i completely forgot to mention it last chapter, but do mind that this is rated M. canon-typical violence, smut, language, all the juicy stuff.

ooo

Elizabeth tries her best to keep her mind off the whole Meliodas asked me for help situation. So now, as Diane drives her to work, Elizabeth starts to change her clothes in the passenger's seat.

"When will you ever not change like this on our way to your job?" Diane laughs, keeping her violet eyes glued to the road. The silverette laughs but sighs as she pulls her leggings off and shimmies a pencil skirt over her hips. "Seriously, it's like this every day that you work! Why don't you just change at the dorm?"

The woman simply shrugs. She slips her shirt off, grabbing her work shirt from the glove compartment. "I don't know," she answers. "You know I'm awful at managing my time. You don't seem to have a problem with me changing."

Diane pulls the car to a stop. Elizabeth almost questions her until she realizes, as she glances up, that they are at a red light. "Awful at managing your time, but you always have time to study and ace tests?" She says, her tone all but teasing. "Of course I don't have a problem, Ellie. We've been best friends since forever! The only problem I have is that fuckin' apron. You're a waitress, not a cook! Plus it looks awful with the shirt and the skirt. You should boycott your job's uniform."

"I guess you're right," Elizabeth frowns slightly as she looks down at herself. She gives a shallow shrug however, and stuffs the clothes she was just wearing into the glove compartment. "But I'm not boycotting the uniform. I won't have to worry about it when I graduate and get my degrees. Nurses and doctors make tons, you know, and scrubs aren't bad for a uniform."

"Better scrubs than whatever the hell they make you wear at that restaurant," her best friend sneers. "But you know that's gonna be a while, El. This is what—your second year?" She pauses for a moment, the car moving once more as the traffic light turns green. "You've got two more years at the least, four at the most, plus all the time that it'll take to even be considered to take a position at a hospital and stuff."

Oh, how Elizabeth hated it when Diane was right. How she loathed it even more when she had an insanely valid point.

"I love you to death Elizabeth," the brunette continued. "But it's gonna be a while before you have to quit your job here. So you're kind of stuck with that awful uniform for a lot longer than you think!"

Elizabeth sighs, shifting herself to tilt her head against the headrest of her seat, her eyes gazing into the dark world softly lit up by the street lights. Again, Diane is right. And again, Elizabeth wishes she didn't have such a valid point.

"I know," she simply says, not wanting to talk about the subject any longer.

Silence fills the car and neither one of them speaks again. The only noises that really break the silence are the sounds of the cars that pass by and the sound of Diane's own car engine rumbling as she drives.

Her phone pings with a notification but Elizabeth ignores it, stuffing the device into her back pocket.

Diane pulls them up into the semi-full parking lot of the restaurant Elizabeth works at. Elizabeth spares her best friend a glance before placing a hand on the handle of the car door and pushing it open.

"What time should I come around to pick you up? Do you get off late again?" Diane asks, moving the gear shift to reverse the car.

Elizabeth nods her head, smoothing down her skirt and fixing her apron. "Yup," she confirms, popping the 'p'. "11:30 tonight. Will you be up and sober enough to drive here and back to the dorm? Or should I call a cab and save us both money by not paying the hospital a visit?"

Diane clicks her tongue, rolling her eyes at the blue-eyed woman. "I'll be fine, Ellie. Do you want me to grab leftovers from King's before I come pick you up, or will you grab some food from work?" And then she giggles, scratching her eyebrow as she checks her rearview mirror. "But God knows your managers don't even give you enough time to eat during your breaks."

"Diane!" Elizabeth scolds. But once again tonight—she's right. She gets barely five minutes to even sit down and drink a sip of water before she has to be up and working again. The job pays fairly well though, so she can't complain that much. Though, she supposes it's why she eats a gracious meal before she clocks into work… "Sure, bring King's leftovers. What're you having tonight?"

"Don't know yet - I'll text you!"

The silverette shakes her head, a smile bearing her lips regardless. "Okay. Have fun. I'll call you when I get off work."

They say their temporary goodbyes and Elizabeth walks towards the restaurant after watching Diane drive off. As she enters the establishment, soft music immediately fills her ears. Far too classical for her taste but she tolerated it. Twenty something bucks an hour for a part-time job to put up with small things like this were exactly why Elizabeth adored applying for jobs like this.

She just wishes it weren't winter time right now. Her legs are exposed to the cold air - Elizabeth curses her job's uniform policy.

Elizabeth clocks into work like normal; greeting her managers and coworkers, immediately sitting people down and taking their orders, smiling at each compliment that is thrown at her. Another thing that made this job more bearable were the compliments. Well, the ones that aren't borderline creepy, anyway.

Her phone vibrates in her pocket and she ignores it. When it buzzes again, she starts feeling irritated, wondering if she should pull it out and check who in the world wants her attention so badly or simply turn it off and keep it that way until the end of her shift.

She knows it can't be Diane - she dropped her off not too long ago…

The silverette simply ignores her buzzing phone to the best of her abilities, moving around the restaurant as she takes the customers' orders. She comes to and from the kitchen so many times that she loses count– but it isn't something new. Elizabeth is accustomed to working like this - never stuck in the same spot for too long. The songs on the other hand—oh, they're always on repeat. The same classical pieces over and over and over. It's so bad to the point where Elizabeth finds herself humming some of these songs while she does homework sometimes.

Elizabeth hands the chef a torn piece of paper from the little notepad she's given to write down orders, her legs already carrying her out of the kitchen and back into the restaurant. A quick sigh escapes her as she glances at the clock. It reads 9:25. Only two more hours.

Her gaze is fixated on the clock for a little longer as she approaches a table with a new customer, her lips already curling into a smile like it was a part of a routine she can't seem to drop.

"Hi! Are you ready to—"

She cuts herself off as she faces the customer. Her heart leaps to her throat at the sight of messy blonde locks and a cocky smirk. What in the world is Meliodas doing here at her work?! He's a stalker, Elizabeth assumes in her head. Is this what he meant when he said he would convince me?

"Ready to be tutored?" Meliodas makes a terrible attempt to finish her sentence. "Yes, absolutely. By the way, don't you know it's rude to ignore someone when they're trying to get a hold of you?" His green eyes pierce hers, and she presses her lips into a thin line, unimpressed. So he's the one that's been spamming her phone…

"I was going to say are you ready to order," she states, matter-of-factly, ignoring his last statement. "So, sir. Are you actually ready to order or do you need more time to think about what you want? Shall I get you a drink while you choose one of our many options?"

"I'd really like to order some tutoring lessons." He just won't back down! "Is that on the menu? I didn't really check that thoroughly though."

Elizabeth feels her heart thump harshly in her chest. Just get this over with and you get to go home! But with the arrogant smirk on his boyish face - oh how badly she wishes she could tell him off. She's on the clock though– and very much in front of many other people in public– so much to her dismay, she can't.

She swallows thickly. "I'm sorry; we don't serve those here. Might I suggest the shrimp alfredo? It's our chef's favorite thing to cook."

"Nah," Meliodas leans back in the chair, "not a fan of shrimp. Can you start teaching me privately tomorrow? If you're not busy, of course."

"No." Elizabeth feels oddly close to snapping - not in a necessarily bad way. She just thinks she'll start yelling at him if he doesn't stop harassing her at her job. "How about the loaded baked potatoes? I hear they're good."

He hums unsurely. "I dunno - do you have time to tutor me any time this week?"

The silverette leans closer to the blonde, hoping no one can hear this awful conversation continue. "Listen, Meliodas. How in the hell did you find where I work? Shouldn't you be banging some girl in your roommate's personal space like you always do? I am not going to tutor you. Give up."

A grin curves at his lips and Elizabeth feels her sanity losing grip. "No, I don't think so. After all, how do you think Mael would react if he found out how rude you're being with me?"

She freezes at the name. Mael? H er being rude? He can't take no for an answer!

"How did…"

"I have my ways," he replies. "Now, can we come to an agreement? Can you tutor me so I can get back on the team?"

A sigh escapes her parted lips and she leans back, fixing her posture and closing her eyes as she clicks the pen in her hand on the notepad. "Order something and maybe I'll hear you out, Meliodas."

"I've got somewhere to be soo—"

"No no," Elizabeth opens her eyes and grins. "You had the time to harass me at work; you have enough time to sit here and eat. So what will it be, Meliodas? How does the fried rice sound?" She doesn't miss the defeated look on his face, however it disappears as quickly as it appeared. He nods, handing her his menu.

ooo

"So," Meliodas says once Elizabeth gets off the phone, appreciating he finally has her undivided attention. Damn it though, she works late… "Will you agree to tutor me now?"

Elizabeth pulls her apron off and folds it on her lap, adjusting her skirt so her skin doesn't press directly against the steel of the bench they sit on. He's sure she is thankful there's a decent amount of space between them on this God awful bench.

She avoids his gaze, looking down at the snowy ground. "First I want to know how the hell you found me. Secondly, I demand you tell me how you found out about Mael."

He smirks, a tad grateful she isn't looking at his face. Now that she's off the clock, who knows what she'll do. She wouldn't do anything though, he thinks, they're still out in public. Nor does she really seem like the type to lose her shit. "I asked around. Didn't really get much out of asking since no one really knows where the fuck you work, so I decided to go back to your social media. Maybe you should've taken down that one picture with you and your friends in front of this place if you didn't want me to find out where you work."

The silver haired woman gasps, whipping her head to glare at him. He relishes the anger he seems to easily bring out in her. Never has he ever felt that way about a woman - because it's odd, finding some sort of pleasure in angering a girl - but he learns something new about himself every day, he supposes.

"But I did some digging and even more asking around," he continues despite the faint flush on her cheeks. "And I found out that you wanna get into Mael's pants. Isn't it true?"

She bites her lips and forces herself to look away. "It's not like that. I… I like him. But I know I have no chance anyway, so you're getting nowhere trying to help me get with him."

"Bullshit," Meliodas insists. He brings his arms under his chest and folds them, trying to not let the cold air get to him. "Poh-tay-toe, pa-tah-toh. You've thought about fucking him, right? What's the difference?"

"Just drop it, Meliodas," Elizabeth hisses. "You're getting nowhere with this."

The blonde rolls his eyes, a soft sigh drawing from his nose. "Fine. But I really need you to tutor me, Elizabeth. How much is it you ask for usually? Like fourty an hour? I'll pay you double or whatever amount you want."

"Why would you pay me eighty an hour?" She questions him, bringing her gaze back to him. Her brow is furrowed and he resists the urge to snort at her dumbfounded expression. "You don't know if I'm a good teacher or not. It wouldn't be worth it to waste your money like that. You could easily find someone else to tutor you."

Meliodas shakes his head, the wind suddenly howling and brushing against them. They both shiver but they both choose to ignore that they did. "A bad tutor wouldn't charge so much," he says. "Plus, everyone that you've ever taught always aces their tests." Then he turns his body more toward her, her eyes slightly widening as her eyebrows relax. "I need this, Elizabeth. Playing basketball is all I've ever wanted and I can't do it without help."

It's silent for a minute. A long agonizing minute. Elizabeth simply stares at him, her gaze darting all across his face. It gives him the opportunity to study her face. Her lashes are long and dark, her skin is pale but not in a bad way, and her fringe frames her face perfectly.

God, not only does she have a pretty face, she has a nice body too…

He really tried his hardest not to eye her up as she worked, but damn it that uniform she wears leaves nothing to the imagination; those clothes hug every curve of her body.

Meliodas smirks again, "C'mon Elizabeth. Don't make me beg now."

Her nose scrunches up in disgust, a soft groan leaving her. "Ew, I don't wanna hear you beg. I'll help you."

"Really?!" The blonde shouts out, leaping from his spot on the bench. Elizabeth jumps back, clearly startled by his sudden outburst. "What changed your mind?"

"The sooner I get this over with, the less I'll have to see of you," she answers simply. "And the less I have to see of you, the less I'll get annoyed by you."

He shrugs, sitting back down and stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Hm. Fair enough. Tomorrow then? I'll give you my number so it's easier for us to contact each other," he says, holding his hand out, silently asking for her phone.

She hands it to him after a slight moment of hesitation. He disregards it and puts his phone number into her contacts. "If I don't get called in, I could do tomorrow," Elizabeth responds to his question. "They randomly call sometimes, so I can't make any promises. And for the love of God, don't get pissy or upset when I might have to work instead of teaching you."

"I'm not a child, Elizabeth," Meliodas scoffs. "I understand if you have to work. I can live without a few days of not being tutored. Just as long as we can make up for it with longer sessions or something like that."

"Okay." He hands her phone back and she comes to a stand. "Just text me what time you think we should meet up. My ride's almost here and I'd rather not be seen with you - I hope I'm not hurting your feelings by saying that," she says in a mocking, almost teasing tone. "See you tomorrow."

"See ya," he returned her farewell, watching her backside as she walked away.

ooo

Meliodas groans as he closes the door to his dorm room. It's just barely past midnight now - he curses Elizabeth's awful work schedule. Didn't she work during the afternoons and not so late during the night?

But he guesses it doesn't matter. He got her to agree to tutor him - just at the cost of basically hundreds of dollars per day she'll be teaching him. And here he thought he could find a way to save his money.

"Where the fuck have you been?" A deep voice questions and Meliodas darts his eyes to a figure sitting on the couch in the living room. His eyes adjust to the darkness of the room, realizing that his best friend is the one on the couch. "Don't tell me you were out fuckin' some bitch, Mel. Haven't you seen the time?"

"No Ban," Meliodas is quick to deny his accusation. "I was just dealing with something that I couldn't leave until the last minute. What have you been doing the entire time I was gone? And where's everyone else?"

Ban chuckles. "Partyin' somewhere. I ain't go 'cus I woke up really fuckin' late with the worst hangover. I work tomorrow, so I really didn't wanna have a repeat of today."

"Glad you're feeling better. I'll be going up to my room now, 'kay?" Meliodas shrugs off his coat and leaves it hanging on the coat hanger by the door. "Shout if you need me."

A groan is his only response.

Meliodas quickly retreats to his room, shrugging off his thick clothing in favor of putting on a pair of sweats, forgoing a shirt all together. Despite the heavy feel on his eyelids, he plops himself onto his desk chair, turning on his computer. The light that flashes on the screen hurts his eyes for a second, as if it were his first time turning on his computer. He should have expected it, really.

He checks his emails quickly, noticing that he doesn't have any new messages.

His mind slowly wanders to the mystery that is Elizabeth Liones. Meliodas wonders what else he can find out about her - not that he would use blackmail against her in the first place. Curiosity gets the better of him, and he finds himself stalking her social media page once more.

He went to sleep much later than he intended.