Elias has distanced himself from the rest of the roster even more so after his electrocution. Ordinarily, this would be fine, everyone just a little worn out of listening to songs from Universal Truth played on repeat for so long by now, but it's the holidays and even though Jeff Hardy knows he had nothing to do with Elias' hit and run all of those months ago, the origin of the man's anger towards everything, there's something that twists in his gut anyway when he's walking through the halls and hears one, lonely guitar playing somewhere in the shadows.
He rolls his eyes skyward, squares his shoulders, and follows it until he finds Elias settled in a corner, all of his focus on his music. He looks... happy, a soft smile playing around lips that Jeff's only seen scowling or tense in pain for months by now. This is a much better look on him, reminds Jeff of months spent over the summer, watching him recover bit by bit, supporting him, starting to feel close to him... just for Elias to surprise him by returning to WWE and immediately setting his sights on him. Everything before, apparently, had been designed to hurt Jeff the most when the time came, and he exhales slowly, his chest feeling tight as he gazes upon the man.
Elias is still either lost in his own world or outright ignoring Jeff, and Jeff rolls his eyes slowly, walking up to him and kicking his boot sharply. The way Elias jumps and looks up in shock, Jeff realizes he really had gotten that lost in the music and almost feels bad until the shields drop back into place and Elias' eyes harden, his lips thinning. "What do you want, Hardy?" he demands. "Don't you want to go have some bronuts with your new little friend?"
"No," Jeff says with a huff, amazed that, after everything, Elias has the audacity to sound almost jealous. "Been paying attention to what I'm doing still, huh? I guess even getting electrocuted can't change everything." Elias scowls at him and Jeff smirks. "I see your new friend isn't around."
Elias lifts a shoulder in response and Jeff stands, waiting for something else- a comment, a facial response, anything. It doesn't take long before Elias twists to look back up at him. "What?! Why are you still here?"
Jeff takes a deep breath, knowing that it's now or never. "No one should be alone on Christmas," he blurts out and Elias freezes, his frown intensifying even as his brows lift high on his forehead. "Especially you." Ok, that wasn't... exactly what he was planning to say. "Come on. Come with me, we don't need to spend any time together-" I miss you, Jeff thinks even as the words slip from his lips, remembering the numerous times over the summer, watching as Elias rehabbed, and afterwards, laughter and small bits of conversation that slowly grew into passionate discussions about music and just life in general. He misses all of it the longer he stands here looking into Elias' emotionless eyes. "Come on."
It's clear Elias is considering it, his eyes twisting from his guitar to Jeff, and... at some point, he reaches up and grasps Jeff's proferred hand, dragging himself up from the corner, careful with his guitar as he sets it down in its case. "Fine," he says, looking unimpressed as he faces Jeff head on. "Let's get this over with then."
He sounds as thrilled as one would be having to go to the dentist, but still. Jeff is thrilled just to be walking side by side with him closer to where they can hear Christmas music. Glancing over, he finds a small smile playing under Elias' mess of a beard and even if it disappears too quickly for Jeff to catalogue it to memory, he thinks the man is happier than he'd ever dare to let on right now too.