The Eighth Sin

Episode 19.5 - Light as a Feather

"I swear to...Captain!" Y/N screamed as she flew through the air. "This is the last time I ever follow one of your plans!" 

"Sorry, Y/N! You'll be fine, promise!" Meliodas called back. He waved at her as he parried strike after strike. 

"Hey! Don't go poking your head into rescuing me!" Y/N yelled. "You'll just mess up everything!" 

"I'll take care of it, Captain." Diane said, running off to catch up with the bird carrying her friend. It was easy enough for her, long legs had their advantage after all. However, even she wasn't tall enough to easily grab her. 

"I feel like I'm trying to catch a mosquito!" Diane complained as she jumped through the air, trying to catch the bird. 

"You got this, Diane?" Y/N asked, struggling. "Cause I could always, just use my own powers."

"This is actually kind of fun." Diane said. 

"I'm not a toy for your amusement!" Y/N shouted. 

"I know, I know!" Diane said, finally snatching the bird out of the air. "See, I got it."

"Thanks. Now get this bird off of me, please?" Y/N said, still trying to pry the talons off. 

Together, the two girls get the screeching bird off. "So what do you want to do now?" Diane asked. 

"I'm not going to help the captain." Y/N said. "He used me as bait to draw in that flock of demon birds. He even stuck me in a wig!" She said while tearing the offending orange object off her head. "I mean, I have more use than being some cheese in a mouse trap."

"Okay. Let's go do something fun, then!" Diane said, placing the girl on her shoulder. 

"Are you sure this is okay? will it hurt your shoulder?" Y/N asked. 

"Don't be silly. You're lighter than a feather, probably." Diane said. 

"Probably?" Y/N repeated.

"Well, I've never actually held a feather that's proportionate to my size." Diane explained. 

"Huh. Isn't there even a single species of giant poultry?" Y/N asked. 

"I've never met one." Diane said, shrugging. 

Y/N gripped the material of the armor. "Yeah, maybe don't do that while I'm sitting on your shoulder." She said, laughing. 

"Oops, sorry!" 

Once they approached the town, Diane let Y/N down. "I'll go get us some food." She said. She paused and then turned back around. "You know, we embody the tall and short friend stereotype perfectly."

Diane let a out a small giggle. "Yeah, I guess. I think you'd have to take at least fifty steps to catch up to one of mine."

Y/N smiled. "I'll be back soon!" 

She returned with enough food to feed a giant, which was the intention, of course. "I wasn't really sure what you'd like so I got it all!" Y/N said, smiling proudly at the food. 

"How'd you pay for it?" Diane asked. 

"Oh, I used Meliodas' compensation." She replied, handing the sack to Diane. 

"What?" Diane asked. 

Y/N smiled deviously. "He owes me for that bait thing earlier, so I just told the townspeople that he'd sent me to pick it up for him. It's funny how much a cute smile can get done." 

"And some memory alterations?" Diane prompted. 

Y/N's eyes hardened. "No. I never change memories for my own benefit. Ever." She said. 

"Okay, okay." Diane said, grabbing the bag. "What are we gonna do with all of this, anyway?"

"We're going to have a picnic and talk about girly things." Y/N stated, motioning for Diane to pick her up. 

"Oh, like your crush on the captain?" Diane teased. 

"More like your crush on the captain." Y/N said. "And I don't like him like that. Honestly, sometimes I have a difficult time convincing myself that I like him at all."

"That's a lie." Diane said. 

"Yes." Y/N conceded. "I suppose it is." 

"Let's really talk about how annoying Ban is." Diane said. 

"Yes! That's my favorite topic." Y/N said, clapping her hands together eagerly. The girls sat down and talked and ate and laughed for hours. It was nightfall when they finally decided to return to the rest of the Sins. 

"Where have you been?" Meliodas asked, inspecting the two of them for injuries or sign of possession. 

"Oh, you know." Y/N said. "Rescuing me from killer birds." She shrugged. "The usual." 

Meliodas narrowed his eyes. 

Ban laughed. "That doesn't sound right, girls."

"Did you have a girls day out without me? I'm almost offended." Merlin said. 

Y/N twirled her hair though her fingertips. "We did no such thing!" She replied. 

"Seriously, I was worried sick about Y/N, and you two were just chatting?" Meliodas asked. 

"Like I said before, we did no such thing." Y/N said. 

Meliodas sighed. "If it's about the whole bait thing, I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Y/N said, waving him off. "I'm not mad."

Meliodas smiled. "That's grea-"

"Anymore." Y/N said. "That can still change, so don't remind me that you decided to stick a wig on my head and-" She shook her head and gave a forced smile. "But I'm not mad." 

Meliodas just nodded. The rest of the Sins watched in confusion as the two had a conversation without words. Meliodas was the first to turn away and Y/N walked towards where her blanket lay, dragging it towards Diane's instead of where she usually slept by the captain. 

The Sins gasped and Ban exclaimed, "Have Mom and Dad broken up?" 

"SHUT IT, FOX!" Y/N called while Meliodas slapped him upside the head. The rest of the Sins stifled their laughter. 

That night, Y/N whispered to Diane, "You're the best friend I've ever had."

And Diane smiled in agreement.