I do not own Seven Deadly Sins or any of their characters.

Accepting Sin

Oswald groaned as consciousness returned, head swimming as bad as it had the first time he had drank with Meliodas and the others. Funny that Meliodas should again be the cause. Funny and unfortunate. Oswald sighed, opening his eyes and staring at the inside of a dark iron door. He pushed himself up to his knees and stared at his wrists, which were shackled and chained out to his sides, unable to reach each other. The chains were magically enhanced as well, keeping him from being able to break them, even if he had had his bow. He sighed, looking around the cell. It was a round, bare room with a bracket for a torch beside the door, and no other decorations. Just him chained up in the middle of it.

"I'm sorry Derieri," Oswald mumbled. "I'm not coming back like I promised."

Just then, there was a loud bang as the door was unlocked before beginning to groan open, light spilling into the room. After a moment, Meliodas stepped through the door, torch held over himself. He glared at Oswald for a moment before smirking and putting the torch in its bracket.

"You're a fool," Meliodas said. "You had friends here. You had someone that loved you. And you threw it all away for a demon."

"Wow, a little hypocritical there Meliodas," Oswald said. "You might want to be careful with that high horse of yours. It might step on the others if you don't watch your step."

Meliodas appeared in front of Oswald, drilling his punch into the side of Oswald's head, shattering his jaw, only for light particles to begin to sinking into his skin, healing his jaw much less painfully than darkness would. "I'm not going to enjoy this because you followed your heart. can't fault you for that. As you said, I'd be a hypocrite. In truth, I don't even blame you for choosing Derieri. She is rather well endowed. You're just an idiot because you believed she would ever return your feelings." His fist exploded into Oswald's gut, lifting him several feet off the ground before his chains reached their limit and stopped him. "No, I'm going to enjoy this because you brought that thing toward Elizabeth. You're going to die for that."

"If you're going to kill me then just get it over with. Best not to slip any further into your old habits any earlier than you have to. After all, you do intend to steal the commandments in order to save Elizabeth, don't you?"

Meliodas's fists crashed into Oswald rapidly for several seconds before he let him collapse to the floor, bloody and broken. "I think that should do for now. I think Ban's up next. He'll be in in a little while."

With that, Meliodas turned, walking out of the room, taking the torch with him. Oswald groaned, slowly healing, barely making any progress before the door opened again. He didn't lift his head. He didn't need to. He knew who it was. He had sensed her coming. He had expected her to be there when he first woke. After a moment of silence, he slowly pushed himself to his knees, blood running out of his mouth and nose. Then, he raised his swollen and bloodied face to look at Jericho as she stood there, crying and seeming to be conflicted. She was stuck between hate and wanting to kill him.

"Jericho," Oswald croaked. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry!?" Jericho shrieked. "You don't get to be sorry! Do you have any idea what happened while you were off screwing your demon whore!?"

Oswald shook his head.

"MY BROTHER DIED! ! !" Jericho screamed. "You deserted us to fuck that bitch and I lost my brother! I needed you and you were gone! We all needed you! But you chose that bitch over us!" She drilled a punch into his jaw and he slumped weakly to the ground.

After a moment, he forced himself back up, only for her to slap him on the other side, nearly knocking him to the ground again.

"I hate you!" Jericho shouted, punching him again, white-hot daggers of guilt and grief stabbing into his chest as he again crumpled to the ground. "I hate you! I wish you had never saved me! I wish you were never born you disgusting Nephilim freak!" She slammed a kick into his broken ribs, but he barely felt it through the wave of grief that rolled through him at her words.

Tears rolled down his cheeks, but he didn't break down. Yet. He pulled himself back up, head hanging low, but it seemed her beating was finished, because she left, leaving the torch. Oswald waited a few minutes after the door had closed before breaking. He folded forward, pressing his forehead to the ground and beginning to sob in pain and grief. He had knew it would be bad. But to hear Jericho, of all people, say that. Call him that. He could never have prepared himself. Finally the door opened again and he sensed Ban and Elaine both enter, Ban pushing the door closed and using his hand to extinguish his torch, setting it aside.

"He really did a number on you," Ban said. "I don't think I've ever seen you cry. You must really be hurting."

"It's not from Meliodas," Elaine said, landing on the floor beside Oswald, resting a hand on his shoulder. "It's his heart that's hurting. It's Jericho."

"Oh," Ban said. "I suppose that one I can understand, then. What happened?"

Oswald tried to get himself under control but failed. Finally, Elaine sighed, answering for him.

"She visited," Elaine said. "She said she hated him, and wished he had never been born. She...called him a Nephilim freak."

"Ouch," Ban sighed. "Well, that's what you get for dumping her for one of the Ten Commandments. Why'd you do it? What really happened? Meliodas said you betrayed us and joined them."

Oswald swallowed hard, finally pulling himself under control. "He was going to kill her. Meliodas was going to kill Derieri. It wasn't unreasonable, since she was an enemy, but I couldn't see her hurt. I couldn't let her die. So I shielded her. Then I passed out. When Meliodas tried to kill all three of us, her and Monspeet saved me and got us away from him, barely. But if I had come back, I would've been right here anyway, so I stayed. And...I stayed because I love her. I wanted to be with her. We all deserted. We were done with the war. We didn't want to fight anymore, so we worked on a farm. And slowly, I actually managed to win Derieri over. But...then the Demon army found us. they killed the elderly couple that had taken us all in, and a Hunter showed up for me. It's a creation of the Demon King specifically meant for me. I tried to draw it away, to get my bow, but it caught me. So Derieri fought it so I could escape. But it tore her in half. I...lost it. I went berserk and tore it apart with my bow in seconds. Then I healed her, only for Meliodas to show up. I convinced him to let her live, I think...I hope. But he knocked me out, and then I woke up here."

"So...you never really betrayed us?" Ban asked. "You just...chose to protect someone Meliodas wanted to kill."

"It's still a betrayal," Oswald said. "It's just not fully treason. But...I'm still the Nephilim Sin of Existence. I still deserve this. I always have. But...I don't want to die. I...I can't. I want...I want to be with Derieri. And I want to be with Jericho. I...I love both. I don't know what to do."

Ban and Elaine were silent for a long moment before Ban finally spoke.

"The Goddess Race are the ones who said it's wrong to be with more than one person," Ban said.

Oswald snorted. "Yeah while they also want to kill me just for existing."

"Exactly my point," Ban said. "People's morals are based on how they're raised, right?"

Oswald remained silent for a long while. "It doesn't matter anymore. Jericho hates me. And I'll never be able to see Derieri again."

"That's not true," Elaine said. "Jericho still loves you. She's just hurting. She lost her brother and her love at the same time. She's just lashing out. She hasn't stopped loving you. And Derieri will be here to break you out in no time if you don't go to her first."

"Meliodas will kill her before she can get here," Oswald said.

"Probably," Ban nodded. "And I'm sorry, but we're not allowed to let you go."

Oswald nodded. "I know. No one can without the direct order of the King. But he trusts Meliodas more than me. Even if I could plead my case, it wouldn't matter."

"Then I'll do it," Elaine said. "I'll plead your case for you."

Oswald nodded and the two said their goodbyes and left, Ban relighting his torch on the way.

Oswald lifted his head as the door opened, King Bartra walking in, Meliodas behind him, along with Elizabeth and Elaine.

"How do you feel?" Bartra asked.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it," Oswald said.

"We're not going to kill you," Elizabeth said, kneeling in front of him. "Please, tell us your side. Tell us why you defended them."

"Because I love her," Oswald said. "I know it's a sin, but I'm in love with a demon. So I couldn't watch her die. So I shielded her. Then we deserted both sides of the war and lived on a farm until it was destroyed by demons. One in particular was powerful, so I flew back to where we fought Derieri and Monspeet in order to get my bow before I could kill it. Then Meliodas...apprehended me."

Elizabeth nodded, looking to Bartra, who sighed. "Father, please."

"You're to be released," Bartra said. "However, you're going to be punished for desertion."

"I was never a part of your army," Oswald said.

"Not true," Meliodas said. "You were an official member of the Seven Deadly Sins."

"Then I quit," Oswald said.

"I refuse," Bartra said. "You have two choices. Either you will serve out the remainder of this war as a Deadly Sin, or you will be executed. In either case, if Derieri is seen again, I have authorized Meliodas to kill her."

"Father!" Elizabeth gasped.

"If Meliodas tries to kill her, we'll be back to square one, because I will defend her again," Oswald said. "To the death, if I have to."

"Father please," Elizabeth said. "Don't have her killed!"

"She is a demon," Bartra said.

"So is Sir Meliodas!" Elizabeth said. "Why is it right that Sir Meliodas not be killed for being a demon but Derieri is?"

Bartra was silent for a long while before sighing. "Very well. She will not be killed. But you are still to serve the remainder of the war as one of the Seven Deadly Sins."

"So long as you swear to me on all three of your daughters' lives that Derieri will not be harmed, I will serve," Oswald said. "But if you break your word, I will collect."

"You'll try," Meliodas said, eyes narrowing.

"You have my word," Bartra said. "Neither I nor any of those under my command will harm Derieri."

"Then I will serve," Oswald said.

Bartra nodded and Meliodas drew Lostvayne, cutting him free before placing it to his throat.

"If you ever threaten Elizabeth again, I'll kill you," Meliodas snarled.

"And if you ever hurt Derieri, I'll jumpstart Elizabeth's reincarnation cycle," Oswald whispered, too quietly for Elizabeth to hear. "And now that we've reached an agreement, I'll be taking my bow. I have someone else I need to apologize to."

"She doesn't want to see you," Meliodas said. "And you're not getting your Sacred Treasure until we know we can trust you. You'll have your old sword instead."

"Good enough," Oswald said. "I'll be by to collect it later."

He walked past them, swaying for a moment before managing to steady himself. He walked first to Merlin's workshop, getting her permission to use her washroom to get cleaned up, then left, heading through the city to Jericho's house. He knocked on the door, and after a moment, the door opened, only to begin to shut again the moment she saw who it was. He put his foot in the doorway, blocking it.

"I just want to talk," Oswald said.

"I have nothing to say to you," Jericho said.

"But I have a lot that I need to say to you," Oswald said. "I'm sorry, Jericho. I never meant to hurt you."

Jericho was silent for several seconds before pulling the door open. He walked in, closing it behind himself and watched as she walked over to sit on the couch. She glared at him, motioning for him to speak.

"I didn't mean to hurt you," Oswald repeated. "I never wanted that. But I couldn't watch her die. I defended her, but I was knocked unconscious by the attack, Meliodas's attack, so while I was away, Meliodas told everyone what he saw, me defending a Commandment. It wasn't my intention to betray anyone. I just..."

"Do you love her?" Jericho asked.

"Yes," Oswald said. "I do."

"Okay," Jericho said, standing and turning to leave. "Then I understand. Now you can leave."

"But I love you too," Oswald said, Jericho stopping, Oswald walking over to stand behind her. He reached out, taking her hand and pulling gently, Jericho giving in after a moment and turning to him. "I love you Jericho. I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you needed me, and I'm sorry I can't give you my whole heart."

"Don't do this," Jericho said as Oswald leaned in close but stopped. "I don't want...I can't let you in again just to lose you to her again."

"Jericho..."

"What do you want?" Jericho asked. "Can you promise me that you'll be mine? That you won't choose her?"

"No," Oswald said, pulling back slightly. "I can't promise that, because I can't choose one of you if it means losing the other. I love you both. I want to be with you both."

"We can't," Jericho said. "You have to choose."

"Why?" Oswald asked. "Because the same race that says my very existence is a sin says I can't have you both? If everything I do is a sin just because I exist, then I don't care what they say. I care about you. And I care about Derieri. And I want to be with you both. If everything I do is a sin anyway, then I choose to accept it and to have you both, if you still want to be with me." He leaned in again, just barely brushing his lips against Jericho's, feeling her lean in as well, only for her to pull back, swallowing hard.

"That's not fair," Jericho said, voice trembling. "You know I want to be with you. But I want to be the only one with you. I want your whole heart."

"I can't give you that," Oswald said. "I'm sorry. The best I can do is promise you that Derieri will never be more important to me than you, but also that you will never be more important to me than her. I love you both."

Jericho swallowed hard, resting her forehead against his, her hands reaching up to his neck, wrapping around behind it and holding him. "I...I don't want to share."

"I know," Oswald said, hands resting on her hips, thumbs brushing over her skin under the edge of her shirt. "I know you don't."

"Promise me that I'll still be able to be with you," Jericho pleaded. "Even if I have to share, promise me that you'll always love me. And if she refuses, promise me that you'll stay with me. I can't lose you again."

Oswald was silent for several seconds, studying her as her eyes stared into his. "I promise you, that no matter what happens, I will always love you. And I promise that I will never leave you again. Even if she refuses."

Tears began to leak down Jericho's cheeks instantly as she smiled. "Then we can try. As long as you never stop loving me, and never leave me, we can try."

Oswald felt his heart swell and leaned in, capturing Jericho's lips with his own, Jericho kissing him back instantly. For a long while, they simply stood there, trading kisses and pouring their hearts out for each other. Then, finally, Oswald's hands slid downward, Jericho's arms instantly slipping up to hook around his neck before she lifted her legs, Oswald holding her against him and walking into her bedroom, kicking the door closed before walking to the bed and gently laying her on her back, pressing into her as his tongue trailed over her lower lip, her own meeting his within seconds. She took a shaky breath as he rocked against her, his hands drifting over her body, not going anywhere specific, just feeling her, almost as though to prove to himself that it was really her, that it was real.

After a moment, he pulled back, gripping the hem of her shirt and she sat up, raising her arms and letting him pull it off of her before she grabbed him, pulling him back into the kiss. Her tongue danced into his mouth instantly and he pulled her tighter against him, needing to feel her, to be closer to her. He began to trail his hands over her smooth skin again, reassuring himself once again that she was really there with him. His hands made a practiced trek across her skin, mapping out the locations of all of her scars again. He was ashamed to find new ones. None of them were serious, and her having them didn't detract from her beauty at all in his eyes, but it proved to him that he had failed her. He had left and she had been hurt. He was yanked forcefully from that train of thought as she nipped at his lower lip and he realized he had been brushing his thumbs over two new scars for several seconds, maybe a minute. His hands continued, drifting over her skin again as they continued their tongues' dance.

After a few more seconds, her hands grabbed his shirt and pulled it up over his head, getting it off of him with only slightly more trouble than he had had, before pressing herself flush against him again, rejoining her lips to his. He lay her down again, hands brushing over her sides before sliding up to her breasts, kneading the mounds earning a moan from Jericho. She tilted her head back, gasping for breath and trying to steady her ragged breathing, Oswald doing the same in between placing kisses along the length of her neck, pulling more moans from her throat. He had missed this. Feeling her flesh beneath his hands, tasting her skin and her lips, hearing her mewls and moans and whimpers. Knowing that it was because of him, and that only he had ever seen this side of her.

He attached his lips to her pulse point, suckling on her skin and pulling a moan from deep in her throat. He repeated it again and again before moving to another spot, then another. He was sure she'd get mad at him for leaving so many extremely obvious marks on her neck, but that was a problem for another time. For now, he didn't care, and she had no immediate complaints, judging by the way her hips rocked against his thigh and his finger found suddenly straining flesh to tease. He began to trek kisses down her neck, then along her collarbones before continuing down to the her breasts. He explored slowly and thoroughly, allowing his lips and tongue to memorize every spot, every millimeter of her skin before moving up to her peaks. She let out a mewling sound as he took one of her nipples into his mouth, trailing his tongue around it and sucking it, all the while his left hand's fingers tweaked and teased the other, his other hand resting on the small of her back, holding her, just to make sure she didn't disappear out from under him.

Finally he released her strained skin and made his way slowly over to the other, his left hand trailing around to her back, his right moving up to rest just below her shoulder blades, splaying there. He gently bit down on her nipple, tugging it lightly with his teeth and she gasped before he released it and gently soothed the offended flesh with his tongue. Then, he began to slowly trek downward again, hands sliding over her skin again, making a journey around to the front of her hips and hooking his fingers into the waistband of her pants, pulling them down. They were a stretchy black material that hugged her form tightly, but that came off easily. He smiled. He loved them.

Once they were off, his hands trailed back up the insides of her legs, gently guiding them to open and Jericho pulled them up out of his way as he reached her waist. His hands slid down to the axis of her thighs, brushing along the sensitive skin where her thighs met her pelvis before sliding around the outside of her legs, settling on her hips as he gently placed a kiss to her pelvis. Jericho whimpered, rolling her hips slightly, trying to bring her lips to his, but he followed her hips, placing another kiss to her pelvis. She whimpered again but her hips settled onto the bed. He placed one more kiss before moving down, trailing his tongue down to her slit, circling her clit once and earning a moan, her hips flinching slightly at the sudden shock of pleasure. He trailed his tongue down through her slit, then back up, starting a slow rhythm. Up. Down. Up. Down. Up. Circle. Down. She moaned under his treatment, hips beginning to rock in time with his tongue, and her essence began to leak from her entrance quickly. He smiled. He had always loved her taste. It was sweet.

He slid down, pressing his lips to hers around her entrance and pushed his tongue against her opening, slowly wriggling his way into her, Jericho moaning appreciatively, hands tangling in his hair. He slid his tongue back out, then pushed it in again, gathering as much of her taste as he could, reveling in the tendrils of numb pleasure her taste worked into his brain. He loved tasting her. His right hand slid up her thigh then slid around until his fingers found her clit, beginning to rub it in slam circles, Jericho's moans growing louder. And then, he was back to his rhythm. Up. Down. Up. Down. In. Up. Circle. Down. In. He lapped at her again and again, feeling her grip on his hair tightening the longer he did, and hearing her voice growing more hoarse and desperate, her breathing becoming more ragged. Her hips began to rock more urgently, and still he continued to revel in her taste. He began to change his rhythm, varying it just enough to throw her mind for a loop, sending her spiraling higher in her haze of bliss, earning louder responses as a reward. Finally, he moved up to her clit, wrapping his lips around it and suckling on it, dragging his tongue across it several times before releasing it, replacing it with his fingers as he trailed his tongue back down to her entrance. However, this time, as his tongue wriggled its way into her, his fingers skipped from slow circles to flying over her clit. Jericho cried out instantly, hips bucking and rolling frantically. He looked up, watching her expression as best he could as he quickly worked her closer and closer to the edge. The few times they had been together before, he had gotten good at reading her, so when her face began to screw up and redden, he slipped his tongue out of her, fingers slowing to a stop and pulling back, his tongue lazily trailing through her slit. She groaned in complaint and he reached up, slipping his hand into hers, lacing their fingers and beginning to slightly draw random designs with his tongue.

"P...Please," Jericho panted. "I'm...so close!"

He smiled, speeding up slightly but only enough to keep her right on the brink, keeping her in a dizzying state of teetering on the brink but not being able to be pushed over the edge, simply being held right there, hovering on the edge. She pleaded with him to give her the release she craved, only for him to keep her right on the edge. Then, finally, just as her expression began to contort into a look of desperation, and her voice began to fail, he moved down, pushing his tongue into her as his fingers returned to her clit, returning to its former speed, blurring over her clit. The effect was instant, Jericho's hips bucking and her insides clenching, actually forcing his tongue back out, only for him to slip it back inside each time. She cried out in pleasure, bucking and jerking against him, her juices flooding out of her into his mouth. He continued to pleasure her as she came, and after a few moments, she gasped harshly and arching off the bed and all but screaming, her juices suddenly spraying out. Her right hand clenched his painfully tight as her other fisted in the sheet. Her body remained arched for several long moments, trembling but immobile, before she began to slowly come back down from her peak, her body unlocking and dropping back to the bed, Oswald slowly easing back down, still lapping at her juices. Finally, he began to slowly kiss his way up her still trembling and periodically jerking body to her lips, melding his own to hers and slipping his tongue into her mouth, her own meeting his and a deep, guttural moan rolling out of her as she tasted herself.

Her hands slipped into his, lacing their fingers as their tongues twisted and slid against each other's, her body pressing up into his, but neither trying to go any further yet. They just wanted to stay as they were. After a few minutes, he slipped his hands out of hers, trailing them along her arms before wrapping them around her and rolling, pulling her on top of him before settling in, holding her against himself. Her own hands fell to rest on his chest, remaining there for a long while before she pulled back, sitting up. His hands slid down to rest on her hips as she stared down at him in silence. He felt his insides begin to squirm under her gaze. He didn't know what it was, or what was running through her head, but he felt nervous.

"You're so beautiful," he finally muttered, just to fill the silence, and to try and get her to do something beside stare.

She smiled, lifting one of his hands, turning it over and beginning to trace its lines with her free hand. His brow furrowed. She wasn't usually like this. Something was off. He didn't think it was the prospect of sharing him, though, or him having disappeared. It was something else.

"Today's not a safe day," Jericho said, Oswald nodding.

It wasn't the first time it wasn't a safe day. He wasn't sure why she felt she should bring this up, or why she was hesitating.

"What's wrong?" Oswald asked.

Jericho shook her head, eyes watering. "I'm happy. Truly. I finally got you to admit you're in love with me. But..."

"But what?" Oswald asked, sitting up and lifting her chin, making her look at him. "Talk to me."

"I'm afraid," she said. "I don't want to lose you again. But I know that we're about to fight even more dangerous foes. I know there's no way you can promise me that you'll always come back to me."

"But I do," Oswald said, cupping her cheek. "I swear to you, that no matter what, I will always come back to you. For as long as you still love me, you will never lose me."

Jericho opened her mouth to speak, but changed her mind and closed it again, nodding. Oswald kissed her for a moment before pulling back.

"You will never have to associate with her if you don't want to," Oswald said. "Assuming she agrees, we can figure it out after the war."

Jericho nodded and smiled. "You know, I never thought there'd be anyone who I would love enough to do something like this. I actually never thought I'd be one to fall in love to begin with."

Oswald smiled slightly, but it faded quickly. "Are you okay?"

"I...yeah," Jericho nodded. "Sorry. I'm killing the mood."

"I don't care about that," Oswald said. "If there's anything bothering you, you can tell me."

Jericho remained silent, continuing to trace the lines of his hand between them. "I...I don't know. I have a really bad feeling. I don't want you to fight in the war anymore. I feel like I'll never see you again if you do."

Oswald inhaled slowly before nodding, brushing his fingers over her cheek. "I told you, you will never lose me. As long as you love me, I will always come back to you."

Jericho nodded slowly. "I know. But...I'm afraid."

Oswald slipped his hand out of hers, wrapping his arms around her, and kissed her. "You don't need to be afraid. I will never let anything hurt you again, and I will never leave you. I love you, Jericho. And I always will."

She nodded, kissing him again. "Will you stay with me? Until we have to leave?"

"Of course," Oswald nodded. "As long as you want."

She nodded, smiling, and kissed him again. It was slow this time. Chaste. After a few seconds, she pulled back, pulling the covers back and climbing in, Oswald dropping his pants and climbing in with her, Jericho curling into him, Oswald curling himself around her.

"I love you," Jericho said.

"I love you too," Oswald said. "Before we leave tomorrow, we'll need to go and find Derieri. If we don't, she'll assume I'm a prisoner and come looking for a fight."

Jericho nodded. "And we'll have to give her the choice."

Oswald nodded. "Try to keep an open mind, please? Don't antagonize her or anything. She's...slow to let people in. And she's a bit hard to get along with in the mean time."

"I'll try," Jericho said.

Oswald nodded, kissing her, then curled himself around her again, both beginning to drift off to sleep.

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