Title: Sweet Protection

Theme: #21 Violence

Fandom: Nanatsu no Taizai/Seven Deadly Sins

Pairing: KingxDiane

Note: Spoilers for manga.

Disclaimer: Still not able to claim Seven Deadly Sins. I do however have full rights to claim Peder, Bev, and Mereyem. So no attacking with lawsuits of teh evil.

Sweet Protection:

They appeared from the cracks in the stone, separating themselves from the shadows as if they had been a part of the rock structure all along until the group atop of an enormous pig had come through. Ban was hunched forward menacingly, King's Chastiefol in its second formation, and Meliodas's hand on his sword hilt before Diane called out a command to stop. The three giants facing them gave off the appearance of having lived through hard times. Their skin was stretched over their bones, as pale as the underside of a trout. The long hair that fell past their shoulders was scraggly, though the two females kept their dark tresses in single braids while the broad-shouldered male let his hang in a mass around his shoulders. There was a feral feel to their presence though the Sins noted that the strangers were in no way giving any indication to malicious or violent behavior. Diane stepped forward, one hand firmly gripping Gideon as she introduced herself to the three. As she explained their intention to merely pass through, their postures visibly relaxed. The male took a straighter stance, his mouth splitting into a wide grin, giving his face a much needed change in demeanor. His axe went back into the sling along his back. The larger female, sporting freckles and a blunt nose, gestured to the smaller and they both sheathed their weapons. Meliodas stepped forth to speak cheerfully. Behind him Ban slouched lazily and King warily floated at a distance with Chastiefol clutched against his chest.

The Grizzly Sin of Sloth kept his eyes on Diane and her interactions with the other giants. The dark-haired male introduced himself as Peder, the females introduced each other as Bev and Mereyem. They explained that the canyon was their territory and that they had been feuding with another clan for the past year. Meliodas offered to share some of his beer if they were willing to let the group camp for the night in the canyon since Hawk-Mama needed a brief reprieve. Peder agreed after a glance at Diane, a gesture that King caught easily which only fueled the ill-feeling in his gut. Unconsciously he shifted to his human form, his large frame radiating disapproval. He swore to keep his eyes on Diane all night to ensure no harm came to her.

Meliodas and the others headed to the bar, Hawk-Mama already curled underground for the night. Diane stayed with Bev and Mereyem, letting the younger giant test Gideon's weight in her hands. The thin legged giant was about two feet shorter than Diane, with long lashes over pale green eyes. Her gaunt cheeks led down to a small pointed chin framed by hair that had broken free from it's ties. While the pair had obviously seen better days there was no question of the strength in their tall frames. If a fight were to come about they would be more than able to retaliate with admirable ferocity. King didn't feel any sort of unsettling vibes from the women, making him turn his attention fully to Peder. The lanky giant was easily putting together a set of campfires, one near the Boar's Head while the other sat a good distance away but the ring of stones he placed in formation around the tinder made King believe that the fire would be a good deal larger than the one set aside for the Seven Sins. When the fires blazed Ban disappeared into the bar's kitchen while Elizabeth and Hawk scurried to and fro. Meliodas laugh good-naturedly with Peder. Diane and Bev offered to venture to the closest forest to hunt for food. King offered to go along, earning himself snickers from the Captain and Ban. He glared at them before following after Diane and the older Bev who viewed him with skeptical eyes.

The forest was teeming with wildlife that scurried into all manner of hiding when the giants and King appeared. Diane seemed to enjoy the hunt, catching several deer with a graceful leap and swipe of her arm. Bev stomped her great foot with a hoarse roar, breaking the earth beneath her and sending squealing wild boars into the air. She finished them with a precise swing of her axe.

King would have contributed his own skills but felt the two women had the whole affair in order and allowed himself to lean comfortably on Chastiefol, shutting his eyes for a little while. His dreams were filled with memories of the past and outlandish fantasies of the future.

Diane and Bev found King in the shade of a large tree snoozing away. The older giant crossed her arms and asked, "Why was he even here?"

The Serpent Sin of Envy only shrugged her shoulders, mumbling under her breath about 'Useless men.' before she stuck two fingers in her mouth and blew a shrill whistle that knocked her dozing comrade through the air.

As punishment he was told to carry all the food back to camp which his did with a repentant scratch of the head in Diane's direction and a scowl in Bev's. They returned just as the last rays of sun disappeared over the hills in the distance.

Food was served by Elizabeth although she was unable to lift the platters that had been set aside for the four tallest members of the gathering. Diane chose to sit with Mereyem and Bev while Peder stationed himself with the men at the smaller fire, joking with Meliodas and Ban. King brooded to himself quietly, casting the occasional dark glance at Peder from beneath the hood of his coat. He also made a point of looking over his shoulder to check on Diane.

She appeared to be enjoying herself, speaking animatedly with the other women, Elizabeth on her shoulder. The Serpent Sin of Envy seemed to be completely oblivious of the predatory look in the scruffy bearded rogue's eyes. It was fairly apparent to the Grizzly Sin of Sloth that no one else had even bothered to observe the dark-haired warrior that towered over them. King scoffed.

He had nothing to worry about. He contented himself with the knowledge that Diane was not interested in long-haired ruffians with square chins and more hair on his arms than a bear. King noted the man's beady black eyes and rather long nose and felt his alarm slowly ease. Diane preferred shorter guys with attractive looks. She was making not a single motion that would hint at some sort of attraction at Peder. With those thoughts King soon felt comfortable enough to turn his attention back to his mug.

Only to snap them right back when he noticed that Peder had decided to abandon his place at the fire with the men and make his way to where the girls gathered around the large bonfire. To King's fury the man settled in a spot right next to Diane, joining their conversation with a smile. He made a point of leaning close to her to accent whatever point he was making in the conversation and King's blood boiled in response.

The Fairy King would have flown over but something had their grip on his hood, keeping him idle in the air. "Let go!"

Meliodas matched his furious glare with a grin, almost amused by the command. King gave a tug and the blonde bar owner willingly released but not before saying, "Diane's a big girl. She can take care of herself."

"That's not the issue Captain!" King hotly shot back. "He's trying to take advantage of how sweet and kind Diane is!"

Ban extended his long body towards them, red-faced with the abundant amount of liquor he had consumed, but no less capable of making his own observations. "Dumbass. That guys not even her type. The most she'll do is flirt with him to try and make the Captain jealous."

"Diane's not that kind of girl!" King nearly screeched.

"I'm not what kind of girl?" An ominous voice asked. The three looked up to see Diane staring them down from her place at the other fire, expression unamused and irritated. Elizabeth watched from her perch, blushing when Meliodas waved in her direction. King and Ban's faces blanched.

"N-n-n-nothing Diane!" Her stalwart defender was a mess of blushing cheeks and stuttering, clutching his Chastiefol behind his back with all the guilty indications of someone who had been caught in a lie.

Ban brushed her inquiry aside with a wave and a laugh, nudging Meliodas and raising his beer in the air. He must have lifted his arm too high because he was on his back the next second, snickering and calling out to his 'Maaaaasteeerr!' Hawk snorted and chastised Ban for not being able to amount to his level.

Diane gazed at them suspiciously for a moment longer before turning back to the other group. King watched her with glum acceptance, his heart demanding that he fly to her side and stay attached there until they were as far away from Peder as they could possibly ever get. The rational side of him pointed out that the giant was unlikely to try anything with Diane, especially with Elizabeth sitting right there and the other Sins so close. He also knew that Diane was a fighter capable of standing on her own. It was the same every time. He knew she didn't need to be protected but he was unable to keep himself from coming to her defense at every possible opportunity.

Feeling burdened by his own emotions he slowly levitated back down to hover a foot over the ground, turning his back on her with a heavy reluctance, attempting to immerse himself back into the interactions between Ban and the Captain.

That nigh he intentionally kept himself away from the window he usually slept by, stubbornly keeping away from Diane, trying to convince himself that he was not overprotective. Unfortunately he ended up in Ban's room after everyone had retired to bed with the sloshed Fox Sin drunkenly whipping him in the head with an empty mug and stealing Chastiefol. King spent the next twenty minutes failing in his fight against the immortal to retrieve his sacred treasure. Petulantly the Fairy King kicked the thief's leg, narrowly avoiding the fist that struck out in reflex before leaving the room defeated.

Sitting at empty bar, arms folded over the counter and his chin resting atop them, he debated on calling Oslo to him for some company. He would have done it but ultimately decided he didn't want to take the chance of the scent of pig to deter the hound up the stairs in a slobbering rush. He sighed.

Movement in his peripheral caused him to dart his face in the direction of the window. Flying to the glass pane he narrowed his eyes. There wasn't much moonlight to help him but the quietly burning embers of the larger pit gave him enough to recognize the lumbering shape of Peder.

The large man was close to the spot where Diane was sleeping when King appeared at his back. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Eh?" Peder turned around slowly. He hadn't thought anyone would still be awake. When he saw King in the air above his head he calmed down considerably. "None ya need ta worry kid. Go on back to bed now ya' hear?"

"You didn't answer my question." King retorted, hands vibrating with the fury he was struggling to contain.

Peder glowered at King, the first trace of irritation appearing in the shift of his jaw as he spoke again. "Like I said boy. It's nothin' ya need ta' be worryin' yerself over. Now git." He spun to face Diane and took another step toward her.

"Stop!" King burst out. "Don't your dare go near her!"

Peder, patience wearing thin, hissed back at King. "Shut it! This is business between me an her! It ain't got nothin' to do with ye!"

King's eyes flashed. A burst of light and Chastiefol was in the air around him in it's fifth configuration. "Touch her and die." There was a weighted strength in his order, a sort of pressure that accompanied the steel in his expression and gave Peder a chill down his exposed spine. The giant didn't know it but he was feeling the intense influence of one who was born with a command over earth and a millennia of inherited power. Every instinct within him recognized that this was not someone he should be angering. Nervously he took a step back-

-and managed to dig a heel into Diane's arm.

The impact was instant. King was luckily able to speed Chastiefol into it's defensive form and in front of him before the earth responded to Diane's agony and the spire of rock impaled his pillow. Peder was not so lucky as he was propelled into the air and blasted out of their sight with a breathless grunt.

Sparing only a fraction of a seconds thought on the unfortunate Peder, King maneuvered around the circling spires that had erupted around Diane as she grit her teeth in a snarl, furiously rubbing her forearm.

"Diane! Are you alright?"

She whipped her head in his direction, scowling somewhat. "King? What are you doing out here?"

The Fairy King flushed. "D-don't worry about that. Is your arm alright?" He flew closer to examine it. Diane held it out to him though her confusion was obvious. There was a reddened mark on the pale skin of her underarm. Tentatively King placed a hand on it. "Does it hurt?"

Unsure why she felt her cheeks heating Diane shook her head. "Not when you touch it. I was more surprised than anything."

Nodding he examined it further until he was satisfied. "You may have a bruise but nothing that will be long-lasting." Relieved he smiled up at her. She offered him a dubious stare. He paled. "Wh-what?"

"You and Peder were up to something." She growled. King trembled to hear it. "N-no! Honest! I was stopping him from disturbing you! I swear!"

The violet-eyed beauty tilted her head, brows drawn down in thought. "What does that mean? Why was he trying to wake me up?"

A frighteningly serious glint in King's matching stare evaporated the anger she felt as he grumbled lowly. "No good reason that's for sure."

Diane wasn't sure what exactly was going on. To be fair she wasn't sure she even wanted to know exactly what had happened. What she could tell though from what she had seen and heard was that somehow she was indebted to King and owed him her thanks. He had been nothing but a bundle of concern and kindness since she had been so abruptly pulled from slumber. It felt wrong to direct her frustration at him over the pain in her arm and the blunt jolt from what had been an otherwise pleasant night. Smiling at him, Diane leaned forward.

"D-Diane?"

She was flattered by his attention to her. The concern was so like him but she was charmed by the way he seemed to be protective of her. It made a warmth spread in her chest, coloring her cheeks. King did not like having his sleep interrupted yet here he was in the middle of the night watching over her. She couldn't describe how it made her feel to have someone treat her with the kind of respect he always reserved for her. Honored she blew a kiss in his direction.

"Thank you King." Diane giggled. A moment later she had to reach out and catch King as he fell from the sky with an alarming amount of blood spurting from his nose.

"K-King?!"

The next morning saw the Seven Deadly Sins and their companions leaving the mountains early. Bev and Mereyem waved good-naturedly as the Boar's Hat Bar faded into the distance, returning to their cave with each supporting the arms and legs of Peder as the dazed giant howled in pain from the numerous bruises purpling across his skin. On the horizon a giant with her hair in two tails and a war hammer settled over her shoulder shared a grateful smile with a blushing Fairy King.

-OWARI-

Go ahead. Get mad at me. This Kiss is several days late and I feel like the scum of the earth for taking so long to update. It was literally the busiest week of the year for me at work so I'm sad to say that I was a bit overwhelmed and wasn't able to get anything written until today. I have several future chapters half-done but my time was eaten this week by my evil corporation. At least I get overtime.

Anywho hope no one was too bothered by my use of OC's in this one. I know some people aren't fond of them. I have to admit that I had fun writing this and it improved my mood a whole lot. Hope you guys all accept my apology and see this as a worthwhile addition to the thirty kisses. I love it way better than my last kiss and will still be going back to fix chapter 4.

As always thanks for reading! I'm humbled by how many people are now following and favoriting this ridiculous collection and I promise not to stop until we're all the way up to thirty!

Five down! Twenty-five more to go! We can do this!