Chapter Text
Ban looked at the table to find Meliodas awake, glaring at him. He looked absolutely furious.
“Oh, so you’re awake now-”
“Give me the note,” he said, raising his voice, eyes turning black, “Before I do something really bad.”
Everyone was silent as Meliodas’s frown deepened, clenching his fists. Ban didn’t move.
“Give it back !” he yelled, lunging forward. Ban took a step back as Meliodas dove for the empty space where Ban just was, losing his balance. Ban picked him up under the arms and lifted him up so their eyes were meeting.
“And why should I?” he said, his voice stone cold. He slid the letter to Merlin, who placed it on the table in front of her, watching silently.
“Sir Meliodas…” Elizabeth said quietly.
“Ban, I’m gonna pound you, understand?” his voice alone sounded menacing, but the position he was in was less than scary. He uselessly flailed his arms around, trying to hit Ban just out of reach, his legs kicking, trying to free himself.
“As soon as you let your guard down, I’m gonna-”
“Sir Meliodas, please!” Elizabeth said louder. Meliodas ignored her, as did Ban.
“Dammit captain! Why can’t you just tell us what’s wrong? Why does everything have to be hidden with you?”
“Let me go, Ban. Now!”
“And do you even care that you’ve been worrying everyone every time you run away like a damn coward? Especially Elizabeth! She waited at the door for you every damn day while you were gone, her only thoughts were on you, and you’re taking it for granted!” Ban yelled.
Meliodas stopped moving. He continued trying to break free, but slower. Ban could tell he was starting to give up.
“So just tell us what’s wrong, and I’ll let you go,” he said, a little calmer.
As Meliodas’s movements became slower and sloppier, he glared up at Ban.
“No,” he growled, “It’s none of your damn business.”
“It’s our business to know why our leader’s acting so weird,” King said, standing up.
“Captain, we just wanna know how you feel,” Diane added. Escanor and Merlin said nothing, and Gowther looked around the room, taking in the scene.
“Sir Meliodas, please , tell us how you feel,” Elizabeth pleaded.
Meliodas looked around the room, staring at everyone, who held their breaths in anticipation.
He stopped struggling.
“...”
Everyone waited for Meliodas to speak.
“I was going to hold back…”
“..what?” King mumbled.
“..But you’ve left me no choice.”
Meliodas jumped out of Ban’s grasp with ease, and punched a hole through his stomach, the impact sending him flying, breaking open the door and catapulting him outside. Meliodas ran outside, and flew into the air, catching up to Ban and sending a flurry of punches to his face.
The rest of the sins ran outside, Escanor ripped his shirt off, and Diane grew large again thanks to Merlin. King and Gowther ran into the action, trying their best to stop him.
“Sir Meliodas! Everyone, please! Stop this!” Elizabeth yelled through her tears. She watched in horror as everyone threw punches at the blonde, him hurtling them back at them.
“Very interesting,” Merlin said, floating next to Elizabeth.
“What could be interesting about this? It’s horrifying!” Elizabeth yelled.
“It seems that the captain really is still holding back. Although they appear to be fighting, none of the sins have their weapons, well, except for King,” Merlin smirked.
Elizabeth watched them all. King had his weapon, but not in spear formation.
“It may look like they’re fighting, but if you look closely, the captain is only deflecting attacks, not using them as an offensive strategy. And it appears that the rest of them aren’t landing any blows on the captain on purpose. You could barely even call this a fight.”
Elizabeth looked back in awe. Every single one of them was holding back.
“What he needs is to calm down,” Merlin stated.
“Perfect Cube.”
With a small whoosh, a cube formed around Meliodas. Surprised, he glared at Merlin, and without delay, began punching it at rapid speed.
“Thank you sins, but that will be all,” she said, turning Diane into her small form again. They all watched as Meliodas kept punching, showing no sign of stopping.
“We can’t just leave him in there,” King said.
“That is true. But what else could we do?” Diane questioned.
“I have an idea,” Elizabeth said, walking forward, “Put me in the cube.”
Everyone looked shocked, but Merlin nodded, “Good luck.”
With a zap, Elizabeth was transported next to Meliodas, still rapidly punching the wall. He glanced over at the sight of her, and growled.
“Elizabeth,” he huffed, punching the cube, “You need to leave.”
“Sir Meliodas...listen..I know you’re hurting, and I’m sorry! We just want to help you! But you need to tell us what’s wrong!”
“Tell Merlin to take you back. You need to leave!”
“What do you mean?”
Meliodas couldn’t bear it anymore.
“Go!”
He saw it in her eyes. He saw it in her smile. In her worried look. In every way, she was just like Liz. Sometimes he could barely tell the difference between them. With the constant reminder of her it was getting harder and harder for him to control himself.
“Get out of here, Liz!”
His punching slowed for a moment as he shook his head, a look of confusion on his face.
“No...I meant...”
His eyes turned back to green as he slowed his movements.
“I mean…”
“I was once told that I look like her.”
Meliodas froze. His eyes widened. He felt his hands start to shake.
“Is it true?”
He stopped, and stared at the ground.
“Meliodas?"
He could already feel the tears streaming down his face, and hitting the ground. He looked up at Elizabeth and smiled . This time it was a genuine one.
“Meliodas.”
He fell to his knees, a flurry of loud sobs overtaking him. He grabbed at his hair helplessly, he couldn’t see through the river of tears he was crying.
Elizabeth knelt down and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He cried harder.
Merlin took this as a good time to let him go.
“Absolute Cancel,” she said quietly. The cube broke and Meliodas and Elizabeth were met with the feeling of grass on their knees.
“I’m sorry!” he sobbed, his green eyes clenched shut. The other sins ran over and knelt down with them, trying their best to comfort their captain.
“Everyone, I’m so sorry!” he sobbed loudly once again, “I couldn’t do it! I tried so hard to forget, but I couldn’t do it! It’s the name! Everytime I hear it, I just-”
“-At first it was fine, but then you started calling her Liz,” his voice wobbled at the mention of the name, “And I thought I could get used to it-but-I couldn’t! Every time I heard that name-it was like I was being sent back there-when she-”
Meliodas trailed off, but started again, his shoulders shaking.
“I didn’t want to tell you guys...I couldn’t handle it! It was so hard hearing that name over and over! Elizabeth, you look exactly like her,” he hiccuped. He tried to open his mouth again but felt himself getting light-headed.
“Meliodas,” he heard Elizabeth whisper, “Breathe.”
Meliodas breathed heavily, and continued, tears still trickling down his cheeks.
“I’m sorry for being so weak. A-and selfish. I’m just a coward…” he whimpered into Elizabeth’s chest, “And I’m sorry you had to see me like this.”
He was quiet after that, crying silently into Elizabeth’s embrace.
“Captain…” Ban said quietly. Everyone was speechless.
“Meliodas,” Elizabeth said gently, “I’m sorry. That must have been so hard. I’m sorry you had to go through all of this on your own. We’re your friends, you can talk to us.”
“Liz is dead,” he whimpered, “She’s dead.”
Elizabeth didn’t know what to say, so she hugged him even tighter.
“Aw, captain…” Diane said in sympathy, pulling him in for a hug. She pulled King in with her, who gasped, but relished the fact that he was touching Diane.
“Aw, come here!” Ban said, pushing himself in as well.
“Captain. You’re not worthless. Or weak. Or a coward,” Ban said, grinning, “Never call yourself that for the rest of your life.”
Meliodas stayed silent, but nodded.
“Yes! I would also like to participate in this hugging ritual!” Gowther said, wrapping his small arms around Elizabeth. They all turned to Merlin and Escanor, who sat across from them.
“No-really, I’m not the hugging type-” she tried to say, but Escanor laughed mightily, and lunged forward, grabbing Merlin in the process. She gasped, but eventually got used to the warmth of the others.
They stayed like that until Meliodas fell asleep. Elizabeth carried him inside, the rest of them following.
Everyone had a long talk when he woke up. More tears were shed, but eventually they came to a conclusion. They decided that one, Meliodas had to try to speak his mind, no matter what he had to say, and two, Elizabeth would no longer be called Liz.
When they all went to sleep that night, they hoped for the best. And they could tell that it was all going to be fine. His smiles weren’t fake, his eyes had their glimmer back, and that was the last time they stayed in that village, they packed up and travelled East, watching the woods fade away in the distance.
“Well, I don’t know about you guys, but a drink sounds pretty great right now,” Meliodas giggled.
“I second that!” Ban yelled, digging into the bar and pulling out a couple bottles. As they all stood outside on Mama Hawk’s head, Gowther approached Meliodas, both of them watching the rest of the sins partying.
“Captain, as I went through your memories, I decided to practice what you humans call empathy,” he said, smiling a hollow smile, “I decided not to tell the others about Danafor and how Liz died, and I also decided to keep the 107 reincarnations a secret as well.”
Meliodas’s eyes widened, but put a hand on Gowther’s shoulder, smiling.
“Gowther...thank you.”
They all stopped their partying when drunk Ban popped an unsettling question.
“Where’s Hawk?”
They all turned their heads to the door as they heard various banging coming from inside.
“Where is Hawk?”
“Better check it out,” Meliodas said.
They followed the sound of the banging to a back door at the back of the tavern, the door to the cellar. When Meliodas opened it, Hawk came bounding out, looking furious.
“You guys left me! You bastards locked me in the cellar for TWO WEEKS!!” he yelled, running around the tavern.
“How are you...still alive?” Diane asked.
“Oh! There was food and beer down there, but I COULD HAVE DIED! YOU GUYS ABANDONED ME!” he cried, hiding behind Elizabeth.
“Bad piggy,” Meliodas said, hitting him with his cup, “You ate all the supplies.”
“Oh, that's the LEAST of your worries as of NOW, buddy!!” Hawk yelled.
“Wait…” he said, sniffing, “I smell something. The atmosphere in here has changed. What the hell did I miss?”
Everyone looked at each other, before turning to Hawk.
“Nothing buddy. You didn’t miss a thing.”