Stay Out Of My Mind

Summary: When Gowther was revealing some of the Seven Deadly Sins' deepest secrets after he used his magic to look into their minds, he went into Merlin's mind too.

A/N: First, this is based off of the anime series on Netflix. Second, I know when this happened Merlin wasn't there because they hadn't found her yet, but I wanted to add her in for this fic. I hope you enjoy :)

Chapter One:

The six Sins, as well as Hawk and Elizabeth, all sat outside of the Boar Hat, drinking alcohol and having a good time. There was a red hue to each of their noses and cheeks, showing the amount of alcohol they had drunk. The only people not completely drunk were Merlin and Gowther. Merlin had had a little to drink but she could handle it. Gowther on the other hand had, had nothing to drink and was completely sober.

Gowther and the Captain, Meliodas, were sat talking about that night ten years ago, both looking over in Merlin's direction every so often, when Gowther was abruptly pulled to his feet by Ban. Ban and drunkenly out and arm around his shoulder and slurred out, "apparently Gowther recognised King by his body odor," along with a chuckle.

Gowther, unused to people's way of teasing, agreed, "along with his bone structure and tone," he said in his familiar monotone voice. There was a chorus of shocked replies from the rest of the group as they all started sniffing King.

King started to get annoyed and embarrassed and started yelling at Gowther that it was his fault and to do something. Gowther, complying, shot out his magic into the other three Sins' necks, and pushed up his glasses, ready to reveal their secrets.

He turned to Diane first, looking her up and down quickly, before divulging her secrets , "Diane, you lead people to believe you are 29 feet tall when in fact you are 30," this was followed immediately by Diane beating him into the ground, crying. "You're so mean, Gowther!" She cried, still beating him to a pulp.

When she had finished, Gowther lay there as if nothing had happened, continuing to reveal their secrets. "Ban," he started off, getting up out of the hole Diane had beaten him into, "twelve years ago you took Diane and King's powers and convulsed with laughter as you watched them struggle," he said.

Everyone watched on as Diane and King stared at Ban in anger. Diane reached out, picking up Ban in her huge hand, and squeezed. Watching blood squirt out from between her fingers, the only proof she had killed him. Her hand suddenly opened as Ban came back to life in an instant and pushed them apart, falling to the floor. "It wasn't my finest moment, but I don't deserve this!" He yelled, getting up.

Next Gowther turned to Merlin who was stood behind him, watching the display with a familiar smirk on her face and her arms crossed. Her smirk fell, though, when she realised it was her turn. Everyone subconsciously leaned forward, ready to get some dirt on Merlin, the one who constantly teased them.

Gowther took off his glasses and used his shirt to clean them, before putting them back on, "Merlin, Boar Sin of Gluttony," he started, "this one confuses me. Not only have I seen it in your memories, but I've seen it in person," he said. Merlin uncrossed her arms, anxiously rubbing the palm of her hand. Gowther scratched the back of his head in confusion, "are people supposed to throw up after they eat?" He asked and everyone's eyes widened, including Merlin's.

She stuttered, trying to think of something to say to defend herself, as everyone started at her. Diane, King, and Elizabeth stared at her in pity, whilst Ban, Meliodas, and Gowther held no expression on their faces.

She schooled her features and straightened her back, holding her head up high, "I think you must be mistaken, Gowther," she said, turning and walking away, back into the Boar Hat.

Meliodas watched her walking away before turning back to Gowther, grabbing him by the sleeve, and pulling him aside from everyone else.

He looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was listening in and they were having their own conversations, before facing Gowther again. "Gowther, I need you tell me what you saw in her memories. And you said you saw it in person, too. What is it? What was she doing?" He asked rapidly.

After Merlin had left the others, retreating to the Boar Hat, she wandered upstairs, looking for an empty room. She soon found one and she entered it, walking over to the only window in there.

She stood starting out of it for a good ten minutes, lodt within her own thoughts, when the door practically slamming open startled her and she turned around quickly, donning a fighting stance.

Upon looking at the intruder, she noticed it was merely her Captain. She relaxed and rolled her eyes at her Captain's need for dramatic entrances. She turned back to look out the window and asked, "what do you need, Captain?"

There was silence for a while as Meliodas moved over to stand next to Merlin, also looking at the view outside. He stood there, silently, for a few more seconds before he turned his head to look up at Merlin. There was a significant difference in their heights but he could still sew her face perfectly.

"What Gowther said. About the.. the purging up after you eat," he started awkwardly, averting his eyes when she looked down at him, "I know that's true. Gowther is never wrong when he looks into people's memories," he continued.

She looked down and nodded, "I know," she simply said, turning away from the window and slowly lowering herself until she was sat on the wooden floor, knees drawn up to her chest and her arms rested on them. Meliodas joined her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

They sat in silence, once again, before Meliodas continued the conversation, "why do you do it, Merlin?" He asked in a voice filled with confusion. She looked at him then, looking him up and down, and turned away, "why do you care.. Meliodas?" He looked up in shock at her using his name rather than 'Captain', but decided to ignore it for the moment. "Because I care. You're one of my comrades and I couldn't bare it if something happened to you. Or any of the others, at that," he said, genuinely.

She leant back against the wall and rested her head against it, moving her arms to wrap the around her torso, "it's just," she said, "people look at me. And when they look at me, I know they're looking at my body. I don't want them to look at my body and see some fat.. swine. I'm the Boar Sin of Gluttony. It's all very contradicting, don't you think, Meliodas?" She turned her head to look at him, seeing him looking down at the floor in front of him, and chuckled lightly.

They were both quiet for a long time, both listening to the birds chirping in the night. Neither knew what to say to the other so they remained silent.

A soft sob escaped one Merlin and Meliodas looked up at her, completely baffled. Was this real, he thought. He saw her head down, her shoulders shaking, arms wrapped around her knees.

He stared at the distressed woman for a couple of seconds, not knowing what to do with this new display, before he raised himself onto his knees and hugged her. For a moment she tried to get out of his grip before eventually accepted the comfort from her Captain.

As she was calming down, the Captain whispered soothing words to her as he gently rubbed her back in circles. "You're not fat, Merlin, and I will destroy anyone who says otherwise," he said in a low voice full of truth and determination. Unbeknownst to him, Merlin smiled a genuine smile for the first time since she rejoined the Seven Deadly Sins.