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prolestariwrites · 5 years

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A Change of Heart

Fandom: Nanatsu no Taizai/Seven Deadly Sins Characters: Jericho, Ban Prompt: Change

Here is my contribution to @nntflashbang, along with my partner, @roxanneair! Our theme was “change”, and decided to have some fun with Jericho and Ban’s amazing relationship. Please enjoy, and make sure you check out the artwork that goes with this fic!

Jericho frowned as she closed the door to the shared washroom on the top floor of the tavern. The place was disgusting, covered in goodness-knows-what and spots on the floors and counters that were suspiciously sticky. The hallway was dim as she quickly hurried back to their room, the lone lamp seemingly on its last bit of oil as the flame grew smaller and smaller. The place was an absolute dump, but it was the best they could do given the current circumstances.

After finding nothing at Ivanloake, Ban had decided to head immediately for Ravens and chase the newest rumor about the dead coming to life. Jericho had kept her opinions to herself over the entire affair, until it had become clear that he was planning on just walking until they reached the town. At that she had balked, insisting they find somewhere to sleep. Ravens was at least 60 miles away, and Jericho was not about to hike through the wilderness in the dark without at least some rest.

Luckily they came upon this little town, nothing more than a handful of sorry-looking shops and decrepit houses, but it had a tavern that rented rooms and it was good enough for her. She would have preferred separate rooms—even though she was a Holy Knight she was still a lady, after all—but Ban had no money and she was running low on what she had brought from Liones.

The tavern had proved as ramshackle as the rest of the town. The bartender looked uninterested in serving them, despite the general lack of customers; those that were there kept to themselves and their drink. Dinner was stale bread and a porridge Jericho had managed exactly one swallowful before deciding against tempting fate. Their room was unwashed and smelled like a mixture of damp and socks, the bed nothing more than a half-stuffed mattress with a blanket full of moth holes.

But it wasn’t outside, and Jericho was determined to make the best of it. She squared her shoulders and shook off the disgust from the washroom as she stepped up to their door. She had a whole, entire evening of Ban to herself, and she would be soaking up all she could, while she could.

Not to mention, secretly she wanted Ban to soak up as much of her as well. This entire exercise was pointless, just a fool’s errand by a brokenhearted man. Jericho was loathe to tell him this, however; despite her usually candid nature, seeing him cradle the fairy’s dead body in the Forest had struck a chord inside her that held her tongue. She was in love with Ban, the one man who had ever seen her, really seen her, the only person to treat her as an equal and not a joke or a weakling or just Gustaf’s little sister. And when Ban realized that Elaine was never coming back, she would be there, waiting.

With a deep breath she pushed open the door. While in the washroom she had tried to freshen up a bit; at least the water had been clean, and she managed to wash the dust from her skin and change into fresh clothes. She put on a big smile as she stepped inside the room, but froze in shock when she spied Ban sitting on the bed, his back to her, his shoulders hunched and obviously shaking.

Ban was crying…?

No, no, this can’t be… but the intake of breath from the Fox Sin was unmistakable. Jericho’s mouth dropped open, unable to figure out what to do. She didn’t even know Ban could cry!

Swallowing her panic, Jericho quietly closed the door and moved silently to hang her dirty clothes up on the hook next to the frame. She wrung her hands, her heart pounding as she tried to come up with a plan. Should she comfort him? Talk to him? Leave him alone? Yell at him for being such a baby? Her eyes closed as she cursed herself. How could she not know what to do?

Stop being stupid and go to him, she scolded herself. Jericho blew out a breath and walked towards the bed, approaching Ban as if she were approaching a wounded animal. As she turned around the foot of the mattress, her heart seized to see his ruddy face and watery eyes. He sat forward, elbows propped on his knees, and the back of his hand pressed against his cheek as Jericho struggled to breathe. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came, so Jericho just sat down on the bed next to him, looking ahead.

Ban jerked a bit, but did not move, simply turning his face away. Jericho’s face went a deep red with a blush, and awkwardly she put her arm around him. His shoulders were so broad that she could only reach his spine, so she patted him gently, her body tensed in preparation for him to yell at her or push her off or give some biting remark that would make it feel as though her skin was melting off from embarrassment.

However, he sat quietly next to her, the only sound his steady breathing that was occasionally marked with a bit of throat clearing. Jericho stayed focused straight ahead, memorizing a large brown spot on the wall that she prayed was a water stain. Her fingers tapped his back lightly for several minutes as they sat in the semi-uncomfortable silence.

Ban startled her when he said, “Guess you caught me.”

Jericho jerked her hand away as she answered, “I-I didn’t… I didn’t know—”

“Nah, it’s fine.” Ban heaved a huge sigh. “Not like it’s a secret.”

She cleared her throat and shifted on the bed. “I’m sorry.”

Once more it fell silent, and Jericho wondered if she should say something else. As the moments ticked by, her fingers drummed on her knees; internally she shouted at herself to say something. This could be the perfect moment to confess her feelings, to tell Ban how much he meant to her, to explain that she knew losing Elaine was painful but she would always be there for him. She could do this, if only the stupid words would come out!

“Thanks.” Ban’s hand went to her knee, giving her a pat, and he turned and looked at her over his shoulder. Her entire existence seemed to stop for a moment, the heavy warmth of his palm the most electric thing she had ever felt, the way his eyes searched her face stirring every emotion she had ever experienced. Maybe she wouldn’t have to confess; maybe Ban would tell her that he loved her first!

“I have to tell you something,” he said, and Jericho’s eyes went wide. This is it. Ban will tell me he loves me and we will be in love and fight the demons together and then live happily ever after in Liones and everyone else can go to hell.

“I don’t really like people.”

Jericho frowned. “What?”

“I don’t like people. Humans anyway.” He shrugged. “But you’re an exception.”

“I… am?” Suddenly her chest filled with a swell of feelings, and before she could even think, Jericho surged forward, capturing his cheeks with her palms and pulling him down into a kiss.

Jericho had spent many, many days and nights thinking about what it would be like to kiss Ban. She imagined the scruff of his cheek, the firm line of his jaw, the rough texture of his lips. She pictured him wrapping his muscled arms around her and pulling her against his hard body, had run her hand through her own hair, pretending it was his caressing her scalp, tilting her chin up to meet his. The first kiss would be precious, and sweet, and slow, and he would smell like soap and rain and taste like sweet ale and syrup.

Instead, it was like kissing… Gustaf.

Jericho’s eyelids flew open and found herself staring into Ban’s. She jerked backwards, breaking their connection, her mouth as round as her eyes and the hands still cupping his cheeks trembling. What did she just do? And why was it so awful? Not awful awful, it was fine as far as kisses went—not that she had much to compare, just the one with the boy in her knight class that had snuck one at last summer’s fair and she had chewed him out afterwards even though she replayed the sensation of someone’s lips sliding on hers for a long time—but this was as stiff as cardboard, as thrilling as tap water, and as romantic as either.

“Easy there, Janpo,” he laughed. “I said I liked you. Not that I wanted to date you.”

“I know!” she squealed, yanking her hands away. “I didn’t mean to—I mean you looked so sad and I thought—I mean I figured you—”

He muffled her explanation with a hug, pulling her into a warm embrace, her face pressed against his chest. “It’s nice having a sister again,” he said. “Even though you are annoying.”

Sister. Jericho wilted a bit, but honestly, that felt right. The sparks hadn’t flown the way she thought, and as she gave him a gentle squeeze in response, she felt happy despite her confusion. There would be some emotions to sort out later, but she had been foolish. Ban wasn’t for her. Yes, she loved him, but she could have him without that.

“We’re going to get Elaine back,” she murmured.

“Yeah I know,” Ban replied.

They broke apart and prepared for bed, not speaking. Ban spread his long limbs out on the mattress and patted the side. “Come on, Jackmo, I’m not gonna hurt you.”

Jericho huffed and carefully settled on the edge as Ban put out the lamp. She laid with her back to him, her arm tucked under her head and her legs curled up. Minutes ticked by in silence, and she began to relax. It’s nice having a sister.

“Hey Jumbo, remember when you kissed me?” he said in the dark.

“It’s Jericho, you know that, and I didn’t!” she shouted.

“Yeah you did, right on the lips.”

Jericho growled. “Shut up.”

Ban laughed, and she felt him roll over as a smile crept onto her face. It was nice having a brother around, too.

#nnt #nanatsu no taizai #nntflashbang #jericho #ban #myfic #collab

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