Stand By Me by Fullmetal Pyromaniac
Chapter twenty-two
It was raining when Elizabeth realised she couldn't move her legs any more, a week had passed and with every minute Elizabeth had lost the feeling in her feet, then her calves, then her thighs, until one morning she tried to stretch and realised she couldn't. Meliodas and her family had been notified and a date set for her operation, it would be in roughly a week, unless she suddenly got worse then it would be bumped up.
At eight, Elizabeth's alarm went off, usually tired and grouchy, that day Elizabeth practically sprung out her bed into her wheelchair and stealthily snuck down the corridors to Diane's room. She knocked on the door and opened it, finding Diane brushing her hair nervously.
"Hey Diane" Elizabeth greeted kindly, Diane turned to her and smiled shakily.
"Heya Elizabeth, I didn't expect you to be here so early, it's a good thing though; my hands are too shaky to tie my hair up straight. Would you mind?"
"Of course not" Elizabeth assured, wheeling herself over to Diane. She sat behind Diane and gently brushed her nut-brown hair, then she sorted the parting and equally divided the hair into two, securing them with an orange band just above where Diane's ears were.
"I'd be nervous too, if I was confessing the way you were", Elizabeth tied up the second pigtail, checked it was the same height as the other, then patted Diane gently on the shoulder. "There, all done"
Diane spun herself around, her cheeks were flushed and her hands were indeed very shaky, with Diane almost unable to keep them still.
"Okay, okay, okay, this is it, wow, okay" Diane mumbled to herself, she had even gone to the trouble of putting on a dress. It was light and airy, but still made her look beautiful. Elizabeth grinned and held her Diane's hands in her own up to her chest.
"You're nervous?"
"I feel like my hearts going to burst out of my chest," Diane chuckled, "I'm trying to stay positive"
"You'll be fine, I promise, King will love this- I'm sure"
Diane seemed to deflate, "How do you know?"
"It's clear to anyone that knows King that he adores you, he told me so himself, I promise you that"
Her words seemed to give Diane a new sense of hope and confidence. She pulled back and raised her fist in the air, a look of pure determination on her face.
"Okay!" She cried, Elizabeth repeated the action, "Lets do this!"
...
Meliodas was confused, Ban was confused, Gowther wasn't bothered, and King seemed on edge. Elizabeth had told them to be there, but where was she? A feeling of dread filled Meliodas, she was fragile, what if something had happened to her? Just as he was about to excuse himself to go looking for her, Elizabeth suddenly wheeled herself around the end of the corridor.
"Wait there!" She called to them, then looked at something obscured from view to the boys. When she was satisfied, Elizabeth wheeled herself over and pushed everyone but King backwards.
"Hey, what's the big deal, Ellie?" Ban protested weakly, stepping backwards. Elizabeth just told him to shush and look. Diane appeared a few seconds later. King let out a sigh of relief and went to walk over to her but faltered when Diane herself held up her hands. Slowly, she gripped the arms of her wheelchair and slid her bare feet onto the white linoleum floor.
It was a beautiful sight, like a small child walking for the first time, wobbling with forgotten innocence. Diane's arms were spread out wide, her footsteps wobbly and cautious, like someone walking barefoot on ice. Elizabeth noticed King's breath hitching with every step Diane took towards him. It took time, but eventually Diane was standing in front of him, breathless and shaking.
"King" she breathed out, "A while back you told me about my accident, and how you were the cause of it, how I used to love sports, how you and I were great friends until I forgot. You told me how I should hate you, how I should hae been so angry that you hid it from me" She paused and looked into King's eyes, "I was shocked, but if anything it made me more certain about my feelings"
King stiffened, hugging Oslo to his side, "What feelings?"
"I-I-" Diane took a deep breath, "I love you King" and Diane leant down, pressing her lips to King's, who stilled, then lifted his hand to cup her cheek and return the kiss eagerly. Ban let it go on a little second longer, then let out a whoop and cheered. Meliodas cheered loudly while Gowther and Elizabeth clapped. Diane and King both turned around sheepishly, both were flushed in the face.
A second cry of happiness came from behind them, where Merlin and Arthur stood recording with an older man with a walking stick. Meliodas was the first to cry out and and run towards the older man, hugging him around the waist, Ban was next, then Gowther awkwardly hugged his back. King helped a worn out Diane back to her chair, then both hugged the extra spaces around the man.
Elizabeth sat back awkwardly obserivng the scene, it was heartwarming, but she felt out of place.
"Hey, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" The man said with a gravelly voice, everyone pulled back and Meliodas proudly stood next to Elizabeth with one hand resting on her shoulder.
"Elizabeth, this is Escanor. Escanor, this is my girlfriend Elizabeth" he stated with a puffed out chest.
"Girlfriend?" Escanor said bewildrered, Diane shouted 'I knew it', Gowther muttered something about it being about time, Ban grinned smugly in Kings face, laughing obnoxiously until King reached in his pocket and sulkily handed over a ten-pound note.
"Well, it's lovely to meet you Elizabeth" he said, holding out a hand which Elizabeth accepted.
"You too, sir, I've heard great things about you"
Escanor laughed, a hearty laugh that warmed Elizabeth, "Please, just call me Escanor, and good, if it was anything bad I'd have to hit him"
Elizabeth chuckled nervously, "All good things, promise!"
Then Ban insisted on going to the club room to show off his improved painting skills, Escanor was impressed, and Elizabeth noticed the way his grey eyes shone with unshed tears at the paintings of Liz and Elaine which had been uncovered and were being proudly displayed on the wall. King sat at the round table with his girlfriend Diane, while Meliodas sat with his girlfriend Elizabeth (Girlfriend! she internally screamed in joy) Ban sat with his arm constantly slung around Gowther's shoulder. Merlin also joined them for a while, exchanging stories and jokes. The night ended with a group picture, which Merlin promised to print out and give the sins.
For a while the Seven Deadly Sins were complete, then Escanor had to go home, promising to come back soon with more hilarious stories about his grandchildren.
End of chapter twenty-two
A.N. Guys, guys, guys! We got to 100 reviews! (106 exactly!) Holy shit! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far (Even that one guy who just said 'potato' - that made me laugh for no reason) and as promised, there is a bit from the prologue down below. It's not finished yet, but that's what I've written so far. But for now, please take the time to read the following:
A- regarding A-Z of Melizabeth. I have not abandoned it, just I've been more invested in this story and my exam (explained in B) and not to mention writers block is hell. But trust me when I say I'm trying to get it done by September/October or December at the latest.
B- I had my french exam yesterday and I get my results in August, so guess what? More writing time! Hurrah!
C- As for my other stories (Yuri on Ice!, Voltron, and Attack on Titan) I'll be posting them primarily on my AO3: Infinitely_Odd.
But Seven Deadly Sins will remain on here, so no worries!
Okay, please review and tell me what you thought of both the chapter and the sneaky peak, then favourite and follow to keep up with what I'm posting.
Find me on AO3 and twitter (Fullmetal_RUBY) so I can tell you about useless things I do :P
Perhaps at 110 or 120 reviews I'll give you another sneaky peak...
Okay, enjoy the preview *Evil laughter*
- Ruby xxx
Prologue:
10 years ago...
The Old Weatherby Warehouse; Edinburgh, Britannia.
...
I have never been a nice man, perhaps I once was, but he has been lost to the pain that has coursed through my veins far too often.
Though I should thank him, now I have the strength to kill him with a snap of my wrist. We all can. But perhaps revenge isn't enough for what we went through.
A map is lain in front of me with different points connected with red string and a spectrum of pins. There's one point that only connects to one other place, the beginning. Pictures line the walls of my newly inhabited office, old newspapers and ones that Merlin snagged while out observing.
We haven't been here long, barely a week, but already I feel it. This is his final resting place. Edinbourg.
My fingers itch to feel the constricting gasps of his neck, to snap it with a satisfying crack, to gouge out his monstrous eyes, to break all 206 bones, rip out his hair, bite off his ears, to torture him for days, years until he finally knows what we felt.
I don't realise I'm drooling until little spittles land on a pen-knife I'm slicing gently into my hands, clearly I'm far too into this. Black seals my skin together and I cut it more. Hungrier and hungrier for blood each time, but none appears. There's a knock at the door, I hide my knife and grunt, signalling that it's okay for whomever it is to come in.
It's Diane, she comes into my office ducking beneath the door frame and stands tall before me, Merlin comes in a second after. One hand on a wide hip, the other webbing golden lights together between her fingers, snapping them and recreating them, her yellow eyes bored.
"What's up?" I ask, pushing the knife further under the large map and leaning forward in my chair. The two women exchange a nervous look, and Diane takes one of her bunches and hides her mouth behind it. Merlin creates webs faster and faster. She's scared about telling me something.
"Come on" I coax, "I'm not going to do anything, just spit it out" and I grin because it's true. I'm not a nice man, but I'd never hurt any of my friends, especially when they're more like family. I'd rather kill myself than do so.
Merlin snaps her fingers together, watching as the webs snap and dissipate into golden wisps.
"We tracked him down" she announced, crossing her thinly clad arms and glaring. My eyes widened almost comically, interest was piqued. Leaning forward, I placed my elbows on the desk, laced my fingers, and leant my chin on my hands. God, this was easier than I thought.
"Oh, did you?" I cooed softly, grinning manically. I crack my knucles and lean back in my chair.
Inspecting her finely polished black fingernails, Merlin smirks knowingly, causing me to grin as well. She only makes that face when there's something amiss, or unexplainable, or more intruiging. We've come to deal with the unknown regularly, so to see her lips curl into a smirk like that makes my stomach flip and my blood start racing.
"Do you remember Elizabeth Lyones?" The name causes me to flinch. I haven't heard that it in years, I hoped I never would again.
"Lyones?!" I fumed, already feeling the black rage building up inside me, "I thought she was up north?!"
"Apparently not" Merlin smirks, once again creating waves of gold out of thin air. "I only saw them today, he was talking with her and her father. The poor thing doesn't seem to recognise him" Her smile drops, once again becoming stoic.
And just like that, the anger vanishes, in its place is a sick sense of fun. Amusement. It's no longer a chasing game, but now one of wits, cat and mouse, hide and seek.
I can feel that one of us is going to end up dead. As long as Elizabeth's here, he won't move on. She must be at least eight by now, I ponder.
"Well" I muse, under the watchful, suspicious eyes of Diane and Merlin, "what a development"
TO BE CONTINUED IN...
Blow A Kiss, Fire A Gun. The tale of kidnapping, murder, and a fathers psychotic love for his sick daughter.
COMING THIS SUMMER (hopefully!)
