After her shower, Elizabeth picks up her hair into a ponytail, and gets herself dressed. She exits her room, the aroma of sweet syrup filling her nostrils.
Elizabeth walks throughout the hallway that contains the Sins' bedrooms and when she enters the bar, she's met with the sight of Meliodas, Ban, King and Diane sitting at one of the tables, stacks of pancakes on their plates, as well as bacon and fried eggs on other plates.
They each flash her a smile, Ban's the widest and brightest out of the four.
Elizabeth smiles too.
She makes her way over to the table and sits next to Diane and Ban. King and Meliodas sit on the opposite side of the table. The auburn haired man passes her a plate with pancakes and bacon, as well as a fork and a knife. Her eyes dart from the food to King's warm golden orbs. "We didn't know if you wanted eggs or pancakes," he says. "So Ban just made whatever we usually eat. Is that okay?"
"Of course, it's okay!" Elizabeth waves with her hands. "I'm not a picky eater."
Diane hums as she takes a mouthful of buttery pancakes. "So, Elizabeth," she says, and the silverette's attention is focused on the brunette. "Why were you on top of Boss when King and I walked in here?"
"What?!" Ban practically screams and it causes Elizabeth to jump in her seat. "Ellie was on top of Boss? Shit, that would've been a sight to see!" He says, a fit of laughter leaving him. Elizabeth flushes hard, her eyes locking with Ban's deep crimson as she looks to her side. "Oh, whoops! I made her blush! Silly me!"
"Ban," King scolds in a serious tone. "Leave the poor girl alone."
The white haired man only laughs harder, his fists banging on the table. "What? You got the hots for her now that Diane isn't the only woman here?" The silver haired woman's eyes go wide, her gaze finding Meliodas who wears nothing but a sly smirk on his face. He's just enjoying this little show, isn't he?
"What the fuck are you on about? No!"
"Hah! Calm down, King, you'll make Diane jealous, " Ban's tone nothing but teasing. Elizabeth's eyes move from Meliodas's emerald to Diane's amethyst. Her face is dusted with a bright pink hue, but her eyes only convey anger rather than the sweetness she's used to seeing in the brunette's purple orbs. Then, Diane abruptly stands up from her chair, everyone's eyes on her as she slams her hands onto the table.
"Enough!" She screams. "Ban, I've had enough bullshit coming from you! All you ever do is ridicule King and tease who ever is closest to you! Don't you get tired of saying the same crap?! I honestly do not understand how Elaine can even put up with you! Or even Boss for that matter!"
At this point, everyone's eyes are as wide as the space in the universe. Diane then throws her fork at Ban before storming off. King quickly gets up, "Diane, I-"
Diane spares him a single glance. "Don't follow me," is all she says before she walks into the hallway holding everyone's rooms. Elizabeth looks over to King, his jaw hitting the floor. He balls his hand into a fist before he sits down and softly bangs it on the table, causing the silverware to shake. She follows his every movements, even as his golden eyes find Ban's, the murderous intent in his eyes.
"You really need to learn how to keep your mouth shut," King mutters as he picks up his fork and shoves pancakes into his mouth.
Has Ban always been like this? Maybe she was wrong... Maybe King was right about what he said last night.
She doesn't even know what she's doing even as she's standing up and following Diane, but every instinct, every nerve, every muscle in her body is telling her to go comfort the brunette in any way possible. Elizabeth speedily walks through the bar and into the corridor she's getting used to seeing. Her eyes dart from just about every door until her eyes fixate on the door she had seen Meliodas come out of once. It was slightly open.
The silverette walks up the five-step stairs and opens the door. Her eyes go wide as she takes in the sight of a zen-garden looking area. It's small; there's a small fountain in the middle of the area, multiple kinds of flowers decorating the surrounding walls, and a stone path circling the fountain. Her orbs finally find Diane sitting on a stone bench by the right wall.
Elizabeth nears the brunette, and she thinks she's been a bit loud. "King, I told you not t-" Her eyes find Elizabeth's, and the silverette offers her a patient smile. "It's just you," the brunette whispers, and she almost sounds disappointed.
"I'm, uh, sorry if I'm not the person you expected to see," Elizabeth says, her hands behind her back as she continues to watch Diane through her ocean eyes.
"Nah, it's fine. It's just-" a heavy sigh "-Ban can just really get on my nerves sometimes. And the way he just kept talking about King, and you, it just really pissed me off," Diane stresses.
The silverette slides into the spot next to the brunette. She places a hand on Diane's back and rubs circles onto her. She does this for a few minutes before she decides to say something. "I don't mean to come off as rude," Elizabeth begins, "but you did start the conversation by asking me why I was on Meliodas."
"I know," Diane responds, her purple orbs closing. "But Ban could've kept his mouth shut."
A sigh leaves the silverette's lips. "I was wrong, I think," Elizabeth starts. Amethyst orbs find her blue hues. "I talked to King yesterday, and he said Ban was just this really annoying and aggravating guy - and it's worse since he's dating her sister - but... I told him that maybe King should give Ban a chance. But after what happened not even ten minutes ago, I was clearly wrong to say it," she ends with a short chuckle.
Diane places a hand on hers. "I know," she says, her voice strained. "He really isn't all that bad if you can overlook all his teasing. I just - I don't know how Boss and be best friends with him. It's so confusing to me," Diane laughs. Elizabeth smiles fondly at her. Suddenly, Diane stands, Elizabeth's eyes following her.
"I'm sorry," the other woman apologizes. "I just want to be alone for the time being."
"Oh," Elizabeth says, a smile finding her lips once more. "Yeah, that's perfectly fine." Diane nods, and gives her a sad smile before she re-enters the building. Elizabeth lets a sigh escape her lips. Her eyes softly trail the flowers that decorate the wall opposite of her. She sees a multitude of pink, red, blue, but her eyes stop when all that fills her vision is white.
White roses...
Her favorite flower.
It must be fortunate, Elizabeth thinks. That the sins are able to grow such rare flowers. And her favorite ones at that, huh? The world really is a small place after all. She met Jericho last night and in one the the weirdest and oddest situations, too. Who knew her best friend since middle school was working for the Seven Deadly Sins? Elizabeth expected her to have an ordinary job like... an office worker... or something.
She can't help but stare at the white flowers... she's seen so many yet it amazes her every time she looks at one. How can they be so pretty and breathtaking?
"Know what they mean?" A voice asks. Her head whips around to look at the person who had asked the question. She's met with a smirk, blonde hair, and those enchanting green eyes. Elizabeth shifts in her seat as he walks closer.
Meliodas sits next to her, her gaze returning to the white roses.
"Normally," Elizabeth starts, "they represent innocence and purity. They also symbolize when... New love blossoms."
She dreamed about these flowers last night, in that huge field accompanied by daisies, but - Who did she dream of? There was someone else in her dream... They'd kissed her all around and then she woke up on top of Meliodas...
"Hm," Meliodas softly hums. "Quite educated on flowers, huh?" Elizabeth rolls her eyes, but she ultimately keeps staring at the flowers. Why do small coincidences like this keep happening? First, she finds out Arthur knew Meliodas, then she also finds out Jericho works for him, and now her favorite flower sits in a small garden the Sins own.
Now that she thinks about it, does Arthur even know Meliodas is the leader of the Sins?
"You okay with working tonight, Princess?" Meliodas asks, his eyes trained on her. She turns her head to him, their gazes locking. And once again, she can't identify the emotion behind his eyes.
"Yeah, I should be fine," Elizabeth responds with a smile on her face.
{-}
Ocean eyes stare at the ceiling as she lays on her bed. Her silver hair splayed around her like she's a priceless painting. Her body feels warm, yet cold all at once. Maybe it's because she's wearing the bar uniform and it provides little to no coverage over her body.
A sigh escapes her lungs and she sits up. Meliodas really likes projecting his perverted thoughts into the clothing he chooses for her, doesn't he?
Elizabeth runs her fingers through her loose hair, the softness of it the only thing she feels on her fingertips. As she runs her fingers through her hair aimlessly, she hears her door open with a small knock.
A warm smile sits on his lips; Meliodas stands before her in her doorway, his body leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed. "Evening, Princess," he greets when her eyes find his, "it's almost time to open up. Anything you wanna get off your chest before we do?"
"Yes, this shirt so I can put on something that'll cover me more," Elizabeth jokes, and a smirk finds Meliodas's lips.
"I could take it off for you but we wouldn't be able to leave this room," he postulates, and the silverette's face goes beet red. She hadn't meant for the conversation to go this way, and she curses herself for saying what she said.
Elizabeth exhales through her nose with a smile on her face. "You know, for someone who's always telling me to wear more layers, you make me wear something close to nothing for work."
"But you're indoors," Meliodas retorts, walking further into the room towards the woman. "If we worked outside, I'd make you wear more clothing." Elizabeth rolls her eyes, and she turns her head toward her vanity, her earring in her line of sight.
"Actually," Elizabeth whispers, her body moving off the bed and towards the mirror of the vanity. "My older sister said my father's planning a masquerade ball a month from now. Do you think it would be a good opportunity to get more info on the government?" She looks into the mirror, and she sees the blonde behind her, his eyes widening at the information.
"That's perfect!" He exclaims, a hand snaking and squeezing her bottom as he inched closer to her. A squeak leaves her lips as she jumps from the contact but his hands remain. Her eyes wide, and they stare into Meliodas's greens through the mirror. His smirk holds nothing but overbearing confidence. Her face is more red than a tomato.
"Meliodas!" Elizabeth exclaims, smacking his arm away as she turns around. The blonde only chuckles, their orbs locking once more. She softly gasps as she feels her body burn again.
"Are you sure you're not sick?" Meliodas suddenly asks when he raises an eyebrow and places a hand on her forehead. She jolts backwards from the contact, the backs of her knees hitting the bed causing her to fall back. Her back hits the bed with a faint 'oof' coming from her lips. He inches closer to her and he soon towers over the silverette.
His leg dangerously close to the intimate area between her legs, and her blush only gets that much worse. Just how flustered can this man make her within five minutes?!
The blonde's face is a mere inch away from hers. If either one of them were to move forward, their lips would lock. Elizabeth's pupils are without a doubt blown, likely consuming all the color in her eyes. She sees his emerald orbs dart from her eyes to lips and back.
Instead of downright kissing her like she thought he would, he moves his face to the side, and she can feel his breath hit her ear. "You haven't answered the question, Princess," the blonde whispers into her ear and it makes her shiver. She lightly whimpers when his hand runs along the side of her exposed skin due to the short shirt of her work uniform.
"I- I'm not s-sick," the words somehow leave her mouth in a breathless whimper. She's never felt so hot in her life, dear God.
Unexpectedly, he presses a warm kiss to her forehead like he had a few days prior to this moment. She swears the world stops, time and all. Before she knows it, Meliodas crawls off of her, flashing her a quick lopsided grin before he leaves the room all together.
She hadn't realized her breathing had become harsh, yet shallow and quick all at once. Elizabeth sits up and places a hand on her chest, trying to level her breathing.
Why does she keep feeling like this? She feels something pooled in her loins, she's nothing but hot and feverish all over, and it's all because of Meliodas... She hasn't felt this way about anyone since her last relationship...
But there's no way she's in love. And with Meliodas of all people? It's ridiculous! After all, it's only been a week! She'd be nothing more than a fool to have already caught feelings for this guy - and the leader of a gang, of all people to fall for?
It's possible, that Meliodas only teases her like this because she agreed to help him, and he'll probably just throw her to the curb after he finds what he's after. That, and Diane would probably sock him in the jaw, but he's never shown any interest in Diane... Good for King, Elizabeth supposes.
Once her breathing is normal, she stands and looks into her mirror. Her skin is still flushed with a pink hue. Hopefully, and she prays, that no one will notice. A heavy exhale leaves her nostrils before she ultimately turns around and leaves her room to get the night over with.
When she walks into the bar, it isn't quite as... noisy as she thought it'd be. Diane still seems upset, even as she wipes down a table. King seems almost bored as he leans on the bar, his golden eyes nearly shut. And Elizabeth doesn't even see Ban. He's likely in the kitchen. Meliodas is nowhere in sight either. Odd; since she just saw him not even three minutes ago.
Her blue hues dart across the room until she spots another clean rag on the edge of the bar. She walks over and takes it into her hand then walks to the same table as Diane and begins wiping down the cloth onto it. Diane looks up, her soft purple staring into Elizabeth's cool cerulean, a dumbfounded expression on her face.
"Hey," the silverette greets. "Are you feeling better?" The brunette smiles, her eyes looking down at the cloth she's using to clean the table.
"Yeah," she whispers. When her eyes come back up, Diane examines her. Her brows quirk up, a teasing smile finding her lips.
"Ellie, why are you so red? " She asks through a fit of giggles.
So much for praying no one would notice.
Elizabeth nervously laughs. "Haha! It's just hot, is all!"
"But we're wearing practically nothing," Diane counters. Fuck, she has a point.
"Umm," the silverette tries to come up with an excuse, the grip on her rag tightening. "No AC?"
She's crashing and burning.
Diane gives Elizabeth a knowing look. "Elizabeth, come on. I know you and Boss were doing something!" Diane teases further. Elizabeth freezes, her eyes going wide and her flush getting worse. Does she actually know? Or is she just getting a laugh out of teasing her?
She hears the soft click of somebody's tongue from the bar. Elizabeth looks away from Diane as the brunette whips her head around to look at King. "Diane," his tone all but happy. "Ban already embarrassed her enough this morning. She doesn't need more."
The brunette pouts. "Okay, fine. I'm sorry."
"You're apologizing to the wrong person, Di."
Diane slowly turns her head back to Elizabeth, who now isn't sure she can blink anymore. Her eyes have been as wide as saucers for half of this conversation. A small apologetic smile plays onto Diane's lips. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth, I-"
"Less talking, more getting the bar ready," a familiar voice demands. The silver haired woman turns her head in the direction of the voice and surely enough, she sees Meliodas standing in the middle of the kitchen door way, wearing a white button-up and black slacks. How can he make such a simple outfit look so... good?
Elizabeth feels the blood rush to her cheeks, and she mentally scolds herself for thinking such a thing.
"Yes, Boss," Diane voices with a hint of mockery before she takes her rag and turns to another table. Elizabeth attempts to focus on cleaning another table as well, but then there's a hand on her rear. She squeaks, jumping from being startled. Conveniently, she falls backwards onto a chair, but the person in front of her only makes her situation worse.
Meliodas stands before her, the grin on his face self-assertive, and this look in his eyes... They stare at her like she's pray ready to be devoured. The silverette swallows hard, and she's sure she's about to have a heat stroke with how hot she feels right now.
He leans over to her, his breath tickling her cheek. "I think you'll do a great job today, Princess," his hot whisper nowhere but her ear. She closes her eyes, but for what reason, she has no clue, but when she opens them again, he's gone. Her eyes dart around the room and when she looks behind, all Elizabeth descries is both Diane and King with sly grins on their faces.
Elizabeth is sure she's about to die right here and now.
"Boss totally likes you!" Diane whispers, and she seems to be insanely excited from the way she jumps up and down. Elizabeth's orbs move to King, and he nods, agreeing with the brunette.
She stands up from the chair, a frown finding her lips. "You know what I think, Diane?" The silverette implores, her eyes studying the brunette. Diane cocks her head to the side, silently wanting an answer. "I think," she starts, walking around the table with her cloth in hand, "that you like King and vice versa."
Diane gasps, as does King, both of their faces maintaining a crimson color on their cheeks. "I- N- Wha-" Diane stutters, and Elizabeth smiles with the feeling of triumph and victory in her veins.
{-}
She hands a customer their drink, a smile present on her lips. It's peaceful, even as she walks to the wall near the kitchen doors and leans against it, listening to the distant and low conversations of the customers conversing to one another.
Patient ocean eyes scavenge the room. Nearly everyone's cheeks are flushed from alcohol. But they all have smiles on their faces. Maybe this is why Diane likes waitressing. Having the privilege to witness the people's smiles and hear their soft laughter bubbling in their chests. The pleasure of seeing someone happy is truly one of the greatest pleasures of all.
Elizabeth endures the way the customer's lips form bright smiles, radiating nothing but happiness. Whether it be from the alcohol, or a genuine expression, she doesn't care. And she gets it. She's drowned herself in alcohol plenty of times; but it doesn't matter to her. For once, she feels like she's doing something right. Just feeling the contentment of these people makes her feel better about herself in a way.
Her first time being a waitress, she fucked up terribly. And it made her feel like a failure. But seeing the smiles on these people and the way they converse with each other brings her joy.
It's the feelings similar to this that she hasn't felt in a while. Elizabeth feels like she's fucked up so many times in her life and it's to the point where she's convinced herself she can't make up for any of it.
There's not one day that goes by where the anxiety surrounding her deepest fears doesn't eat away at her conscious. But that's just everyone, isn't it? Everyone's got something they're afraid of. She's sure even Meliodas is scared of something. Maybe whatever he's scared of is what makes him so mysterious and arrogant all the time.
But then again, maybe it's just the blind faith that makes her want to believe Meliodas is more than what he makes himself out to be. Conceivably, it could be a possibility Meliodas shelters himself the way he does because of his past. Whatever happened to him, Elizabeth doesn't know and she doubts she'll know anytime soon.
Needless to say, it doesn't bother her. She respects his space - he'll tell her if he wants to. And regardless, she doesn't believe she'll stick around long enough for anything he'd tell her to have any sort of impact on anyone.
Somebody's voice breaks through the soft silence of the room, also breaking Elizabeth's train of thought.
"Ain't that the president's daughter?" A man says, his words slurred but his southern accent heavy on his tongue. Her eyes widen and a nervous smile plays onto her lips.
"N-No, I-"
"She gets that a lot," a voice interrupts her and she instantly recognizes it. Meliodas, who stands in the corner of her eye, has his hand shoved into the pockets of his pants. "She does look like the president's daughter, but she's not her," the blonde continues.
The man arches his upper lip. "Are ya sure that ain't her?"
She can hear the tired sigh coming from the blonde. "As the owner of this bar, I would and should know if she was the daughter of our president. And why would the president's daughter work in a lowly bar like this? She'd be living in a mansion like the princess she is," Meliodas continued as he looked back at Elizabeth, a smirk on his face. Her face reddens.
"But she looks just like her," the man continues to argue. Meliodas hums as he looks away from the silverette.
"She does, yes," he agrees, her aqua eyes darting back and forth between the man and Meliodas. "But this woman's eyes are a much richer blue; like the ocean, you can get so lost in them," Meliodas says as he turns to look at Elizabeth once more. He grabs her hand and pulls her with him.
"And the way her elegant hair frames her face like she's a goddess, or the way her movements make her seem so graceful no matter what she does. Everything from the way she could kill you with the way she looks at you to the way her supple and clear skin makes her seem like the brightest blossomed flower in a nice and pretty bouquet or a large field filled with the most beautiful flowers. And the way she'll try to make you feel better if you're down, the sweetest words leave her lips."
His molten green orbs gaze into her soft blue hues and he holds that gaze for a few more moments before he tears his eyes from her to look at the man once more. "Does the president's daughter seem to be like that type of woman?"
The man hums before he takes a gradual swig of his alcohol. "I wouldn't know, I've never seen her physically in person before," he simply answers. "You've got yourself a good one, son."
Elizabeth feels her cheeks become hot, along with the rest of her body. He has one arm wrapped around her waist and the other hold her hand, their fingers intertwined. She doesn't realize it until now, but her fingers tighten around his own and she has a hand on his shoulder.
Her eyes boar into his, and she can't seem to tear his gaze. Why can't she look away? Why does she feel like all the air in her lungs can't come out of her nose or her mouth?
Does he mean those words? Does he really mean what he just said?
Her breathing feels faster, and she only feels herself grow warmer by the second. Elizabeth barely registers the blonde's movements as he backs them both into the kitchen. He guides her to a stool in that sits near the door of the kitchen, and even as she's seated, his hands don't leave her.
His hand sits on her right shoulder while the other is on her cheek, rubbing slow and small circles.
"Are you okay?" He asks, but Elizabeth can't seem to respond; her mouth is a small 'o' shape, her cheeks no doubt the most red it has ever been in all her twenty-five years of being alive. How is it that Meliodas has the power to get her so flustered so effortlessly?
Regardless, she gives a small and slow nod though her eyes are blown wide at staring back at his figure. She sees his lips twitch into a smile before he ceases his touches. She hates to admit it, but she craves for his hands to go back to where they were.
Soon, he leaves her in the kitchen where she's sat and a helpless sigh leaves her lungs.
Then, she hears low chuckling next to her. Her head immediately whips around to the sound, and Elizabeth is sure the emotion in her eyes are suddenly drained. Before her, stands Ban, cooking food for the customers in the bar. His deep red eyes hold this smitten look to them as well as the smirk on his lips.
"Boss leavin' you breathless, Princess?" He asks and Elizabeth scoffs. "You're calling me 'Princess' too?"
He laughs as he takes a pan off the heat of the stove. "Only makes the teasing all that much better, doesn't it?"
"Didn't Diane scold you for exactly just that this morning, Ban?" Elizabeth rhetorically asks, her brow quirking up. The white haired man exhales a laugh, as he takes out a plate from a drawer.
"What's she gonna do? Break all the bones in my body?" He says, a mocking tone in his voice.
"Probably, yes," Elizabeth answers without hesitation. "She seems scary when she's angry."
Ban hums, his eyes focused on the utensils he grabs. "You're uh, avoiding the question, Princess." Question? What is he on about? What quest-
Oh.
Boss leavin' you breathless, Princess?
"N-No!" Elizabeth denies as her hands ball into fists on her thighs. "There's nothing going on between us, I swear it!" Why is she letting Ban's teasing get to her? Surely Ban doesn't give two shits about what Elizabeth does, right? If anything, it's more of Meliodas's concern than anything or anyone else. The blonde owns this bar and more importantly; he's the leader of the Sins.
"That wasn't the question I asked," Ban retorts, "and the fact that you would say something like that is a dead giveaway to what you didn't want people thinkin'."
Smarter than he looks, huh...
Elizabeth tries her hardest not to lose her composure. "Well, stop being such an ass and maybe I wouldn't give you mixed answers," she huffs. Ban chuckles again, only this time, a terrible chill runs through her entire body, causing goosebumps to appear on her skin.
"Ooh, you kiss our Boss with that mouth?"
Her skin feels like hot boiling water, and her veins feel like molten lava is being poured into them. "No! When in the world did you get that impression? Jesus, it's no wonder King doesn't like you," Elizabeth says under her breath.
"Lots a people don't like me, Princess. It's no surprise you wouldn't like me either."
She softly gasps as her eyes examine the man. Why did he sound... hurt? Did he want her to like him? Why would it even matter? It wasn't like she was staying with them for as long as the Sins are still a group. Even then, she didn't know when she was leaving. But still... He sounded hurt, and now she can't help but feel a bit guilty.
Elizabeth abruptly stands, swiftly catching the white haired man's attention. "It's not like that, Ban, I promise." She tells him, her eyes focused on the shoes on her feet when she breaks her gaze on Ban. "I just have a hard time trusting people is all. I'm sure that... that if we give it the time, we'll get along just fine!" A smile on her lips, her head lifting up so her eyes can look into his scarlet hues.
To her surprise, he smiles back and it seems unalloyed. He gives a small nod before he removes his apron, sets it on a clean space on the kitchen counter before he leaves the room all together.
Once again, she's all alone with nobody but her loud thoughts. She sighs and looks up as she falls back onto the stool she stood up from.
The words Ban said won't stop replaying in her head, though... You kiss our Boss with that mouth?
Immediately, she feels her skin heat up as she thinks about what happened in Meliodas's car the other night. The warmth he radiated, the way his emerald eyes shined in the light of the moon, the way she could feel how soft his lips are even though they never actually kissed. Or the way she could feel his lashes just graze her cheeks as they leaned all that much closer to one another...
Or even earlier when he kissed her forehead so tenderly, his lips softer than anything she's ever felt in her life and warmer than any hot cloth she's ever touched.
Come to think of it, she hasn't even placed her lips anywhere on him, has she? No, of course she hasn't. She isn't desperate.
Hah, how ridiculous. Silly me, Elizabeth thinks to herself. Unlike the blonde, she respects people's personal space. Isn't it just common sense? Shouldn't it be common knowledge? Respecting people's personal space is just something everyone should know.
But at the same time, lately she hasn't told him to stop. There was earlier today in her room, but it only... surprised her. And she didn't particularly hate the contact.
As she continues to sit in the kitchen alone, Meliodas begins to flood her thoughts.