Chronicles of the primeval gods: Life of Elpis: Her sweet kiss

Chronicles of the primeval gods: Life of Elpis: Her sweet kiss

A/N: These two are my favorites and you know why, beloved <3 they will forever be my number 1.

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« Without a plan, you will end up crushed by the All-Mother. » -Pride's voice echoed through her ear. Elpis, who was sitting on his lap, lifted a brow and tapped her fingers on his shoulder.

« And I guess you already have one, beloved ? » -Of course he did, and he would have responded straight away if her voice lacked the mischief he was able to notice. She was joking. She knew he always had a plan.-

« I do have one. We need to tackle things one at a time. You will have your weapon long before we attack your pantheon. With your information, I was able to draft the first idea of a plan. I'll see with you where the kinks are so we could smooth it up. » -Elpis paused for a minute and then resumed tapping on his shoulder-

« You really want me to take her crown, don't you ? » -her tone shifted and became more serious. His right hand stroked her hips, slowly and dangerously teasing her rear and sending shivers down the goddess's spine. Elpis crossed her legs and looked at him, her other hand resting on the back of his head. « Tell me the truth, beloved. Are you doing this because there's something you can profit off, or...Are you doing this for me? »

« You. » -It was the only reply he was willing to give her at this moment.-

He had noticed the shift in the tone of her voice, the subtle anger that still lingered there was gone. Elpis seemed to have stopped being angry. His knee-jerk reaction was to think that it was a good thing because anger blinded the mind and was most of the time the cause of so many failures. Yet, stripped off of that anger, Elpis seemed confused as to what to feel. She was uncertain and her tone let this feeling transpire through her words. She pursed her lips and stopped tapping against his shoulder. Her golden orbs were glowing faintly and he had noticed the small proof of her now dried tears in her eyes. The white veins betrayed her tears and had the sin furrow his brows.

« You're upset. » -He pointed out. To which she simply nodded-  « What is it? » -He softened his voice for her, so she knew she could confide in him. Elpis looked away for a minute, focusing on her legs instead.-

« Do you... understand what I mean when I say I love you ? » -He shook his head and she felt a pang in her heart- « That was to be expected. It is a strange feeling after all. » She stroked his scalp mind-absently and shrugged. « I am not even sure I can do it justice if I explained. » She then slowly moved away from him, standing up just so she could have some space while she tried to express herself. « All that I have ever wanted was to be by your side, Superbia. It goes beyond the crown on my head or the power in my veins. I simply wanted to be with you because when you're in my life, I feel alive again. When you're in my life, I... » She trailed off and turned her back at him. « I feel the same way Asma did, I need you just as much as she did. » She finally admitted, rubbing her neck as she spoke. « And it's been motivating me, uplifting me but also kills me inside because the thought that one day you'd grow bored of me and get rid of me is impossible to stand. »

Pride was dumbfounded by her words, not by the nature of them because he understood what she meant to some extent, but by the fact she confessed her emotions to him without drama, without accusing him of manipulating her or without being upset he wasn't the « other Pride. ». She even humbled herself and compared her feelings to those Asma had when she was still her host. Pride furrowed his brows and stared at her with his intense blue eyes. He could tell she was scared, given the way she was walking around and wasn't facing him. He could understand where that came from. After all, she had lost her pantheon and was on the verge of destroying it much like he did with his siblings. She knew betrayal, she knew the anguish, and she even lost her most faithful siblings -unlike him who still had Lust- so to some extent he knew she was having a hard time processing her loss, and an even harder time coming to the realization that she was alone.

« Ask me your question. » -He simply said, wanting her to find the strength to talk to him with an open heart. He hated when she was upset, even more, when it was something he couldn't find a quick solution for.

«.... » She took a deep breath and held her dress with tight-knit fingers. « What does that mean to you? When you say you're planning things for me, what does it really mean to you? Am I just a stepping stone to your plan? »

« I care for you. That's what that means. I had the choice, Elpis, the choice to either destroy everything that stood in my way, you included, or do something that makes you happy because I want to see you smile. » He then walked towards her and gently grabbed her shoulders. « I want to see you smile, my Light... And I know that you wouldn't be able to fully smile until you're set free from your pantheon's control. This anger you had was justified by the way they treated you... the pain they inflicted on us. But now you're finally starting to see the bigger picture and it's not pretty, isn't it? » She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his frame, pulling him into a tight hug.

« I'm all alone, Superbia. All alone... I only have you and I don't know what to believe anymore. I'm surrounded by enemies and my allies are limited to you and your allies. I can't stand the idea of losing you once again. » She finally cried out. « This whole war is wrecking my nerves because ultimately if they find a way to unmake you and I'm sure Ayasha is looking for one right now if they find it I will truly lose everything. »

« Elpis, Meus Regina. Meus Lux. Look at me. » -She lifted her head to look at her King- « I care for you. I care enough to forge you a weapon. I care enough to give you a plan for your upcoming battle against the All-Mother. I care enough, to want to wipe those tears off of your face. » He said as he started to plant several kisses on her eyes and forehead. « Do you think I would have done it for someone I don't care? » -She shook her head, touched by his words and convinced that he was saying the truth.

« You wouldn't have done it for anyone else but me. » She confirmed before he cupped her cheek and stroked her lips with his thumb. « Forgive me, Meus Rex. I hate to admit how lost I am without you. » She said, in a sigh. « I hate to admit I am scared of losing you again. I love you, my beloved, I love you... I need you. » She said, holding onto him even tighter. He pulled her into a hug and let his hand run through her pink locks. She relaxed against him.

« I didn't take offense, Elpis. Rest assured, beloved. » -He pressed his lips to her forehead and ran his hands over her back, hoping that the gesture would comfort the goddess.-

It helped her relax enough to look up to him with hope in her eyes. He smirked at her, his intense baby blues staring at her. He stroked her cheek and pressed another kiss to her forehead. She seemed appeased enough for the sin to decide that he didn't need further convincing. He understood that until she went through with the « mourning » of her pantheon, there would have similar moments in the future. He made a mental note to come back to her later with a concrete plan of action. He still had questions about the functioning of the primeval pantheon and the line of succession, which given the death of Khaos and the coronation of Ishtar, things had changed drastically. He would make Elpis spill all of her knowledge just so he could devise a plan which would anticipate anything and everything his opponents would try to throw at him, starting with Ayasha. Now wasn't the time for this, now was the time for comfort and he could spare the goddess of Light a little bit of it. So Pride bent forward, pressed the goddess against the wall, and pressed a searing kiss onto her lips, bruising them as he marked his words.