#7ds liz

It was a peaceful night.

Meliodas listened to the fire crackling in front of him, the only sound that filled the house. Even Wandle was sleeping soundly. Their little home was warm on an otherwise cool night, and he and Liz were cuddled close on their couch. Two empty mugs were left on their little wooden table, abandoned to be cleaned tomorrow (or later, technically, as it was a new day). It was late, far too late for anyone except night patrols to be awake.

He would have fallen asleep hours ago, if his mind hadn’t been reeling from a nightmare he had had when he had first entered the already restless sleep. It had been awhile since he had that nightmare, and it left him trying desperately to not tremble, fearing he’d disturb Liz. He did, in the end, and that’s why they were here now. Upon her insistence, they had moved to their living room to better relax.

She was curled tightly around him, her arms secure, safe, her head resting on his chest. Meliodas’ arms were also wrapped around her, one hand unconsciously brushing through her short hair while his other arm rested around her waist protectively.

The demon watched the fire in front of him for a while, watching as the flames were slowly dwindling. The steady crackling of the disappearing flames was honestly soothing, and he found himself finally growing tired.

Glancing down, Meliodas’ arm around her waist tightened slightly. Not enough to wake her, but to reassure himself, in a way. He took a deep breath, eyes falling to Liz’s chest to see it rising and falling evenly. He smiled to himself, brushing her hair from her face carefully and the anxiousness the nightmare had brought on were dispersing.

He didn’t want to think about the nightmare, it was already one he was well-acquainted with. It went how every other nightmare of his went, having started when she had first died. This one felt worse than the others, though. More often than not, the nightmares focused on past Elizabeths.

This one, however, was of Liz.

He took in a deep breath, squeezing his eyes shut and willing himself to relax.

It wouldn’t happen to her. He wouldn’t let it.

She stirred in his arms, and Meliodas opened his eyes just in time to see her look up at him groggily.

“I thought you would be asleep by now,” Liz hummed softly, shifting to rest her head under his chin and move her legs over his. Meliodas buried his face in her hair, sighing as he forced the tension from his body. Liz noted that the relaxation was forced, and she pulled her head away to look at him properly. She brought a hand up to his face, cradling his cheek, and he leaned into her touch. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?” she asked.

Meliodas had claimed earlier that night - when she first woke up to him shaking and near tears - that he would be fine, that he didn’t want to talk about it, it was just a stupid nightmare. Although she had just accepted him brushing it off, she knew it had to have been an awful nightmare. Never before had she seen Meliodas look that frightened.

When she was met with silence, Liz began to run her thumb along his cheek in a soothing motion. “It’s okay if not, but… it might help you rest easier to share,” Liz added after another silent moment.

Both of Meliodas’ hands now rested at her waist, and he gripped her tightly, almost as though he were trying to ground himself. He took a deep breath, before exhaling shakily. Slowly, he opened his eyes and stared into Liz’s bright and curious blue ones.

He smiled at her, soft and appreciative. “I’m sure, but thank you.” Meliodas leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers, and Liz hummed softly at his response. She had expected it, and wouldn’t push any further.

“Alright.” She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, one Meliodas melted into instantly. Her hands moved to his shoulders, then to his chest before wrapping around him as she moved closer. When Liz pulled away, she stared into his eyes, a familiar green she could never tire of looking into. “Just remember I’m always here for you.”

Meliodas laughed gently, nodding as Liz settled back on top of him.

“And I’ll always be there for you,” he reminded, nuzzling once again into her hair.

This is the time I end this, he thinks. I promise.

Liz would be the last Elizabeth.

He would make sure of it.

He couldn’t breathe.

Everything was too loud and too quiet at the same time, his thoughts and the smell of death lingering in the air both overwhelming. Tears streamed down his face as he stared at her, both of them gasping for breath, but only one would eventually catch it.

“Liz,” he sobbed quietly, and she smiled at him. Her brows were drawn in pain, and he knew everything had to hurt, there was a gaping hole in her chest for goddesses sake! But still, she smiled at him comfortingly.

“We’ll meet again,” she whispered, and Meliodas cried harder. Carefully, he pulled her into an embrace, his arms secure around her, and her shallow breathing was even more prominent now. “I’m certain of it.”

Meliodas buried his face in her neck, shaking his head.

“You were supposed to be the last! Fuck, Liz, I can’t-”

He cut himself off when her breathing stopped altogether, and he felt her heart no longer beating. Meliodas sobbed, feeling the darkness crawl over his skin as his sorrow was replaced with rage.

He was furious. Furious at Fraudrin, for destroying his happy life and taking away the one thing he cherished above all else. Furious at his father and her mother, for cursing them in the first place. And furious at himself, for breaking the promise he had made to himself. She was supposed to be the last, she had been so different, he had been certain she’d be the last Elizabeth. He had thought this time would be when he was finally able to break the curse.

.

.

Liz never understood the only bond mark that stained her skin.

It looked to her like a poorly drawn dragon, or some kind of shadow that was supposed to look like a cruel beast but a child had made it look cute and harmless.

She didn't know how or who she had the mark. She had never formed a strong bond with anyone. She was a slave, an object essentially, forced to do whatever her master wanted. She'd never had the chance to make friends or stay with family, and she didn't try. She had given up on trying a long, long time ago.

And when she had been taken captive by Danafor, she was almost relieved. The worst that would happen was she was put to death, but that didn't seem as bad as being forced to return to her previous life.

Then he had shown up, making a scene that was utterly ridiculous and infuriating. The kingdom he was loyal to, made his enemy if they tried to put her to death? He didn't even know her!

Still, he welcomed her into his home and she was just so confused. He was patient and kind to her, tried to cook for her (she had insisted he never cook for her again after one bite of his food, and she found herself cooking for them both). He welcomed her as a knight, a fierce warrior to protect the kingdom and helped her make friends with the other holy knights in the kingdom.

Not that she needed much help, but the little nudge to be open about getting to know people helped.

They had lived together for awhile, and had fallen into a routine she liked. Train for most of the day, go out drinking, come home, have dinner, then Go to bed. Sometimes they'd go to the meadow and enjoy the nice day, and other times they'd both stay home.

They also had an unspoken rule, one where they didn't mention bond marks. It was an odd rule - to Liz, at least. The people of Danafor made a show of their marks, boasting about their lovers or friends or family. Although a welcoming community, strong bonds meant to last years were difficult to form, and people wore their marks proudly.

Meliodas seemed even more like an oddity, keeping not only the marks of others hidden away on his chest but his own mark was kept out of sight. His sleeves never slipped down past his wrists and Liz had never once even seen him need medical attention that would require the removal of his shirt. She was curious as to what the marks could be, what they looked like, and figured she'd jump at the chance to see them.

She had been very wrong.

Liz realized pretty quickly she didn't care about the chance of seeing his bond mark, not with Meliodas curled in her lap and gasping for breath. Blood stained her trousers and shirt as she moved him as carefully as she could, freezing at the hiss and small whimper that followed.

"You're so goddamn stupid," Liz hissed, ignoring the tears welling in her eyes as she took a quick look around to try and find their healer. The tears slipped out as Meliodas' breathing only grew more ragged and she held him tighter, finally spotting the healer's tent in the distance and she began to sprint towards it.

She met the healer half way, who took Meliodas from her arms, panic clear in their expression. It wasn't everyday Danafor's grand master was on death's doorstep, after all.

The healer requested that Liz remain outside, letting the entrance to the tent fall closed. Liz cursed profusely under her breath and scrubbed at her face, trying to get the tears to stop flowing.

She was covered in blood that wasn't her own and it was because Meliodas was so goddamn stupid as to jump in front of her when someone was attacking. He hadn't even tried to block! He had taken the sword to the stomach and Liz had been sickened to see the bloodied sword clatter to the ground along with the idiot who had attacked them.

Liz was furious, and now that her anxiety that he wouldn't make it in time was receding because he was safe now, she allowed herself to be angry. Meliodas was smarter than this! He was a formidable opponent even without a sword, and he never once got injured this badly in a battle. Never.

She paced the entire time she was outside, glaring at the ground and tugging at her sleeves harshly every few seconds. It felt like hours went by before the healer opened the tent.

Liz clasped her hands over her chest, praying to the goddesses that what she was about to hear was good news. She didn't think she could handle it if Meliodas died.

The healer smiled slightly. "He's still asleep, but… he's healed completely, and just needs some more rest." Liz sighed in relief, her shoulders sagging at the news. "Maybe you can take him home?" Liz nodded wordlessly, following the healer inside the tent.

She spotted that he didn't have any shirt on, and averted her eyes instinctively. The healer helped her get Meliodas onto her back without waking him, and Liz thanked the healer before leaving.

The sky was already a deep blue dotted with stars by the time Meliodas stirred. Liz was by his bedside, dozing off on the floor on his side. She didn't want to settle in the bed, fearing she may have hurt him if she did. Liz knew that while the healers could heal wounds incredibly well, more often than not people still felt pain afterward. Specifically, they'd be really sore. And Liz didn't want to test if he was sore just yet.

He groaned softly, and Wandle made a loud noise which startled Liz awake. She looked up at the bird with a light glare, before looking to Meliodas, who was slowly blinking awake. Liz's heart jumped to her throat as she bolted up to check on him.

Meliodas looked almost dazed, and he stared up at the ceiling for a moment before glancing around, shoulders tensing. He seemed to relax when he spotted Liz, a small smile appearing on his face.

They stared at each other for a few moments in utter silence, until Meliodas broke it in a whisper. "I'm glad you're okay."

Liz felt her heart squeeze and she couldn't help but move closer and wrap him up in a hug, pulling him close and choking back a sob. Meliodas froze at the sudden action before melting into her arms, wrapping his own around her tightly.

"You moron," Liz muttered, burying her face in his shoulder. "You know better than to pull that kind of thing!"

She heard Meliodas snicker, his hands rubbing her back soothingly before she pulled away to glare at him with watery eyes.

"I knew I'd be fine," he reasoned. Liz's glare intensified, and the amused smile fell from Meliodas' face. Instead, one of confusion crossed it. "... Were you really that worried?"

Liz took a deep breath, and wiped away some of her tears with one hand while the other went to Meliodas' chest. She had seen the mark there, had seen her own mark on his chest already, and now she placed her palm above it. Meliodas' eyes widened slightly as she brought her other hand to her own chest, tapping over his mark on her lightly.

"You're my everything, Meliodas. Seeing you bleeding out… it was terrifying." She sniffled, not meeting his eyes. "I… I can't… if I lost you so suddenly, I don't… I don't think I could handle it."

She tried to take a deep breath. Meliodas brought his hands to hers and clasped them tightly, reassuringly, drawing their hands away from their chests to rest between them. Their fingers interlocked and Meliodas gave her hands a light squeeze. Liz glances up and he catches her gaze.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Liz." His voice had taken on a new tone, and Liz thought he looked as though he may cry as well. He tugged her closer gently, and she followed his lead, settling into bed beside him. He buried his face in her chest and she huffed, though wasn't too annoyed. "I can't lose you either, you're my entire world… I don’t-" he took a deep breath, “I’d do anything to make sure you were safe.” 

Meliodas glanced up from her chest, his cheeks tinted a light red and Liz felt her heart melt. She brought her hands to his jaw and wiped away a stray tear, and she tilted his face up. She leaned a little closer, but waited for him to give a nod before pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.

Meliodas hummed softly into the kiss, almost a purr, his hands wrapping protectively around Liz as they kissed slowly. Liz began to run one of her hands through his hair before eventually just cupping his face.

"Will you make me a promise, if I make you one?" Liz asked softly when they pulled apart. Meliodas nodded, careful not to bump their heads too hard. Liz caressed his cheek as she thought. "If I promise to be more careful in battle, will you promise me you'll be more careful too, please?"

His heart squeezed at her words. How many times had he made that promise and then failed to keep it?