Meliodas rasps his knuckles on Elizabeth's door, his ears practically straining to see if he can hear something on the other side. He hears a faint curse - coming from none other than the woman that agreed to tutor him and he finds himself smiling.

As she opens the door, effectively revealing herself to him, his breathing stutters. Elizabeth Liones stands in front of him, one hand on the door handle and the other in her hair, smoothing out wet droplets from the periwinkle locks. A large t-shirt accommodates her body (though he's certain she's wearing at least a pair of shorts under it), the material hugging every curve of her figure since it's tied back.

"Hi," she greets, her tone swerving and impatient. "Make yourself at home. I'm gonna dry my hair before I get started on breakfast."

The blonde forces himself to swallow, his mouth suddenly dry. "Um, yeah. Thanks," he responds, darting his gaze away from hers as he pushes past her. He removes his thick jacket from his body, folding it as he approaches Elizabeth's couch.

Once he's comfortable on her sofa, Meliodas watches as Elizabeth moves through her living room, his eyes (no matter how hard he tried to drift them away) traveled from her clothed back to her rear that is, much to his dismay, covered by the large t-shirt the silverette wears. Meliodas curses at himself in his own head - this is his damn tutor! Eyeing her up and checking her out will do him absolutely no good.

But God, he can't deny that she's entirely alluring…

The sounds of a hair dryer turning on startles him, breaking his train of thought. In which he's grateful; he shouldn't be thinking about Elizabeth like that…

Plus, it doesn't really help that she doesn't think of him the same way he just did of her. She wants Mael, that good for nothing prick—should he warn her about that freakishly tall silver headed fool? He probably should - but what's the fun in that? Elizabeth Liones is a smart girl; he's sure she can read a guy from a mile away.

He hopes so, anyway.

But why should he care in the first place? He'll probably forget all about her once they're done with all these sessions - once he's gotten his grades up and scores well on the next state exam. Elizabeth likely won't contact him anymore regardless once they're all finished up. It's inevitable, isn't it? This is all it will ever be between them. They aren't friends; nothing more, nothing less. She's simply his tutor and he's simply one of her students, so to speak.

Though, in the back of his mind Meliodas knows he'll want to have her around. She's… interesting and God would it feel great to see her lose her composure. It would be an absolute delight to see the infamous Elizabeth Liones snap and steer away from her usually calm and collected nature.

Or maybe he should tone it down a bit… if she knew he was thinking like this, he wouldn't hear the end of it.

Once Elizabeth is done drying her hair, she steps into the living room for a moment. Her gaze locks with his as he lifts his head, his lips parting slightly at the sight of her. She looks no different than she did when she answered the door with damp hair, but seeing her in that big t-shirt has his heart stammering in his chest.

Fuck, he curses to himself. Why am I acting like this? Like I'm some damn teenager seeing a girl for the first time.

"Are you okay?" She asks, abruptly. "You look a little pink, Meliodas. Did you catch a cold?"

He gapes at her, his brow pinching downwards in confusion. "No. I'm not sick," he answers slowly. Is it hot in this damn room or is it just him? "I could use some water though. Is it okay if I grab a glass?"

Elizabeth frowns a tad but nods regardless. Does she think he's lying about not being sick, or is she upset that he needs water? "Yes of course. We have bottled water in the fridge. Help yourself– I'm gonna put on something decent. Please don't make a mess."

Meliodas scoffs, whether it be in a mocking or playful tone (or neither), he can't decide. "I am a guest in your humble abode," he states, and she rolls her eyes before turning around and striding over to what he assumes is her bedroom. "I wouldn't make a mess even if I wanted to, Ellie."

His eyes remain on her as she looks at him over her shoulder, her newly dried hair falling past her shoulder and cascading down her arms like a silky curtain. "How reassuring, Meliodas." Her tone is flat, sarcastic above all else, and he finds himself barking out a laugh. Of course she wouldn't believe him, even when he's being honest. Quite the character Elizabeth is, Meliodas thinks as his laughter dies down.

Elizabeth enters (what he is sure of now) her room and shuts the door behind her, leaving Meliodas alone in her living room.

A sigh leaves him as he comes to a stand, stretching just a tad before he decides to move to her kitchen. He looks around Elizabeth's kitchen, huh-ing and hah-ing at the pristine and dirt-free counters of the kitchen. Really, this isn't too shabby for a college dorm…

Meliodas finds himself standing foot to foot with her refrigerator. Pulling it open, he's immediately met with the water bottles his tutor was talking about– practically a brand new pack sits in the middle compartment of her fridge. He takes one, the cold feel of the plastic against his fingers and palms has him wanting to curl his hand into a fist.

He opens the bottle with minimal effort, bringing it to his lips to allow the cold liquid to swarm his mouth. A sigh leaves him, and he screws the cap back on before he re-enters Elizabeth's living room.

Just as Meliodas is about to set the water bottle down on the coffee table, he hears Elizabeth's voice coming from her room; "Are we still going to that cafe? Or do you still want me to cook breakfast?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, we can still go," Meliodas answers, hoping his voice is loud enough for her to hear. "It's gonna snow, though. It might take a little longer to actually get there. Probably would be easier to just get something to eat instead of having to cook, right?"

Elizabeth does not respond, nor does he try to strain his ear drums in an attempt to hear her rustling through clothes to dress herself in. What a strange thought, he humors himself. Why in the world would he want to hear her put clothes on? It's such a shame she'll be wearing thick layers though - none of her milky skin will be exposed to his eager wandering eyes.

Maybe that's for the better. Definitely for the better.

So, Meliodas simply waits for Elizabeth to leave her room, standing awkwardly as he listens to his own inhaling and exhaling. But God, why does he think these things? Listening to people put clothes on… is that even possible?

When Elizabeth finally exits her room, Meliodas straightens his posture, smiling at her as she approaches while she fixes the cuff of her jacket. She doesn't seem to notice his grin; she keeps herself preoccupied with her jacket's sleeves.

"Ready to go?" He asks, moving to put his own jacket back onto his body.

At last, Elizabeth peers at him through her bluebell hued eyes. The corners of her lips slightly tip up in a small smile and she nods. "Yeah, I'm good to go. Make sure you take your water with you. I don't wanna throw away any more bottles…"

"You throw them away?" Meliodas quizzes, readjusting his grip on the bottle of water. "You don't reuse them? And here I thought you were the world's most perfect role model," he teases with an almost cat-like grin. He watches silently as Elizabeth grabs her keys from the coffee table - had he really not realized her keys were there? - and she scoffs lightly.

"I recycle, yes. Do people really think I'm a role model like that?"

Then it's the blonde's turn to scoff. Elizabeth switches off the kitchen and living room light before she's heading toward the door, Meliodas following suit. "Ellie, you get the most perfect test scores in the fuckin' country! Your grades probably exceed the hundred percent mark, too! You're what everyone wishes they could be."

The two leave her dorm, though as she turns around to lock her door, Elizabeth makes a weird sound in her throat - a visible wince. "I don't know about that one. People live better lives than I do– plus it isn't that hard to do well in school if you put at least some effort into it."

"Well yeah," he agrees, "but everyone's situation is different. They could have problems going on at home or maybe they're dealing with depression - all that jazz, y'know?"

Elizabeth snickers lightly as they begin to walk through the halls of the dormitory (apartment complex?), earning a cocked brow from the blonde. She doesn't look over her shoulder but he observes as she adjusts her scarf. "Oh? So is it anything like your situation, Meliodas? Have you been to the doctors yet? I think you might have some sort of disease that gives you the urge to have sex with dozens of women instead of focusing on what you clearly value so much."

And of course, she would take a jab at him. He will admit; he wasn't– isn't– the best at maintaining motivation when it comes to school. He loves basketball - but damn it all, can't a guy have a little fun while he's young? He opts to not spark an argument with her - at least not so early on a cold day.

"I'm not perfect like you are."

The blonde's eyes never leave her figure. She falters only slightly in her walk, her head tilting toward him, and he wonders if she's glaring at him.

"I'm not perfect."

ooo

The drive to the cafe was fairly silent. Elizabeth sat in the passenger's seat of his car and didn't even dare look at him the entire drive. She feels conflicted though; deep down she's sure he hadn't meant to provoke her, but at the same time, she felt annoyed. They don't know each other that well - not in the slightest - so why does Meliodas keep insisting that she is perfect?

Elizabeth just gets good grades and even better test scores. She is by no means perfect, lest not in the eyes of her university's biggest fuckboy.

As he parks his car, Elizabeth is pulling at the passenger door's handle, immediately climbing out of the vehicle. She hears him sigh before opening his own car door. She shivers against the cold winter air, crossing her arms as she leaves Meliodas to grab his studying materials in favor of rushing to the indoor warmth of the coffee shop.

A smile schools her features as the warmth of the building overcomes her body like a hot blanket. Meliodas is behind her within seconds it seems - had he rushed over to her side after getting his textbooks?

"Do you wanna go ahead and get a table?" He asks from her side. She gives him a quick side glance, observing how he has his bag slung over his shoulder. "I can order for us. You want pancakes?"

"Um, yeah, sure." Pancakes do sound like a godsend, she thinks. "I'll have whatever coffee you'll get, too. I'm not picky."

So he nods, grinning as he walks away. Elizabeth looks around for an open table - but of course, the time being around nine in the morning (perhaps nearing ten), most of the tables are vacant. She settles for a booth practically in the corner of the cafe, the windows fogged and slightly frosted from the snow and cold weather. Though she smiles softly to herself - she may hate the cold, but winter always makes her feel fuzzy inside. Perhaps it's the knowledge of knowing that Christmas is approaching…

The silverette sits and removes her scarf from her body, folding the fabric and setting it off to the side on the table. Shrugging off her jacket and leaving it draped around his waist and hips, Elizabeth feels her phone buzz in the pocket of her pants.

She pulls it out only to bite her lip as she reads a text from Diane.

-Hey Ellie, where are you? Diane wrote in her message. -I just got back from King's and didn't see you in your room. Sorry I took an extra day with him. I have food! He also really wanted to see you, it's been a while, y'know.

-At a cafe. Elizabeth responds, her right leg bouncing with anxiety as she types her message. -I'm tutoring, remember? I hope you had fun at King's, Di. Tell him I'll try to make plans so we can all hang out.

-Oh. This early? Who the hell are you tutoring? Are their grades that bad?! And will do!

Elizabeth bites her lip a bit harder—should she come clean about tutoring Meliodas? She doesn't exactly have anything to hide, nor would Diane judge her (or hell, she wouldn't judge Meliodas either). Maybe she can finally ask about the whole Diane-having-a-crush-on-the-blonde basketball-captain thing…

-I'm tutoring Meliodas Vayne, Di. No harm in telling her, right? -He's the one paying me $80 an hour.

-Holy shit. Him?

-Yup. And about him, he told me you used to have a crush on him back in freshman year. Is that true? What the hell did you see in him?

-Oh my god. Ellie, it's really not what you think! I just thought he was cute and then I learned about his reputation and then King came along! I never would've gone for him anyway, it was one of the stupid school girl crushes, you know?

Elizabeth cracks a grin, effectively releasing her bottom lip from between her teeth.

-Yeah. I'll be back home soon, okay? By the way, make sure you replace the fridge's filter. I didn't have time to yesterday or this morning.

-Roger dodger!

A chuckle leaves the silverette now, and she sighs as she turns her phone off. And in just the nick of time, Meliodas returns to her side with a wide beaming grin.

Her eyes roll at his expression but can't stop the small grin that dares to make itself seen on her face. "Are you ready to study?" She asks him, watching as he takes a seat across the table. "Or would you rather… have something in your system before we start."

"I can multitask," he says, clear with a proud tone in his voice. Elizabeth rolls her eyes once again. "Coffee first?"

"Yes, please," she sighs. Coffee this early in the morning was a necessity. Especially if she was going to have to tutor Meliodas Vayne in an already semi-busy coffee shop. He slides her a cup of warm coffee after she watches him put a plastic lid on her cup. She thanks him softly and quietly, curling her fingers around the cup and bringing it to her lips, closing her eyes all the while.

The liquid isn't as hot as she thought it would be - it's the perfect temperature to her starved taste buds.

Elizabeth opens her eyes with a content grin. "Good?" Meliodas questions, taking a sip of his own beverage. "I got us both something warm since it's so cold outside."

Ah, as if it weren't obvious, Meliodas.

"Probably the first actually smart thing you've done since I've met you," the silverette retorts. Meliodas simply snorts into his coffee at her insult. "It's good," she then says.

She wishes she could wipe that damned smirk off his oddly boyish face.

ooo

They take much longer than she thought they would, sitting in this cafe. Meliodas would get easily distracted, whether it be someone walking in through the main doors, or a barista calling out a name for the person to grab their coffee, or even the damn snow outside.

Elizabeth sighs - as she often did throughout the few hours they've been here already. Now as her gaze flits across his stupid features, he smiles down at his phone, his left hand toying with the pencil he had been writing with. Her patience had long since ran thin. Why in the world was she trying to tutor a man that clearly didn't want to be tutored?

"We're done here," she says, breaking Meliodas out of his trance.

He shifts his eyes to her, watching as she stands from her chair, grabbing her coat to shrug it on. "What?" He asks dumbfoundedly. "But I didn't think we finished—"

"You seem to really think otherwise, Vayne," she retorts with a frown and furrowed brows. He stares at her like she's fucking batshit crazy, but she ignores it. "Y'know, you begged me to help you - to get you back on the team you seem to care so much about, but you don't want to put in the effort to actually learn anything! I'm done with this, Meliodas. If you want to continue being tutored, you're going to have to find someone else to put up with you."

His entire world is falling apart—was he really that wrong for wanting to take a short break? Elizabeth Liones is probably the best tutor he's ever fucking had! She can't back away from him, she can't. He won't have it.

"Ellie," he stands, leaving their table a mess and reaching for her wrist before she could take another step. She turns her head to his and much to his surprise she doesn't fight his grip like he thought she would. "Look, I'm sorry. I'll–I'll do better, I promise - I really need this—"

"Maybe you should have thought about doing better before you wasted my time. I'm walking home and you better not follow me, Meliodas."

She breaks away from his hold on her wrist and she walks away. She actually walked away! Meliodas exhales strongly, feeling defeated. He curses both himself and Elizabeth - didn't she know how to live a little? But, God he supposed he didn't know how to put a lid on it. It was never something he told himself to cut back on; goofing off or taking extended breaks no matter what it was he was doing.

He'll admit that he's far from perfect (in a lot of aspects) but couldn't Elizabeth give him a chance? A break even?

Well… maybe she already had. And maybe Meliodas blew it.

His fingers twitch and he quickly turns back to the table to pack up his things, meaning to catch Elizabeth before she could really, truly slip from his grasp. He needs her to help him - no other tutor could work the same magic that she does. She is his only chance in helping him get back on the team. He'll promise her the world and more if she could just ignore the way he's acted and the stupid things he'd said—he needs her lessons.

Meliodas hauls his bag over his shoulder and practically sprints out of the cafe. The door's bell dings behind him as the door closes and he darts his gaze all around the parking lot and surrounding sidewalks. A curse slips from his foul mouth when he finds himself unsuccessful in finding the silverette.

He stalks back to his car, shivering against the cold weather. When he reaches his car, he digs a hand into the pockets of his jacket and pulls out his car keys. The car beeps, Meliodas pulling the driver's door open, chucking his back into the passenger's seat and slamming the car door once he's comfortably seated behind the steering wheel.

"Fuck," he curses, dropping his head and allowing his forehead to make contact with the steering wheel. What was it that truly made her turn away? Was it the inappropriate text messages from this morning? No, but that's certainly a factor, he scoffs at himself.

If only he had just paid actual attention in his classes. He wouldn't be in this position; he wouldn't have been suspended from the team, he wouldn't have had to seek out Elizabeth Liones' help, he wouldn't have to spend so much time away from his friends to study and bring his grades back up.

Now… Now he's stuck having to beg once again for his university's top student to continue to teach his sorry ass.

…Was he really so bad? Is he that much of a nuisance to Elizabeth?

The blonde sighs. He lifts his head before turning the car's engine on. This won't deter him, not one bit. He managed to get her to agree once, and he'll get her to agree again. There isn't much time left before the semester ends. So he'll have to pull some mastermind, extravagant plan out of his ass to get Elizabeth Liones back on the same page as him.

He won't give up that easily.

Putting the car into drive, he sighs. He annoyed Elizabeth to the point where she just up and left, deciding to walk home in the cold winter air. He frowns - he knows where her dorm is, sure, but he isn't going to wait outside her door for her. No, that would only make things worse for the both of them.

Maybe it would be best to wait it out for a bit. Elizabeth is probably—most definitely—still upset and God forbid if he makes it worse by annoying her even further. What is he supposed to do now?

Perhaps finding pleasure elsewhere should do the trick. If there's one thing Meliodas knows how to do for sure it's finding a girl to help him unwind and make him forget every reason for his frustration. Even if it's just for a short measly hour.

Above all though, Elizabeth Liones will help him get his way.

ooo

THE PLOT THICKENS.

that is all.