he had just said something brilliant.

"Do you want me…..to pretend to be you….around town?"

"Exactly"

"So the people won't make a fuss over it?"

"Pretty much"

"So I just….get lose on the mob?"

"You get it!"

"4…..3…..2….." Gelda counted to herself as she took Elizabeth's hand and put her a few meters away from the two men, the goddess send her a confused stare until she gestured with her head toward Zeldris, he was clenching both of his fist by his side with his eyes closed in what can only be utter concentration.

"Brother…."He started, his tone calm and friendly…or at least Elizabeth thought it was, as the younger demon took Meliodas's by the collar of his shirt and started to shake him around, the grin on the blonde's face never left him once "Did you get drooped over your head when you were a child?! Oh wait- yes you did! I was there! It seemed to have long-term effects since you only get stupider everytime I see you! Do you want me to pretend to be you so I can go unnoticed? Guess what brother, everyone notices you the moment you step in. You are their fucking king!"

A little gasp interrupted his rant, as Zeldris looked at Meliodas's shocked expression, he let go a little of his collar. Yeah, maybe his brother wasn't used to be king yet, after all the coronation was just a year ago and most of it was spend traveling with Elizabeth, maybe he got confused there- "Oh don't worry, as long as you act like me and cover your hair nooooobody will tell the difference, just smile and wave until you enter the castle..…oh and don't curse, bad little brother, bad!"

The nervous tic on Zeldris's left eye and Gelda breaking into laughter behind them made Meliodas let out a chuckle as he knew what was coming, putting his wife in a protective darkness shield and watching as his little brother did the same with his beloved, he smirked. This will be fun.

"I wonder if they already repaired that ceiling….brother probably forgot about it" Zeldris rolled his eyes as, in fact, he could make out the huge gap on the ceiling from his position a couple of kilometers away from the massive building "What did I even expect?"

Meliodas literally provoked his anger because he thought it would be funny.

And he is supposed to be the older one?

"I can't stand you"

"I love you too, bro"

"I am pretty sure you are the most immature being in this room….and that includes the unborn baby inside of Elizabeth"

"Why thank you, I am sure my baby will be really smart and mature too"

Zeldris was about to retort back but just took a deep breath while closing his eyes, snapping his finger to the left to make the protective darkness around Gelda disappear, only to notice that the miasma around Elizabeth was still as strong as ever, floating around her as she sat on the ramps of the place with her legs crossed and her hands over them, looking as calm as ever while the vampire just stare at her with the same questioning look her beloved was sending his older brother.

"Um….what are you waiting to unleash the shield?" He finally voiced their thoughts, looking at Meliodas as he adjusted the collar of his shirt.

"For the dust clears up on it's entirely" He responded as if it was the most obvious thing on the world, nodding to himself when the collar was back on place, Zeldris just gave him an incredulous look.

"Aren't you exaggerating?...there was no need for you to put the shield at the first place, she is a goddess you know"

"And Gelda is a vampire, you know, regeneration?"

Zeldris's left eye twitched again, he had been told this so many times before –from Gelda herself even!- but it never made him less angry "She is still feel pain, you jerk! Do you think that I would like for a wall to fall on top of her because you are being stupider that usual?!"

Meliodas gave him a side grin, looking….proud? "I know. Elizabeth can heal any injuries in seconds, including hers, not way I am letting her get hurt because of that though, especially now with the baby growing inside of her" He moved his wrist to the side and the shield of darkness around the goddess finally dissipated.

"Ok I get the point, but….the dust? Really?"

"There is no such thing as too much precautions Zel, humans bodies are way different that ours, you'd be surprised of what I had seen" Although said on his usual cherry tone, Meliodas's eyes shifted to the side, and for a moment, for just a brief moment, Zeldris thought that the ever vibrant sparkles on them faded "You'll understand it when you become a father, the need to shield your family from the world will increase 100 times more than ever the moment you two know she is pregnant"

The heat went up to his face at that comment, a family, he had never considered forming one. Or more like never felt himself ready to take that role, how could he? All his life he had lived under an unloving father that just used him as his second option if something happened to his brother, the same whose glare over his shoulder and retreating back was the only thing he ever knew growing up until he eventually left, hell, even though Cusack seemed to be the closest thing to a family he ever got Zeldris knew that it was all a farce, his feelings were fabricated by the demon king, underneath all that supposed kindness and protectiveness laid his true intentions….

Make one of the brothers king so he and his other half could rule thought them.

But maybe…..it was time to start over.

With the Demon King gone, his relationship with Gelda wouldn't had to be taboo again, and neither would their child's existence. And as much as his brother annoyed him on a regular basis….

He knew now he count on him, so why not?

"Maybe….one day"

Meliodas smiled brightly again and pat him on the pat, a bit too abruptly since he almost lost his balance for a second "Awesome! I can't wait to meet my nephew or niece, but don't worry, you guys have yet a loooooot of time ahead of you so no need to rush things, just enjoy being together"

If he was paying more attention instead of looking fondly at how Gelda giggled with Elizabeth on the other side of the room as they talked about who knows what, he would had heard how Meliodas voice trailed off on the end of his phrase as his eyes landed on the ground, his smile dropping at its totality as he murmured something under his breath that Zeldris actually heard, but didn't thought too much about it on the time.

"I envy you so much"

"So this is what you mean, brother?"

He hated to admit it, but at the end Meliodas was right. The moment Gelda was confirmed pregnant his already high sense of protectiveness over her reached the sky. He wanted to shield her and the baby from anything and everything, it got even worst when they discovered that they were twins.

A pregnancy on the demon realm was strange. While not downright impossible like an expecting fairy -or so he thought until a few years ago- the female demons preferred to either lay eggs or not have any baby at all, after all, the expecting demons were the goddess clan's favorite pray.

He growled lowly, he might had not been around happy expecting families but he sure had seen those cowards stabbing women's bellies in front of their broken husbands.

The demons and goddesses may be in peace now but that doesn't mean he likes them, at all. The only goddess he ever respected wasn't even entirely a goddess!

Again, he stilled for a few moments. To him, time passed quickly, like any normal magic creature should feel, weeks and months didn't mean much to them…..the only time he ever recalled having a more "human" perception of time was during Gelda's pregnancy, mostly because the passing of the weeks did matter, and partially because he was an anxious mess. But to some creatures it moved slower everyday of their excruciating long life spam, especially those that were normally surrounded by humans or those that aged like one.

Like Meliodas

A shiver ran down his spine as his yearning to stamp the blond man against the walls of his own castle for neglecting him and his family for months subdued a little, but not much. Meliodas had always told him that when he is with Elizabeth time past incredibly fast, decades become months when they are together and he addition of their little ray of light, Tristan, only made it better.

A double edge sword indeed.

He shook his head, now wasn't the time to think about that, he must angry, furious! Fuming with wrath! He must go to that, figuratively, big idiot and let him know why he never, ever must play with him! The only thing keeping him from breaking into his castle with killing intent is that his overbearing subjects had stayed in line today and hadn't jumped at him with greetings and invitations to go for a drink later the moment they "recognized their king", seriously he wasn't expecting nor wanted his brother to be like their father as a king but this was ridiculous, this people treated him as if they were his best friend instead of their ruler!

"How in the world does he manage to keep riots in check with so little respect…." Zeldris didn't mind Meliodas's cherry and playful attitude, at least not much, but he will never stop questioning his working methodology.

He wouldn't care at all if he wasn't dragged into his mess everytime he came here.

But now that he can think about it….why wasn't everyone approaching him? He was grateful for it but it was so odd, Liones people never let their king walk around without saying something, he was pretty much celebrity.

So what happened?

`Did they discover I am not him?` Concern suddenly approached him, he hated having to wear that stupid coat every night he came, he hated having to smile and wave like some buffoon to the crown, and he absolutely loathed having to act like his precious Gelda was his cousin so the town didn't get the wrong idea and assumed their king was cheating on their queen-

But above all, he hated the thought of having to parts way with his brother again.

He decided to look around a little, still keeping his head low so nobody saw the 3 raven forelocks that were over his forehead, but trying to take a peak of how the other were looking at him, if he detected fear, disgust or anger he would know that his cover was blow and he would fly right into the woods, opting to make another plane via cards-

But nobody was looking at him that way.

At the same time, nobody was looking at him with admiration and respect like they did when he was disguising himself as Meliodas.

They were looking at him with…..pity?

What the hell happened here?