Snatch (Ban x reader lemon)

Hospitality

He looked kind of familiar. Where have I seen his face before?

Ah, this is going to bother me so much. Maybe the town I passed through two days ago? That weird bar...probably. I feel like I saw those same red leather pants through one of my many drunken stupors. How weird it is that he'd be in these woods.

Better not worry about it; I'll probably never see him again anyway. I need to focus on the captain and a way to get closer to him. He's my only chance of saving my best friend. Wholesome, innocent Clara. Always joking and laughing at her terrible puns. Ok, I'll admit she can be pretty funny, but she'll never hear me acknowledge that.

Meliodas, the Sin of Wrath and captain of the Seven Deadly Sins, has to be strong enough to defeat that monster of a holy knight. But how am I supposed to talk to him? 'Hey, I kinda need you to follow me to a dangerous foe and save a stranger you've never even met for a stranger you've just met.' Growling in frustration I stupidly kick a tree and howl in pain. The sound of fluttering wings follows as the birds that had occupied the recently abused tree fly away.

 While looking up, the sun shines an especially bright ray, piercing right through to my brain almost reeling me back. Must be noon now. I shake the pain from my eyes and pull the thin hood of my cloak about my head, shielding the upper part of my face like some dark elf leaving their hole for the first time in centuries. Hangovers are a real pain in the ass when you got things to do. Which is more often than not in my case. How unfortunate.

Now, which way was that tavern...west? Oh God, I don't remember. I really should have marked it on my map, but in my defense, I was kind of wasted. Taking out my map from the small pack strapped to my shoulder, I double-check for a marked location. As expected, I didn't mark the tavern. After putting it away, I look around for any familiar surroundings. There are no notable markings of any kind. Just boring trees and boring grass and— oh, footprints, and they're not mine. I bet they're from that weirdo last night. There's a small chance he was headed to the bar, but it could also be a complete waste of my time.

I've got no other leads. Pulling my hood a little tighter, I start following the surprisingly hard to track trail. For such a large man, he sure does have light feet. If the ground wasn't wet from the bit of rainfall yesterday there might not have been any tracks at all. Who is this guy? Better try and memorize his face, though that won't be much of a chore. There's not a whole lot of really tall guys with silver hair, grey eyes, and a rockin' bod... POTENTIAL DANGER Y/N!

Um, this tree looks familiar. Oh! Another footprint, I'll be there in no time!

~~~

Alright, so it might have taken me three hours but I finally found that stupid tavern. With the sun beating down on me, sweat soaking my forehead and several other places, I knock on the door. Thirty seconds later, no one answers. I knock again, a little louder this time.

"WHO IS IT?!" A gruff voice yells from inside the bar, he sounds tired. It's not that early, just about noon.

"Maybe I should come back la-" I start to say to myself as I'm turning around but the door suddenly bursts open.

"Oh, it's you," wait a minute, that disapproving tone sounds familiar. I quickly veer back around to face the bastard that scared me half to death last night. He asks, "What are you doing here?"

"That's... none of your business!" I point my finger at him defensively.

"It is actually," he pushes my hand out of his face, "I live here."

"Oh, that's... nice I guess... um-" I look down as the instinct to run has my feet itching in their shoes.

"So what do ya want?" From my peripheral I watch him lean against the door and that's when I turn to look more directly. He looks very disheveled and generally hungover. I've seen that same look many times in a mirror.

"I should go," I know how appealing a dark room and a long nap would be right about now.

"Just get in here," he says exasperatedly as he pulls me in by the wrist and I stumble through the door. I didn't get a good look last night, but this place is pretty cozy. There are tables spread around the main room and a bar with stools lined against it on the far end opposite the door. Everything is crafted of wood and painted in yellows and greens, although it is chipping a bit. There's a shelf behind the bar covered in bottles of what I can say in the best wine in all of Britannia. Then I face the man behind me.

"Are you sure it's alright for me to be here before you open? I mean what if I'm a thief or murderer?" I turn around once again, to meet those piercing red eyes. At first, his face is blank, as if he didn't even hear what I just said. Then he throws back his head and lets out this bellowing laugh that could shake you to the core if you were standing too close, which I was. It's just as scary the second time. The smile sticks for just a split second then it's blank once again. He pushes the door shut behind him with a quiet thud.

"Have a seat," he motions to a chair opposite of him at one of the tables. This unexpected hospitality has me on the edge but I'm so close to Meliodas. I have to stay. For Clara. I take the seat and meet his gaze for just a second before I avert mine to my hands.

"Nervous?"

"No," I look up, forcing myself not to look anywhere but his face. He lives here? Does that mean he knows who Meliodas is? Is he one of the Sins? I glance at the board behind the man, and surely enough, it's Ban the Undead. Abruptly, I become very sweaty but determined not to show it. Look him in the eye. Stop shaking. In the eye, Y/N. Breathe. Just count or something. Why isn't he saying anything? He knows! It's all over my face, isn't it?! You've done it this time, way to go. Now you're never going to save Clara. She's gonna be stuck in that damn dungeon forever and you'll never see her again.

"You're here for the captain right?" That confirms it, he's a Sin. Oh, I'm so dead. "Don't look so scared, I'm not gonna hurt you."

"You're not?" My eyes widen.

"No," his voice is sincere.

"Why?" It might be a stupid question but I have to know.

"Why would I?"

"You know," I gesture to him with my hand, "you're a Sin. The big bad guys who cause trouble." My shaking stops but I barely notice.

"Oh, right. I'm a scary monster," as Ban says this he slowly rises from the suddenly very small chair, large hands on the table. It can be said that he did look like a monster at this moment. A smile spread once again, fangs sharp, eyes glowing red, and a look that could kill. A shiver runs down my spine. Then he swiftly turns and heads to the bar across the room to grab a bottle. As he opens it, he walks back over to his chair and takes a seat once again. "First I'm a weirdo, then a criminal, make up your mind," he takes a swig.

"I'm gonna go with a psycho. Yeah, definitely," I intended to say that much more quietly.

"What makes you say that?" The image of his sharp smile and blood-colored gaze flashes in my mind.

"Nothing, gimme that bottle," I wave for him to hand it over. He hesitates a moment, then stubbornly holds out the bottle by the neck. I take a shot and hand it back.

"So, are you?" Ban's gruff voice asks.

"What?" I return sharply.

"Here for Meliodas, come on, it's like talking to a goldfish."

"What if I am?"

"Well, you're not orange and scaly but I'm not complaining," Ban chuckles as he takes another drink before closing the bottle and placing it on the table.

"No- I- Goddamnit, is he here or not?!" Who would have guessed one of the Sins would be so difficult to have a conversation with. I hope my encounter with the captain will be relatively smoother, however rough my first impression was. I severely underestimated that ale last night.

"Fortunately, no, he's hunting for today's special— meat pie." I can't help but drool at the thought of eating something other than forest berries. I shake my head. He said Meliodas isn't here right now, and he's on a hunt so that's got to take a while. I do not want to wait here with such an intimidating person. Standing up, I turn to leave, planning to come back in an hour or two. "Go ahead and wait, he won't be gone much longer."

Slowly, I sit back down and give Ban a courteous smile, all the while hating every moment I'm not out of the door.