Elpis x Pride: Christmas Break

 Elpis x Pride: Christmas Break

A/N: Wintery Wintery moment between one who loves those humans celebrations and the one who hates them.

xxxxx

« Humans... » -Pride rolled his eyes and glanced at Elpis who was holding his arm.-  « I will never understand your love for their stench, let alone those noisy events they call holidays. »

« You meant celebrations, Superbia... Celebrations. » -Elpis mused-

She convinced him to visit a winter market, which he had a very hard time to agree to. What swayed him was her argument that during the holidays, humans were known to be at their worst. She challenged him again, to see who would be the one to influence most humans. She would have to try and stir the best from them and he would have to stir the worst from them. Yet, now that they were out, he realized that she was actually enjoying herself. Elpis had always been fond of humans, there were no secrets there. She had always loved those wretched creatures. She had always enjoyed their food, their music, their dances and she was fascinated by their ability to enjoy their lives to the fullest, knowing full-well, how short they would be. 

He had to concede that it gave those foolish creatures a ferocious desire to live and survive. Their quest for immortality amused him and their capacity to destroy each other fueled his power. Mankind definitely was an eternal source of power and for the goddess by his side, who thrived on human worship, they would make her the most powerful being of the universe. At least of this planet. He relaxed a little, forgetting the annoying white noises made of people's screams, laughs, joy, and excitement. He ignored the cold wind blowing on them. He even ignored his very desire to go back to their fancy hotel room. She seemed happy to be there, genuinely happy to discover the latest trends in terms of Christmas celebrations. 

After all, it'd been three human years since she was released, and one since the war against his siblings ended. Roaming the Earth, recovering from her curse, and unlocking her full potential made it difficult for her to fully update herself and appreciate the evolution of the human race, but she was catching up really fast and was now, no-where as green as she was when she was released. Her eyes were glowing as she watched kids running around and throwing snowballs at each other. Her smile grew wide as she saw couples enjoying some winter wine. . He watched as she looked with a curious gaze around her, at the lovely -although he thought otherwise- bling Christmas decorations and let her take him from booth to booth.  

« What do you like about them, my Light? They are rude, boring, aesthetically unpleasant, and very selfish creatures. Gaea created them, so I can understand her affection for humans, but you? I don't understand yours. What could a Light like you find in them ? » he asked again while she stopped by to smell a scented candle. She smiled at the vendor and ignored the gazes upon her. Pride felt it, envy, desire, greed, and flashed a grin as he decided to play the game she challenged him with. His essence started to spread a little around him, with a controlled force so he wouldn't create carnage at the market. Elpis felt his hand on her waist, pulling him closer to his frame as he was possessive. She chuckled and leaned her head against his chest, still holding onto the candle. 

« They are fascinating. Pride, we, primeval gods are eternal and  I was told that long before you were born, we only had the Dagger of Fate as our only true enemy. Death wasn't even a concept for us. I know they aren't perfect, but they have the ability to live their lives to the fullest... » She then bit her bottom lip as Pride pressed a kiss to her forehead before he released her. « I have never known what it was like until I got cursed. It humbled me. » She admitted before she turned around to face him.

« So, are you telling me that being locked inside humans influenced you ? »  -He mused. She shook her head.- 

« No. I am saying that being deprived of freedom helped me realize how much I was missing you, how unfair the situation was, and  I would give anything to be free. I am saying, I understand that» 

She said with a soft grin before she wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him into a tight hug He smiled between their kisses, enjoying her spontaneous gesture of affection. It was something different, she was feeling different. Her playfulness didn't disappear overnight, but today, she was looking for a different kind of fun and attention. Pride could feel by the way she was now holding on to his sides and kept his frame close to hers in a tight embrace. She was looking for comfort today and he could tell by the way she was looking at him. She knew Pride wasn't exactly the affectionate type, and he knew that she did fancy the way humans celebrated because they had a different sense of « family » than primeval gods. Connections had a meaning, and usually good families didn't turn on one another. They would build perfect memories until their deaths and would enjoy the presence of people they would invite over. Christmas was that time of the year when you focused on family and presents and the sensation of truly being part of a whole. 

Elpis did lose everything and everyone but Pride, so it made sense for her to want to get some affection from him. He understood that while he didn't approve of mankind's existence, he did find their concepts at the very least intriguing. He understood the concept of the family despite his experience with it being less than stellar. The family was messy. sins were trying to kill one another so for Pride the concept of a happy family was a utopia, a silly dream. He understands the concept of finding someone's other half although he was certain there was no one like him or close to being like him so the concept was a little lost to him. His Light was, however, a companion. She proved herself to be worthy of his trust and worthy of his attention and he wanted to at least make her realize that. Why would he be out, during winter, in the middle of a human cesspool? why would he only have eyes for her, if he didn't care or didn't consider her family too? As she pulled away from him, the goddess cupped both of his cheeks and started to stroke them kindly, with a clear affection in her gesture. 

"Regardless, my emperor, I get to celebrate those holidays with you by my side. For a minute, let's forget about our plans. I just want to enjoy your presence next to me. Can we do this?"

"You asked so nicely. I can allow today to be dedicated to spending time together." He mused and pressed his lips to hers. "Only today."

"Mmmm.. yes my emperor."

-TBCè-