It was just another regular day at the Boar Hat Tavern, and everyone was busy doing something. Elizabeth, as usual, was serving the many customers that flooded the tiny place. Ban was cooking up something delicious, Gowther and Merlin were out buying ingredients, Escanor was gathering mushrooms and other herbs, all while Diane and King were out advertising the tavern, which had been rebuilt after it was destroyed for the second time by a Demon. It was now much larger and had a living room that lead down to a hallway to six bedrooms and a bathroom. Upstairs, was a storage closet, and Meliodas and Elizabeth's room along with a bigger balcony.
It had been two months since the team had defeated The Sinner, and all was looking well. Meliodas glanced over at the princess, who was cheerfully talking with Hawk. He couldn't help but smile at them, gazing at her warm smile and her crystal blue eyes, everything about her making him grin madly.
On the inside, however, his Demonic side was waging a war. Take her, claim her, mark her as yours, then fuck her until the only name she'll ever remember is yours. It took all of his willpower to push those impure thoughts back into the recedes of his mind, and even then he was smacked in the face with the absolute force of his dark self trying to break free from the chains that he had cast on him. Come on now, Meliodas. Have a little taste of that sweet little Goddess. Just a taste won't hurt anyone. Oh, how tempting was his offer... yet he couldn't bear the thought of his sweet, innocent Elizabeth getting hurt, especially not from him.
The consequences of absorbing all of the Commandments and ascending to the Demon Throne was certainly showing. Not only was his appearance changed, but the weakened Demon inside him had also regained all of its power, and it was taking a toll on his mind. Meliodas was also a lot easier to anger, and even the tiniest thing could activate his dark side.
Meliodas steeled his will and ignored the evil thoughts flowing freely in his mind and concentrated on the customers.
As he passed out mugs of alcohol, he found that his gaze had once again settled upon Elizabeth. The girl was completely oblivious to his inner struggle, yet she was still able to provoke the Demon inside him. Elizabeth glanced up and met his eyes, face flushing as she smiled sweetly at him.
A chuckle escaped his mouth, his eyes full of mirth as he smiled back at her. Elizabeth was innocent and naïve and probably didn't know how he longed to be with her, to hold her, to kiss her pink lips... to rampage inside of her.
"No," he thought.
Meliodas would not allow himself to do that to his Elizabeth, especially not after what they've been through together! Elizabeth deserved only the best, and Meliodas was not going to let his Demonic side corrupt him into the very thing that he loathed.
Besides, she probably didn't even like him.
"Meliodas?" A soft voice said. "Are you okay?" He looked down to see his princess, her eyes full of concern.
"Why would you ask that?" He smirked as his hand found its way to her round bottom. Meliodas gave a squeeze as he watched Elizabeth's face turn a deep crimson red.
"Hey! Just because you grew a foot taller does not mean you're allowed to be a pervert, Meliodas!" Hawk squealed as he rammed into him. Meliodas did grow into his adult stage after becoming ruler, but he was still the same person he had always been.
Meliodas chuckled, amused as he gave his princess's round bottom another squeeze, causing her to emit a high-pitched squeal.
"Perverted piece of crap," Hawk said, giving Meliodas one last kick before trotting away smugly.
"Hey, Master! I cooked you some food for being a badass to the Cap'n over there!" Ban handed Hawk a bowl of food, and Hawk grinned, digging in.
"Glad to know someone appreciates me!" Hawk said while devouring his food at light-speed.
"Well, you are our only talking pig," Meliodas said, scratching the back of his neck.
"Yeah, and you better remember that!" Hawk exclaimed, dropping the empty bowl in front of Ban. "Because one day, you won't have this super cool awesome superhero fighting for you anymore!"
"Captain, we're back!" A cheerful voice rang throughout the diner.
They all looked to see Diane and King, followed by a stampede of townsfolk.
"You've really outdone yourself!" Elizabeth said, whisking out trays of food and beer to the hungry people. In just a few weeks after getting her Angelic powers back, she stopped tripping and spilling beer all over customers, and instead became a nimble creature that was quick on her feet.
Meliodas smiled at his girl, happy to see that she was happy. "Captain, we are back as well," A voice drawled. They turned to see Merlin, Gowther and Escanor walking through the door. Merlin and Gowther dropped a few sacks full of ingredients, while Escanor gave his pile of mushrooms and other plants to Ban.
"Okay, everyone, this tavern has officially closed for the night!" Meliodas shouted. As all of the customers left, Ban took all the foods and put them in the kitchen.
"Look at all of these fresh ingredients! Since I'm so happy, I'll make Meat Pie for all of us!" Ban stated in his singsong voice.
"Awesome!" Meliodas said, patting Ban's back. "Remember to use the lamb that we got from Arthur!"
Ban nodded cheerfully as they all scattered to do their separate things. Faced with an unstable mind, Meliodas withdrew to his bedroom to think about one thing.
Elizabeth.
As the sun perched high in the sky the next day, Elizabeth gave a small, sad sigh as she walked through the nearby town to restock on alcohol. She wondered why Meliodas was treating her differently as of late. Sure, he acted like his usual self, especially around the others, but she could tell something was bothering him, and it involved her. His smiles were more strained towards her, and his acts of perversion felt more like they were for show that they were real. Elizabeth was worried about him, especially since he had absorbed all ten Commandments and became Demon King. His physical appearance had changed but his personality remained the same, like his soul decided to inhabit another body.
"You okay, Elizabeth? You seem quieter than you usually are," Hawk said, trotting beside her. She gave Hawk a rueful smile and nodded. "I'm fine," Elizabeth tried to lie.
The truth was, she wasn't okay. Quite the opposite, actually; Meliodas had told her everything for the past three millennia, and anytime something was bothering him, he turned to her for help, and divulged to her whatever was causing him stress. They'd spent many nights just talking, and despite what everyone else said about Meliodas, he was a person too.
But these last few months had been different. Meliodas no longer confided in her about anything, and it felt terrible, almost like he was leaving her life. She couldn't imagine her life without him; whenever he comforted her, Elizabeth would always feel safe and loved in Meliodas' warm arms, and whenever he was with her, she would always feel like the most fortunate girl in the world. Elizabeth expected a happy ending, the princess and the knight in shining armour, but it seemed like they were drifting apart now, without any line to keep them together. She loved Meliodas with all her heart, but now it felt like Meliodas didn't feel the same way, and she couldn't do anything about it!
"Elizabeth?" Elizabeth returned from her thoughts to look at the pig. "You should really tell him how you feel, you know. I know you're worried about what he thinks of you, but you need to tell that numbskull. That way, if he feels the same, then you won't have to cry anymore," Her eyes widened, and for once Hawk wasn't upset about her going near Meliodas.
"But what if he doesn't love me anymore? I couldn't stand the heartbreak..." More tears started clouding her vision.
"Elizabeth, even a fool would realize that Meliodas loves you. Just give it a try, okay?"
She wiped away her tears thinking about Meliodas. He could feel the same way for her, and then the happy dream that she always dreamt of would come true!
"O-okay, Hawk," Elizabeth said, wiping away all her tears. "I-I'll do it!"
Meliodas couldn't stop thinking about Elizabeth. Even with all the hustle and bustle around the Boar Hat, his thoughts could never leave his prized angel. Countless times, he had pushed away his Demon, and just moments later it would reappear.
Suddenly, the door cracked open a bit.
"M-Meliodas?" A soft voice said. "Can I talk to you?"
Speak of the devil. "Sure, Elizabeth! What can I help you with?" Meliodas tried his usual, cheery attitude to avoid any questions.
Elizabeth suddenly found her feet very interesting, and she stepped closer to him. "U-um, Meliodas..." She trailed off, losing her confidence again. "I-I... Meliodas, you had been so kind to me since the moment we met, even though I've done nothing but cause you problems. But even so, you still let me stick by your side and that makes me happy," She bit her lip, and his eyes focused on the tender flesh. He licked his lips at the thought of tasting her, devouring her. Meliodas already knew she would be the sweetest thing he ever tasted; he could practically taste her already. When Meliodas refocused on her face, she had a small, but flushed smile. "I don't want anything to change that but... I can't keep hiding my feelings for you away. E-even if it makes things change."
"What feelings?" Meliodas pressed, standing up to get face-to-face with her. Despite how delicate the situation was, he couldn't wait to hear those three simple words come out of her mouth. All seven of his hearts raced in anticipation and even his beast was silent as he waited for her to speak again.
"I-I..." She bit her lip once more. "Meliodas, I love you,"
Meliodas was kissing her before he realized what he had done. He mentally cursed himself as his Demon thrashed in its cage, demanding freedom. He contemplated making it a very quick and chaste kiss, but as her surprised squeak and then contented sigh, he realized he had to give in. He pulled Elizabeth closer to him, their bodies a perfect fit, and even if it meant sacrificing his control, the sweetness that she possessed was all so worth it. All Meliodas could feel was her lips against his, and all he could hear was the soft mewls that came out of her mouth. The kiss suddenly became a passionate, dominating make-out session, and her hands gripped his white shirt oh so tightly as she was quick to give in to his guiding mouth, letting Meliodas take the lead as he practically devoured her mouth. It wasn't until he felt his Demon marks appear that he realized his inner beast was taking over, and he mentally cursed himself for losing control.
He quickly ended the kiss, though he still held her close as they both tried to regain their breaths.
"I'm sorry if that went too far. I didn't mean to frighten you," Meliodas reached a hand up to cup her face. She looked into his eyes, a little more relaxed now, but still as red as a tomato.
"I-I... w-we k-k..."
"Kissed?" Meliodas smirked at her, watching as she nodded. "Isn't that what people who love each other do?" He grinned smugly as her eyes went wide. He cupped her face with both of his hands and looked her in the eye. "Elizabeth, don't ever, even for a second think that I don't love you. Cause I do. More than you could ever know."
"Th-then why have you been so distant with me?" She asked timidly, but he knew she was secretly happy at his words.
"It's because I don't want to hurt you, Elizabeth." He gave her a gentle smile before his eyes turned hard again. "If I lose control again, I could very easily hurt you, or even worse, kill you. I won't distance myself from you anymore, Elizabeth, but you have to trust me on this." I knew she trusted me because she gave me a reassuring smile. "Come on, Elizabeth, let's get back to the others before they wonder what's happened between us."
As they walked down the stairs with a big grin on each of their faces, they wondered,
What will happen next?