Pride and Asma : Levity

A/N: I was in need of some levity and after a nice suggestion, decided to write Asma and Pride spending some time together. This might take place after the scene we're writing

xxx

Pride wasn't at ease since Asma had her nightmare a couple of days ago. He already saw her crippled with fear from the moment they first met, but that night, it was different. Her fear was different and he couldn't shake it off of his mind. It didn't sit well with him because he didn't know how to reassure her this time. Usually, he would comfort her and tell her that she would not die because he would always protect her. It was a fear he could understand. She was human and humans were afraid of death and given how dangerous her situation was, it was only normal that Asma didn't want to die. However, the nightmare she had on that fresh evening had nothing to do with dying. She was afraid of losing him.

She realized that she didn't want their time together to end and certainly didn't want to lose him to Elpis. It was the only logical move for him to make. His mission was to retrieve his beloved so of course, he would leave Asma once he would get Elpis back. The possibility of losing him revealed to be harder to endure than Asma first believed. How could she live a life without him by her sides? Her nightmare was simple, there wasn't any blood, there wasn't any threat, there just was Pride telling her he would leave with Elpis who was standing by his sides. He then became a distant image she couldn't reach and no matter how fast and hard she was running towards him, screaming « Don't leave me! », Asma still couldn't reach him.

Pride could clearly remember how shaken the poor human was, how distraught at the mere idea of losing him she was and how outspoken about it too. He tried to calm her, reason her but it was harder than he thought. Asma was /convinced/ she would never see him again and it wasn't because of she was depending on him. Obviously, once her safety would be ensured, the human could return to the life she had before. She just simply didn't want to. She didn't /need/ him but she wanted him in her life and she made it very clear. Of course, they argued, of course, she lashed out and he could handle her when she was still talking but the minute she stopped and started to cry, he was unable to know what to do to appease her fears. He couldn't make a promise he wouldn't keep. He couldn't tell her he would stay in his life when he actually planned to leave. At least, that was the initial plan.

The Sin hated to see her cry. He instantly felt the urge to make her feel better so of course, he tried to pull her into a hug. She shook her head, resisted him and even hit against his chest, unleashing her frustration and then wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against his chest. He didn't remove his hand and just kept petting the human hair and holding her close to him until she calmed down. It wasn't cry-cute like in all of those movies. It was a big ugly one, with running nose and bloody eyes and loud sobs. It was her soul screeching at it, tearing itself apart at the idea of being away from him permanently. Boy, she was in love, fiercely in love and he didn't know what to do with it, except that he didn't want her to feel so distraught nor to see her cry. He wanted to take away her pain, to clean her face off of her tears and cover it with kisses. He wanted to make her laugh and change her mind. He actually, at his very core, felt the urge to make her happy.

She fell asleep on him, as he decided to take her on his lap and keep her safe and secure next to him like he used to do whenever she had a nightmare of a different kind., but his mind wasn't resting. It actually made him feel something he couldn't decipher just yet. He didn't need to have a human heart, but if he had one, it would feel as if it had gotten bigger into his chest. His throat was tighter, his hands mind-absently stroked her back and he was wondering how he could avoid making her sad? How could he not break her heart? He was both the reason she felt this good and was so distraught and the sin, who usually didn't care about anyone but himself realized he did care about her to the point of not wanting to hurt her. What kind of sorcery was this? Why couldn't he just simply erase her memories, wipe out her feelings and the memories of it from her? He could, he so could... but he didn't want to. He wanted her to love him, to be smitten with him, to want him in her life the way she did. She made him feel wanted in a way that went beyond what he already knew. So he decided to give her some levity. A way to turn those big puffy eyes into more relaxed ones.

He knew she loved to go outside so of course, he prepared a nice time out doing something both enjoyed. Thrilled at the idea of being out all day long, Asma went upstairs and changed into a pair of jeans and a shirt. It was a nice warm day so she only wrapped a light yellow scarf around her shoulders and waited for Pride, still wearing his suits -this time a blue one-, to find her at the door and teleport them to the park. He would give her a nice lunch on the grass, surrounded by nature and occasionally humans who would jog, walk or lay on the grass as they would do. She was grateful for the efforts he was making for her, enduring the presence of humans so she could feel better. She sketched people walking by, those sitting on the floor and the landscape and talked about how once she wanted to become a ballerina when she was a little girl and how her mother tried to talk her out of it because she said that Fate had other plans for her given how screwed up her knees were. She told him that her mother was right because instead she became a painter and enjoyed much better-conveying emotion through her paintings than with her dance. She then asked him if he had any idea of who he could have been if he wasn't meant to be a lethal weapon.

Pride pondered the question for a while. What would have he been if he wasn't a sin?? If Hades didn't want to overthrow Zeus? If he didn't want to become a king himself? He didn't think there was anything else he would want to be. He was perfection, he had clear ambitions. He wanted to become king and he became one. She quietly rested her head on his lap and laid on the grass, curling against his body to feel his warmth and find some comfort. There, she could have a nice view of his perfect face. There she could grab his hands and entwine her fingers with. It all felt natural because to her it was. She wanted the small things, holding his hand, talking to him, being outside and breathing some fresh air. She missed her dog and understood she couldn't have any pet at home with her so of course, she enjoyed spending time outside.

« I would still be myself Asma. Why would I want to change perfection? » He genuinely asked. She brought his hand to her face and kissed the back of it.

« I don't want you to change who you are. » She smiled at him and lifted her head a little. « I just wanted to know, what would you want if you were king and you didn't face the opposition of your siblings? »

He looked at her intently. He understood her question and already had an answer but he couldn't say it to her. He would want Elpis and what was stolen from him. It was the logical answer or was it? Pride furrowed his brow as he realized that the answer he was about to say was « Asma. » he wanted her but maybe he was confused since she looked so much like Elpis. He refused to fuel her feelings with his uncertainty and he certainly refused to break her heart even more by saying the name of the goddess. A white lie was the solution so he told her one.

« I would want to be left alone. No more gods trying to destroy me. No more gods trying to kill you too. I would want you safe. » He allowed himself to say. It was true, he wanted the primeval gods to be gone and he certainly wanted her to be alive. She wasn't the only one who didn't want her to die. She put his wrist against her lips for a soft kiss and then nodded.

« This is really sweet of you. Not wanting me dead. » She smirked and pulled him towards her so she could kiss him. It was yet another soft kiss, a peck that didn't need to go deeper. He smiled in between their lips and pulled away.

« I can be merciful. Don't get used to it. »He teased her while his hand ran over her sides and onto her belly.

« Aren't you asking me what I would want today, as an adult? » She asked as she looked at him with an intense gaze.

« You told me what you want already. » He clearly referred to the fact she wanted him but Asma shook her head and slowly leaned onto her elbows. « You haven't yet? » She nodded and grinned. « Do you want me to guess? » She nodded again and then quietly sat on the grass.

« Go ahead. What could I possibly want? Let's help you a bit. It would be a world where I wouldn't be a vessel of course. One where I would have primeval gods after me trying to kill me and.. one where Hope would still exist. » She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder.

« There are endless possibilities Asma. In such a world you could be anything and would want anything. » He then cupped her cheeks with his hand. « Keep giving me clues. »

« It has to do with you and it also has to do with me. » She bit her bottom lip.

« We wouldn't have met if the world was the way you describe it. » She nodded and leaned into his touch.

« I know.. »

« So how could it possibly have to do with me? » He genuinely asked. It made her chuckle and she grabbed a grapefruit she quietly fed him. « Stop teasing... I want to know. »

« In this world... what I would want the most would be to be happy. I would want someone who loves me as much as I love them. I would want a dog again. I miss Rosie.. every single day. I would want to have several galleries exhibiting my work you know ?.. I want a simple life.. but more than myself, I want you to be happy and for you to be you need Elpis. So I was thinking, maybe in this world where nothing bad happened to me, that maybe she would have still been by your sides. You would have been happy... you would have been.. I saw how you were in the dreams she sends me and I wish you could have been this happy again... » She sighed and leaned her face against his shoulder. He ran his hand through her hair this time so he could massage her scalp in an affectionate gesture. « I am no Elpis.. but I hope that in this world we live in right now, I can help you be a little less angry. » Her expectations were low but she genuinely wanted him to be at a good place in his heart and mind, at least whenever he was with her.

As he listened to her words, Pride eyes grew more intense. He didn't know what to say to her words. She always had a way with words and she always left him dumbfounded. He didn't understand why she refused to act selfishly even though she had all the rights to be. He could hear in her tone that it hurt her to say those words but she genuinely meant them. He kept stroking her neck and then pulled away so he could stare at her face. She was smiling at him and put her hand on his chest.

« You don't have to say anything. I know most of my words are just white noise. But I really wanted you to know that if going through all of this trouble ensures your happiness then I'd be okay with not seeing you anymore. »

« I don't believe you. »

« Touché. I would not be okay but it'll make it more tolerable. » She answered with a softer smile and look on her face. He searched into her eyes for answers to questions he never thought of and gently stroked her cheek. Before she could say anything, a golden retriever just jumped on them and started to lick Asma's face. She started to laugh and pet the dog, brightening her mood and filling his ears with her laughter. He looked at her as the dog owners came and talked to Asma while she played with the dog. He couldn't afford to bring a dog into their adventures because they had to move from house to house but he knew that she loved to go to the Park and play around with the pets she encountered there. He leaned against the tree they were under and stared at this woman who kept making him question way more than he ever should.

(TBC)