"It's so cold... it feels like a refrigerator in here..." I shivered, trying to maintain body warmth in Meliodas' tavern. The weather had been both sunny and rainy lately; one day it was scorching hot, the next day it was freezing. Unfortunately, that didn't help the tavern business much since most customers had stayed home for the month.
I've been helping my friend Meliodas run his tavern; as well as find his other comrades. We met up on one of his travels and due to special circumstances, I ended up adventuring with him since then. I've been on waitress duty for a few weeks; mainly because of my friend, Elizabeth Liones. She couldn't go out of the Kingdom of Liones due to her stature as a princess, as well as under King Bartra's order. I sat quietly on one of the stools, unable to cure my boredom. It didn't help that there weren't any customers at all in this rainy weather.
"What's cracking, Y/N?" A voice boomed over me.
"Aah! Holy crap!" I jumped out of my seat only to find Ban, one of Meliodas' friends snickering at me.
"Ban! When did you get here?" I exclaimed, surprised. I didn't expect him to come here in such rainy weather...
"Wouldn't you like to know?~" Ban snickers once more.
Ban is the Fox Sin of Greed, part of the Seven Deadly Sins. He's also known for being immortal as well as wielding nunchucks for his weapon. He usually wears a red jumpsuit, either that or it'd be his chef attire for the tavern. He's a great cook despite his appearance, I happened to learn a few dishes from him myself. I'm not as skilled in cooking like him, but he turned out to be a very patient teacher.
"No customers, huh? That's a bummer." He looked around the empty tavern. A cold wind blows by, and I shiver again.
"Unfortunately, yeah... it's a ghost town here. Meliodas is out for groceries if you want to find him. I mean, you're pretty much here for him for all of the times you come here." I look at Ban as I continue to survey the surroundings once more.
"Actually, I came here to see you." Ban looks at me with a straight face.
"You're looking for me? Well, good timing, I needed somebody's company! It was getting lonely in here." I giggle a little. He chuckled a little at my joke.
Ban suddenly whips out a box and places it on the table. Where on earth did he take that out from? I thought. He smiles and gestures to me to open it.
"Go on, open it. It's for you!" He beamed.
I opened up the box and inside was a chef's apron with a hat to complement it. There was also a warm fluffy jacket inside.
"Oh, Ban! Are all of these for me? I never knew you were looking out for me like that..." I took out the jacket first, admiring its beauty. It was brown colored, fluffy on the inside and outside, with pockets on both sides of the jacket. Ban, on the other hand, seemed pleased with himself. I wear it over my current waitress outfit and twirl around.
"It's okay, isn't it?" I ask. Ban nods his head in agreement. My heart pounded quickly, and I thanked him profusely for the gift.
"You've been a great apprentice, I figured I'd get something for you to show my thanks. I got Meliodas to tell me what sort of things you liked since we never got to converse often aside from teaching you how to cook. I don't do this often, you know?~" He smirked, smiling.
Suddenly, there was a streak of lightning followed by thunder. My first instinct was to grab the nearest person and hold on for dear life. I squeal softly, like a terrified mouse trying to find a hole to hide in. Ban, taken aback by my response to thunder laughs heartily.
"So you really despise the weather, huh? That's unlike you, Y/N." He gently wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him tightly, nodding. He rubs my head softly, as I continue being in this warm embrace of his...
Soon, the thunderous weather subsided after a few hours. Streaks of light shone down from the sky, indicating that the sun will appear from the clouds soon. I look up at Ban's face, then realize the position we were in for those last couple of hours. At this point, my face blew up as red as a tomato.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry! I-I didn't know what got over me..." I trembled, my mind plagued by the worst possible outcomes that might happen next.
The next thing I knew, I got wrapped in his embrace again. Ban was silent, and all I could hear was his heartbeat going rapidly...
"Goddamnit, you're the only person who can make me like this..." He mumbled.
"Seriously, you can be really cute sometimes. I can't help but tease you. I'm sure you know how I feel now, right? If that wasn't obvious enough, I don't know what I'd do next~" Ban looks at me, gently smiling.
I suddenly realize his signals. How could I have been so dense?
In truth, I've always looked forward to his lessons. I loved it when he praised my cooking, and I especially loved that smile of his. Ban always manages to crack me up, even on the most awful of days. Sooner or later, I fell head over heels for him. But because I didn't want to ruin our friendship, I sought not to tell him about how I felt. There wasn't going to be an opportunity like this again. I smile at him brightly and confirm my feelings for him.
"That does it, then~ I knew asking Meliodas was the right thing to do~" He beamed brightly.
"Well, well, well, Ban. I would have helped out more since this is what you were up to!" A voice suddenly appears out of nowhere, and we turned to look in its direction. Standing at the door were Meliodas and Elizabeth.
We stood in our tracks.
"...How long were the two of you standing there?" I asked.
"Since forever, Y/N. I got the King's permission to let Elizabeth go out for a while since I was done with shopping. Goodness, Ban! I had no idea you got a thing for Y/N here." Meliodas laughs heartily. Ban gives Meliodas his usual grin, and intertwine my hand with his.
"Expect more from us then, Meliodas. This won't be the only time you'd be seeing us like this~"
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How was today's story, dear reader? Did it capture your attention? Did it peak your interests?
Today happened to be a rainy and stormy day, so I used it as writing material. I sincerely hope the writing ended up being relatable to you. Personally, I'm not fond of thunderstorms myself... I can relate to the protagonist of this story. I pray that I've captured the character's personality correctly, I'm confident that I did.
Our next guest will be King, the Fairy King. Stay tuned for an incoming update~
Yours sincerely,
Shadic Dou