Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from The Seven Deadly Sins/ Nanatsu No Taizai. They all belong to the wonderful Nakaba Suzuki.

This story, however, belongs to me.

Thanks lickitysplit for being so encouraging! :)

-I'll Always Be There-

It's an early morning at the Boar Hat. The sun's easy rays shine in through the windows of the first floor of the tavern. The wooden tables and seats have been wiped down to glimmering perfection and the stone floors cleaned with the expertise of none other than the Captain of the Order of Scraps Disposal. The owner of the tavern has a soft towel in his hold as he gives the bar one last wipe, deeming it clean. Placing the towel back behind the bar for later cleaning, the blond heads down to storage cellar in order to retrieve a few kegs of beer in order to restock from such a successful evening.

His boots thud softly against the steps and he arrives in the dark stuffy room. As he easily lifts two wooden barrels, Meliodas admits, with a jovial smile ,that the night's success was mostly on account of a certain princess he'd come to know. He returns to the first floor with one barrel hoisted on his shoulder and the other under his arm. His green eyes take notice of her now, sitting at the bar, slightly hunched over. Meliodas places the barrels behind the bar, then turns to look at her fully.

Completely elegant in her appearance despite wearing his tavern's rather perverse waitress uniform, Elizabeth Liones gazes downward as her visible blue eye shows a type of longing and one of her hands twiddles gently with the delicate earring on her left ear that she's never without. Meliodas can practically see the melancholy as it hangs over her. He'd gotten to know her quite a bit in the time since she'd arrived at his tavern in that rusty suit of armor, so he has an idea of what might possibly be on her mind.

Striding closer to her he leans against the bar across from her. "Morning, Elizabeth! You feeling alright, there?"

Her blue eye widens and she sits up straighter to turn and gaze at him in surprise. She must not have heard him arrive back up from the cellar. "Good morning, Sir Meliodas! Sorry, I didn't hear you before. And yes, I'm fine…" Her eyes trail from his slightly and he watches her hand go back towards her earring.

With a pleasant smile his tone softens. "You're worried about your family."

"No. I-I mean yes I'm worried about them, but that's not what I'm thinking about," she scrambles to explain as her cheeks heat in a flush.

He raises an eyebrow while taking in the way her rosy skin makes her crystal blue eye stand out stunningly and the way the sun shining in from behind her casts her in a soft glow. His hands clench slightly against the bar. "So what's wrong?"

She looks down once more and her silky silver tresses fall gently in front of her face. He wants to reach forward and brush them behind her ear. "Well, in two days it'll be the two year anniversary since Margaret gave me this earring."

His expression remains unchanged. Inward he's choking on surprise. Two days. He'd learned a lot about her and she about him, well what he could afford to tell her, but birthdays was not a thing that made that list of knowledge. And now he has two days to correct that mistake. Smoothing on a comforting smile, he reaches forward, hesitates, and gently brushes her hair behind her ear, instantly catching her attention. She stares widely into his eyes with a blush that seems permanent upon her cheeks. He's quick to pull his hand back. "Don't be sad, Elizabeth. I'm sure once you're reunited with your family, you'll all be able to celebrate together. Maybe not on the day of, but it'll still be a happy occasion. I promise."

Her lips purse slightly before they turn up into a bright smile. He finds himself swallowing hard. "Thank you so much, Sir Meliodas!"

The beautiful tinkling of her voice is drowned out by the sound of the front door opening and an enraged porker bustling into the room. "Alright mister! What have you done to Elizabeth! I knew I shouldn't have gone out to get these herbs! You could have done it yourself! You just wanted to be alone with Elizabeth so you could violate her!" The pig quickly drops the basket of mentioned herbs in order to rush to Elizabeth's side as he begins to whine over her worriedly. "Elizabeth! He didn't do anything to you did he!?"

Elizabeth's expression softens as she lowers a hand to the top of the large pig's head. "I'm alright Hawk. Sir Meliodas would never hurt me."

"Yeah, she's fine," Meliodas chimes in as he reaches over and grasps a nice handful of the silverette's chest, causing her body to jerk as an embarrassed squeak escapes her. He squeezes her just the right way for her cheeks to crimson and her voice to crack in a whimper around his name. Hawk tackles him before he can get too lost in a daze.

The porker is more ferocious than a frothing wolf as he yells at Meliodas about keeping his filthy hands away from Elizabeth and how he'll start tying him up if he has to. The blond doesn't care, however. Any chance to touch Elizabeth is always worth it to him.

~.~.~

Meliodas is quick to depart from the tavern after that, saying he has an important errand to run. Elizabeth, of course, offers to help, but he declines telling her she should rest up for the night's opening. The town was very taken with her and surely the tavern will be just as busy that night as it was the previous. She relented, especially after Hawk began to insist as well.

Now the Dragon Sin is out searching for a gift for the princess he's taken into his home. Faulkstun is a very small town, but a bustling one known for its unique shops and vendors. People come here far and wide just to see what this vibrant village has to produce. It changes with the seasons and with summer coming, more people are arriving to take what the season has to offer and share their own products as well. Meliodas chose the right time to arrive in order to get the best business for his bar.

With a hand in his pocket and the other to his chin, the blond wonders what exactly Elizabeth could want as a gift. "She's not exactly spoiled, but she does like the finer things…" he notes as he recalls when he asked her to get vegetables and she came back with an elegant brush for his hair. He nearly chuckles as he remembers the dismayed look upon her face when she realized his hair was never to be tamed. His green eyes skim many stalls filled with flowers, trinkets, and cloths. Many people are bargaining over prices and trading for great deals, but none of this helps him.

"What can I get her…?" He knows her likes and dislikes by heart now. She's a sucker for sweet tea with honey added in. She enjoys sitting on the balcony and staring at the stars whenever she can. Preferably with company as she feels you can make memories with someone there with you. She dislikes pants of any sort, saying she enjoys the flowing feel of a dress or skirt, unlike her sister Veronica. She doesn't like dull colors as she says they give off the sense of sadness and lost hope. Her bed has to be made up first thing in the morning and her clothes put away neatly. She even goes into Meliodas' room just to fix it up in her delicate manner.

He can go on and on thinking about the little things he's discovered about her and without much notice a tiny smile works its way to his face.

"Hey there young boy!"

The smile is wiped away as his expression turns aloof. He knows most likely that woman's voice is referring to him, so he turns to his right to see why he's being addressed. The curly haired raventte is indeed looking at him and he simply raises an eyebrow at her in question.

"You seem to be having a problem. Is there anything I can help you out with?" She asks kindly behind her stall crafted in rich wood painted in deep a purple.

He eyes the various jewels and gems that line the stall. All of which are shiny and luminescent and very much valuable, before answering plainly. "Eh, I don't think so."

Now her smile turns somewhat teasing. "Are you sure? I've seen that love struck look before. You're trying to find something for that special woman in your life."

His cheeks heat against his will as Elizabeth's smiling face flashes into his mind. He shoves his hands into his pockets to try and hide this fact. "Yeah…" He hesitantly admits, not wanting to go into details that the princess is only someone he's sworn to protect and cares deeply about, but is in fact not involved with.

She waves her hand in urging him to come closer. "Come on! Tell me about her! I'm sure I can help you get something for her."

He blows air out of his lungs and strides closer, thinking he has nothing to lose. He hasn't been able to come up with anything to get Elizabeth so far, so why not see what this lady has to show him.

~.~.~

Elizabeth sits at the bar the next morning with Hawk eating a bowl of scraps from the morning's breakfast. Sir Meliodas had left quite early, saying he needed to handle an important errand once more and he wouldn't let her come with him again. She feels herself frown in dismay at the thought. Has she done something wrong to upset him? He didn't seem upset with her as he beamed at her on his way out, but she just can't help feeling something's amiss.

She gazes down at Hawk with a pouty expression, her lips are pursed and her brows are knit. "Hawk, do you think something is wrong with Sir Meliodas? He was gone so long yesterday and he only arrived back just before opening. I fear he'll do the same today…"

Hawk looks up from his scraps with food scattered across his face. "Hell if I know. That guy's always got something going on that he keeps hidden. He could just be out trying to find information on the other Sin's locations or he could be out there groping woman for all we know since he can't do that with you while I'm around. He's such a perv," Hawk sneers under his breath towards the end before going back to his scraps.

Elizabeth gasps as two hands fly up to her mouth in alarm. Her heart begins to twist and she just has to ask, "He wouldn't really do that, would he?" She's never seen him do that to other woman before. The thought makes her heart clench uncomfortably. She knows his groping is rather perverse, but he's never crossed any lines and she always thought of it as his strange way of showing affection. Now though she feels sick on the inside. Used.

Hawk, noticing her quickly dwindling emotions, feels the need to reassure her. "I'm sure he's not doing anything bad. He probably just needs a little alone time to think or something."

Elizabeth lowers her hands gently. She breathes slowly to calm herself as she tries to calm her racing thoughts, then nods. "Right." Sir Meliodas has been nothing but sweet and kind to her. She believes in him. She feels a bit of shame coloring her cheeks for thinking of him in an otherwise bright light.

She hops down from her stool with ideas of spending the day outdoors. It's a warm lovely day after all. "I'll be right outside if you need me, Hawk!"

"Alright!" He calls through a mouthful of food.

~.~.~

A soft velvety box rests in his palm as he stands alone in his room. It had taken two days of hard work, supervision, and constant input to get Elizabeth's gift ready, but with the money he was paying the jeweler was more than happy to help him get it done quickly. Now he's running through a number of ways on how to give it to her without it seeming too weird. He's more than nervous for someone who's faced his fair share of not so average encounters with danger. This is much different though. His palms aren't sweaty from the exertion of having to slash a blade at speeds most beings can only dream about and his heart isn't racing because of the exhilaration of dancing with death and always coming out on top.

He's afraid all because of one beautiful princess's reaction.

Will she like it? Will she hate it? Will she love it so much she ends up falling into his arms to give him a thankful kiss…? He envisions it now, with a dreamy smile and a fluttering heart, how amazing it would be to finally be able to take her into his arms and show her the feelings that's been growing for her with each passing day.

A stirring in the room above his shakes him from his foolish thoughts. He's not doing this for some reward. He's doing this because he wants her to be happy and because she can't share her birthday with her family as he knows she wishes to. The velvety cerulean blue box draws his eyes once more and he comes up with an idea as to how to give it to her. Meliodas goes to his bedside table and places it down neatly. Opening the top drawer he pulls out a small parchment, bottle of ink, and feathered pen. Quickly scribbling down a note, so she can see it and know it's for her, he leaves it in front of the box.

He puts the ink and pen back into the table, then quickly strides from his room and down to the bar where he'd already began the other part of her present earlier in the day as that takes more time. He pushes his nerves aside and simply hopes she likes her gift.

~.~.~

Elizabeth chooses a flowing blue dress that stops just below her knees to wear for the day instead of her tavern uniform. It has soft frills around the edges that brought a smile to her face. She'd chosen this dress on one of the shopping trips Sir Meliodas had taken her on after she'd first arrived at the bar. It was really sweet of him to buy her a wardrobe of clothes and she's happy to be able to wear them whenever she can.

The silverette fiddles with her earring with a sad smile. Today's her seventeenth birthday and her family can't be with her to celebrate it. As she heads down to Sir Meliodas' room, as she always does every morning before heading down to the bar, she decides to brush the sadness away with bright smile. She may not have her family to celebrate with her today, but she has Sir Meliodas and Hawk who are practically family to her now. She'll be delighted to have a good time with them today instead.

Elizabeth enters his room and immediately begins straightening his sheets and covers with care. She fluffs the pillows and enjoys the woodsy scent that seems to mark everything of his. As she sits the pillow down a note on his bedside table catches her attention. Specifically because it has her name scrawled across it in curved lettering.

She picks it up with nimble fingers and begins to read silently to herself.

Happy birthday, Elizabeth!

I know you might be a little sad about today, but I went out and got you a gift in hopes of cheering you up! Your smile always makes everyone's day brighter, so please don't be down today.

-Meliodas

She sits the note down with a trembling and a speeding heart. 'He got me a gift…?' The thought makes her heart warm considerably and a smile cross her face as many different emotions begin to bombard her. Before she can find the root of them, she notices a cerulean blue box sitting neatly on the table. With a soft gasp she picks it up with her heart lodging her throat. What could possibly rest inside this soft pretty square? She slowly opens it up to see.

And feels her eyes water with unshed tears.

Gingerly she takes out the golden necklace and sits the soft box down to better examine the jewelry crafted with care. Dangling from the gold chain is a circle embedded with shimmering green diamonds. Suspended in the very center is a more prominent diamond of a blue hue. Her breathing is shuddered as she stares unblinkingly at the simple yet meaningful design. She happens to flip it over in her state of awe and notices tiny words embedded in the back. The princess brings the beautiful necklace closer to her face to read what it says.

I'll always be there.

Elizabeth breaks down in tears.

~.~.~

Meliodas had taken out the food to cool a while ago and now sits at the bar with a rag and an empty mug just to keep his hands busy. 'What's taking her so long? Did she find it? Does she like it…?' Hawk trotting up to his side nearly startles him. 'I'm working myself up too much over this…' He realizes as he sets the immaculate mug down on the bar.

"What's that smell?" Hawk sniffs persistently before his eyes narrow towards Meliodas. "Something sweet? You making something new to poison us with?"

Meliodas blinks. "No. But I can think of some recipes that'll go good with pork."

Hawk jerks in a violent shiver at the blank way Meliodas stares at him. He knows he's only kidding, but the idea still freaks him out. "O-oh yeah? W-well, if you d-do try something I-I'm gonna go tell Elizabeth!" Elizabeth would never let Meliodas hurt him.

Meliodas turns his head towards the stairs at the mentioning of her name. "You know what? I'm gonna go check on her. She should be down by now…" He trails off, already heading up the stairs.

"No way! You're just trying to go do something to her!" Hawk fumes.

Meliodas is already out of earshot though, or simply chooses to ignore him. Now standing at his bedroom door, he can sense Elizabeth inside so she has to have found it by now, right? Without hesitating he opens the door and sees her standing by his bedside table with something in her hands. He knows what it is, but decides to play dumb as he strides closer. "What'cha got there?"

It's then that he notices her shudders and hears her silent tears. Before he can ask what's wrong as the feeling of alarm begins to rise within him, she spins around and nearly tackles him in her rush to throw her arms around him. He's briefly smothered in her cleavage before she falls to her knees and buries her face into his chest to cry more soundly. Meliodas' head is spinning from her sheer response. Out of all the reactions he planned out in his head, this was not one of them.

"I l-love it! I a-absolutely love it! Thank you Meliodas," she whispers in the end through her tears.

His throat dries at the sound of her saying his name informally. His arms, which were frozen at his sides since she'd thrown herself at him, finally move to wrap around her smooth shoulders as one hand moves up to cradle her head against his chest tenderly. He bows his head atop of her and murmurs quietly, "Please don't cry, Elizabeth. I wanted you to smile not cry…"

She nods her head and pulls back with a sniff. She give him the biggest, wateriest smile she can muster. "Okay, then I will."

"Good."

She turns to face away from him, then hands out the necklace with a question on her lips. "Can you please put it on for me?"

He takes the necklace from her easily. "Sure." He watches as she lifts her long silvery hair for him. Slowly he moves his arm around her then brings the two ends of the jewelry together in order to clasp them. He lets his fingers linger against the skin of her neck for longer than necessary and she shivers with a soft gasp.

Swallowing, he pulls back and she lets her hair down. She stands up to face him with rosy cheeks as her fingers go to gently brush against the necklace. "It looks beautiful on you." 'You look beautiful' Is what he really wishes to tell her as he gazes up at her glowing visage.

She reddens further. "T-thank you, Sir Meliodas."

He takes her hand without a second thought and begins to lead her out the room and downstairs. "No more thank yous, Elizabeth! Today's your special day and you deserve everything special and more!" He doesn't see as he leads her down the stairs the heavy blush she wears or the almost dreamy gaze she gives him.

They reach the ground floor Hawk is quick to rush to Elizabeth's side. "He didn't hurt you did he, Elizabeth!?"

Elizabeth smiles widely down at Hawk as Meliodas wanders off towards the kitchen. She misses the feel of his hand over hers already. "No, Hawk. He did something amazing…" Her hand goes up to the necklace resting just above her chest.

Hawk squeaks. "What's that? Why'd he give you that, Elizabeth? It's really pretty on you!"

Elizabeth laughs softly as she pats his head. "It's the gift he gave me for my birthday today."

"What!?" Hawk voice grows teary. "I didn't know it was your birthday! I'm so sorry, Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth goes to her knees in order to wrap her arms as much as she can around the large pig. "Aww, it's alright Hawk. I'm just happy to be able to spend the day with you and, Sir Meliodas." When she's sure he's calmed down she lets him go in order to stand. "This is the reason he was busy the last two days, Hawk. Not because he was out groping other woman."

"That's what he told you? Now I have an even better reason to find a good recipe for pork…" Meliodas suddenly voices from behind the bar.

Hawk squeals as he runs to hide behind Elizabeth. "Don't let him hurt me, Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth soothes him by rubbing his snout gently before making her way towards the seat in front of the snickering blond. "Don't worry, Hawk. He won't. You're too important to him."

Meliodas stares at her, surprised but he sees her gaze elsewhere. She's staring at the rather poorly decorated birthday cake he brought out from the kitchen. When he realizes this, he smiles sheepishly as a hand works nervously through the back of his hair and warmth begins to flood his cheeks. "Sorry it looks so… bad. I should have just gone to get one from the baker's instead…"

He watches as Elizabeth shakes her head and takes the knife sitting beside it to cut a piece for herself. "It's the thought that counts. I love this." She emphasizes with finality as she picks up her fork.

His heart won't let him breathe smoothly after that and his hand trembles as he cuts a piece for himself and Hawk. She affects him more easily than should be possible. But that should always be the case when the person who does so means more than anything in the world to you.

He hands over Hawks' piece who appears to be absolutely ravenous then moves back to his place in order to eat his, most likely, horribly flavored cake. The white icing is blotchy and the blue words are crooked, but he made it with Elizabeth in mind so that's all that matters.

"It's… delicious." Elizabeth's honest tone reaches his ears and he looks up with startled eyes. She can't be serious…

"She's right!" Hawk sounds next with his mouth clearly full. "How is it that you can bake, but you can't cook to save your life!?" He demands quickly after.

Meliodas gazes down, unsure of how to take the strange occurrence. A hand covers his left wrist grasping his fork and he looks up into Elizabeth's warm gaze. "Really this is a wonderful cake." She looks like she wants to say thank you, but she remembers his words and simply shows him with a smile.

He takes a bite and finds it pleasant. Though not nearly as sweet as the gaze Elizabeth gives him.

~.~.~

The day had passed with merriment as the three enjoyed time outdoors. The bar hadn't been opened that evening as Meliodas wanted Elizabeth to make the most of her special day doing whatever she pleased. Evening swooped in with unyielding strength, overtaking the sky and painting the world dark hues. Hawk ate quite a bit of food on the three's stroll through the village and is the first to turn in from a food induced coma.

Elizabeth and Meliodas sit outside in front of the Boar Hat in the plush grass gazing up at the stars, something she always take pleasure in, especially with him. Her hand keeps going up to the necklace with thoughts of the blond sitting next to her never far behind. I'll always be there. Were they true? And was there more meaning to it than she is reading into it. Sir Meliodas is a wonderful man who fights for justice and spares innocent lives. He saved her when he didn't even know who she was and now he's beginning to take up a big part of her life. As she sneaks a glance at him gazing up peacefully at the stars above, she finds with a fluttering heart she doesn't mind. She wouldn't mind at all if he became the most important person in the world to her…

"What's on your mind?" he suddenly asks as he brings his eyes down towards her.

She startles and turns her eyes away as she fidgets lightly with her necklace. "N-nothing."

His lips turn up gently. "You really like that necklace, huh?"

She nods in earnest. "Yes… A-are the words true, Sir Meliodas?"

He waits until she's looking at him before he answers. Exhaling softly he nods his head. "Whenever you need me, I promise, Elizabeth, I'll be there for you. For whatever you need."

Her blood is pulsing too quickly through her veins as she inches slightly towards him. "A-anything?"

He nods slowly as his gaze grows intense. His palms begin to heat with the want to touch her. His wish to cup her cheek as he leans forward to kiss her. He sees her eye begin to glaze with a similar desire. Swiftly he turns away and drinks in the cool air greedily to clear his head. He's being foolish. This is the king's youngest daughter. Surely there's no way he can even think of laying a finger on her without the man's permission, especially with being on outlawed criminal.

That is unless he proves himself worthy enough to have her hand…

"Sir Meliodas…?"

He turns back to her questioning visage and smiles brightly as he rises to his feet. He offers her his hand and easily helps her up. "I think it's time we head off to bed, Elizabeth. It's getting late."

She agrees, but doesn't take her hand away, so he leads her into the bar and up the stairs. When he reaches her room, he lets her hand go and intends to wish her a good night. She gently encircles him in a warm hug instead as her head leans against the side of his. "Thank you for a wonderful birthday, Sir Meliodas."

His arms wrap around her as he sighs contentedly. "Don't mention it."

She departs into her room almost reluctantly leaving him to move down the stairs to his. That night as he rests in bed, he's more than overjoyed to know that he succeeded in making Elizabeth's seventeenth birthday a day she smiled through.

In celebration of Elizabeth's birthday I wrote this! I plan on writing a follow up chapter for Meliodas' birthday in July that's in this same universe, so expect that in the future.