thank you so so so much for the kind comments :) they bring a smile to my face :)
ooo
"Are you about to cry?" Meliodas asks, his footsteps seemingly echoing in her ears. He's not being loud, but somehow she can hear every little thing he's doing.
"No," her voice cracks. A lie. Her nose burns and her eyes sting, becoming glossy with the tears that well in her tear ducts. She won't cry, she can't cry, she will not allow Meliodas to see her… in other words, broken. Maybe that isn't the right word - but damn it all, he won't see her as some damsel in distress. She won't be viewed as some crybaby.
A sigh escapes the blonde. "You're a shit liar, you know that?" He says. And she knows she is. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. But it's all true, much to her dismay - she hasn't seen any of her family in nearly two years. It honestly sucks that Elizabeth Liones is such a family oriented person; she can't see her family and still can't get the chance to visit.
She sniffles harshly, her cheeks and nose aching from how hard she inhaled. "Just leave. I'm not going to tutor you."
"Do you honestly think I'm about to leave when you sound like you're about to have the worst breakdown of your life?" He asks, his tone evident and stern, leaving her with basically no room to argue. Well… Meliodas can't be all that bad if he's willing to comfort her, right? Just… not physically she hopes. She would rather die than allow him to touch her - even a graze of his pinky finger on her skin would make her want to throw up.
Who knows where his hands have been, or him as a whole.
He's close to her, she knows it; she can just about feel the heat radiating off his body. "Fine," she says somewhat harshly, somewhat softly. "Fine–" twin tears roll down her cheeks, but she doesn't let it stop her from cooking her breakfast. "You can stay. Go sit on the couch or something. I want to finish cooking."
Meliodas sighs a short, "Okay," before she hears his footsteps retreat out of the kitchen. Elizabeth dares to turn her head to the right, catching the sight of him sitting down on the sofa like she had requested of him.
It doesn't take long for her to get through cooking her eggs - and only her eggs. Her appetite isn't as big as she thought it would be, considering she hadn't eaten dinner last night she feels like she'd be starving, but that isn't the case. As she serves herself after grabbing a plate, she exhales softly through her nose. Is it really wise to allow Meliodas to stay? What if Diane comes back and flips her shit? Even if there isn't necessarily a reason for her to get upset over Meliodas being here, her gut churns in discomfort at the thought of harboring him here even if there is no harm in it.
Shaking her head Elizabeth grabs her plate, leaving the pan in the sink and grabs a fork to eat her eggs.
Plate and fork in hand, she enters her living room once more. She sits on the other end of the couch, away from Meliodas, leaving a decent distance between them. Their previous conversation echoes in her mind - the feelings of not being able to see her family returning. Silently the silverette eats her eggs, her tears coming anew.
Her oldest sister had a baby three months ago. She missed Margaret's firstborn son's birth. Sure, she video called and met the little one over the internet - through a fucking screen - but how in the world could that compare to witnessing it in real time, in the same room?
Envy had filled her when Gilthunder drove nearly half a day to see his fiance - to see her sister. Because she couldn't go with him. Instead of meeting her nephew, she was stuck studying for an upcoming test. Granted, she did amazing - as always - but it wasn't anything new. Elizabeth always excelled in school. However, not being there for her family—not being there for Margaret and Gilthunder, or her father or Veronica - oh, how it hurts. How it burns an aching hole in her loving heart.
Not to even mention, her father fell and broke something when he was trying to clean out the gutters of the house, resulting in him being taken to the hospital—
Elizabeth clenches her jaw, dropping her fork on the coffee table and leaving her plate half-empty. There's still fluffy yellow eggs on the plate, but suddenly, she isn't so hungry anymore.
Her cheeks become wet again and she doesn't even care that Meliodas Vayne is here to see her cry. She just lets it happen, she allows her tears and cries to overwhelm her.
"Hey," Meliodas says softly. Elizabeth turns her head to him, blue eyes glossy and red, her skin turning red from her sorrow. He frowns at her however he doesn't make any effort to move, knowing it's more than likely a bad decision to hug her or even put a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. It'll be okay."
"No," she hiccups, her gaze darting and staying on the unoccupied couch cushions. "I-It's not - my older sister had a baby not that long ago - and I–I wasn't there! I promised her I would and… and I was stuck here studying for an exam…"
Biting his lip, Meliodas isn't sure how to respond. He's never been in her situation - he doesn't have a sibling that was going to have a child. His brother hadn't even proposed to his current girlfriend and it felt like they'd been dating for decades at this point. The blonde simply keeps his gaze on her, hopelessly watching as her tears fall and seep into her clothes.
"I-I met him over a fucking phone call, and—" she gasps, her sobs growing in intensity. "My father– my father was hospitalized a few weeks ago, too, and I'm not there, by his side, to see if he's even recovered!"
Oh. Oh no. He certainly has some sort of idea of how she might be feeling; his own father lost an uphill battle to lung cancer a year before he started attending this university. Meliodas never cared for his father - even after death he feels as though his father doesn't deserve the title (he never acted like a father to him or his brother), but seeing him in that bleak hospital room, seeing IVs hooked into his arms, seeing the weak smile on his face…
It was the only time either one of them showed they cared. Meliodas had always wondered… how different his life would have turned out if his father had actually been present in his life. Yes, his father was there, but wasn't there. An absent father even if the man was seen by his children every single day. All he left was the shadow of the man Meliodas wished was real. He was left wanting a father that actually wanted to be a father. Not a man attempting to pose as one.
Meliodas swallows thickly, trying to rid himself of the thoughts of his deceased father. "Elizabeth," he says her name softly. "I can't imagine how you must be feeling. I'm sorry."
She chuckles, a watery sound. "It's not your fault," she continues to sob. "I just wish I chose a school closer to them. I miss them so much…"
He can't help her. He knows he can't. So why does he feel like he should? Why does he suddenly feel this profuse and stupendous urge to somehow bring her to her family? He shouldn't want it - shouldn't want to feel the need to help her outside of tutoring and school, so why?
Yet another question he can't answer. Though, he doesn't suppose he knows how to answer anything properly for as long as Elizabeth Liones is near.
ooo
An hour later, with Meliodas gone, Diane finally returns. The door is closed shut, an exasperated sigh escaping her best friend's lips. Diane coming back hungover was not an uncommon occurrence, but when it did happen, no one could be happy.
Well that wasn't necessarily true; Diane is typically the only unhappy one because of said hangovers, however sometimes she complains about it so much that Elizabeth becomes annoyed, too. Just a little—Elizabeth could never truly be annoyed with Diane. Their friendship is built on trust and honesty - and Diane is one of the most genuine people she's ever known. Diane is not some… bitch; she is practically the sun itself, always bubbly and happy.
"Oh God," the brunette murmurs from the entryway, revealing her slumped form to the silverette who sits on the couch. Her eyes meet Diane's tired violet. Dark circles mark under her eyes and Elizabeth grimaces slightly at the sight of Diane appearing as though she hadn't slept in years. "Hey Elizabeth…"
"Hi, Diane." Elizabeth smiles softly at the other young woman. "Did you spend the night at King's?"
She nods. "Yeah…"
Elizabeth watches as Diane sluggishly walks over to the couch, looking like a damn zombie, before she plops herself down on the sofa next to the silverette. The back of her head makes contact with the sofa's cushion and Elizabeth continues to smile softly.
"How are you feeling, Ellie?" Diane asks. "I should have come back with you last night to take care of you, but I got drunk too… King didn't have much of a choice but to take me back to his. Elaine drove Ban back to her apartment, too…"
"It's okay," Elizabeth giggles softly. "I managed. I just hope you don't feel as bad as I did when I woke up an hour ago. Do you want me to grab you some painkillers?"
Diane shakes her head, closing her eyes. "No, that's alright. King gave me some before he dropped me off. God, we really need to learn how to manage our drinks, huh?" She laughs now too, a wide smile gracing her lips. "We always end up with hangovers every time we drink. It's a problem, isn't it?"
She finds herself agreeing with her best friend. "Yes, yes it is, Di. I'm sure we'll come around to maintaining a better alcohol tolerance at some point."
"Yeah, it needs to be soon," she sighs, "which I know it won't be."
A silence flits over the two. It is a comfortable silence, nothing but the soft chips of the birds from the outside world filling the quiet atmosphere. Elizabeth adored mornings like these; where it was just her and Diane and the tender, soothing nearly voiceless and silent air. She never liked waking up early– especially during her grade school years– but living with Diane is different.
They're never in a rush, never have a million things to do at once, never have to do each other's chores unless it's a long, large task. No, living with Diane was nothing like living with Elizabeth's family. Their clothes never got lost or mixed together like it would with Margaret or Veronica's. Medicine wouldn't get accidentally misplaced in case one (or all) of them were sick. Alarms wouldn't be forgotten about - neither Diane nor Elizabeth would have to yell at each other to wake up.
Not that any of it was truly bad when she did live with her sisters and her father—no, it was all fine. She had a happy childhood, although she was a moody teenager, she wouldn't live her life any differently if she had the choice.
Some little part of her however wishes she chose a different school. More specifically; a school closer to her family. Elizabeth Liones is a heavily family-oriented person, and she's found herself feeling homesick more times that she could care to admit. But truly, missing Margaret's child's birth, and not visiting her father in the hospital…
It's been her last straw.
A soft snore greets her. The silverette looks over to her right to see Diane peacefully sleeping, head lulled to the side with parted lips. Elizabeth smiles softly, eyes crinkling slightly, and she comes to stand.
She grabs the blanket Meliodas had used when he spent the night and laid it across Diane once she got her in a more comfortable position.
Sighing softly, Elizabeth retreats back to her room. Elizabeth hadn't asked, but she hopes Diane doesn't have anything important to do today. Otherwise whatever she might have planned or whatever chore she has to do for school is going to be a pain in the ass to deal with being hungover and exhausted.
Elizabeth opts to simply lay in bed for the time being. Sundays were the least busiest days for her - and she supposed, for most people as well.
Her gaze darts to her nightstand, eyes glued to her phone connected to its charger. She raises a brow wondering when she put her phone to charge last night. She doesn't remember putting it to charge… had Meliodas done it after she'd fallen asleep? Surely he had to have—Elizabeth almost always forgets to charge her phone during the night unless Diane explicitly tells her to or she actually remembers for once.
Shrugging and deciding not to dwell on it too much, Elizabeth takes her phone from the nightstand and turns it on. Full battery. Meliodas definitely put her phone on the charger for her last night. It'd be dead right now because she sure as hell almost always forgets to charge it before she goes to sleep.
She decides to scroll on her social media for a bit, 'aw-ing' at a video of a cat when she scrolls past one.
Until - oh the groan that escaped her lips - Meliodas' name flashes on her screen, the big red and green buttons on the bottom of the screen taunting her. He's calling her. Why is he calling her? He left her dorm a little over an hour ago - so why the fuck is he calling her?
Should she answer his call? Or should she decline it? Meliodas would simply just call again like he did yesterday…
Elizabeth answers the call and presses her phone to her ear. "Hello?" She asks, rather uninterested and tired. Honestly, taking a nap doesn't sound half bad, she muses to herself. Even though she slept like a baby, waking up with a killer hangover only to proceed to have a complete meltdown really took a lot out of her.
"Hey," Meliodas' voice sounds smooth on the other end. God, the words Meliodas and smooth should not be in the same sentence. "Are you… are you feeling any better?"
She rolls her eyes, only slightly. She wouldn't let him know she rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah. I'm okay," she says, voice somewhat quiet. These walls are thin and Diane won't be a happy camper if she's woken up by Elizabeth's chatter. "I'm sorry you had to see me like that. I usually don't just, you know, break down like that in front of people."
"I understand, it was your family you were talkin' about. I just wanted to make sure you weren't still crying, I guess," he admits. "I'm not great at comforting people, not really."
A giggle leaves her. "I wouldn't imagine you would be. And um," she swallows, "do me a favor, please."
"Oh? The infamous Elizabeth Liones is asking lil' ole me a favor?" He teases. "Oh do tell, Ellie."
"Ah, hush," the silverette scolds. "I… Don't tell anyone about my meltdown from earlier, okay? I haven't even told Diane about everything - that not seeing my family is killing me. She'd only tell me to take a break but even you know that I can't do that."
He hums. A short pause. "Well, why not? There aren't any upcoming exams that I know of. You can't take a quick like, I dunno, two day break to go down and see them?" Okay, maybe she overestimated him. He doesn't know why she can't just leave, no matter how much she may want to.
"I can't," she repeats with a heavy sigh. "I have a job, remember? And they're not exactly sentimental or sympathetic people - they could care less if I told them I was dying. If I miss even a single day I could get fired. Not to even mention that if I leave, I'll be behind in my classes. I'm not exactly one of the top students for nothing, Meliodas."
"Pretty sure you're like, number one on that fuckin' list for students that excel in everything," he says. "Besides, Ellie, does your job really mean that much to you? Don't you make more than enough just tutoring?"
She presses her lips into a thin line. "No…" Elizabeth responds slowly, "no I don't. As of right now, you're the only one I'm tutoring—"
Oh. Fuck. A slip up, a silly, stupid mistake.
"You're tutorin' me again?" He asks, and she hates the hopeful tone in his voice. It sounds a tad hit disbelieving as well, and she can't blame him. She made it clear she hadn't even wanted to see him again… And then he spent the night at her dorm to take care of her whilst she was drunk. Tutoring him again would be a decent favor to return, wouldn't it?
"I," she swallows thickly again. "I don't know."
Meliodas pauses on the other end. Then a sigh follows his hesitation. "That's—that's okay. I just don't know if I can bring my grades up on my own. The semester is gonna end really soon, you know that, don't you?"
"I know that," she says harshly. "Maybe if you actually bothered to attend your classes, you'd learn something. What could be more important than going to class and doing your work, Meliodas? Oh wait, girls, am I right?" Elizabeth groans sarcastically. She rolls her eyes and presses her lips into a thin line. "I'm sure– if you actually went to class– that'd be more help than I ever could be."
"Elizabeth, listen," Meliodas states her name seriously - or, at least in a tone that tells her to shut the fuck up. "I know I'm not the best with—with keeping my reputation under wraps, but could you just… stop bringin' that up? I know I'm wrong for it - even worse 'cause I'm doing fuck all instead of doing well in school - but just stop, okay? I'm aware."
Oh… Okay. He's… huh.
Elizabeth's lip twitches as her gaze shifts to the small television on her equally small TV stand. What had she been looking at this entire time? "Okay." Her voice is soft, quiet. Nearly mute. "I'm sorry."
Before she could even realize, their conversation was over. She feels as though she should be relieved he isn't talking to her anymore, yet she feels a pit growing in her stomach. Like something might be wrong - like something might go wrong.
…She just hopes her gut is not right.
ooo
Her knuckles turn white with how hard she grips her bag. The pit in her stomach only grew since yesterday– and now as she walks to her class for the day, Elizabeth still can't shake the horrible sensibility that something is going to happen. Her steps feel like they echo in her ears, too.
Nerves still set ablaze as she walks into class, Elizabeth's heart practically jumps to her throat. Because not far from the professor, sitting at his desk at the front of the room, stands Mael. His arms are crossed, his entire demeanor laid-back, and his long hair half-up, half-down, some hair swooping over his forehead to frame his face.
He nods at the professor - a handsome and charming smile gracing his features - and Elizabeth swears to any and all Lords above that she is going to drop dead.
She forces herself to move from the threshold of the door to the class to sit in her usual chair. She tries to level her suddenly uneven breathing, somewhat relieved once she reaches her seat. Elizabeth sets her bag down gently, bringing her hands up to her face to rub at her eyes. Her knuckles ache slightly - forgetting the tight grip she had on the straps of her bag.
More students begin to flood the room. Raising her gaze, she realizes Mael is still speaking to the professor; likely about assignments he'd missed since he hadn't had this class before. Although, as if sensing her gaze, Mael turns his head slightly to the left, meeting her eyes. Elizabeth freezes completely and utterly—especially so when his eyes crinkle as his smile widens, tilting his head to the side with his hair flowing over his shoulder with the motion.
It feels like decades - or maybe even eons - where their gazes stay locked.
Until she abruptly feels hands on her shoulders and a sharp gasp escapes her dry mouth. She whips her head around so fast she thinks she might get whiplash– only to see sparkling emerald eyes look down at her, a mop of messy blonde hair she really really hates.
"Really," Meliodas sighs, "I don't get what you see in him."
Elizabeth stares at him for a moment before she shakes his grip off her shoulders. "Don't touch me," she hisses. "And what the hell would you know about him? And what the fuck are you doing here?"
He shrugs and drags a chair to set it closer to her. She watches with a knitted brow as he takes a seat, leaning back and folding his arms, tilting his head slightly back. The position he is in, and the angle she views him, gives her a clear depiction of his sharp jawline, his impossibly perfect side profile when he drags his eyes to Mael at the front of the room. Her heart pounds harshly against her rib cage—what is happening to her?!
"He's trying out for the team, Ellie," he says. The words left his lips in a tone that tells her he knows something she doesn't. He knows something and she'll be damned if her curiosity gets the better of her. "I'll have to see him, suspended or not. And I have this class. Wasn't it you that advised me to start going to class?"
"He is?" She asks in a whisper. But then her breath stutters in her throat as she processes his words. "You have this class? You willingly decided to take a nursing class?"
Meliodas shrugs, his eyes darting to hers under his messy blonde bangs. "I didn't choose it."
She bites her lip and looks away. Her bluebell gaze finds and stays glued to her bag, counting every little stitch and string that holds it together. "Just please don't be annoying," she says silently. "I don't want to suddenly start failing my classes because you feel like you should bother me."
"Hmm." The blonde hummed. It honestly takes every bone in her body to not look at him. "I wouldn't dream of it. Beside, Ellie, knowing how academically driven you are, there's no stopping you from doin' great in school."
And she supposed, some less agitated part of her, that he was right. Elizabeth Liones is a fighter - even if it feels like all hope is lost, faith is still the one thing she will hang onto. And she has faith in herself—faith in finishing school to become a nurse or doctor, faith she'll be able to visit and see her family again, even if not soon.
Elizabeth Liones was anything but a loser.