Our First Fall

A Meliodas and Elizabeth story

Chapter Twenty-Five: Can't Stand The Heat

Sweat coated me like a second skin. My endurance had been peaked, my speed amazing but today I was back of the pack. Demons jeered at me, most of them in an attempt to pull some fight out of me. They were bolder with Meliodas gone. He'd set us to our drills and left with a promise to be back when we were finished.

It'd been two days since my magic explosion in the cube and my power is still erratic. So, we hadn't been back, although he said we could start it back up when I am back to myself. I had insisted I could still train with the others, yet it seemed Meliodas had been right. Perhaps I shouldn't be here.

Meliodas had taken it easy with me, even helping me with a new report to Ludociel by sketching outlines of the city and some parts of the castle. I'd refused to write about the power structure here but did agree to give the Ten Commandments names. Meliodas said it would buy us more time and that it wasn't a betrayal.

Is that what is weighing me down, or did my magic have more to do with my stamina than I thought? The others were finished when I'd reached them. I'd done half my laps on foot and the other half by wings. I glided to a stop, panting as I shrugged to some of those I considered friends when they looked at me with concern. Or, I guess I couldn't truly tell with Yuri as her 'head' didn't show many emotions- she kind of always looked like she was about to eat you.

Without much subtly, I reinvigorated myself and the sweat misted away.

"No fair." Groder nudged me from the side, his white hair slick with sweat, matted to the side of his face. I shrugged, grinning.

Meliodas appeared on top of the wall, looking down at us. He spotted me and jumped down from the wall, the impact drawing everyone's focus and to my surprise, he had the cube and plate in opposite hands. He hadn't told me the troops were starting this today. I flushed, thinking he might have given up on training me. In his deep, commanding voice that always got me flustered, he explained how to use the cube and what it does.

"I'll demonstrate with Elizabeth, come here." He calls me out and I grow flush, slowly walking forward. Together, we walk farther away still, to a spot in the packed soil that looked about the size of the perfect cube when it's erect. He whispers, chin at my shoulder to say "We're going to face both our golems together, attack mine and I'll attack yours when they first appear to get the most out of this. It will be intense but I promise you're ready." When I gave him a wide-eyed look he smiled, reassuringly. "Worse case, I'll keep you safe."

Did we have to do this in front of everyone? I was about to ask if I could sit this out but then I remembered my golem was only as strong as I am, so she'd be feeling this depletion too. He held up the cube, stating what I already knew.

"You all will start with this side of the cube." The symbol is of two stick figures mirrored with a line between them. "Pay attention, everyone will be entering in pairs." The troops grumbled and Meliodas snapped at them. "It's because when you mess up no one will be able to enter the cube to deactivate it until you regain consciousness, so your partner can still pull this cube free." Oh, that's why Meliodas always entered with me? It wasn't to save my ass? Although he still did. Meliodas looked to me, calling to the group "We'll be fighting both our own golems but the lot of you will fight one on one."

Some groaned in anticipatory pain but most just looked curious. With a long look over me, he showed me the side we'd be activating. A symbol of two stick figures, arrowed to opposite stick figures, still looking like a child's drawing. He didn't say a word but I knew he was telling me to be ready, to attack his golem. I fall into my stance beside him as he puts the plate on the ground and slides the cube into its place.

The transparent magic hexahedron forms around us and the demon troops move to the edges, each one getting a front row seat to what was about to happen. My nerves fired but so did my adrenaline. I've done this before and with Meliodas being the target of my golem, I'd beat the bitch back no problem.

We were scanned, Meliodas rooting at my side, a step farther forward then I am. The golems appeared and with a solid zapping ark, I hit the blank-faced stone Meliodas. Beside me, Meliodas' darkness snaps at the golem me. The pair of them jolted into action, I focused on my own self, rushing forward to intercept her as Meliodas had already crashed with his golem, much faster than the two me's

Even on my best day, I am slow in comparison. Meliodas' speed is his greatest advantage, his strength a close second.

My golem was sparking with me. Her blades flickering and I focused on bashing her, keeping her from Meliodas. She made a break for him and I tackled her from behind, using my ark to smash her head into the ground. With a twist, I was at Meliodas' back, reminding me of all the times after my fights that we'd go over the positions in sync.

With the other me struggling to stand I see Meliodas rush forward, fist extended to slam into his golem, who was coming for me. I see an opening, sending an ark at the stone golem to propel him into my partners fist. The golem cracked, but in the mayhem my golem had risen, rushing toward Meliodas. I used my magic to move faster, landing on her back like a crazed monkey, my feet on her spine as I grab her wing with one hand and use my other to cut my blade through the base of her wing. I just de-winged my other self, making her lopsided.

With a howl I threw her stone wing away, it crashed to the side of the cube but her fist gripped my ankle and she tossed me hard into the side of the stone Meliodas. I knew the real Meliodas is on the other side as his golems rock arm secures around my neck and I struggle, my blades impacting but not damaging near enough. I can't breathe and my golem runs past, fast on her feet toward Meliodas.

I don't see what happens but a moment later stones and pebbles ricocheted all around us, my golem obliterated. With Meliodas at a safe distance, my arms move behind my back and I crossed my blades, focusing a small ark to hit the sparking stream. It causes me and the stone golem to explode apart in a huge boom of white light. I braced for impact, knowing I'd crush a lot of bones when I hit the cube at this velocity, my wings spread wide for resistance.

Strong arms spun me, turning the force into motion until dizzily, the flesh Meliodas and I stopped spinning. Meliodas caught me? He had the strength to fight off that mass of momentum. He released me, standing before me again and I mirrored him at his side as his golem began rising again, cracked and missing the arm he had around my neck just moments ago. The magic behind me lapped back, just like before, water trapped in a container only this time its low, only a few inches of power.

I looked over my partner, Meliodas must have been hit with my magic too as his flesh is burnt but not seared away like my first experiment with this attack. I am getting better at it. Using the time we had, I reached for his skin, zapping him with a full heal before forming my orb blades again to fire from afar.

"No." Meliodas hushes, the magic fizzling noisily around us, "these demons may end up as your enemy, keep your new skills an advantage." I flush, thinking he was putting me before his troops. I let the blades form to my wrists and arms to give them max aggressive power. After the mini atomic blast, healing Meliodas and being low on power to begin with I was nearing the end of my magic. I'd fight with Meliodas, no matter how I felt or how weak I've become.

With a blink, the two clashed and even at a disadvantage without my firing blades, I stayed at Meliodas' back, ark-ing pieces off the golem. His foot, his side, and half his head was chipped away. With a lucky punch, the golem hooked Meliodas and I rooted as he impacted at my back. We only skidded a few feet as I focused the energy on my stance, just like he'd taught me.

My wings were spread wide to accept him, slowing our momentum and the golem took advantage, grabbing at my wing. I braced for the snap but just as his stone fingers had made contact, they were gone. Darkness seeped, tendrils exploded like tentacles swirling in the cube and then, the golem exploded too. I watched, wide-eyed, my blades fading, as Meliodas's skin turned dark, the magic seeping from his very being and he is someone else for a moment.

Cheers sounded around us and I flushed, remembering we were surrounded by our unit. I rushed to Meliodas' side as he still had his fist in the crater of earth, his knuckles meeting the bottom of the cube. He's leaking darkness. "Is that... really you, Meliodas?" I whisper under the roar of our audience, his messy hair shielding his face from view.

He stands and I mirror him. When he finally grins at me, I rush into him, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. Neither of us had many injuries and I laughed, thinking the odds of that being astronomically low.

"We're good together!" I tell him and he scoffs softly, telling me "Of course we are."

When I release him, he takes my hand to guide me with him to find the plate. We slope down with the contours of the crater he made to see it anchored to the bottom of the perfect cube. Letting go, he removed it, turning it to the single mirrored image on top but as the magic barrier fell around us, our unit rushed us. I expected them to go to Meliodas as he'd been the star of the show, having destroyed both golems, but they didn't.

Hands reached, patting me and Yuri's big arm wrapped around my shoulder while her knuckle rubbed at the top of my head. "You are a secret badass!" someone shouted, "You faced off with Meliodas' double!" and "That magic attack would have blown us miles away!" Showing them what I could do earned their respect? I didn't think I was that impressive...

Meliodas moved through the crowd, tossing them away with any body part he could grip, over his shoulder to get to me. Some cried out in alarm, others chuckled as they soared a few feet away. Amid the bodies and with laughter, the unit stepped away from me. I was in a state of pleased shock, but looking over Meliodas I could see he was truly back to himself in spite of his black eyes glinting at me.

He ordered them around, the first pair he picked was Yuri and Nanat. Nanat was the fiercest fighter among the troops and it was a good start, she had the highest likelihood of defeating herself. The troops gathered around to watch but Meliodas took my waist and jumped us to the top of the formed perfect cube. I sat, looking down with him beside me. It started, I winced as Nanat took hit after hit, getting her bearings for this. My first time had been just as bad.

Meliodas corrected her, distracting her on more than one occasion. She slips several times at the sound of his commanding voice. "The battlefield isn't a simulation, distractions are everywhere!" he bellowed and when Nanat finally got her groove, she met her double with more and more blows but taking twice what she gave. She's tough, which meant so was her golem.

"You rooted your stance," Meliodas muttered and I looked up to see him beaming with delight. "I could tell your golem wasn't at full strength, which means you are still recovering." With a weary, apologetic smile I shrug, sitting on my ankles and putting my hands on my knees before him. "Can you heal yourself?" Meliodas reaches forward to touch my tender neck that his golem had grabbed.

"Yeah." I answer, "but it means more if I suffer." I try to tell him with my expression that fighting together, with him, was worth the pain. He smiles, head tilting to the side and green easing with warmth. "Thank you for training me," I tell him, grateful with how far I've come. Even what I'd learned from the giants has come together for me.

Everyone gets a turn, each pair seeming to fall sooner than the last. Not a single demon made it out having destroyed their golem, just like my first time. I cheered, reassured and winced with the rest of them. After training, when Meliodas dismissed them we were getting ready to go when the group of them called out to us.

"Come on Captain, Elizabeth- Let's go to Old Man Millers!" One whined and another picked up where the other left off, "We've fought together, now we drink together!" Meliodas looked concerned to me but I smiled.

"You did say I should try that Cinnamon mead," I smirk and a slow grin spreads. We joined our unit, them already excited as we noisily went through the city streets. Yuri took me under her arm and Meliodas was jumped from behind by Hoy. They fake wrestled and I smiled watching them as Yuri recounted her fight, having come out pretty damaged.

At Old Man Millers, we entered the tavern in a rush of bodies. There's a few scattered patrons but with all of us, the open room filled with round wooden tables, its suddenly at max capacity. I recognized the bartender, a tall man with gray hair, mouth long across his face with sharp teeth and too many eyes. He'd spoken to Meliodas a while ago as if they were friends, while I'd been sitting on Meliodas' head. I grew hot and a hand grabbed my behind.

"Gah!" I spin, spotting Meliodas and he uses the hand on my ass to steer me straight to... Old Man Miller? Is that his name or the name of the Tavern? With a flourish he orders us two of the Cinnamon meads and the man grins, wasting no time to get them together. The mugs are placed before us as he gives a little bow and moves to another of our comrades listing off drink orders.

"To your first taste." He says, salaciously, picking up the handle of his drink. I take my own and we tap cups softly. In one long gulp, he swallows and I watch his throat bob, wishing I could kiss him there but I shake myself.

I look down at the foam, seeing a golden liquid through the bubbles. Was I supposed to drink it down so quickly? With a sip, I taste. It's not bad, its cold and almost sweet but as it hits my belly its... warm? I like it, so I tip it back, gulping a little more than half of it before I stop, using my arm to wipe at my face as the foam had tickled my nose so much I can't fight it crinkling.

Meliodas looked shocked and I giggled, leaning forward with my hand over my mouth. "Did I do it wrong?" I ask, my belly swirling. "I'm warm here." I touch my tummy "Not like when you feel me but, nice." I murmur and Meliodas' eyes go moss green, a perverted grin twisting at his lips.

We find a table but before I could sit in my own seat, Meliodas pulls me into his lap, crossways. I laugh, moving to take another of the stools but our troop mates swarm to take the remaining seats and I settle back, sipping my mead, trying to be comfortable with this.

Some ask how we met, others if the Commandments knew and I drank another round when they asked how the goddesses felt when I left them to be with their Prince. They made it sound like I betrayed my people to be here. I guess they didn't know the circumstances... was that the rumor? Meliodas' answered with jokes, ribbing a few of them for being nosey. When they got bored with me they turned to others to drill them with questions.

One of the men that had been here when we first arrived started strumming on a lute and music filled the place. People went wild, Nanat actually got on a table before she was yanked down with a well-placed ankle grab. I wiggled, trying to get a better view and under my thigh, I felt his hard member press into me.

Shocked I met his gaze, his eyebrow was quirked as he grinned, taking another long swig of his fifth or sixth cup. I was on my third, but his eyes held so much promise that I pooled in my panties just like that. Wet. He had that much control over my body. I shivered and he put his mug down, hand slipping away. While I took another sip of my drink, his fingers rest on my thigh and I flinch, rubbing against his hardness all the more, accidentally.

In alarm I grip his hand with my free one, looking around over the rim of my mug. Everyone looked busy, in debates with one another, a couple even making out against the wall with multiple limbs exploring one another, Groder and who? Not to mention the dancing that had broken out in the center, shoes tapping on the wooden floor. Maybe it was the drink, or maybe it was the atmosphere but I lifted my hand off his and looped my arm over his shoulder. I giggled at his stunned look and I kissed the side of his mouth chaste and quick.

"What?" I ask, taking another sip and there was the bottom of my mug again.

He laughs, fingers trailing down but with a soft, meaningful smile he simply grips my hip to pull me across his hardness and it reminds me of my dream. I dip, coming to his ear. "I want to touch you... with me," I whisper and when I grow hot, pulling away to look at him, he looks confused for a moment until I rock to grind myself in a little circle over his member. His eyes go wide, clear green depths that went on for miles reflected my burning face in his orbs..

In a sudden move of his, I was up and thrown over his shoulder, and with much ado he told everyone we were leaving. He smacked my behind and a few cheered.

"Meliodas!" I scolded and when he turned toward the door I smacked his behind in retaliation, getting even more cheers and a few hoots. He laughed, asking the wide mouth bartender to send on the night's bill, and when we hit the street he took off at a run toward the castle. I had to keep my wings tucked, but feathers shed in our wake from the wind rushing against their grain .

In no time with his quick run, we're in our rooms, his hands going for my dress hem but Estarossa weaves between us. Obviously excited to see we're home. "Sorry pup," Meliodas says, in one full sweep he removes my dress over my head and I sway, having just been holding on for dear life on the ride here. Now, in my underwear. I pat the excited dog in greeting but Meliodas wastes no time, picking me up by my thighs, to wrap them around his hips and heading to the bedroom.

"No!" I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around his head to squish my breasts around his face. "In the bath! All slippery!" He stops, frozen in place before slowly lowering me to put my feet on the ground and looking up at me from my embrace. Estarossa rubs against our legs, circling.

"You're drunk." Meliodas hushes, so wistful "it would be the right thing to do... to not take advantage of you." He looks so torn, so contrite. "You've trusted me with your first time, drinking that is, so I have to honor that."

"Oh," I breath, letting him go and stepping around the excited puppy and heading to the bath. "But I'll be so lonely," I look over my shoulder, he's watching my hips and slowly meets my eyes with a tortured expression, "naked and wet." Even trying to be enticing, he stays rooted to the ground, his face tense.

Inside the bathroom, I start the water, thinking I must really be bad at this. Twice now I've tried to start things with him and both times he's stayed away. I just started stacking the wood logs for the fire when the door opened and in walked Meliodas. "Let me heat your bath." He says and I try to stifle my emerging hope. Maybe he was going to join me?

"Do you not like when I... initiate things?" I ask, shy as he starts the fire under the water tub. He's still dressed and one of my feathers is stuck to his shoulder. I reach for it, plucking it from him, but he sees me. His expression was one of heartbreak.

"Give it a few minutes." He motions to the bath, no longer looking at me and I frown, the feather still in my hand. He turns to go and I panic.

"Please don't!" I rush, "I don't think I'm drunk, I just... feel brave and warm and... Can you be drunk off three drinks?" I ask, and he pauses. The only sound beside the rushing water was the poor dog scratching at the door. "I always thought being honorable is overrated," I whisper, taping my bare toe on the stone floor behind me and he chuckles.

"I like when you come on to me." He says and I flush as he turns to face me, starting to unbutton his shirt buttons.

"I like when you cum on me too," I reply, feeling all the hotter having admitted it while knowing he is going to take a bath with me. His laugh echoes in the tile room and the sound makes me smile.

"I like that too," His eyes twinkle "but when you initiate things, it's called a come on. It is a great disservice that the first time you initiated I was unsure about your magic summoning demons upon us and now... in an attempt to not take advantage of you, I've denied you again." He looks me over, was he actually blushing? "I'm full of contradictions with you, I let you get comfortable with me on my terms, but then shut down your attempts. I'm sorry, Elizabeth."

"Oh, don't be!" I say, and stupidly I realize I'm still holding my feather. I toss it away, using my arms to cover my chest and my wings flutter nervously. "I've never taken a bath with a man before. Unless you count the waterfalls." I admit, wishing I had one more drink to keep myself from my nerves.

He pulls at the ties of his pants and I watch as he bobs free, kicking them in the corner, leaving his shirt where it fell. Meliodas feels the water, stokes the flames and then smiles at me as if I'm something to eat. I grow hot, suddenly nervous. "You take the lead, Elizabeth. Whatever you want tonight, okay?" He speaks so softly, offering his hand and I don't hesitate to take it.

We ease into the bathtub and it's very pleasant. The warmth reminds me of Megadozer. I shift nervously, settling in while Meliodas does the same. It's big enough in here for the two of us to comfortably fit and we settle in opposite one another, seats built in at either end. When the tub is full he shuts off the water and I realize what I've started here, what I had to do. "Are you nervous before you touch me?" I wonder if it felt like this for him too. A little exciting, tummy full of flutters, limbs shaky.

"The anticipation is... consuming." His elbows rest on the edge as he leans his back against the side of the tub, opposite me. "The thrill of it in public is comparable to intoxication but it feels more intense when we're alone." He's so open, actually relaxing and I find myself unwinding as well. The warm feeling still swirled in my belly and my head still felt light. He adds, "Your touch is unlike any touch I've ever had before. So, I have a hard time keeping my hands to myself."

The hot water added to my fogginess but with his soft confession, I reach for him. Sloshing softly through the water to feel him. "Your touch means more to me, too," I admit, my fingers grazing at his chest and I stop as my knees hit his. There was a lip to sit on and I pause. When I touch myself, it's a dull imitation to how much more I feel when it's his hands on me.

"Elizabeth..." Meliodas say, kindness in his gaze as I look at him, nervous. "Did your mother give you any abilities?" The topic change confused me but I answer.

"I'd know if she had, right?" When he nodded, slow, I shook my head as I said, "then no." He accepts my answer quickly, looking peaceful and I wonder if this had to do with his commandment. He is the only person I'd ever come to know that understands the pressure that comes with being born to a deity. He was older than I am, had much more responsibilities but all of this is waiting for me in some way or another among the goddesses.

I frowned, head swimming with haze as I thought, if we were both the next leader of our prospective clans then would that make it harder to be together or would it cement our peace? I'd have to talk to him about that later, to see if we could use our birthrights to our advantage, even though now it seemed like the biggest block before us, between us.

With a little shiver, I spread my legs to straddle Meliodas', feeling a chill in the water. My nipples peaked and I gripped his shoulders as I adjusted myself to sit on his knees, suddenly too shy to press us any closer. Meliodas groans, low, looking up at me through hooded eyes. They almost glowed, the moonlight shining in them from the uncovered window and the flickering flames under the bath our only source of light.

His elbows drop from the edge of the tub, hands flowing through the water to grasp my hips. He stayed true to his word, he let me take the lead but his fingers grazed there, my skin tingling as he murmurs "you're so supple and warm."

I inched forward, arching in and he tilts up to meet my kiss. It's soft, sweet and I feel my insides shift to jelly. Cupping his jaw, my hands slip down his neck and our mouths open, tingles shooting down my spine and my head swims, feeling light. I shiver, cold, but Meliodas is warmer, so I press forward, knowing what was to come...

He's hard, a solid rod that presses to my inner thigh and I stop, eyes widening to meet the adoration shining in Meliodas'. Our kiss falters, both gasping at the contact and my hands continue its slide under water, across his torso, and over his abs. Without hesitation, as I knew how to handle him now, I gripped him, the water making it so much easier to slip along his rigid hardness.

At first contact, he moaned into my mouth and we parted, our foreheads connected as the steam from our bath swirled between us. His grip on my hips grew firmer, squeezing and relaxing as I press forward, angling his member to meet my sensitive nub and I waver. My vision blurred for a moment and I blinked, wondering if I had drank too much? With a steadying breath, I stroke him as I move my hips forward and we make contact... right there.

My core quivers and I shudder. Without Meliodas' grip at my hips, I think I would have fallen as I lost muscle function for a moment. "Oh," I whisper, both of us gazing down at us through the water. "I can't stop... shaking." My voice sounds strangled, choking in my throat. He squeezes my hips, tight and I resume my exploration, rubbing the head against my slit.

"Why does it feel so..." I'm in awe, using my hips to twisted over him, the pressure at my core and the rhythm I chose felt like my body instinctively knew what to do. "... dizzying." I gripped his shoulder with my free hand, sliding up from his chest to steady myself, my legs trembling under me as I felt myself approach the abyss of pleasure.

I held off, trying to make this last longer. His neck muscles strained, groaning under me and with a little tilt of my pelvis I arched back, my breasts pressed to his face. Meliodas didn't waste the opportunity, his tongue flicking out to claim a peak, his hands keeping me in his lap as he added his own movement to our dance.

I feel so hot all over. His ministrations with his mouth speed me faster to the finish line and I moaned, low and throaty, slipping him down my slit and back up. Him, positioned under my core, had us both gasping at the sensation. Our breaths even move in accord. "Elizabeth..." He choked out, warning me that he was close and I writhed over him, desperate as he strained to hold out. My head floated, my vision blurred and I tipped over the edge into the numb abyss of pleasure. His name rips from my throat as I arch, his hardness pulses in my palm for a thrilling moment before he pulls my hips forward my hand separating from him, my core flush with his hips, his member under the swell of my ass.

"You're... Everything." Meliodas professes. A prayer in the dark. I marvel at his gratified expression and my glow fades, flickering out. My grip at his shoulder weakens, slipping down and my legs give out. The waves of pulsing adrenaline simmer to nothing and I realize too late what was happening to me. I couldn't keep up with the drills, I hadn't been at full power in the cube, the fuzzy feeling in the tavern and the water feeling chilled despite being heated.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, my wings flutter as I fall back, fighting to stay conscious as Meliodas jolts into action, catching me. He stands, sliding against me and my body quivers with leftover pleasure, a small smile twisting at my lips. Meliodas didn't return it, looking me over as if he could find and squash whatever was harming me. "I was careless... a fever..."

"No... I should have noticed. You were so flushed, I thought it was the mead." He stammered, moving us, stepping up on the seat to hop out of the bath. I tried to hold on to him but I could only reach his chest before my hand flopped uselessly. He adjusted how he carried me, skipping the towel to head to the main room and tears welled in frustration.

"I'm sorry I'm not strong..." I whispered, voice thick with tears, my chest squeezing and I hear the low timbre of his voice but I was falling again. Not into the abyss of pleasure, but into dark nothingness.