Title: Delicate Affair

Theme: #11 Gardenia

Fandom: Nanatsu no Taizai/Seven Deadly Sins

Pairing: KingxDiane

Note: Spoilers in general.

Disclaimer: I don't own Nanatsu no Taizai. I need to though because King would be my perfect little fashion model. I would dress him in SO. MANY. CLOTHES.

Delicate Affair:

His palms were slick with sweat. There was a lump in his throat that was making swallowing, hell, even breathing hard. He kept nodding his head in time with a beat in his mind while he alternated between pacing agitatedly and flying in circles with Chastiefol clutched to his chest.

His nerves were nearly unraveled. It was an important day for him and he wanted to be able to know that he hadn't forgotten anything before everyone arrived.

Despite his mass of nerves and initial misgivings as far as feelings were concerned on the bride's side, he found himself strangely elated as opposed to completely undone. There was no great urgency really for the ceremony would be a small one. Quite honestly all parties agreed that there was little sense in the event itself but the little it meant still mattered and was an opportunity Harlequin refused to let pass him by.

Ensuring that the orchids were creeping neatly along the massive branches of the great tree he turned his attention to the flowers he had arranged to hang from the canopy of the Fountain of Youth's former spring. The pink blossoms shrouded the small clearing in a shimmering veil, lending it a peaceful allure while fireflies danced in the space, attracted to Harlequin's essence and spreading a lovely glow. All in all it was very fairy-like. The other half of the wedding duo was not a fairy but they were not fond of their own culture as far as weddings were concerned and found the moderate fairy equivalent adequate.

Once the area was decorated accordingly, Harlequin summoned a bundle to him from where it had been sitting in a nook in the branches. Changing his attire quickly but efficiently, assuring himself that not a single thread was out of place he moved to where a pool of clear water sat in mimic of the Elixir of Longevity. He eyed his reflection critically. For this day he had retreated to his roots, donning impressive garbs of fairy silk in the fashion spun to fit to the Fairy King's slight frame. Feather light and colored a pleasant teal with gradient hints of yellow, the tailcoat was long and billowed out at the bottom to resemble the petals of a flower. The sleeves were long and puffed slightly at the cuffs before tapering off with a band of heavy yellow silk. He wore a pair of striped trousers colored amber and navy, with olive shimmers throughout. Harlequin had outfitted himself with new shoes in ivory and gold. At the back of his coat were carefully stitched slits in the back for the massive wings that all fairy ruler's were known for. Harlequin had never divulged the secret of his own wings to anyone except one single entity and that person themselves was sworn to secrecy. With a deep breath he summoned them, groaning with pain as they unfurled from his back sharply, straining for freedom. There was a sense of unbridled joy that all fairies experienced when releasing their wings after a long absence of flight and Harlequin was no stranger to it. He took a long moment to revel in the feeling, calming riddled nerves, a smile on his face as he thought over the coming events of the day and what it would mean for him.

"King-ah... I mean Harlequin!"

A white hot thrill ran through him and King turned firmly and sped to the edge of the clearing where a beautiful giant woman stood. Her lavender eyes were crinkled in mirth, her lips turned upwards with a laugh she fought to suppress. "Diane!"

He warmly placed a hand against her cheek, pleased beyond comprehension. "Am I too early?" She asked, twisting a lock of her chestnut hair with her fingers. The fair-haired member of the Seven Deadly Sins blushed openly as he shook his head. "Not at all. I was merely preparing."

Diane giggled happily, twisting Harlequin's gut with delight to hear the alluring sound. "I'm so glad! I've been looking forward to this day for a long time."

King sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "I honestly wasn't sure it would ever happen."

"Oh?" She cocked her head in his direction coyly, causing heat to spread across his cheeks and up to the roots of his hair. He shrugged his shoulders shyly. As Diane inspected the decor Harlequin turned his attention to her attire. She was so captivating in an exquisite dress he had commissioned several dressmakers in Liones to create to mirror his own garb. Off the shoulder straps drew attention to her delicate collarbone and generous cleavage with a glittering broach in the shape of a gardenia precisely attached in the center. The material was fitted to her perfectly sculpted waist before flaring out at the hips into a fluttery array of petals much like his own coat did with hers featuring a sheer underskirt. She had managed to tame her hair into a glossy braided low bun, leaving her bangs clipped over her eyes and curling strands framing her eyes. Overall the look was very different yet so Diane that King found himself staring far longer than he intended and was only brought out of his imaginings by an effective pout tilting into his view.

"Ah! Diane! I-I'm sorry!" He gestured wildly with his arms as he tried to articulate some sort of excuse that didn't make him sound like such a dog. Diane only gave a patented look of disbelief that King sighed to see before he apologized meekly. She brightened considerably, having taken no offense to his scrutiny. Privately she was flattered but far too bashful to admit it. She clasped her hands behind her back, blushing as she told him how much she had been anticipating the day. He flushed, a common reaction for him when in her presence, and held out his hand so he could place a soft kiss to the back of one of her fingers when she raised it in response. Their matching gazes were steady with harmony.

Soon a small grouping of people appeared for the ceremony, headed by the Fox's Sin of Greed Ban and Harlequin's younger sister Elaine. King drew his sister into a hug, gazing over her shoulder in annoyance at the white-haired immortal who had managed to find a suitable set of clothes that were not completely ill-fitting. The other Sins were in attendance as well as cheery Elizabeth, who was gorgeous in a slim silver dress that Meliodas was eyeing with no shame, Hawk-chan who had found a velvet-ribbon top hat to wear, and a surprising appearance by the pale and scowling Jericho. They had been adamant about keeping the amount of witnesses small and King led everyone into the spring, carefully adjusting the flowers so Diane would not have to struggle for a view. At the head of the standing group were Ban and Elaine, facing each other, a silent discussion between them. Elaine's eyes were filling with unshed tears while Ban offered her the smirk he reserved for her alone. King took his place between them, levitating off the ground by a few inches and sharing a warm look with Diane before he took a deep breath and began.

"We are here to bless the union between Ban the Undead and Elaine, the Saint of the Forest as they pledge their lives to each other-"

-Owari-

Short update but I made it in time! This one has been in my head since I started the challenge but when I finally went to finish writing it out my shoulder King and Diane said, "Nope! Leave it short." Shoulder-King wanted some making out but I wanted to keep it tasteful. I did have more written but I was starting to go in a more Banlaine route when I looked over my notes so I set them aside and went with what I already had.

As always thanks for reading! Twenty-one more to go!

P.S.: Why does this site cut some words off and just generally butcher work? I have previous chapters saved one way and when I look at the live preview, I see words that are not misspelled in my copy but are oh-so wrong on the site as well as whole words left out. Is that normal?