Can I Keep You?

Chapter 2

The cold early morning air was brisk on his skin as he ran as fast as his feet could carry him. This was as close as he would come to flying while in a state of sound mind. He had been told once, that he had manifested wings while on a murderous rampage... but that just didn't seem to count to him.

Flying was an act of freedom. Murderous rampage... well... that seemed less so.

Meliodas' feet barely touched the ground as he picked up his speed even more. How far would he run this time? How long would it take to get those images of her cold form out of his head? Or conversely, how long would it take him to convince himself that she didn't need him to climb into bed with her either? Though that thought was much more entertaining. It made him grin just thinking about it.

He could almost see her surprise! Her cheeks flaring up, her attempt at hiding from him, and... oh for heavens' sake, he needed to stop that line of thought before he got himself in SERIOUS trouble.

He decided, as he began to slow down and finally come to a stop, that distance wasn't what he needed. Meliodas needed a distraction. But, for the last week, after they had begun their travels to Camelot, he found himself going back to those memories. They haunted him. That had been no nightmare.

He was reliving that day over and over.

He knew the only way to get rid of the nightmare was to confront it. He knew that she was alive and well and within grasping range... but he could not bring himself to confront the idea that he had lost her. Again... Even if it had been for only a short time.

Cold... So cold...

Meliodas' head shook violently as he willed the feelings and thoughts away. He wasn't going to give in to those dark memories. They had no place here.

The air was warming up as the sun began to rise, and light began to pour over the ground. Everyone would soon be getting up. It was time he made his way back to the tavern.

The sun was already rising over the horizon by the time Meliodas made it to the front door of the Tavern. The first thing that struck him as odd was that there was a steady stream of smoke emitted from the kitchen chimney, the second was that he knew Ban would be nowhere close to being awake at this hour. No way in hell.

Entering the tavern, Meliodas was greeted with a beautiful sight. Surely, he was dead and had gone to heaven.

Elizabeth was behind the counter of the bar, the smell of breakfast wafting through the air to tickle his senses. It smelled as good as Ban's cooking.

She looked up and blushed a deep crimson as her eyes met his curious gaze, "OH! S-Sir Meliodas, you're back! I-I thought I would..." she fiddled with the apron string that had been so long that she had to wrap it around her lithe figure twice and tie it in a bow to keep it out of the way. She looked... rather cute this way. Personally, if anyone wore that apron, he thought it should probably be her... maybe without a shirt on underneath...

Meliodas sauntered happily to the bar and found a seat as she continued to squirm under his gaze. He was making her nervous... the idea was kind of exciting. Like they were meeting all over again. This was the fun part.

"What's for breakfast?" He asked casually, pulling her attention to him instead of the pesky apron string, her eyes lighting up as she quickly prepared a plate and placed it in front of the blonde. Her movements had been smooth. Nothing like the usually clumsy woman who was his prettiest tavern girl.

"I hope you like it," she said, her face remaining flush and her eyes avoiding his. He almost couldn't stand it. He wanted her to look at him. Even still, he was happy to have this moment alone with her. With her being awake and everything. He piled up his fork and shoved a load of food into his mouth. It was quite good. He knew she had been learning a few things from Ban. Who knew she had picked it up so quickly.