Disclaimer: I don't own Seven Deadly Sins, either the manga or anime. I also don't make any money off with this fic.
One day, as she forces herself out of bed, Elizabeth feels—strange. Not "strange" as in slightly ill. Not "strange" as in the feeling of a bad omen, though it is not unlike it. The strangeness is more of an itch, a simmering fever that rushes through her and bubbles her blood, even as she makes slow and deliberate movements in her dressing for the day. The feeling is strange...yet also familiar. Like the savory remnants of a favorite meal. Elizabeth knows its name, but in her exhaustion, she can't pin it down.
At least, not until she's outside and among the Sins, who have decided to have breakfast outside since it was so nice out. Diane is drinking a barrel's worth of coffee, grinning over at King and engaging in vitriolic banter with Ban. Merlin is sitting gracefully at a set up table, with Escanor doting on her with tea and a new bouquet of flowers—while also leaving room for his own boasting. Gowther is sitting off to the side with his back against a nearby tree, an open book in his lap, and his eyes glued to the words. Hawk is strutting around, snorting out comments but not hiding the cheer he's found since their little house has filled with so many. And then, of course, there's—
"Elizabeth, you're awake!"
Elizabeth feels the hands on her breasts before she hears him chuckle near her ear, and she chews on her smile to repress it. While it had been off putting at first—the jerk once groped her to "check her heartbeat", which is as believable as it sounds a year or so later—Elizabeth soon found that she rather liked the attention, even looked forward to it on some days.
But before she can let out her usual squeal of protest, Meliodas squeezes his hands around her breasts and Elizabeth freezes at how his touch burns through her shirt. And then, suddenly, that heat thrills through her veins, flooding her cheeks and dipping down to pulse between her thighs.
"—Ah!"
The sound that escapes her mouth is no scream, or even a whimper. It's almost silent, but sharp, like a gasp—with just a bit of a moan added in as Elizabeth gives a slight arch into the touch, her eyes lidded and the blue in her left eye becoming dark and clouded.
"...Elizabeth?"
She blinks then, remembering herself and where she is, and it doesn't take her long to notice the concerned expressions everyone has started directing towards her. Even Meliodas, who has let go of Elizabeth and has stepped back to observe her with dark green eyes. Elizabeth swallows, her blush more furious. He can't possibly know, right?
"You okay?" Meliodas asks slowly.
"Of course not, you perv," Hawk snaps, pounding one of his hooves in irritation. "You can't just do that to someone, damn it!"
Oh, thank the goddesses. Captain of scraps disposal and cock blocking Hawk may be, but he does wonders to provide time to create a cover, even a shaky one.
"Y-yes, I'm fine," she squeaks out, her smile too wide and a mite too shaky. Elizabeth lets out an anxious giggle. "It was just...just a little too rough?"
(...Actually, it wasn't rough enough, but no one else here needs to know that. Especially him.)
"Ah, crap, sorry. I didn't realize," Meliodas says, shrugging with an almost sheepish smile. Then he brightens, "You want anything? I think we still have some food left in the kitchen—don't worry, Ban made it—and some fruit too, if you want."
Elizabeth beams. "That'd be great! Thank you."
Meliodas walks her over to a nearby table and pulls out a seat for her, his smile doing that thing as it curls into something cordial but warm, something that makes Elizabeth's insides flutter. Her cheeks a light pink, Elizabeth smiles and nods in thanks before sitting down. Meliodas leans over her a little, smiling wider.
"I'll get you a plate. Do you want anything else?" He asks.
"Coffee," Elizabeth says, a little too eager, but then sobers up with a blush and a sheepish smile. "I-if you can, I mean."
"Same as usual?"
"Hmm." Elizabeth purses her mouth in thought, and then beams. "Surprise me."
Meliodas clicks his tongue against his teeth and grins at her, throwing a finger gun. "You've got it."
Elizabeth grins goofily despite herself, her cheeks near aching from her blush and how wide it is. She watches Meliodas walk back inside the Boar Hat, her blue eye going dark as her teeth catch her bottom lip, her head tilted back to get a closer look. He is dressed in a different shirt today, she notes, a dark t-shirt that shows off his toned arms and really accentuates his shoulders and back and—
"Ahem."
Elizabeth blinks wide eyes, heat flooding her cheeks and pinking her ears. She slowly turns to face Merlin, who is smirking and leaning her chin on laced fingers. Beside her, Escanor is smiling pointedly at Elizabeth with a steaming teacup in hand, looking sweet but also just as knowing, to the point of being smug. Elizabeth just about bristles under the scrutiny.
"W-w-what?"
Merlin smirks wider, her eyes gleaming with mischief, as she nearly whispers, "You are pining, dear."
Elizabeth sputters, her mouth dropping open, then closed. "W-w-wha—? No. I am not...I was just, just—"
Escanor lightly wraps an arm along Elizabeth's shoulders and lets out a long, drawn out, almost sad sigh. "Ah, it seems our beloved little flower has fully bloomed, not only in body but also in heart."
Elizabeth can't help but twitch. "F-flower...?"
"She is rather twitterpated," Merlin teases back.
"T-twitter—?" Elizabeth squawks. "Hang on, th-that's not—"
A plate is placed in front of her, full of fluffy eggs and crisp sausage pieces, and Elizabeth is suddenly overwhelmed with savory smells that make her mouth water. Suddenly feeling a rare sense of hunger, Elizabeth grabs the fork on the plate and immediately starts digging in, humming in absolute pleasure as the good, good, so gooood hits her tongue. As soon she's done chewing and swallowing, Elizabeth licks her lips and moves promptly for another bite—needless to say, she easily forgets the previous conversation (well, a little).
"Yeesh, Elizabeth, slow down," Meliodas chuckles as he places a small plate of fruit beside her main one—while subtly removing Escanor's arm from her shoulders, causing Escanor to smile wider with amusement—and quirks a brow. "One would think you wandered around for another month without food."
Elizabeth pauses to swallow and smiles sheepishly. "S-sorry. I don't know why I'm so hungry..."
"It's fine. Just don't eat so fast, you could get sick."
With a nod, Elizabeth dives back into her food, as blissfully ravenous as the day she first stumbled into the Boar Hat.
Taking a seat next to her, Meliodas watches her while biting lightly on his grin, trying not to laugh. Usually, this would too much cute in the morning for him, but—
"Oh, the coffee! Is that…" Elizabeth pauses to take a deep inhale from the mug, and then absolutely glows as she lets out a dreamy sigh, "Chocolate."
He nods. "I mixed a little dark chocolate with yours. You like?"
"I do!" She grins wider, the blue in her left eye gleaming. "I didn't even realize I needed this, thank you!"
With some puff to his chest, Meliodas smirks and starts, "Yeah, well—"
Then Elizabeth does something—a move very simple, but something she just feels an intense desire to do—that throws everyone for a loop. She leans over and kisses Meliodas on the cheek.
It's a little thing, something that lasts at least a minute, or so—but a lot happens in this minute. Such as Meliodas going completely stiff, all sounds around him lulling to a hum as his hearts hammer out of their usual, calm beats, and his eyes going wide, round as plates. And then Elizabeth, who lingers her lips along his heating skin just a little longer than necessary, before sighing and parting her mouth; stars above, he smells amazing. Like green and earth, and a little something else; like something from the wild. She slowly drags her mouth to his ear, and Meliodas is certain at least one of his hearts—statistically, one of them has to be this defective—has popped from his chest and maybe fallen to Elizabeth's hands.
"You smell good, Sir Meliodas."
...Oh. Meliodas swallows, tries to gather moisture for his suddenly very dry throat, a hot flush seeping up from his neck. Oh, okay.
("Does anyone else feel like we've been sucked into some alternate dimension, or something?" King can't help but mutter, his amber gaze glued to the Captain and Princess.
Almost robotic, a gaping Diane and grinning Ban nod. Hawk is twitching with a dropped jaw, like someone's just sucked out his soul.
"Oh, good. It's not just me.")
In the minute it took for Elizabeth to kiss Meliodas on the cheek, and then some, it takes at least half that time for Elizabeth to feel like she's been doused with ice water. What. Did. I. Just. DO?
And just like that, she nearly jumps from Meliodas, flailing and blushing like mad.
"I-I-I'm sorry!" Elizabeth squeals. "That wasn't...I mean, I was just...I'm so sorry!"
"It's fine," Meliodas cuts in, his mouth curled into a tiny, nonchalant smile, even while clenching his hands under the table.
"I-I really am, though, because I just...I don't..." What is wrong with me?
"Elizabeth, it's really no big deal."
"I-I mean, I guess, but."
I am not that kind of girl, Elizabeth finishes off in her mind, clenching her hands. Then she shifts her eyes in thought, pursing her lips. Well...not most of the time.
This is not helping.
Elizabeth puts on a wide, wobbly sort of smile, and stands up from the table. "Y-you know what? I think I need a little...walk. G-get some air, y'know?"
Everyone stares at her, though Merlin is not as bemused as everyone else—then again, she always seems to just know stuff, you know—but Elizabeth makes sure to barely sweat. Keep cool, you are a princess, you are beauty, you are grace—
"In fact, uh, Diane?"
At the address, Diane goes rigid. "U-uh, yeah?"
"Could you come with me? F-for some special girl bonding time?" Elizabeth says, lacing her fingers together over her stomach, while looking up at Diane with wide eyes. Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes, please—
Diane luckily gets the message and smiles. "Yeah, s-sure."
Oh, thank goddesses, she thinks while forcing her grin to widen. "Great!"
With that said, Elizabeth dashes towards the forest in a blur of silver and blushing skin. Diane snorts after her, her purple eyes gleaming, then stands to slowly step behind her.
Everyone continues staring after the two girls until they disappear behind trees and green—then they shoot a look to Meliodas.
Meliodas blinks at the Sins (and Hawk), his expression blank.
"I don't know why you're all looking at me like that," he says with a shrug. "That was not my fault." For once.
—
"Ah, I can't believe I did that," Elizabeth squeals, leaning her heated forehead against a tree. "What even…?"
Diane snickers behind her hand, crouching near her tiny friend. "Aw, c'mon, Elizabeth. It wasn't so bad."
"I might as well have jumped him, Diane!"
"Yeah, that would have been awkward—"
"And I've just feeling so...so off all morning," she continues, then turns to lean back against the tree. Elizabeth blinks in thought, her brow furrowed. "Like, I feel almost feverish? And extra hungry for no reason? And I can just feel...everything. Smells, tastes, the littlest touch…"
Diane hums as she considers this, her eyes squinting. "Are you getting your period?"
"I don't think so? I didn't see anything this morning, so—"
Elizabeth pauses, her expression gone blank. Then she curls a hand near her mouth and narrows her eyes. What time of the month is it again? It's still near the beginning, near the middle, and that's usually about the time where—
Oh. Her cheeks flush with a heat that's still pulsing between her legs, a need for someone to touch, to fill—Elizabeth gulps hard and loud, a whimper slowly making its way up her throat. Oh, no.