Quote of the Chapter:

"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."
― Mark Twain

Chapter Thirteen: I don't want (to lose) you too

He didn't want to lose her. All of this, everything, was all to keep Elizabeth Liones in his life. Indefinitely. That was what Meliodas told himself; that was what Meliodas drilled into himself, ingrained into the very neurons within his brain, the synapses passing intricate messages about how to keep her there, how to keep her safe, how to keep her from finding out.

But all it did in the long run was speed up her inevitable departure.

Today he had finally felt it; today Meliodas felt the first familiar nudges of the well-known goodbye, his path severing from yet another person's. Countless times he had felt it - too many times Meliodas had felt the beginning of the end. But today was an odd shift. Shifts were rare and far between with Meliodas and Elizabeth - especially when they had their natural push and pull that always worked itself out. But today, today it was like Elizabeth was pushing more than pulling. Pushing and pushing and pushing, she was trying to avoid something, someone, he didn't know about. Well, that was bullshit. He knew who she was avoiding.

Obviously there were times when Elizabeth did avoid him. No natural friendship of a decade had ever come without the mandatory break in contact. There were times - still were times - when Elizabeth would easily detach herself from him; there were times when Meliodas found himself wondering, thinking, if she knew just how much he still depended on her.

Those times without Elizabeth were rough. She kept the clock ticking, kept him linked to society when he would otherwise be chained to his own stormy nightmare-world of bad days. When she was absent, things only went downhill. Zeldris couldn't keep Meliodas ticking over like she did; Zeldris couldn't distract him, couldn't take his mind off the thing that triggered all this mess; Zeldris couldn't do anything.

Only Elizabeth could. With her bright smiles and her innocence, Meliodas could pretend that all the bad didn't exist. Like a horrid stain, like the stench of rotting floorboards under a carpet, Meliodas could neglect the glaring issues with his mind. Effortlessly.

Elizabeth was like rose-tinted glass, like an addiction to a drug - but with healthy side effects and positive effects. Everything she did to him was positive, a step forward instead of backward. With Elizabeth, Meliodas never had to worry much. He never had to worry at all; she took care of that for him.

Today, though, there was a change. Usually, she would drop everything when he pulled the shitty excuse of being sick. Concerned and worried, Elizabeth would run after Meliodas all day, encouraging him to take his fluids and have plenty of rest. Today she didn't do that. Today she looked him in the eye, backed him into a corner and then ran off to work. All in the space of two minutes.

Now Meliodas was berating himself, annoyed at the fact that he had allowed himself to go blank. He should have said something. He should have said anything but what he had said. Now he just seemed like a shitty roommate.

"You know maybe if you didn't think so much with that second head of yours, maybe you'd be better at this sorta stuff," Ban's voice rang through his ears. From years ago, decades ago, back when he'd first bumped into the Liones girl. Ban was the first person to see through his bullshit. "All you need to do is talk to her."

Yeah, talk to her. How simple it all seemed written on paper. In real life talking was crossed out in dark black ink, overcast with a storm of correcting fluid and a whole portrait of the Mona Lisa completed in acrylic paint. Talking was the last option for Meliodas - just above faking his own death and finding Elizabeth many years later with a new identity paired with a goofy haircut.

"You need to stop living life half in, half out," Elizabeth now - much more worried and sorrowful. He saw her worried eyes again, the glittering tears that bubbled as she fiercely scrubbed at his wounds.

Last night he had hated that. Hate always swarmed within him whenever she went out of her way to patch him up. Nothing irritated Meliodas more than when she quietly got out the first aid kit, held back the tears and pulled out the alcohol wipes. Not once in their decade long friendship did she ever ask him about where he went at night; never again - not after asking once - did she prod him about his father.

Instead, like always, she watched on in silence, pulling out the first aid kit, wiping his cuts and wrapping them in bandages. Every. Single. Time.

And how did Meliodas repay her?

He'd rather not say.

If anything, Elizabeth was right. She was always right and Meliodas knew it. He damn well knew it. Knowing it wasn't the difficult part of his situation; no, admitting it, moving on, was the hardest part for him. So he'll do what he always does: he'll pretend that his problems don't exist - at least until Zeldris comes back to yank him back into reality.

Mindlessly, Meliodas grabbed his phone. Without much thought he knew exactly what he would do today; he knew exactly what he'll say to her, how he'd keep himself busy without wandering into brooding territory.

Within moments he'd sent his text, already compiling his mental list of how to make all his dumbshittery up to Elizabeth. With how long his list of offences had grown, Meliodas doubted it would be an easy feat. This morning Elizabeth had seemed somewhat annoyed with him - he could even say that she was tired of his antics. Maybe, the secret keeping was catching up with him. Maybe, just maybe, Elizabeth was catching on and had finally had enough of his ass.

Moments passed and Meliodas felt himself panic as he stared at the phone screen, anticipating her response, any response, to save him from this limbo of guessing Elizabeth's mood. One moment. Two moments. Three. He's about to go mad from the anticipation when, suddenly, she responded, seeming pleased as she ended it with a broadly grinning emoji:

'You don't have to get me a surprise, but I'm all for it.'

Relief flooded Meliodas' system as he read her response, glad that she wasn't mad at him. He was about to respond when she swiftly added:

'Make sure to get my fave cake tho or you won't be forgiven.'

Laughter escaped him. Unexpected, genuine laughter that felt like breathing bubbles. After having known her for so long, Meliodas couldn't have expected anything else from Elizabeth. With her, there were always unexpected yet treasured surprises.

'Yh. I know,' Meliodas texted back, already shrugging on a jacket. He had about five hours to get this surprise prepped and he was not going to be late. Not if he could help it.

He was going to make this up to her.