Avoiding Meliodas became the chore to end all chores. As the days passed, I spent less and less time around the Boar Hat, lurking around the capitol of Liones to keep myself from being cornered. Whenever we had crossed paths, either King or Ban had intervened, giving me a chance to make a break for it.

Merlin was always busy with her experiments, or tending to King Arthur's needs, so I was often shooed away from her quarters. Sometimes I went around with Diane and King, but something told me that I was becoming a third wheel, so I quickly decided that wasn't going to work. Gowther wasn't too bad, but he truly tested what little patience I had, and Ban was just...strange.

He had a very bipolar attitude towards me. One minute he would be taunting me with harsh words and sharp eyes, but the next he would set a plate full of food in front of me and pat me on the head. I just didn't know what to think of him, which meant he was on my mind a lot.

"(Y/N), the captain requested that I inform you of his wish to speak with you." Gowther announced as he stood before me, blinking slowly.
"Could you please inform him that I would much rather hang myself with a giant's pubic hair?" I replied without skipping a beat, leaning back in my chair, two of the four legs touching the ground.
"Of course, but he also said to relay this." The pinket cleared his throat and straightened his posture. "You can't run forever, (Y/N). One talk, that's all I ask, and then I'll leave you alone."

Yeah, right...

"Ignoring the giant pube insult...I don't know why you dislike the captain so much. Why not just give him a chance? He sounds like he really wants to make amends..." Diane coaxed, tenting her fingers beneath her chin. I knew it would happen eventually. Peer pressure. Of course, King had to pop in and agree with his dear crush.
"I think it would be the healthiest decision, (Y/N). Couldn't hurt, right?"

That was where he was wrong. It really could hurt, in more ways that one, but Meliodas was right. I could only run for so long.
"Fine. Where's he at?" I gritted my teeth as I let my chair fall forward, making a loud clunking noise before I stood up and made my way to the door.
"I believe he is around the castle." Gowther responded, adjusting his glasses. "Perhaps I could accompany you to-"

The goat sin was silenced by a flying Chastiefol pillow to the face, and I completely ignored the second part of his sentence as I slipped outside, bumping right into a sentient beanstalk.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Ban asked, stepping around me as I brushed his germs off of my body.
"Hopefully to get some closure...but I doubt it..." I muttered, continuing on my way. "Later, Ban-dit."

It took me less time than I would have hoped to reach the castle, and even less time to locate the captain of the sins, who was, of course, glued to the side of the third princess of Liones.
"Let's get this over with so I can go back to refusing to acknowledge your existence." Not the most polite way to announce my arrival, but he didn't deserve manners.

A thick tension filled the room within moments, and Elizabeth looked incredibly nervous, pinching at the ends of her hair. Meliodas gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder, then nudged her forward.
"Would you mind giving us a few minutes, Elizabeth?" He gave her that damned smile, and she obeyed like a puppy dog. As we passed each other, I refused to look her in the eye, my sights locked onto the blond.

Why does my mouth feel so dry all of a sudden?

"I didn't actually think you'd show up." Meliodas stated, his smile shrinking. "I'm glad you did though." Stopping a few feet away, I crossed my arms, trying to keep them from shaking with anger, fear, or whatever emotion was trying to be conveyed by their rattling.
"Hurry up, then. Talk. I have better things to do."

Just give me a reason to stop hating you...

Sighing, his lips finally fell into a flat line, and he dipped his thumbs into his pockets.
"Right then...I'm not a hundred percent sure why you hate me so much, but I know whatever I did really hit you hard. For that, I'm sorry..."

Bullshit, just like I expected.

"You don't know..?" My voice came out sharper than a snake's tongue, lashing out at him. "How can you say you're sorry for something you have no clue about?! Did you expect me to just eat that up, just like the other lies you used to feed me?!" My boot stomped down against the stone floor, the shockwave internally rolling up my leg and ending at the curve of my hip.

Taken aback, Meliodas stepped closer, and I backed away, matching his number of paces.
"Then tell me! What lies are you going on about?!" It hurt even more when I saw the genuine confusion in his eyes. Had I meant that little to him after all? "Do you have any idea how hard I looked, trying to find you for the last eleven years?! Even Merlin lost contact with you! I thought you were-"

"Oh, that's fucking rich!" I cut him off, hatred oozing into my words in a steady stream. "You were doing the same damn thing all that time, so don't even try to tell me otherwise! All you care about is that fucking Elizabeth!" What swelled between us had far surpassed tension, now. There wasn't really a word for it. Anger, pain, terror, hatred, misery. It was a concoction of almost every negative emotion known to man.

"Why are you putting all of this on her?! She didn't do anything, so keep her out of it, (Y/N)!" Buttons had been pressed, and Meliodas was beginning to rise to my level of aggression. Scoffing, I hugged myself tightly to avoid causing any damage to the room, beginning to pace back and forth with heavy footsteps.
"How do you expect me to act with her?! You were all I had, but whenever she showed up I ended up being chopped fucking liver!"

Don't you dare cry, (Y/N)!

We had begun to circle each other. It was as though a physical fight was about to break out between us, but I knew it wouldn't come to that. At least, I knew he wouldn't strike me.
"That is not true! I kept you right by my side, each and every time!" Meliodas barked, his fists opening and closing by his sides. "You used to adore her! She adored you! Every time! I just don't see-"

"Thats the fucking problem, Meliodas!" I really wanted to lunge at him now, squinting with (E/C) eyes through the dust particles, illuminated by the sunlight streaming in through the windows. "You never saw! You'd find her, then the longer you spent with her, you'd drift further away! At first I didn't really mind, because I saw how happy you were! I wanted you to be happy so fucking bad..!"

Don't you dare fucking cry..!

"...Then, you really showed me how much I fucking meant to you..! Remember Danafor, Meliodas..?! Think real hard about this one, cuz you might just put the pieces together!" Every little cog in his brain whirred around at triple speed, and I watched with a glare full of spite as realisation drenched him from head to toe. 
"D..Danafor...I...You were..."

"Yeah...I was..." I snarled, curled lip quivering as I tried to hold myself together. Nothing about the situation felt good. The fact that he hadn't remembered the root of it all was far worse than being in the dark.
"(Y/N), I..I..." Meliodas didn't make any move towards me, struggling to find any mix of words that could resolve everything. He and I both knew there wasn't any. "...What can I do to make things right..?"

When I swallowed, it felt like a swarm of wasps were buzzing down my throat, and my jaw was beginning to ache from the pressure I had been putting on it by clenching my teeth.
"Th..there are only two things that you could do to even begin to fix things..." I began, holding my fingers up. "One, you give me exactly what I've been asking for the past fourteen years...or two...you just stay the hell away from me..."

"Fine." Every cell within my body froze when he said that, and for a split second I thought that, finally, I could be at peace. "I'll stop bothering you, unless duty calls for it. I won't even speak to you unless I have to...if it's what you really want..."

No...but it's a start...It would have been easier for both of us if you went with the other option...

I turned on my heel, sobs threatening to tear out of my throat with each step I took towards the door. There were still so many questions I had for him to answer, but it was all pointless. Every moment I spent in his presence weighed me down all that more, and I was truly over it all.
"(Y/N)." His voice called out to me once more, and I halted, shoulders hunched as I felt the wetness trickle down past my lower lashes. "I'm going to keep the most important promise I made to you. We'll finally be able to be a family, this time...I swear to you..."

"Meliodas..." My voice quavered around his name, each syllable slicing at my tongue. "...take your p..promises...and shove them right up your ass..." I didn't give him a chance to say anything else. My legs quickly carried me out the door and down the chilled, stone hallway in a pace that was bordering a sprint.
"Are you alright, (Y/N)..?"

Of course she had to still be here! Never far from his fucking side!

I didn't turn to look at Elizabeth as I rushed past her, but the light touch he gave to my arm almost stung. I hated it.
"Stay away from me, Liz!" I hissed, rounding the corner and only then realising my slip of the tongue. What did it matter, anyway? I didn't care. Why did I have to care?

Continuing on, I didn't stop once I was out of the castle. I only slowed to a halt when I saw the familiar sight of the Boar Hat, and I just stood there, staring with burning (E/C) eyes. Everybody was in there, and they would all ask their questions. I couldn't just burst in and hide away in the bedroom, because it didn't belong to me. Why did I have to be pulled here by my own subconscious?

"Oi, what the hell are you doing, standing here like a..." That teasing voice; rich with guile, faded out, and I hurried to hide my leaking face. "...I guess ya didn't get that closure, huh?" I felt Ban's presence beside me, but I couldn't look at him. I felt pathetic. Drowning in my own helplessness. Despair. I truly was befitting of my sin.

"N..nah...I got it..." I murmured, sniffing back the unsightly gunk that was trying to dribble out of my nose. "W..wish I ha..hadn't..." Ban exhaled slowly, followed by the sound of movement before I felt something drape over my head. The colour white blocked my vision, and I cautiously reached up to pull it off, my (H/C) hair falling into my face as it went. It was the Boar Hat apron.

"Throw that over ya face if you're not into people seeing ya cry. I'll get you up to the room 'n make sure nobody asks any stupid questions." Ban said, as softly as his rough voice would allow him to. I tightened my grin around the fabric for a moment before throwing it back over my head, sputtering back a weak sob as I felt his hand against the middle of my back, guiding me forward.

"Hey (Y-)...Ban, what are you doing to her?!" I heard King's voice snap as we entered the bar, and I felt Ban slide between me and where the others likely stood.
"Noth'n. Mind your own business." He replied flatly, kicking his foot out against the first step, giving me a reminder of their presence and place.
"Then why does this look like a kidnapping?!"

"Uh...King...Maybe the talk didn't go too well..." I heard Diance whisper, and I could visualise the wingless fairy's face as he realised that fact.
"O..oh..." There was a low scraping sound, like one of the chairs being pulled back, but I tried to tune it all out, taking one step at a time as Ban carefully coaxed me onward.
"I believe I would benefit from observing this emotional state. Would it be a bother if I-"
"NO, GOWTHER!"

Once we had reached the top of the flight, Ban pushed me forward at a much quicker speed, only removing his hand from my person once he had opened the door and closed it again behind him. I just stood there, draped with the greasy apron, quivering in hiding.
"If you keep that on you're gonna get zits." He sighed, and I felt his hand come down, closing around the fabric by my face.

I don't care...

Knowing my face was akin to a boggy waterfall, my hands flew up and I held it in place, squeezing my stinging eyes shut as he tried to force the apron off of me.
"Don't be a stubborn little shit...Off with it." Ban sounded a little more agitated now, and his strength grew as we began battling over the thin material. I knew he would eventually end up winning, but he was right. I was stubborn. I didn't want him to see me cry again, and if that meant pissing him off with a stupid tug of war over an apron that smelled like eggs and beef, then so be it.

The moment I felt it begin to tear, I released my grip, and quickly spun around as Ban stumbled back a pace or two. Hugging myself, I moved closer to the bed, not moving my eyes from the wooden floor boards.
"Fucking hell, if you wanted to be head chef that badly all you had to do was ask..." Ban muttered sarcastically, clicking his tongue against his teeth. I wasn't in the mood for his playful; though sometimes spiteful, banter, and I hugged myself tight, ignoring the tickle of my hair as it stuck to my damp cheeks.

"Ban...why did you have to rescue me..?" I asked in a hoarse whisper, nails digging into the sides of my tunic. There was a long silence, and I immediately regretted the question.
"Sounding a little ungrateful there, toots..." Ban chuckled, sounding slightly awkward as he shifted his feet. "What? would you have preferred I left you there?"

I...

"At the moment...yeah..." I sniffled, walking those last few paces to the edge of the bed and sitting down, still refusing to make any form of eye contact. It only took two steps to reach me with those long legs of his, and he stopped directly in front of me, leaning down a little.
"Capt'n didn't say what you wanted to hear, did he?" There was no malintent in the way he spoke now, but I didn't want to buy into that.

"I..I don't even know why I care anymore..." I choked out, using the back of my hand to wipe away a fresh cascade of tears. "You'd think I'd get over some bullshit that happened sixteen years ago, but n..nope...Here I am, clinging onto it like some...clingy clinger..."

Ban tilted his head to the side, looking down at me in all my pathetic glory with unreadable crimson eyes.
"I get it. The past ain't easy to let go of. I haven't figured how to, myself." He sighed, scratching at the scar that ran down the side of his face. "You can either sit around like a sad sack of shit, or do someth'n about it."

"Then I'll be the most putrid sack of shit Britannia has ever seen..." I sulked, not even trying to be a smartass. Suddenly, Ban shoved me backwards, and my back hit the mattress with a thud. I yelped and likely shot my snot in every which direction as he grabbed my ankle, raising my leg up high.
"You're almost as stubborn as me." He stated casually, making quick work of my laces before yanking off my left boot, tossing it across the room.

"Wh..what in high fucking hell are you doAAHAHDJDKS..!" I trailed off into a noise that couldn't be described in words when he dropped my left leg and grabbed my right, lifting it even higher up, causing me to nearly be folded in half. My face began to burn hot against my will as I noted just how suggestive the scene would seem if somebody were to walk in.

"Listen, this is what you're gonna do..." Ban announced, using his hold on my ankle to pivot me so I was laying properly upon the bed. He then released me, leaning down and grabbing the edge of the blanlet, flipping what he could over me, as I was already on top of it. "...You're gonna stay here and sleep off this woe-is-me angst disorder you've got going on, and when you wake up, you're gonna match me drink for drink until one of us throws up on that freaky fairy pillow, 'kay?"

H..huh..?

I just stared up at him with puffy eyes, blinking rapidly in confusion. He wasn't very good at it, but he was genuinely trying to look after me, and I wasn't sure I was liking the way it made my chest feel all funny.
"I'm gonna need an answer, girly. Don't think I won't turn you into a spoon again." Ban warned, a flash of mischief in his eye.
"O..okay..?" I peeped in reply, as stiff as a board as I watched him straighten up and dust his hands off.

"Great. Also, don't get snot on my pillow. I don't want crusty bitch boogers in my hair when I reclaim my bed." He snapped playfully, shooting me a faint smirk before turning on his heel and strolling away.
"Th..thank you..? I think..?" I murmured, just loud enough for him to hear. He just waved me off over my shoulder, slipping out the door and shutting it behind him. After that, I just laid there for a while, tears still deciding to seep out, much to my dismay, but at a much slower rate.

Now, not only was I in a state of pain and despair thanks to Meliodas, Ban had just created one hell of a confusing shit-storm in the back of my mind. His stupid face was starting to do things to me that made me want to hurl, and his actions were sending way too many jumbled signals for me to keep up with. Groaning under my breath, I rolled onto my stomach, purposely rubbing my moistened face into his pillow.

I really need to get away from these people..!

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***Sorry, I would have gotten this done a lot sooner if I hadn't rewatched the Hazbin Hotel pilot like 1673 times today.

So, now we have a little more insight to what happened between Meliodas and (Y/N). What else is there to it? What the fuck even is (Y/N)? Will Ban get crusty bitch boogers in his hair?

Stay tuned***