A/N:

This is settled between chapter 293 and chapter 294.
I wanted some sort of dialogue between King and Diane after his awakening but Nakaba didn't give it to me, so I decided to write it myself, no matter what's happening in the current chapters. In the end, it came out as basically tooth-rotting fluff, you have been warned.

Just a quiet moment

Diane sits on the ground heaving a sigh, finally having some time to rest. She still feels her body aching from the fight against Mael and she would really like just to stop for a moment – and maybe get some sleep too, she is exhausted – but she knows that soon they will have to leave and join Escanor and Merlin. She can still feel that terrifying magic coming from Camelot, and she doesn't like it even a bit.

But for now, they have to wait for Mael. She didn't exactly understand what he wanted to do with Oslo and Derieri's bodies, but she can tell that it's important. Gowther has gone with him, and she can't help but worry a bit about him. Obviously, she knows that he is a doll and that he is pretty resistant, but he is wounded, and Mael has been their enemy until a few minutes ago, and –

"Do not worry, Diane."

She lifts her eyes and King is floating next to her, arms crossed on his chest and the tension of his body almost tangible – he would want to go, Diane realizes, he is worried for their friends in Camelot too. "Gowther knows what he's doing," he continues, "and Mael … he is not like he was before. He won't hurt Gowther."

She shouldn't be surprised by the way his words make her feel better, and yet she is amazed when she starts to calm down a bit – not entirely, of course, but it's still pleasant. King has always had the ability to calm her, even when they were younger.

She keeps looking at him, her eyes wondering on his now taller figure. She's still not used to him being like this, and it feels so strange to think that he is really him, the same Harlequin she has fallen in love with, even with what he has said before, during the fight. At that moment, he flinches and looks at her with something in his eyes – he has been so calm until now, more than ever, except for when Gowther has risked his life to save Mael, and so Diane doesn't realize immediately what it is.

"Diane," he starts, and he sounds a bit insecure, his fingers shifting on his arms. His eyes don't leave hers, though. "I know I'm different, but I- I'm still me. Really."

He is nervous, that's it, apparently even more nervous than during his fight with Mael, and that's so King-like – being anxious when it's about her, even though he really shouldn't – that she immediately believes him, no matter how much he changed, and she feels a bit guilty for doubting him and worrying him that-

"Wait, did you read my heart again?" She asks the moment she realizes that he simply knew what she was thinking – and so he did earlier, when she was worried about Gowther.

King tenses and looks away, a trace of flush on his face. "I … yes, I'm sorry about it, I'm not doing it on purpose. It's new for me, to be able to read people's thoughts so easily, and I just hear them, I can't help." He meets her eyes again, this time more confident. "But I'll try not to do it if it bothers you."

"It's not like it bothers me," Diane hurries to explain – she doesn't want him to feels bad about something he can't even control. "There is nothing in my mind I want to hide from you, not really. I … I do trust you completely." She is blushing, she feels it from the heat on her cheeks, but she forces herself not to look away or hide her face behind her hairs – not with King. Instead, she keeps looking right at him, willing to make him understand that she is saying the truth. His amber eyes are fixed on her, and there are so much love and emotion transpiring from them that Diane feels almost overwhelmed. "It's just," she continues, before losing her train of thoughts, "it could be a little embarrassing, you reading all my thoughts."

Not that she had embarrassing thoughts in the last few hours, she has been too busy fighting Demons, but it could actually happen anytime. Like him finding out that she really likes his new appearance, so slim but fit, and maybe the next time she'll take one of her pills he will be taller than her, and –

And now King's cheeks are flushing bright red and Diane is blushing too when she realizes that yes, he is reading her thoughts right now. Well, this is embarrassing.

"I, hum," he mumbles, looking away, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do it again, but it was like you were screaming in your mind. I should probably teach you how to close off your thoughts." He says the last words as they are more a reminder for himself. Then he looks at her and his mouth curves into a little smile. "But I'm glad you like this me. To tell the truth, I don't even know how exactly I look like."

"Really?"

"Well, I know I've wings, I see them," and in his words there is so much amazement and joy that Diane's heart warm, and she finally relaxes again, smiling at him.

"Yes, I see them too. They are beautiful!" And a bit … intimidating, if she has to be honest with herself, but she can cope with that since they are now part of King.

His smile widens. "And I know I'm taller, but I don't know exactly how tall. Oh, and my hairs grew!" He touches them with a hand, pulling them back. "What do you think?"

Diane giggles and reaches him with a finger, stroking his hairs. "I think I like them," she smiles, "well, actually I like all of you. I will always like you, no matter how you change."

His hands reach her finger and he begins caressing her skin, looking at her with affection. "Thank you, Diane."

Now it's oddly difficult to remember that there is a war going on. It seems like it's just the two of them, and when Diane looks around she notices that they are actually alone – well, except for Hawk, who is now some yards from them, curled up on the ground and muttering something she can't hear. She briefly wonders where Elizabeth has gone, but Hawk seems relaxed. She probably doesn't have to worry about it. So she turns her attention back to King and finally asks the question she has had in her mind since the first time she has seen him like this. "How did it happened?"

"What?"

"All this," she mutters, waving at him, "I mean, your change. Before the land crashed, you were still … still like you used to be. And your magic was still sealed by the Reticence Commandment and-" She bits her lips, the fear she has felt in those moments, when all was falling and Elizabeth was the only thing keeping her from plummeting to earth, still clear in her mind. She remembers very well the panic she has felt not being able to see King but knowing that he couldn't fly and he was falling too.

"Oh," he says, and his hands grip her finger tighter, as he is suddenly afraid to lose his grip. His expression is more serious, now, his lips pressed together while he thinks about his answer. "I … Well, I'm ashamed about it, but at first, I gave up." He lowers his head a bit, but he keeps looking worryingly at her while she processes what he has said.

"You did what?"

"I thought I was dying and there wasn't anything I could do about it – I couldn't even fly, it was the first time in my life. The entire situation seemed so hopeless, and I just … let it go. But," he hurries to continue, probably noticing her horrified expression, "but then I thought of you and I knew I couldn't just die. I made a promise to you, that I would protect you, and I'm not going to break it. I don't want to break a promise I made to you, never again."

Diane just stares at him for a moment, still trying to decide what to think about all he has said. To tell the truth, her first instinct when he said he had given up was to punch him – not too hard, of course, just enough to make it clear that he will never have to think things like that in the future.

But he knows. She can see it by the way he looks at her, still a trace of shame in his eyes for the fact that he has almost let himself die, and besides, she has to admit that he moved her, that stupid Fairy. So she grabs him, leading him closer to her, still looking in his eyes. "Since you seem to take this seriously, promise me that you won't die in this war," she demands, " I know you want to protect me, but I'm sure I can handle myself better if I'll know that you actually think of yourself too. You can't just … keep going only because you think you have to protect the others!"

"But I-" He closes his mouth as she glares at him. Then, he nods. "Alright, I promise." He seems honest, and Diane feels a bit relieved. At least, he knows.

"Good," she murmurs, and she quickly kiss him – she hears Hawk yelling something at them on the back, but she really doesn't care – before letting him go. "Somehow we will get out of this, together," she says, and she smiles at him, because she wants him to believe this – she wants herself to believe this, she wants to believe that they will save the Captain and end this war and that then they will be finally free to live.

And when he smiles back at her, his eyes sparkling with determination, she can almost believe it. "Yes," he says, "we will."