CHAPTER 5 – DAY 5
Ok, here we go!
Thanks again for every favorite, review, follow, and everyone who read! I really appreciate all of them! 3
This time I was really, really inspired, so I was able to top my record of pages written… I wrote like 3 or 4 times more than what I had ever written so far "^^
I hope it won't feel too long, or be boring! I had many things to explain, and I am proud and love this chapter very, very, very much!
I hope you'll love it too! ^^
A big 'thank you!' to Bertaz! What would I do without your continuous support?! 3
Today the Mage was preparing breakfast, like the other days, but she was frowning, deep in thought.
After the dance the day before, she was able to regain herself enough so that Escanor wouldn't worry about her, and told him it wasn't his fault for her sudden stumble, that maybe she was a little tired but that she was enjoying dancing with him and hadn't noticed. He had blushed and then suggested that they could return to the Boar Hat if she was feeling tired. She had been a little flustered but didn't really want to end the day so suddenly, and she really liked his company, so she had suggested instead that they could find a place to eat, it was almost dinner time anyway.
They had eaten in a pub there in the city, chatting and talking about their day. Throughout the dinner Escanor had noticed that she seemed often absent, lost in her thoughts, he had asked her if she was alright, and she had found another excuse for her behaviour. The Lion hadn't been really convinced, and had suggested that they could postpone their study of the stars for another evening. She had agreed but had requested instead for him to recite some of his poems for her, he had blushed, pleased, and after dinner they had teleported back in her lab, on her sofa, with him reciting poems for her, while she was staring intently at him.
They had said goodnight, deciding just some things for the next day, and had retired for bed.
Merlin hadn't slept much, her troubled mind hadn't let her, torturing her with all kinds of thoughts.
She was trying to rationalize them, especially the sudden, forceful, thought of him as a bed partner.
Others had often teased them, more him than her, with suggestive remarks and the likes, especially Ban and Meliodas, and admittedly sometimes their words had led her towards these kind of thoughts, even if she dismissed them almost instantly, believing it was just normal suggestion from their words; if someone told you to think, or not, about something it was certain that you would think about that, even if there wasn't anything more about it.
However this time there weren't teasing words from the other Sins, it was the first time that a thought like that had sprouted in her mind of her own accord, just because she was with him, and she didn't really know how to feel about it, she wasn't sure anymore about what she felt towards Escanor either.
She had never spent time really struggling with thoughts of her feelings, she had always had so many other things to focus her attention on, but suddenly it felt almost stupid that she had never thought about them.
She sighed aloud, she had to be careful, she had to be sure about her feelings, and then she had to decide what she wanted to do about them. She liked to spend time with Escanor, very much, and it seemed like everything they did together was enjoyable, it was so simple to stay with him, she felt naturally at home with him, and that made her feel happiness and fear at the same time. She had had to admit to herself during the night that she was afraid, it was something she had never experienced, it was uncharted territory, and usually she would be excited to explore something new, and she was, but this time it was also different. She was afraid because she cared about him, he wasn't someone with which explore superficial sex and then to be casted aside once she was satisfied, she was afraid about how much she cared for him, and about the thought to be dependant on another being; she had always been alone for the most part, she could rely only on herself, the others were at best pawns to move around to her liking, or test subjects for all kind of experiments.
The Sins had changed that, and before them, Meliodas and Big Sis-Sis, with them she had found companionship, partners in crime, friends, but she had never thought about romantic love, she thought it wasn't something for her, she had never really fell in love with someone, she had had some hero worship kind of love towards Meliodas at first, when she was a kid, but that was it, and she had thought that Escanor was feeling that same kind of love towards her, it was more gratefulness than love, and she had thought to just like his company.
She had clearly underestimated her feelings for him, could she have done the same about his feelings for her?
She sighed aloud again, rubbing her temples, she had to understand but if she continued to think about all this so hard she wouldn't be able to enjoy her time with her partner. Thinking of him as her partner made her heart quicken a little, and her ears to flush red. She shook her head, cursing internally at herself, and tried to recompose herself, taking the tray with the food and teleporting in front of his room.
She opened the door quietly, looking inside and noting, with satisfaction, that he was in bed sleeping still. She entered, careful to not make a sound, resting the tray on his desk, as usually, and then approached his bed, quietly.
Today she had on a simple red tunic, with a generous neckline on both the front and the back, a white belt, white leggings that stopped at her ankles and that hugged her curves in all the right places, and some reddish ankle-boots.
She stopped to his side, staring at him sleeping for a few seconds, and then sat carefully on his bed, she didn't want to overthink this, strange as it sounded, she just liked to spend time with him, she cared for him, she liked him…
...she really really liked him.
...what was she? Some kind of inexperienced teenager? Ok, maybe she was inexperienced about romantic love, but that wasn't reason enough to behave like this.
She felt frustrated, usually she liked complicated things, but evidently she didn't like her own feelings to be complicated for her own self.
She stared at him, lost in her thoughts, and gradually stretched out on his bed, to his side, looking at him intently, as if trying to find another angle to look at her questions and him would help her find a solution. She was on her side, watching him, an arm under her head and the other curled near her chest, she had teleported her shoes off her feet and on the floor, so that she could rest completely at his side, on his bed.
She stayed there, thinking and dissecting and finding answers to her feelings, while she began feeling sleepier, her sleepless night catching up with her, and she gradually relaxed near him, closing her eyes and dozing off like that.
Escanor began waking up slowly, his consciousness surfacing gradually, he had been waking up earlier than usual these days, and it was becoming easier every day, even if he still liked to sleep in when possible.
He felt a fastidious kink in his back, forcing him to try and change position, rolling on his side to try and relieve the pain, but his arm came in contact with something strange: it seemed it had rested itself on something soft and warm, he frowned slightly, trying to understand what could it possibly be without opening his eyes. He let his hand roam a little over the thing, founding out it didn't go on in a straight line, and he could feel the difference between some kind of cloth and silken, warm skin…
…
…
…!
Skin?!
He was immediately wide awake, opening his eyes to find a view he has only ever dreamed about: Merlin was on his bed besides him, obviously sleeping. She was facing him, and he was thanking all the gods above that he happened to pass his hand only from her waist to her back, or he would have been way more mortified if he happened to touch her, uhm, somewhere else without her consent. He slowly and carefully withdrew his arm from around her body, looking at her, shocked still, he even pinched himself to see if he was dreaming...no, it seemed he was awake and she was really here.
He continued to stare at her, unsure at first, and then let his eyes wander over her, she was absolutely beautiful, and he couldn't have enough of her, he could look at her for hours, just look at her, admiring her beauty, her strength, her witty intelligence that was obvious in the spark of her eyes and the smirk on her lips, and now he could look at her like this, completely relaxed, she hadn't her natural defenses up, and he could see all the gentleness of her expression, the one that she almost always hid from others, he had seen only glimpses of it, the most during these days, how her eyes softened, her smile felt warmer, her entire demeanor felt a little different. He had often dreamed to wake up beside her, just like this, his chest felt full of an emotion that he was afraid to express fully to her, afraid of her rejection, but he couldn't help himself but continue to feel it, he knew he loved her, really loved her.
She moved slightly and a strand of hair fell on her face, he smiled warmly and reached it with his hand, brushing it aside, and letting his fingers linger on her cheek, caressing her. He had noticed that these last few days they had been touching more, he wasn't as skittish as before when they touched either, the prolonged contacts were pleasing and he was becoming accustomed to touching her and to being touched by her. Those thoughts had him blushing, seeing the position they were in, but he took a long breath and tried to calm himself. He didn't know the time, and he didn't really want to wake her, she seemed so at peace, but the longer he stared at her the more he felt that this couldn't go on much longer, before it became very awkward.
Sighing to himself, he stood up a little, using one arm to support himself, put a hand on her shoulder and called her name, trying to wake her up.
She began fluttering her eyelids slowly, and moaning softly, he reddened at that, but went on trying to wake her up.
Merlin was having such a nice dream that she didn't want to wake up, but felt her consciousness gradually taking over, and her dream was pushed to the side, the only thing that was left of it was the sensation of warmth, safety, and love, and the image of deep beautiful blue eyes, so that when she opened hers and found the same eyes of her dream, she found herself a little disoriented, blinking rapidly, watching those eyes regarding her.
"Sorry for waking you"
He was whispering, so that he wouldn't startle her, and suddenly Merlin understood what was going on, and shook slightly her head.
"I'm the one who's sorry, I fell asleep before trying to wake you up"
She laughed slightly at the ridiculousness of the situation, and he joined her, her laughter infectious for him.
"Are you alright?"
He asked concerned, she seemed to be tired still from the day before.
"Yes, I had just some trouble sleeping tonight, nothing to worry about, really. This nap was enough to restore me."
She smiled his way and he smiled back at her with affection.
"Today we could take it easy, tonight there is the Castle's event"
He suggested, he didn't want her to push herself too much.
"We could have a pic-nic outside, and maybe draw some more"
He said, thoughtful. She smiled softly, but then rolled on her back, coming nearer to him, stretched like a cat, and striked a sexy pose for him, her back arched a little, arms stretched up over her head, her legs a little bent to the side, towards him.
"Wouldn't you like to draw me in bed?"
She was teasing him, she liked to do that a lot, it was so easy and natural with him, and she wasn't worried about his response, she had to admit that every time she teased him, she wouldn't mind even if he took her up on her offers or suggestions, and seeing the nature of her teasing, that said a lot.
She was almost offering herself to him, freely.
Escanor was burning up and couldn't stop himself to take a quick look at every part of her, resulting in him reddening even more. He was ashamed to be thinking about taking her up on her offer, but after the last 4 days it has become increasingly more difficult to resist her teasing, and he was beginning to wonder what would happen if he was to take her up on it one day.
She saw his moment of hesitation in his blue eyes, and that was enough to immediately stop her breath, she too wasn't sure how she would react if he was to follow her suggestions.
One thing was clear for her now, the situation had stopped her breath not in fear, but in excited expectation.
"Ah... uhm...I…"
"Ohi Escanor! Is Merlin there with you?"
The call from the other side of his door had them both jumping in surprise, their heart racing, and one could see some red even on the Mage's cheeks.
The raven haired woman stood up with a frown on her face and walked, stiffly, to the door, opening it almost forcefully.
"What is it Captain?"
She tried to maintain her tone neutral, but some of her irritation must have been obvious, maybe from the look in her eyes or the posture of her body.
"Ghghgh, we interrupted something?"
Meliodas was grinning, teasing her, with King floating behind him on Chaestifold seeming uninterested but was watching and listening closely.
The Mage crossed her arms on her chest and regarded them, lifting an elegant eyebrow.
"We were having breakfast"
She responded in monotone irritation.
Meliodas gave her a knowing look, smirking, she narrowed her eyes at him, and he raised his hands to placate her.
"Captain, come on, we don't have all day"
King tried to move things along.
"Right! You two have plans for this afternoon already?"
Merlin seemed surprised by the question but shook her head slightly in negation.
"Not yet, why?"
The Dragon Sin crossed his arms behind his head, grinning wide.
"We were thinking to have a briefing of sort... ok, the girls wanted to go shopping for tonight, they were also looking for you, and we thought that us men could do something similar or something else while you are occupied"
The Boar watched him, thoughtful, a hand on her chin.
"I'll have to ask Escanor, we haven't really talked about today yet"
Meliodas' grin widened even more.
"Oi Escanor! You are presentable?"
He called loudly, Merlin has opened the door just enough to be seen and was blocking the view of the room otherwise, and now she was also staring, very annoyed, at her Captain.
"Ah, I am here"
Escanor was right behind her, she moved to the side so that he was visible to the other two Sins. He was able to dress himself with his everyday clothes while she was talking with them.
"Yo! So, you heard?"
The Lion seemed a little nervous, and embarrassed still, by this impromptu visit.
"Ah, yes! I-I think there is no problem, we hadn't t-talk about this afternoon yet"
He looked towards Merlin, as if asking her what she thought about that, she was watching him and just nodded, her body language told him she was irritated still by their visit too.
"Although…"
The Lion turned again towards the other two Sins.
"M-maybe not in the early afternoon? We had p-plans for lunch"
Meliodas, and even King, seemed a little surprised by the Lion taking matters in his own hands, while the Mage just smiled, appeased and pleased by his request to the others, it means that he valued their time together and he was standing up for it.
"Ok no problem! I'll tell the girls"
The Captain grinned widely and patted Escanor on his back, maybe with too much force, resulting in him stumbling forward and Merlin catching him, both hands on his shoulders and one arm across his chest, almost hugging his side to her, and she was glaring at Meliodas, annoyed.
"Have fun! See you two later!"
They said their farewells to the couple and went downstairs.
The Boar let out an irritated sigh and turned to watch her companion.
The Lion was blushing, embarrassed and happy at the same time, to be in her arms.
"Uhm...we could p-prepare something for lunch, take the n-notepads and pencils and go somewhere?"
He suggested, forcing himself to look her in the eyes, despite their closeness and his heart beating furiously. She smiled softly, kissed his cheek squeezing him briefly, and then nodded, releasing him.
"I think that would be lovely, Master"
He was just staring at her, speechless, and shocked.
"But first we should really have some breakfast, wouldn't you agree?"
She smirked, winking his way, and re-entering his room. The poor Lion could only watch her, flustered, and followed her inside, closing his door behind them.
They finished breakfast quickly, then went down to the kitchen, and prepared some sandwiches and something to drink, and put everything in a lunch basket. Merlin then summoned all the other things they needed and teleported them on a hill, not too far from Liones.
The weather was perfect for a peaceful day to draw and a pic-nic, they found a beautiful spot, near some trees, that had a beautiful view, one could also make out the silhouette of the city in the distance.
Escanor placed the blanket they had brought under one of the trees' shadows, and they sat down, with notepad and pencil in hand. They both were resting their backs against the tree, and the Mage was leaning a little towards him, their shoulders brushing against one another, he didn't jump from the contact, instead he pressed a little towards her, earning him a mysterious smile from the beautiful woman.
They chatted for some time, talking also about that night, and the Lion asked her to be the one to decide what they both would wear for this occasion, he was curious about what she would choose, she just grinned and agreed to that.
After that they began drawing, and while they were at it he began losing himself in his thoughts: he was a little sad to not be spending the afternoon with her, but they couldn't spend all their time together, she had other things to do, this week has been an exception, after this, things would turn back to how they were before…
...did he really want that? Did he want to go back as if these days hadn't even happened?
He didn't like to think about what would happen after this week was over, he wanted to enjoy his time with her, every minute, every second, with her was precious for him, and engraved in his mind and heart.
Maybe things didn't have to go back as they were before, maybe these experiences and this time they passed together wouldn't get lost, and maybe, just maybe, he would find the courage to face up his feelings and her, and tell her finally that he loved her.
"Escanor?"
He was woken up suddenly from his thoughts by her voice, turning his head towards her he saw her looking at him with a little frown, she seemed almost worried.
"Are you ok? You seemed lost in thoughts, you stopped drawing, and you had a serious and sad look in your eyes…"
Her voice dropping off slightly at the end, almost unsure. He smiled, trying to reassure her.
"Ah! It was...n-nothing to worry about"
Merlin didn't seem all that convinced, regarding him with worry and a little pout on her lips. He may say that now, but she knew he had been thinking about something important, for him at least, and she was a tad bit sad that he didn't feel like to confide in her, but she couldn't really blame him, she has never really confided in him before too. That was something she had… she wanted to change.
Determination sprung up in her, she placed her drawing tools on the blanket beside her, took the ones in his hands and laid them with hers, then rearranged her position, she sat up straighter and a little away from him, her back on the tree and her legs curled on the side, her knees pointed towards him, then looked at him pointedly and patted her legs.
"Come on"
Escanor was watching her with a shocked and confused expression throughout this time, not really understanding what she was doing and what she wanted him to do.
"...uhm…?"
Merlin smirked amused, and quickly put a hand behind his head and pulled him down gently but surely, and let his head rest on her legs. The Lion was absolutely shocked by her actions, his face red and his body in an uncomfortable position, completely still.
"...Merlin?"
"Reposition yourself better, you have to be comfortable for this to be effective"
She had lowered her voice a bit, and he did as he was told, embarrassed as he was, he rearranged his limbs and body and rested again his head on her legs, his back towards her.
The Boar smiled softly and began combing her hand in his hair, caressing it gently.
"Merlin?"
"Sshhh, close your eyes, relax"
He closed them, and focused on all the other things he could feel: her hand gently stroking his hair, lulling him, the warmth of her body, the softness of her legs, her beautiful voice humming along…?!
He almost jumped when he realized that she was humming some unknown tone, and her caresses became even more gentle, until she felt him relax again, and continued humming some calm song, lulling him into an unconscious state.
After some time, he didn't know how much, he opened his eyes again, and felt strangely tranquil and very comfortable, he turned his head up and opened his eyes, only to feel tension mounting up again: from his point of view the first thing he could see was Merlin's ample bosom.
"Oh, I see you are awake!"
He could hear the laughter in her voice, and immediately turned his head again to the side, a little mortified that it had taken more time than he wanted to admit to take his eyes off of, uhm, the interesting view.
"What? Did you want to change pillows?"
Her tease had him flustered, and pulled himself up suddenly, blushing hard.
"I see, you like...hills…!"
He couldn't look at her, mortified to have been caught staring at her that way, but he couldn't have helped it in any way.
She laughed slightly, the sound melodious to his ears.
"Don't worry, I don't mind if you take a look"
She had said it so matter of factly that it took a few seconds before he understood what she had said.
Had she really…?!
He turned slowly towards her, but she was twisted the other way, searching for something, and when she turned around she had their lunch out and ready.
"Are you hungry?"
She was sporting her usual smile, he accepted wordlessly the food, and they ate in silence. Once finished they decided to go back to the bar, gathered all their things and teleported just outside Escanor's room.
They were saying their goodbyes when suddenly Merlin leaned forward, coming almost cheek to cheek with him, so that she could whisper in his ear.
"I won't mind as long as I'm the only one you look at"
The feel of her breath on his skin made the Lion shiver in shocked pleasure, and the meaning of her words made his brain almost shut down, his heart beating fast.
She pulled back slowly, smirking mischievously at him, her luscious gold eyes looking right at him for a moment, before she winked and teleported away.
Escanor was rooted to the place, his eyes wide, blushing furiously, his heart was going to get out from his ribcage any moment, and his frozen brain couldn't almost wrap itself around what had just happened.
...she really meant…?!
In the afternoon Elizabeth and Diane dragged Merlin around all kinds of shops, they were both excited to finally have an only girl's outing. The Mage could have skipped all this, she was going to use her magic for her dress and that of Escanor's anyway, but some window shopping could be helpful and give her some ideas, like what she had done with her partner the first day, but the other two girls were also really excited and happy, and she couldn't say no.
They were taking a break from all the shopping at a bar, drinking something and the talk inevitably went toward their game and how these past days went.
"I was worried at first, me and Ban had never been on the friendliest of terms, but I have to admit that he isn't so bad! We are founding out more about each other, it is nice and fun!"
Diane was speaking up, telling them how it was going on with their seeming unapproachable cook.
"I'm so glad to hear this! Me and Meliodas were hoping that would be the case with everyone. I'm finding out more about Gowther too, he's not bad company at all, and he try hard to do his best, he just needs some guidance sometimes"
The raven haired woman of the group was listening to the other two talking animatedly, while sipping her drink, and staying a little out of the conversation and lost in her thoughts.
"What about you Merlin?"
Until Diane forced the conversation on her. The Mage blinked, a bit surprised at being asked.
"What about me?"
She was trying to play dumb, but knew that it wouldn't work out with these two.
"You know what! You and Escanor!"
The giant girl was almost squealing.
"Yes! The two of you seem to be, well, cozy with each other"
Elizabeth was right behind the other girl.
"Well, everything is fine"
The Mage tried to stay neutral and almost disinterested in all that, but her companions weren't fooled in the least.
"Ow come on! You seemed reeeeeally close the other day in the kitchen..!"
Diane's eyes were almost sparkling.
"Well..."
"And no one has seen much of you two since the beginning of the game. So, how is it going?"
The Princess seemed as excited as the other girl, and the Mage found herself surrounded, without an escape route, and had to surrender, sighing softly.
"Well, it is going...well. We are enjoying our time together, we are doing many interesting things, he is making me experience things that otherwise I don't think I would have. He is also doing his best, he is a great teacher, truthful but gentle, and..."
"Ooooohhh!"
She was interrupted by Diane sighing dreamily while looking at her, and she realized that she had been lost in her memories while telling them.
"What?"
The looks they were giving her were making her a little uncomfortable and had her completely confused.
"Didn't you realize Miss Merlin?"
Elizabeth wore a knowing smile, but the Mage could only arch an eyebrow her way, she didn't know what she was talking about.
"When you speak about Escanor and the things you two do together your expression soften and you have a big fondly smile"
Merlin was shocked and surprised. Was she really doing that? Was she that obvious? Judging from the looks the other girls were giving her...yes, yes she was.
She coughed slightly, trying to clear her throat, and moved some of her hair trying to conceal her red ears, but the smirk on the other two was very telling.
She was caught!
"Yes, well…"
She didn't really know what to say, she was trying to come to terms with everything herself, her earlier behaviour towards him was stuck in her mind still, she had given him a very large insight on what she was feeling, and she wasn't sure if that had been a smart move or not.
She sighed aloud, unconsciously, but a hand on her shoulder made her come back to reality, she was lost in her thoughts more than usual today it seemed.
"Don't worry Miss Merlin, we are just happy for you two, and we are here if you need anything"
The Princess was smiling gently, and the giant was mimicking her, nodding. She gave them a half smile, not really sure.
"Although I bet the guys are torching Escanor!"
The two girls giggled, and the Mage groaned, she knew they were right, and she was pitying him and the situation he was in.
She will have to do something to relieve his stress this evening, or tomorrow.
Meanwhile the boys were having a similar conversation at the bar, drinking.
"Ooohh c'mon man! You two are soooo obvious!"
Ban was already drunk, nothing new there.
"Ghghgh, it's true! She is absolutely obvious around you, and she behaves differently too!"
Meliodas couldn't miss the fun, trying to top it off.
"Spill it, you pig!"
Even Hawk was ganging up on him.
"You had a crush on her for forever, you can ask anything, and really nothing happened?!"
Better remember to not let King drink too much...
"I'm sure you did some lewd things, don't lie!"
Ban was really persistent.
Meanwhile, he was still shocked from what had happened earlier with her, he could only play the events again and again in his mind, hearing her words in his ear, watching her looking at him that way...
"Oh. Merlin said that?"
Gowther said in a monotone voice, trying to act surprised.
Escanor immediately turned towards him, shocked and worried, his words had the effect of an ice cold bath.
"Oohh?! What she said?!"
Ban, again.
"Gowther! Please don't!"
He was begging the doll, he didn't want the others to know things that he wasn't even sure about yet.
"Go on Gowther! Tell us!"
The Captain was trying to convince him otherwise.
Gowther looked at all the males there, stopping lastly on Escanor, who was watching him with pleading eyes.
"Sorry, he doesn't want me to reveal intimate things"
"Sooooo there are intimate things happening between you two!"
Ban laughed, drinking more.
They went on talking and laughing, trying to pry something from him, while he sat there, avoiding answering them, and thought about all that had happened with Merlin these days.
Maybe the guys were right, maybe he had a chance, her constant teasing, her words earlier and the look in her eyes, were almost inviting him to do something, she has never been so direct and frank with him, and she has been behaving differently towards him these days too. He just hoped that it would mean what he hoped it would mean, and not something else entirely.
Well, he had only to try and respond to her differently too, maybe that would give him some more insight, and then he could decide if it was the right moment to seriously declare his love for her.
"You should"
That monotone voice woke him up from his musings, and looking up he found Gowther there beside him.
"...uhm...you think?"
Before he could answer Ban intruded forcefully.
"Whatever you think to do, just do something! Tell her how you feel, dammit! We're not getting any younger, and neither are you!"
His tone seemed almost angry, but his expression told another story, he just seemed to care about him, about them. He looked around and noticed how everyone there was looking encouragingly at him, and he felt moved.
"...everyone...I…"
He wasn't really sure how to express his gratitude towards his friends.
"...thank you! I promise I will try my b-best!"
He gave a really big smile and everyone cheered. He was really lucky to have such good friends, although he was still worried and not completely convinced about the Mage's feelings for him, but he will try his best, as he said he would, and maybe, just maybe, he would succeed.
That thought put a big, fond smile on his face, thinking of Merlin had always that effect on him, and turned back to his friends, drinking with them, and preparing for that evening.
When the girls came back the men weren't anywhere to be seen, so they said their goodbyes and went in search of them.
Merlin went first to her room, to finish their dresses, the shopping gave her some ideas and wanted to modify some things, before presenting the finished product to him.
After some time she was staring at their finished dresses, satisfied with her work, and she had made it just in time so they wouldn't be late to the event. She didn't lose any time and teleported immediately outside her partner's room, she was about to knock but stopped suddenly, the last time they were out here the situation had been, well, tensed, in a good way, but tensed nonetheless, and she was debating if storming inside would be better than wait outside for him to open the door.
In the end she sighed and knocked, these thoughts were useless.
From inside she heard his voice calling for his visitor to enter, and she did so, quickly, so that she wouldn't have the time to think about anything, or being assaulted by useless doubts.
Once inside, the door closed again, she spied him at his desk, he seemed busy writing something, maybe one of his poems. She unconsciously smiled and approached him, trying to be nonchalant.
Escanor was really engrossed in his work, inspiration had struck him and he was very concentrated on his poem, he was aware of someone entering his room, after his distracted call, but couldn't tore his eyes away from his papers, until a whiff of a familiar perfume arrived at his nose, and suddenly he was well aware of the presence behind him.
He turned around and his heart skipped a beat, she was a reinvigorating vision for his mind and heart.
"Sorry to disturb you"
She was smiling, her eyes soft.
"Ah, no, you are always welcome"
He responded sincerely.
"That means that I can get in your room whenever I want to?"
She smirked at him, with a sparkle in her eyes. This time he was prepared, or as prepared as he could be, and wanted to try something new.
"Ah, well, if you want...my room is a-always open for you"
He stuttered only slightly, and was watching her, with a brief smile of his own.
The Mage was visibly taken aback by his response, her ears a little red, but was able to recover quickly.
"Is that so? Then I could take advantage of it tomorrow already, to surprise you"
He gulped, but never looked away from her, he was liking this game they were playing.
"Well, yes, your Master would like to be surprised, by you"
He tried to act all mighty, and was able to make her laugh a little.
"I am glad to hear that"
Her eyes were sparkling, full of mischief but also some other sentiment, something warmer and softer.
"Speaking of surprises, I have your suit ready, and we should get changed quickly, or we'll be late"
She gave him the clothes that she was hiding from his view, they were folded, but he could already see how beautiful a work she made, and taking and unfolding them he couldn't help but stare, in shocked surprise.
"Well? You like them?"
She seemed to be anxiously waiting for an answer from him.
"Merlin...they are really beautiful,you did a marvellous job. Thank you"
His response was completely heartfelt, making her smile widely and then grinned mischievously.
"Considering that we don't have much time, you won't mind if I change here, right?"
She was acting almost flirtatiously, and he was unable to say anything, he could only watch her walking towards his bathroom and opening the door.
"I'll use the bathroom this time"
She winked at him and then vanished inside, closing the door.
Escanor stayed still for a lot of seconds, almost unable to comprehend what had just happened, then shook his head and quickly went to change himself, he didn't want to have Merlin re-entering his room and finding him half-naked...again! Not in this form, not now…
He was completely dressed in a matter of minutes, she had made him a very nice suit, that was composed of a white shirt of fine material, the pants and the jacket were of a beautiful royal blue and had gold details on the cuffs, the collar, and in some other places, his shoes were a brown-gold, and his bow tie was also of a gold color. It was the most nice set of clothes he had ever worn, they were elegant and comfortable at the same time.
He was struggling with his bow tie when the bathroom door opened, and he forgot even his own name.
Merlin was wearing a beautiful purple dress, it was floor-length, and hugged her in all the right places, it has two set of straps that went over her shoulders, the neckline was dangerously low, it has a split on her right, from the apex of her tight to the floor, and the back of her dress was nonexistent, letting her back completely bare until just above her behind, it had gold details like his own, and she was wearing gold shoes with just a short heel; but what had really fried his brain was the piece of see-through material of different heights, that began just on the side of her right breast, turned under it, went to her left hip, and then cascaded down to the end of the dress, the material was sparkling gold, but when she moved and the light struck her in a certain way, one could see through the sparkling, and see the side and underside of her breast, her stomach and belly button, her hip and her leg.
It seemed like she wasn't wearing anything at all under the flimsy material of her dress.
He didn't know how he hadn't already fainted, his eyes and mouth were open wide in shock and approval at the vision of her.
"I take it you like what you see"
She was smirking mischievously and satisfied by his reaction at her ensemble, while he was just trying to remember how to breathe.
"You look very handsome yourself, the suit's color really highlight the color of your eyes"
She seemed satisfied also with his ensemble, but frowned a little, thoughtful, regarding him in his eyes.
"But maybe…"
Suddenly she was moving towards him, stopping right in front of him, and at that distance he noticed also the red lipstick she was wearing, accentuating her luscious lips… lips that begged to be kissed!
He shook himself internally, he had to stay strong and rein himself in, or he wouldn't be able to survive throughout the evening and come back alive.
Hell, he may not even make it to the event!
Merlin's hand on his neck woke him up, and looked down to see her tying up his bow tie for him.
"There"
She smoothed also the creases on his shirt, and then looked in his eyes, reached her hands up and gently removed his glasses; it wasn't evening yet so he grew a little, and the suit stretched with him, surprised he blinked at her, she smiled and watched him satisfied.
"I built this suit with the same spells as your armor. This color really bring out your eyes, and it would have been a shame to hide them behind your glasses"
She was smiling softly and looking at him with affection, he was overwhelmed by the feelings she was evoking in him with her tender attention towards him.
Not knowing how to better express his feelings right now, he took her hand gently in his, and bent down a little to put a soft, gentle kiss on the back of her hand, it lasted a few seconds, then, with his lips almost brushing her skin, he lifted his eyes to look directly in hers.
"Thank you, for everything. You look absolutely stunning"
The look in his eyes had her breathe stop and her heart quicken suddenly, she felt like the prey caught by the predator...
...but she didn't mind being caught by him. Not. One. Bit.
They stayed like that, looking at each other for what seemed like forever, and then he straightened up and turned around, reaching for something on his desk, with her hand still in his.
"I have something that I wanted to give you"
He presented her first the gold bracelet with little amethysts that he had bought the day before, she was absolutely surprised by his gift, and let him put it on her wrist.
"Escanor...I don't know what to say… it's beautiful, thank you"
She was shocked, but his second gift surprised her even more.
It was the little hairpin she had seen at the seaside village, it was made with various kinds of shells, that shined brightly, in different shades of purple.
He put the hairpin in her hair, and looked at her with a gentle gaze.
"I knew both of these would compliment your beauty perfectly"
She was really moved by his attentiveness towards her, and his compliment.
"Thank you, these are perfect, I appreciate this, deeply"
She smiled gently, her gaze soft, she leaned forward and went to kiss his cheek, but didn't reach too far, and the corner of her mouth was almost touching his. She moved slowly back and looked at him, his eyes finding hers immediately, their faces were still very close to one another, their breaths almost mingling together.
A sudden commotion outside broke the tensed moment.
"Waaaaa! We are laaaate!"
They moved back from the other, both breathing faster than normal, and not knowing if thanking or damning King for the interruption.
"Well, it seems we will arrive fashionably late"
She smirked, obtaining a chuckle from him, who then recomposed himself and offered her his arm.
"Shall we?"
She smiled, materialized a wrap that covered part of her ensemble and skin, and took his offered arm.
They regrouped with the others downstairs, and after some more compliments and teasing between all the Sins, they all walked together towards the castle.
The party had already started when they arrived, but their entrance wouldn't have gone unnoticed anyway, they were a group that attracted attention even if they didn't want to, and Escanor found himself frowning at all the males who were looking like rabid dogs towards Merlin, giving her lecherous looks. He couldn't really blame them, she was beauty and elegance incarnated, but that didn't give them the right to look at her that way, it was disrespectful. He also knew that his night-self didn't instill enough fear to have them stay away, if the Mage seemed uncomfortable for whatever reason, he would have to remedy that in some other way.
The Sins began mingling in the crowd, some talking, some eating, some drinking, all the while the Mage found all types of excuses to avoid the other males, jeopardising all their approaches before they were even near her, with the Lion supporting her in every plan. It was a little exhausting, the Boar hadn't really thought about the consequences of her dress code, she just wanted to tease one man, to have all his attention on her, to be able to surprise him, and she hadn't thought at all about the other males at the event.
At one point king Barthra and the royal family called for attention, he made a speech to thank all the holy knights, and said other kingly things, then ordered everyone to enjoy the evening, and after the applause the music began to play, signing the beginning of the dances.
And the beginning of the real problems.
The Lion had walked some distance away from his partner to go take some drinks for them, and at that moment every single holy knight without a partner, and even some who had it, approached her immediately, asking, one after the other, for the Mage to dance with them, or just staying close there to ogle her. She was finding herself surrounded, and some were more insistent than others, she had to give some very nasty glares and responses, so that they would go away. One particularly bold knight went to grab her arm, in that moment Escanor had enough, he has been staying near, to watch and see if the situation would call for his intervention, until then the Boar was able to make all the holy knights turn back with their tails between their legs, and he was really proud of her achievements, but he was also irritated by the boldness of all those males: she arrived at the party with him, her arm in his, they had stayed close to each other all the time, but these knights hadn't been able to take the clou.
No matter if he wasn't in his day-form, he wouldn't let this go on anymore, his partner seemed also annoyed by all this, she wasn't enjoying herself one bit, and he wanted to remedy that, as soon as possible.
He walked to them, his determination's aura made him pass through the other knights, who moved on instincts, not even knowing why, and reached the bold knight and his partner, who was able to release her arm from him just now, looking at the man with pure irritation.
"Lady Merlin"
Everyone's attention turned immediately to him, but he stayed up straight and confident, looking only at her, who seemed relieved by his presence, now there was a small smile on her lips instead of the frown from a second ago.
"Would you like to dance with me?"
He announced aloud, in a strong voice, trusting his hand towards her, bowing down a little, but never taking his eyes from hers. She was looking at him softly, and also proud at his confidence in asking her in front of everyone, her smile widened, then recompose herself a little and curtsied in turn, accepting his hand.
"Certainly Sir Escanor"
His grip on her hand was firm but gentle, guiding her to him, and then turning, with her on his side, and together they made it to the dance floor. Some distance away from the knights he sighed aloud, some of the tension leaving him, and she looked at him smirking.
"You were really handsome, coming to my rescue like that"
She whispered to him, making him blush a little, and coughing to clear his throat.
"Yes, well, I had enough of their incessant disrespect of my partner"
It was the first time that either of them had called the other 'partner' out loud, her ears reddened a little, and felt her chest full of some warm feeling, making her smile at him brightly, and she squeezed his hand in approval.
Arriving on the dance floor they positioned themselves as they had the day before, when she was teaching him, he was a little nervous, and the feel of her silk and warm skin under his hands wasn't helping his nerves, but he was determined to do this right, he was also aware of all the eyes that were watching or glaring at them, particularly at him.
"Oh! Look! Merlin is dancing"
Meliodas brought the attention of the other Sins to the dance floor, where they could see their companions dancing.
"Is that surprising?"
Elizabeth asked, confused by his surprise.
"Well, she has always denied every man that asked her, she's not good at letting someone else take control, and she was also seen as a trophy by the other men, so she preferred to stay out of the dance floor"
The Captain explained to the Princess, while trying to grope her butt.
"Yeah, but what is really surprising is her partner, or maybe, not so surprising! Ha!"
Ban was well on the way to drunkenness, but he couldn't not notice the couple.
"Escanor is better than I thought, and she… is smiling!"
King was shocked at the sight.
"Oooohh! They are soooo cute!"
Diane squealed from the fairy's side.
"Mh… maybe Merlin is the one leading the dance?"
Mused King, not convinced, the others mimicking his thoughtful pose.
"She is letting him lead her completely"
Gowther's voice was doubtless, the others looked at him even more surprised, and then turned to look at the two, who were evidently enjoying themselves, seemingly in a world of their own.
Merlin couldn't remember the last time she had enjoyed herself so much at these kind of events, Escanor lead was uncertain at first, he was nervous, but the more they danced, the more he relaxed, and was able to lead her better, even making her twirl a couple of times, earning a little laugh from her. He was watching her, enraptured, he had never seen her smile so much and so genuinely like now, while they were dancing together, and he had to admit to be enjoying the dance too.
They danced for two songs in a row, after the second one the music changed, calling for a slower type of dance. The Mage looked him in the eyes, lifting a brow, as if challenging him playfully, the Lion swallowed heavily, never looking away, and hesitantly put his hands on her waist, lifting an eyebrow himself, it was his turn to challenge her. She was surprised by his boldness, and not at all put off by it, quite the opposite, she smiled satisfied, and put her arms around his neck, closing the distance between them, their bodies pressing against one another, and began to swing together in time with the music.
The feel of her in his arms was a dream come true for him, knowing that he was doing something to put that smile and that relaxed expression on her face, was almost incredible.
After a few moments she came closer, even letting her chin rest on his shoulder, her cheek pressed to his, and she sighed, content to just stay there, embracing one another while they moved gently.
When the song came to an end they stopped, she moved back her head slightly, so that she could see his face, they were very close, their lips just a little distance apart. She looked at his lips, then at his eyes, finding him regarding her with an intense gaze, his own eyes looking down at her lips after a few seconds, it was clear what he wanted to do, and she was completely on board with his idea.
Their hearts were beating fast, their breaths coming out faster.
On the side the Sins were watching the couple with bated breath and hopeful gazes, waiting for them to finally admit what everyone already knew.
Escanor seemed to take the initiative, and leaned slowly forward, she was closing her eyes…
"Lady Merlin could I have this dance"
The intruder's words were like an ice bath for them both, shocking them into moving back from each other, losing contact with their partner. Both were breathing fast, their heart thumping against their ribcage, and were suddenly aware of where they were.
Before the Mage could even begin to dismiss the knight who dared interrupt them, two very powerful and very angry figures materialize behind the poor man.
"You had to interrupt just at that moment?!"
"You seem to lack good manners"
Diane and Ban were making really scary expressions, both surrounded by fire, their displeasure with the man high and evident. The unlucky knight almost pissed himself at the sight of the two angry Sins, and ran away, chased by the Fox and the Serpent.
The other Sins were watching surprised, those two almost never worked together and were known to not stand each other.
"It seems like they found common ground in fangirling about our unaware couple!"
Meliodas commented, receiving nods from the others.
Escanor and Merlin were watching the other two Sins, 'avenging them', with amusement, chuckling lightly.
They turned to look at each other, regret evident on their faces about the lost moment.
The evening went on without many more problems, the Boar and the Lion stayed with each other or with the other Sins, almost never leaving the other side, and touching quite frequently, be it a touch on the back, the brush of a hand, or the press of a shoulder on the other's, and the event came to an end quickly.
Back at the Boar Hat, Escanor was escorting Merlin to her room, stopping outside her door, facing each other.
"Thank you for the lovely evening, thanks to you I had really fun"
Merlin was grinning at him, while he was unable to look away from her.
"I had fun too, thank you…and you were r-really beautiful tonight"
He blushed slightly, he wasn't sure what was happening between them, but he could feel a strange tension mounting up, the one that he was experiencing more frequently around her.
"Thank you, you were really handsome yourself"
She smiled at him.
"I enjoyed especially our dances"
Her words were almost nonchalant, but her gaze told him which dance she had enjoyed the most, and he had to agree, nodding in response, never looking away from her deep golden gaze.
"We should get some rest, especially if I want to surprise you tomorrow morning"
She winked at him, trying to lessen the tension a little, but it has become increasingly more difficult to diffuse it every time.
"Good night Merlin"
He was almost reluctant to say goodbye, and took her hand to give her a gentlemanly goodnight kiss, lingering a little, but straightening right after that.
She smiled, and leaned forward as if to kiss his cheek goodnight in turn, but changed direction at the last moment and kissed his neck instead.
"Dream about me, because I am sure I'll be dreaming about you"
She whispered against his skin, her lips brushing his neck and her breaths caressing him.
Then she teleported in her room, just on the other side of the door, leaning her back against it, her breaths fast, her heart beating hard, and she was blushing.
On the other side Escanor was also supporting himself with his hands on her door, he was affected just like she was, breathing fast, and blushing like mad; the thought of opening that door, grabbing, and kissing her in breathless abandon crossed his mind, but he was able to control himself, if just barely, and quickly straightened up again, and walked to his room, distancing himself from her and the temptation.
The tension between them was becoming unbearable, and both were at their limits, now it was just a matter of who was going to give in first.
The tension, the tension, the tension, the tension, THE TENSION! *.*
They were almost there, almost! I'm sorry to have interrupted them on more than one occasion, I know, I'm terrible! . But it's all for a greater good! Believe me! ;)
Ah! This story it's really 7 chapters long, but the 7th will be posted apart from the main story, because it has different kinds of warnings, which not everyone would want to read!
So, I'll post the 6th chapter, then the 7th, with the ending as part of the 8th day, and then I'll change the 6th chapter with the ending, just the part of the 8th day.
I hope to have explained well "^^
Reassuming it will go like this:
6th - 7th (as a 'different story') - implements to the 6th to add the ending
Thanks again if you have come this far in reading mi story! ;D ^^