Hello to all you appreciated readers! Welcome to my first Seven Deadly Sins FanFic! Just some quick notes that I'll be keeping short for the sake of getting to the point of coming here. I'm not going to be able to upload to this consistently, I have two other fics being worked on right now and I also have university and other personal obligations that come first. The M rating might not show through in this chapter, or even the next couple, but it's a safety net for what's likely to come in the future. With that out of the way though, Enjoy the reading! I really appreciate any and all reviews! Thank you so much to JacklynnFrost for betaing this for me and helping me out with this fic! If you haven't, please go check out her fics! She's a great writer and has written some amazing Seven Deadly Sins fics!
Chapter 1: Eavesdropping
"You're getting ahead of yourself Zeldris." My eyes are forward as we walk the empty halls. My hands rest on the back of my head. Dad called us both to the office, reasons that were not given quickly took hold of poor Zeldris who's panicking by my side. Zeldris glares at me in response to my words, I don't need to look at him to know it, he's not the subtle type after all. It's probably because I'm calm and he's feeling as if his world is about to collapse in on itself.
"How are you so sure of yourself? What makes you think that he hasn't found out about Gelda?" Zeldris' voice is fuming, ahhh, young love. Zeldris and Gelda have been meeting in secret, stealing moments and all that outside of our father's sight. I think it's cute, but he gets defensive whenever I even lightly comment on it. Touchy subject for him, free fun for me.
I grin smugly as I spare him a side glance. He didn't get the blond family hair like me, but he certainly got the mess. People always ask if we're twins despite the difference, the answer being a strained and insulted no from him, while I say yes just to see him get angry in response. "Because even if he did know he wouldn't call us to see him during school, I doubt he'd even make a point of it to begin with. Knowing him he'd probably leave it alone and hope that you leave her on your own. If he ignores it then he doesn't draw attention to it, which saves his reputation." I felt that it was pretty clear that father would see things that way. I'm just surprised Zeldris hasn't this past year of being with her and all. I do add on to that point with, "Also any time that you two would be in his gaze you're so chaste that I worry you forget that we're not going to a bible school." I grin wide, knowing how he'll take that.
"What do you think it is then?" Zeldris hisses at me, his eyes narrowed in a glare. He knows I'm right, he just wants to posture. I place a finger to my lips to hush him, the halls are quiet, if he keeps being so loud and obnoxious then we'll get called out for disturbing a class. He rolls his eyes, clearly hating me at the moment. I just snicker, his irritation and annoyance is my entertainment after all.
"Hell if I know. Probably just wants to yell at us some more." I offer as an answer, Zeldris winces a bit at that.
"Don't you think he did it enough this morning?" He asks. At this point his fits don't actually bother us, they're just annoying white noise with how much he does it. The worst it does is inconvenience us and our schedules.
"Maybe Mrs. Deus got on his nerves and he needs a healthy way to vent his frustration." I offer with a chuckle. He's always hated having to share his power with her. The two sharing the principal role of the school for some reason beyond anybody's understanding.
"Maybe he's found out about your secret girlfriend instead of mine." Zeldris tries to prod, and I look at him in shock.
My shock seems to convince him that he's found something on me, until I open my mouth at least, "He has? I hope he'll tell me who she is because I wasn't aware of her myself!" I smirk smugly as Zeldris rapidly deflates.
"You've been single forever, it's actually just stupid considering how many girls are after you, like that Diane chick that's always fawning over you." I cringe a bit at the thought. I don't know her well, and I'm honest when I say I'm not that interested in getting to know her out of fear for my life. Her height and strength is actually terrifying even for me. She once arm wrestled Galand, the football captain, and nearly broke his arm, and then proceeded to do the same with the entire rest of the football team. To say the least the game that followed didn't go so well as a result of a cheerleader not only breaking arms but also breaking prides.
"Don't tell me, I'm more than aware of them. I wish that I wasn't." I shake my head. Not finding an interest in any of the girls. Not to say they're not nice people or unappealing, I'm just not romantically interested in them.
"You know if you don't swing that way I won't-"
"Shut up!" I shove Zeldris, cutting him out and laughing it off as he just snickers in return. "It's alright for me to not have a girlfriend, it's not a requirement to have one as a senior."
He's about to retort, but he cuts himself off as we come face to face with the principal's office. Zeldris gestures for me to go ahead, and I roll my eyes as I mouth at him 'wuss' and open the door. I walk in to see the poor secretary that has to work for both our father and Mrs. Deus. We wave at her as we walk in and she doesn't even look up from her computer to acknowledge us. We take that as it's fine to go into our father's office. Both their offices are down a small hall, and as we pass the door to Mrs. Deus' office I hear her talking rather heatedly. I look at Zeldris with a raised eyebrow, and he returns the look. We both shake it off once we get to our father's office, which already has the door open. Inside it's clean and well decorated, pictures of our family together, his achievements, as well as a couple of paintings for some reason. If this office wasn't looked after by the janitors though it would be too messy to even walk in here without stepping on something that isn't tile floor.
Dad is typing away at his computer, seeming to know that we're here. I cough into my fist to try and get his attention, which fails miserably. I give Zeldris a side glance in annoyance. He just shrugs. It's not new for him to do this, doesn't make it less annoying in my opinion. We both walk over to and take seats in front of his desk, which is the only part that the janitors don't touch, meaning that papers are strewn all over it in some madman's perception of orderly.
It takes a full minute of us waiting for him to finish what he's doing, not even acknowledging that we're here, before he presses enter and turns to face us finally. He has long blond hair, and a scruffy bit of hair on his chin. The only reason that his hair isn't pointing up in every direction like me and Zeldris is because it's so long that it's forced to be weighed down. Not to say that it isn't still messy in spite of that. He gives us a smile, and I feel myself gagging internally. He only ever smiles when he expects us to do something for him in school. It's a sick and cruel smile that turns my stomach. At least when he bosses us around at home he doesn't bother with the smile, I'd be hospitalized with an intense allergic reaction to it if he did. "Glad you two came as quickly as you did." 'No you're not.' Goes through my head and when I glance at Zeldris I can tell he's just as unconvinced.
"What do you want already?" I ask as I slouch back in the chair, rapidly losing interest in formality with the man who doesn't even bother to clear his desk once in a blue moon. I can feel Zeldris staring at me as though I had just told our old man to jump off a cliff, which I would have much preferred saying if I knew he'd do it at my request, but I'm not exactly looking to die just yet.
"I appreciate your eagerness Meliodas." 'No you don't.' Springs into my mind again. "I need you both to listen in on Mrs. Deus for me. She got a call a bit ago from someone I've never heard of before, and she started having a fit before closing her door. I was enjoying it, but now I know she's hiding something, and I don't want my dear partner to be hiding things from me." The way he says dear sends a bit of a chill up my spine. My own father has such a knack for discomforting me in all the most unappreciated ways. "I'm going to go tell her I'm heading out to handle some business back home, or something like that, and I'll leave the door cracked open so you two can listen in. Whatever you find out, let me know when you get home." He doesn't even leave us room to tell him to screw off. Not that we would say such a thing, I quite like having food in my belly, and I'd rather not be starved of it for a week.
"Fine." Zeldris says, crossing his arms in annoyance. I glance over at him, and while he seems like his usual hard self I can tell he's relaxed, knowing that it isn't Gelda that brought us here.
I can't hold my tongue back when I ask, "I guess that means we're not getting driven home today?" I grin playfully as I watch dad's eye twitch at that. He doesn't even acknowledge it, standing and walking around the desk and out of the room. Zeldris gives me a look and I can tell he wishes that I'd curl up and die one of these days. Sadly for him that's nowhere in my agenda.
We follow him out into the corridor and I walk around to the other side of her office door, leaning my back against it while Zeldris does the same on the other side. The secretary looks up finally and I see her look over at us, roll her eyes, then go back to typing as though she saw nothing. She's used to this happening, I wouldn't be surprised if Mrs. Deus does it to dad too, it just makes it more amusing how they're oblivious to the other using the same tactic of eavesdropping on the other.
Dad knocks on the door and doesn't wait for a response before opening the door and poking his head in. The talking that I heard her doing cuts off at his presence. "Just letting you know that I'm going home early, I-"
"Just fuck off already!" Mrs. Deus' light voice snaps. I have to choke myself to hold back my laughter, eyes wide in shock at hearing her swear. Mrs. Deus' voice is very gentle and motherly with people. She calms down even the rowdiest teens just by talking to them, and hearing that gentle motherly voice tell my father to fuck off is the single greatest point in my life so far. I glance over at Zeldris and I can tell he's struggling with me.
"Alrighty then." Dad says awkwardly, having his planned excuse smacked in his face. He doesn't fully close the door, leaving it open just a crack, which is enough for us to hear what's going on. He doesn't even look at Zeldris or I as he walks off, waving goodbye to the secretary who miraculously has gotten lost in her computer once more and just happens to miss it.
"I'm back, now listen to me when I tell you this time." I raise an eyebrow curiously at Zeldris, who gives me the same look. It's clearly not a business call of any type. "I'm not... No you listen to me now, Bartra!" Bartra? I've never heard that name mentioned before. Clearly neither has dad. "Don't you try telling me how to handle things! I gave you the responsibility out of the kindness of my heart!" 'What heart?' pops into my head and I snicker to myself, earning a confused look from Zeldris.
There's a moment of silence. I worry that she might have heard me. It drags on, no noise of any kind, I hear Mrs. Deus fuming though clear as day. It's like she's a steam engine ready to explode.
"No!" I jump in my skin at the sudden shout. I look over at the secretary who's stuck in earbuds. Probably a good choice. "I'm not listening to this Bartra! You're just getting uppity with me without cause! No! I'm losing patience now Bartra and I'm a very patient woman!" Humble is a different story though. "I... I... Let me speak! No!" I'm getting dizzy listening to this. It's entertaining to hear her so livid with such an angered tone, but I'm waiting for that important part that dad was after. It just sounds like a boring personal dispute right now. "She's not your daughter Bartra! Your daughters left you already!" Oh shit, that's harsh. Wait, who? "Bartra I'm at the end of my... I'm at the end of my patience, so quit this incessant... I'm about to make you regret this call Bartra!" I look at Zeldris who's wide eyed and shocked at what he's hearing.
There's silence. I think whoever Bartra is might have hung up on her. I don't even hear her heated breathing anymore. I look over at Zeldris and point to my head, then spin my finger in a circle, he nods, agreeing with my assessment that she's gone crazy finally, it was only a matter of time.
I'm about to signal that we should leave when she straight up yells. "That's it! I'm taking Elizabeth back! Have her ready by tomorrow morning!" There's a crack as I believe she slams the phone down. I'm wide eyed a bit. Elizabeth? Who on Earth is that? And why is Mrs. Deus 'taking her back?' I look at Zeldris, hoping that he'll give me some inkling of an idea of what's going on, but he just shakes his head, just as lost as I am. "That fucking inbred left the door open again." She growls as she pushes her chair out from behind her rather audibly. 'Oh shit!' Springs into my mind, and I think Zeldris has the same line of thought as we bolt out of the office as fast as possible before she can catch us.
Neither of us talk on the way back to class. Both processing what we heard in our own minds. She's taking back a girl that this Bartra guy had as like a daughter, but she wasn't his daughter, and Mrs. Deus is taking her back, after letting him take responsibility for her out of the kindness of Mrs. Deus' heart? That's a lot to consider but it's the summary that dad will want. I've never heard anything about Mrs. Deus having any form of family, so this is just all news. Is the girl she's referring to her own daughter? Elizabeth, huh?
"Bahahahah!" Galand roars his laughter and I roll my eyes. He's a large muscle guy, and also the loudest person in the entire school. He slams his hand on the table dramatically, Zeldris and I having finished recounting what we had heard from Mrs. Deus earlier. It's lunch time so everyone's sat around the cafeteria. Our group of ten old friends sat around at our usual table. I cross my arms and lean on the table, waiting for Galand's laughter to die down. It really wasn't that funny. "I cannot believe truthfully that Mrs. Deus would tell your father to 'fuck off.' You must be joking?"
Zeldris and I shake our heads in unison. Galand strokes his chin, trying to get a read on us, still suspicious of the story I guess, before he snickers and relents. "You're insufferable, you know that Gal?" Melascula looks up at him, her back against his torso and legs stretched out across the bench.
"Sometimes I wish you'd get off me." Galand comments, his gaze not even going to her, his arms crossing at his chest as though he expects her to get off of him at that.
"Only if you shut up for the next five minutes." Melascula offers with a wry grin. She offers up her hand to shake and he shakes his head, then takes it and shakes on it. At that Melascula moves to sit properly at the table.
"If you two are done playing couple," Galand and Melascula simultaneously cast their glares towards Fraudrin, who just shrugs them off. "I'm curious about why we've never even heard of Mrs. Deus having a family. I would imagine that kind of information is important as a principal."
"Didn't you pay attention Fraudrin?" Monspeet asks, seeming genuinely curious. Fraudrin nods slowly, seeming to be only slightly insulted at his question. "If you were then you should have picked up on the why we've never heard."
"Simple. Her daughter was living with a relative." Derieri adds simply. Leaning her head against Monspeet's shoulder. Her arms cross as she's huddled up against the guy.
"You mean to say that Elizabeth was living with an extended family member, this Bartra, who's likely a grandfather or uncle of some kind who took her in. Likely as a result of Mrs. Deus being a neglectful and all around vile person who is the least qualified person to handle being a mother, and thus earned enough hate from her daughter to want to leave to live with anyone but her?" Derieri nods at Monspeet's extensive description.
"I'm now curious as to how you extrapolated such an extensive description from so little. How do you always do that?" Glox asks, leaning his elbows on the table and holding his head in his hands. His full name is Gloxinia, but he says his parents are ridiculous for giving him such a name so he goes by Glox now. Monspeet just raises his middle finger at Glox, who in response jerks back as though he were shot in the heart, gripping over his chest. "You hurt me Monspeet, you really hurt me."
Gray yawns in boredom, waving his hand dismissively at the two. "If you guys are going to throw punches let me know so I can take my leave early."
"For a pacifist you don't do much to stop fighting do you?" Fraudrin asks. Gray just shrugs and lays his head down, closing his eyes to nap. I shake my head a bit. Watching everyone go back and forth is normal really, it's no less annoying though.
"Meliodas." Drole's speaking my name wakes me up and back into the conversation. I perk up and look over at him. Drole is blind in his left eye, meaning that it doesn't follow where his other eye goes quite as well, and has a pale look to it. I'd feel worse for him if, even in spite of the issue, he weren't one of the strongest people I know. If it weren't for the eye, he'd have joined the football team more than likely, but only having one eye ruins depth perception, which is somewhat important in football. "Do you think that this Elizabeth is going to be stuffed with Mrs. Deus' precious 'angels' when she gets here?"
I shiver at the thought. Four of them is annoying enough, having a fifth goody two shoes teacher's pet would be insufferable. I hope not. Besides, what're the odds that this Elizabeth is a senior like us? She's probably still in elementary school or something." Some nods are given in response. It makes no sense to me to just assume that she's our age. It's more than likely that Elizabeth was just living with some extended relative for a while. It makes more sense to me that Elizabeth is a more recent conundrum for Mrs. Deus and that's why it's not been brought up before.
"Whatever it is," Glox speaks up, crossing his legs under the table and resting one elbow on the table this time, and holding his head with the connected hand. "All it means is that Mrs. Deus is going to have something else to deal with outside of school, so your father and her will probably be on more even ground now." I just shrug.
I look over at Galand who's stare hasn't left the clock on the wall by the doors to the lunchroom. I don't know if he's hoping to make it go faster by staring at it or what. "It's such a peaceful quiet isn't it Melio?" I cringe a bit at the nickname. Diane is only one of the girls that try making advances on me, Melascula likes to try her hand at it more often than I'll ever be comfortable with.
"Anyways." Zeldris interrupts so I don't have to respond. I let out a sigh of relief, while Melascula glares daggers at Zeldris for interrupting her doomed to fail advance. "We're going to have to walk home now since father dearest decided to make the excuse of going home early, which lucky for us, wasn't a bluff."
Galand abruptly lets out a loud breath, as though he had been holding it in along with his voice. Melascula deadpans at the bulky lad. "I said no talking, not no breathing."
"You two live a ten minute walk away what are you complaining about?" Galand asks with his now freshly freed voice. Though I don't think that it has actually been five minutes yet, Melascula wasn't likely keeping track herself though.
"We're not complaining," I explain, a smug grin on my lips as I know Galand lives about an hour away by bus. "It's just so inconvenient to have to walk when we're used to the pampered lifestyle of being driven back by our dear father."
I smirk as he seems to growl at me, his fists clenching on the table as he scowls. "You're so easily angered." Melascula comments rubbing her temples in annoyance with Galand.
"I am Galand the Truth! I do not lie even in my body language! If I am upset or angered I do not stuff it down behind false amusement!" Galand proclaims and Everyone's chuckling at it besides Melascula, who just rolls her eyes.
"Galand the Over-dramatic is more like it." Melascula mumbles as she drops her face against the table in frustration at the man. Everyone but Galand this time chuckles at this. Galand just glares at her, while she returns the glare with her head on the table.
Just then the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch. Everyone gets up and gathers together their stuff. Melascula and Galand walking off together first in spite of their animosity between them, then Fraudrin and Gray head off, followed by Monspeet with Derieri in tow. I wave to Glox and Drole who are last to finish getting their stuff together before Zeldris and I. Technically I've been ready since the bell rang. Zeldris is just being slow, and I know why. "I'll be waiting for you in class Zeldris." I say and he looks at me incredulously. I give him a playful smirk, "Don't spend too long making googly eyes at her." I turn and leave before he can retaliate with anything. The smirk still across my lips as I take my leave for class.
"Elizabeth, huh?" Father looks at us curiously, leaning forward in his arm chair, one eyebrow quirked up. Zeldris and I nod in confirmation. He then leans back in his seat. Tapping his fingers together in silent thought. "Hmm. I heard her say the name Bartra, I knew I recognized the name somewhere so I did some looking." He talks mostly to himself, I don't think he's expecting us to talk anymore as now it's his turn to talk I guess. You'd think he was starved of spotlight attention in the couple hours he had to spend sitting around here at home doing nothing. "Bartra was the previous principle of the school before Deus and I took over. He retired and the superintendent made his younger sister my co-principal." I think I see him shiver at the memory of the event. I knew that the two hated each other long before having to cooperate as principals but I hardly imagined it was this intense.
"That's not important though. Around eighteen years ago, at the time that I was busy preparing to have to deal with you Meliodas," I pretend to not be insulted, it's a skill at this point that I've mastered. "She took off for a year, claiming family emergencies. Of course I was never given any details beyond that. I actually look back on that year with fondness of being the only principal for a time. Then I had a son." An absolute skill. "But when she came back she was certainly grouchier for about I'd say six or seven years, until she came in and happily declared that she had gotten her brother to take a 'massive distraction,' as she worded it I believe, off her hands. I didn't think anything of it at the time. But judging by this recent call, it seems she had a daughter, whom she apparently threw away to be dealt with by her brother."
I'm left silently processing this for a moment. Zeldris on the other hand jumps right into speaking again, "Bartra must have pissed her off beyond belief then if she's taking Elizabeth back from him." I glance over at Zeldris, shocked that he's just rolling with this so casually. I agree that Deus is a bitch and lacks any and all skills needed to be a mother, but to treat her daughter like such a nuisance and neglect her for so long, only to forcefully drag her back seems a bit more than just the regular Deus scheme, it just seems cruel.
"I don't care too much about whatever it is that Bartra did." Father waves it off and I grin as Zeldris sags a bit at the dismissal. "What matters is keeping her out of her precious group of angels. I've made a habit of limiting her number of ass kissers to four at any given time and I'd like for it to stay that way for as long as we're forced to work together." I raise an eyebrow at this. So she will be attending our school then? It makes sense really, After all it turns out she's my age, probably a senior too, so I shouldn't be surprised. "Meliodas." I stiffen when he speaks my name, standing at full attention. "Order yourself and your brother a pizza or something, use my card, consider it a reward for eavesdropping and an apology for not driving you two home. I'm going to my study. Keep it down."
With that our father leaves us. I blink at the doorway he left through, Zeldris doing the same I think. I look over at him, and we both share a grin.
Approximately one hour later I'm relaxing in the couch in the living room, Zeldris in the arm chair father had been occupying, and in front of us is way more pizza than either of us ever planned to eat. I snicker at the thought of dad's annoyance when he discovers how much we ordered. One more yelling fit to add to the list.
"I can't believe I let you do this." Zeldris says as he picks up a slice and puts it on his plate, leaning back in the chair once he has it securely on the plate. I shrug with a smirk.
"You had the same thought, you're just as guilty in this case." I retort. Too full to eat any more. I chuckle as he flips me off while taking a bite from his hopefully final slice. "Would you prefer that I made us pizza instead of ordered it?"
"I think I'd rather be stuck in a room with Melascula and Galand for an eternity than eat your food." He fires back and I wince at that one.
"I'd say that's harsh but I have to agree, that is preferable." Zeldris shakes his head. I just grin at him though. At the back of my mind, however, I'm preoccupied with thoughts on who this Elizabeth girl is. Dad may be a pain, but I could never imagine just being tossed away like I were less than trash by my own parent. Then years later be taken back without any say. Though if she's my age she is of age to declare independence so she could still end up not even showing up.
"What's the plan then for this Elizabeth girl then, Meliodas?" I look at Zeldris in shock. He's got one eyebrow quirked up. "If she does end up coming to school that is. I think that Deus was just bluffing to scare her brother out of whatever that argument started over." I'm silent for once in my life, which scares me a bit more than the question itself. "We gonna scare her off out of the school? Wish we had gotten to Ludociel and his gang of angels before they got too rooted in. We could stop her though before she turns into one of them, send her running back to her uncle."
I shake my head a bit. I faintly hear Zeldris gasp at my response. "No. I don't know what it is, but I don't think that... I don't believe that she's coming to our school." I half lie. I don't think she will, but I'm not confident in it. "Odds are that she'll tell her mom to fuck off and get ready to declare independence or something. No sane person would ever willingly be that psycho's daughter." Zeldris bobs his head from side to side, considering my assessment.
"Fair enough. I was looking forward to scaring her off though. Would have been fun." I nod halfheartedly. I don't think I'd really want to make someone like that go through any more hell than she likely already has. I watch Zeldris finish his slice, then stand, stretch out a bit, and finally walk out of the room, calling back to me, "Don't go too wild Meliodas, I'm tired and would like to sleep." I chuckle at his request. I know he's not actually going to bed, he's just stuffing me with cleanup duty. Not that I'm going to argue, I'm the one who let him get away after all. I'll just have to make sure I leave first next time. Or I could threaten to lock him in a room with Melascula and Galand for an hour, He'd then be on clean up duty for at least a month with that threat.
I sigh after a couple minutes of silence with nothing but my own thought. I'm not used to this much thinking about anyone and I haven't even met the poor girl, odds are I won't even meet her. I shake my head, hoping that somehow it'll shake off the thoughts from my head. All it does though is mess up my hair further than it already is. I let out a puff of annoyance, damn genetics. I stand up from the couch and start gathering the leftovers and everything off the table, taking it to the kitchen and beginning the process of storing leftovers and putting dishes to be cleaned. Maybe I'm tormenting myself more than father with this idea now that I think about it a bit more. Next time I should think my scheme through a bit more thoroughly.
I go to the bathroom once clean up duty is done and I hop into the shower. I'm quick to wash up, but after that I end up still standing under the hot water. My thoughts still gravitating to the questions about this girl. In spite of my self convincing that she's not going to show up I keep getting pricks at the back of my mind about it. After about fifteen minutes of just sitting in the shower doing nothing I shake myself awake again. I turn off the water, which at this point didn't even feel hot but just mediocre, and step out. I dry off quickly, put on my baggy shirt and boxers and leave my bathroom into my room. Zeldris moved into his own room years ago. About at the time that he realized that I'm a bit of a dick and the more time he spends with me than he has to the more he'll grow to hate me. It may have been a long game strategy but it won me my own room.
I hop into bed, lying on top of the blankets, staring up at the ceiling. Thoughts swirling around tomorrow. One of two things are going to happen, this Elizabeth girl doesn't even show up, or she does and I just never sees her around because she's been forced into Deus' 'angels' and is thus lost to the no fun side of the school. Either way I shouldn't be losing sleep over it. I close my eyes, relax into my mattress, and let myself drift into sleep.
"Meliodas!" I begrudgingly open my eyes, head on my desk as I'm called by the teacher. It's study hall, I shouldn't be getting woken up dammit. I glance to the side at Zeldris, who's on his phone texting Gelda. I can tell he is because I see her across the room texting him at the same time. I feel myself gag a bit at the sight. I support my brother in his relationship, I don't support him in being disgustingly sweet and embarrassing me. "Meliodas, your father called for you." I look up at Mr. Hendrickson. Usually he teaches science classes, but right now he's the study hall supervisor.
"Why?" I ask groggily. I feel Zeldris give me a glance but I don't spare him one. Drifting into sleep last night wasn't as easy as it should have been and I'm still feeling the effects now.
"Don't know. Go ask him." I can't argue with that counter really. I stand up and stretch out, walking out without my stuff, considering class just started a couple minutes ago I doubt I'm going to be gone long enough to warrant bringing all my stuff along. I'm annoyed that Zeldris isn't getting dragged out as well, but I learn to live with it quickly on my walk through the halls. The silence and freedom is actually quite nice.
For a solid minute of my long walk I contemplate booking it and running off home to avoid whatever deranged task dad already has for me. I really have no interest in eavesdropping two days in a row, it's not a glamorous job like he thinks it is. I hold out though, avoiding the temptation of ditching school now and push forward. I walk into the principal's office and see the secretary just as engrossed in her work as always, and my father pacing back and forth in the middle of the room. He looks up after a minute of my presence arriving and nods. "Good, you're here."
"Love you too, dad?" I offer, and he doesn't even seem to hear me as he walks to Mrs. Deus' office door and knocks. There's silence for a moment before she walks out and looks at me.
"I told you to bring me Ludociel or Mael!" She hisses at my father. I don't know if she actually expected him to do what she asked in all honesty, she must be reeling from that argument from yesterday if she got that in her head. "I don't want your deadbeat son." Now that's just uncalled for.
"Ludociel and Mael are taking tests right now. I even tried your other two precious pets and they're in the same situation. Live with what you get." He lies through his teeth. I know for a fact that Mael isn't taking a test because he's in study hall with Zeldris and I right now.
"You're a real piece of work aren't you, think you're so clever." Her voice is hushed for whatever reason. I'm starting to fall asleep where I stand, crossing my arms and shifting my weight from one leg to the other to try and keep myself from passing out here and now.
"Just give it up, my son is perfectly capable of handling your little errand until one of your suck-ups is free." I don't know if it's a compliment or just him using me to his advantage. Either way I don't trust it.
I think I faintly hear Mrs. Deus growl at my father and I watch as my father actually leans away a bit from her anger. I snort a bit, and that earns the immediate glare of both parties. I immediately stiffen where I stand and look around the room, acting as though I never saw a thing. "Fine. Give me a minute." She relents, and my father grins in clear victory.
He walks back over to me and pats me on the shoulder. "I'll yell at you about that little snort later, for now, just be yourself." He chuckles and I squint at him. Yet again I'm caught between wondering if he's complimenting or insulting me. Who am I kidding actually, everything out of this man is an insult.
It takes exactly a minute like Mrs. Deus promised, by which time I'm already half asleep while standing up. "Meliodas, meet my daughter. Elizabeth, meet Meliodas." I snap to attention in an instant. Staring wide eyed at the girl in front of me. Her long white hair about half the length of her body. only one eye visible while the other is covered up by her hair for some reason. Her outfit all kinds of prim and proper school girl, almost no skin showing, and I find myself wishing that even just a bit would show if only for a second. Her figure eye catching and... and... I'm blanking out. What's going on here? She's smiling at me, it's such a sincere smile. How can she smile with a woman like this as her mother? How is this girl the daughter of my school's she-devil.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Meliodas!" She says with an all too genuine cheeriness in her voice. I don't understand what's going on anymore. I'm dreaming in study hall aren't I? This is just a dream. Any second now a pig is going to fly through the air cawing like a bird.
I feel a kick to my calf and I wince a bit. Nope, this is reality. I side glance my father who doesn't even look at me. I then look at the girl again, her hands clasped together at her waist. That smile is actually going to kill me because I think my heart is going to snap in half if I look at it too long. "Uhm.. Uh, nice to meet you too." Nice greeting Shakespeare! What was that?!
"She's just transferred here. She's been living with her uncle the past couple years but her other school just wasn't meeting my standards for my beloved daughter." I can feel the venomous lies dripping off the she-serpent in abundance. I don't look at her though, I'm stuck glued to Elizabeth... I'm hardly processing this right now.
'Snap out of it!' I shout at myself in my own head. I shake my head to help drive the message home, earning myself a confused glance from my father and Mrs. Deus, but Elizabeth just giggles. Fuck that's not helping! Why is she so pure? I'm too tired to be dealing with this right now!
"As I was saying," Mrs. Deus continues, "I need someone to help Elizabeth get acquainted with the school. You'll be taking her to study hall, after that, Mael or Ludociel should have no trouble taking over for you in helping her with the ropes of the school. All you need to do is show her where her first class of the day is. Can you handle that?"
'Can you go five minutes without being an insufferable bitch who dampens the shining radiance that I'm basking in right now?' is the swift response in my head. Though it very nearly comes out of my lips instead of what actually comes out, "I can handle it. My current class is study hall too. I can help her with her schedule in that time." I watch as Mrs. Deus visibly grits her teeth at this new information. If only I could hear her grinding her teeth together, it would be true music to my ears.
I hear my father cough, his usual telltale sign of holding in a chuckle. "If it's settled then, I think your daughter will be fine Mrs. Deus. We have some work of our own to do. You waited years to have your daughter back after all, you can wait another day." I can hear the smugness in my father's voice. I don't look at him though, my eyes never leaving Elizabeth.
I watch as Elizabeth turns happily and hugs her mother. "I'll be fine mom! I'll see you later!" I share a look finally with my father, who gives me the same incredulous look, then simultaneously we look at Elizabeth and Mrs. Deus, one clearly happy, the other seeming to dread the extended contact the longer it goes on.
"Yes. Indeed." What a loving mother. "Run along now. Leave Meliodas as soon as he's shown you to study hall." She orders, and Elizabeth pulls away, a frown on her lips and my breath catches at the pout she has. I don't know what Mrs. Deus has done but she has conscripted a weapon of Meliodas murder and it's working.
"Run along you two, I'll talk with your mother Elizabeth about how she should learn manners from you." Elizabeth grins at this as she walks to the door. I think the tension is starting to physically manifest in the air between my father and Mrs. Deus so I waste no time in following Elizabeth out of the office.
I take the lead once we're outside and guide her through the halls. We've not gotten far before I hear something crash back in the office, Elizabeth turns and look back. "What was that?" She asks. Her voice is so soft and soothing, not in the ominous siren way that her mother sounds, but caring and gentle like a... Like a... I don't even know I won't lie.
"Probably just the printer, it can be loud and very rambunctious." I offer as a cover up for the possible homicide that is occurring not far behind our backs. I reach over and press my hand against her back to keep her movi-... Oh dear god I made a mistake. I can feel she's soft, even through her school uniform I can tell she's a soft and gentle form under it... Fuck! 'Pull your hand away! Don't be a damn creeper!' I quickly pull my hand away once we're moving again. I feel myself getting hot and I'm not enjoying it in any way right now. What has this girl done to me, dammit!?
"So, Meliodas." Please don't talk to me. I don't want to fall head over heels in the middle of the hallway. I don't care if nobody will see, I'm dying as it is right now. "Uhm... Sorry I'm not good at small talk." I'm not good with being flustered so much so at least we're on the same page to some degree.
"It's fine. Your mom doesn't seem to want us talking anyways." But I want to keep talking. Dammit I really want to keep talking, but I'm flat-lining mentally right now.
"Oh..." She sounds so rejected god dammit! Why do I care? I shouldn't care! Yet here I am caring like an idiot!
"But I've not really been one to listen to either principal." I offer with a bit of a grin. She gasps at this, looking at me in shock. Too honest, she's a by the book girl, she's going to shut down, fuck.
Then she giggles, and I feel my entire spirit brighten to life at that sound. "Uncle bartra told me to ignore my mother as well. I don't really break rules, I like them, but... Maybe one tiny rule break isn't that bad." She smiles at me. I stare at her in surprise. Looking at her lips curved up in a beautiful smile. 'I've had a fulfilling life' I think as I'm pretty sure I'm about to go to heaven because this girl is making my heart do all kinds of unhealthy exercises in my chest and she's just walking with me to class. I shake myself out of the dreamland I've constructed at the presence of this girl, and look at the door into study hall as though it's the door to safety from what's killing me, though really, it's about to trap me in with it even more.
I open the door and walk in, leading the way for her. "May I sit with you, Meliodas?" She asks softly, as to not intrude on anyone studying I guess, but I don't think she realizes the only person studying is Mael, while everyone else is having social hour.
"Yeah." I strain out, why is my throat dry?! Why am I dying right now in every uncomfortable way? I smile at her despite this. "Just go check in with the teacher, he'll probably want to know the situation." She nods with a small smile. I smile back at her. I then deadlock my gaze on my seat once she turns to go talk with Mr. Hendrickson at his desk. I walk over, and lean into Zeldris' personal space, which causes him to jump a bit, obviously not realizing I even returned. "Go sit with Gelda." I order rather simply. He looks at me as if I'm nuts and I nod over to her. "It's not going to kill you two to talk face to face instead of over the phone. Dad will never know. Now move it." He gets the message by my tone, which had turned extremely dominant and in control, I'm kind of surprised and scared of it myself, but when the seat next to mine is free I sit down, sighing in relief that I'll be able to sit with Elizabeth like she requested.
A minute passes by and she walks over to me, setting her bag by her seat and turning to face me, a confused look on her face. "I thought someone was sitting here a moment ago?" She asks and I tense up a little.
"He's my brother. He actually went to go talk to his girlfriend." I explain as hushed as I can, hoping with all my heart nobody overhears, and that Elizabeth isn't dense and misses the importance of the hushed tone. Would that turn me off from her? I don't know... I'm struggling to think right now. I'm experiencing some extreme shell-shock.
"Gotcha." She says in a whisper, nodding to me before she goes to her bag and opens it up. She pulls out a paper, and I recognize it quickly as a class schedule. "You said you could help me with my schedule, right? You don't mind do you?"
I shake my head, waving my hand dismissively to show that it's no problem at all. "It's my pleasure to help you out, Elizabeth." I slide the paper over to my side of the table and look it over. I glance over at Gelda and Zeldris, and he's too in depth talking with her to notice me at all thankfully.
"I appreciate that. I was kind of worried I'd not be able to find any friends coming here. I hardly had anyone at my last school as is." I look at her and my mind clears. Remembering everything that was discussed yesterday. I shake my head, finally getting the clouds in my mind out. She moved here because her mother is a control freak bitch who took her away from a good parent figure so that she can suffer under her tyrannical rule instead. Yet I can see now already, she's oblivious of that, or denying it. I smile at her, offering as much sympathy as I can possibly muster, she deserves all of it after all.
"Well don't worry about that then. I'll gladly take the role, even if I'm the only one, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you feel like you have a hundred friends." She chuckles at my words, and I feel my heart skip a beat at the sound. I finally look down at the schedule again, scanning through it and my heart stops this time I think. My eyes wide at the list before me.
"Is it that bad?" She asks worriedly. I look over at her and she seems genuinely concerned. I must have made a face or something to give away my shock.
"No. It's actually funny." I chuckle out, sliding it back to her. "You have all the same classes as me it seems." She brightens up at this, and I want to see that brightness every day for as long as I can.
"That's ridiculous! I can't believe such luck!" She says in hushed excitement. I love the sound of her excitement. I don't know how but I think I know what Zeldris is going through with Gelda, except for me I'd argue I'm in a much more dangerous situation. This is the daughter of our father's rival, and I'm here falling for her like a damn puppy.
I smile at her, and It's the first genuine wide smile that I've had in such a long time it feels foreign to me. "I'd say my father was right to call me for this job. You won't even need a second tour guide." I chuckle and she does so too. Then it strikes me square in the head. 'Did dad set up her schedule to mirror mine? Is this part of one of his damn schemes or something?' I feel myself tense with worry at that prospect. Elizabeth seems to notice as she rests a hand on my shoulder and I wish that she didn't because it only makes me more tense for different reasons entirely.
"What's wrong?" She asks softly, and I want to tell her every woe I've ever experienced because her voice just makes me want to open up like a book for her to read. Agh! Quit it already! You're melting you damn love-struck idiot! You've never even been interested in a girl before! Why now?!
I look into her eye, and I smile at her playfully. "I'm fine, just looking forward to getting to know you better." I watch her face redden a bit and she pulls away a bit, I chuckle. She's nothing like her mother. She's pure. She's genuine. She's beautiful. And I'm going to make her mine.