"I have a question."
"Haven't you asked me everything already?"
"No. Why do you become 'the' Cupid at different ages?"
He smirked. "It's when we start puberty."
"What?" I asked, laughing.
"It's when we hit puberty."
"You hit puberty that young?"
"Yeah."
"I guess that's why all the men in your family are big." I hit puberty later than most guys, which is why I was smaller, but for some reason I was naturally feminine looking, too. "Where are we going?"
"Hold on."
We walked out of the back yard of the capital building where the barbeque was at and into the park right behind the garden. He led me through the play sets to the gazebo by the lake. He then climbed into a tree and sat on the branch, hiding himself. He reached out a hand and easily pulled me up so I was sitting in front of him.
"Well?" I asked.
"Hold on."
I held on and eventually I heard some noises. I saw Mary and Drake walking up to the gazebo, laughing and holding hands. They leaning against a post and started to make out. I turned my head and looked at Cupid. "You pervert."
"Sh," he said. "Just wait."
They continued to make out and grope each other there for a long time, me being bored since well...it wasn't two guys. It was kind of gross because they were all over each other, practically having sex. I was very bored, so I lied forward on the branch, and since it was big enough I only had to have one leg hanging off. Then something decided to happen - finally.
"Mary," Drake said.
"What?" she asked.
"I never told you this, but...I'm crazy about you."
"Y-You're crazy about me?"
"Yeah. I mean, I know we've bickered before, but I love doing that with you. It's fun, and the fact that we don't hate each other after means we can..."
"What're you saying?"
"What the hell do you think I'm saying?"
"I...really?"
He smiled. "Yes. Really. I want to be with you. I've always wanted to be with you."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"I don't know."
They looked at each other lovingly, and as they did so, Cupid leaned forward on one knee, crouching over me. He set his bow in front of me and I looked up at him as he concentrated. I blushed a little since he was practically mounted over me, but was also fascinated by his concentration. I looked to Mary and Drake. Once they kissed, he aligned his bow with two arrows and shot them, hitting Mary and Drake, neither of them noticing. He looked at them and just stared for a while. When he seemed content, he sat back up. He hopped out of the tree and motioned for me to jump. I jumped and he caught me, sitting me down gently. We tip-toed away from them and back to the barbeque.
"So that's how you do it?" I asked.
"Yep."
"Well, it's nice to see them together. It makes me eager for the future...if that'll ever happen to me."
"Will you quit doing that?"
"Doing what?"
"Acting like your life is horrible and that your life will forever be horrible."
I hated it when he got like this. "Why can't I be like this? There are so many people in the world who are so much worse than me about this. Why can't people just tolerate me for once in their life?"
"They do tolerate you, Jack. There are things you do that annoy me but I ignore them. I'm not going to ignore this, though. Everyone tolerates the little things, but this isn't little."
"That doesn't matter. People tolerate big things, too! Why can't I be like this Cupid?"
"Because you're better than that," he stated, facing me. "You're a good person, Jack. You ask why you can't act like that, but I want to ask why you do act like that when you shouldn't."
"Well...no one's ever told me I'm a good person."
"Well I'm telling it to you. You don't have to act like life is horrible for you. Let the real idiots act that way. Not you. You're better than that. You're a compassionate person, Jack, but no one realizes you are. Your best characteristics are hidden, but some people know about them, like me. So, just quit. Realize how you're actually one of the best people in this town, but don't be cocky. I mean, you're lucky. Yeah, your dad has passed away and not many people love you, but I've seen a lot of things in this world, horrible things. Compared to them, you're incredibly lucky. That's why I always get angry when people thing their life is horrible. It's not. It sucks at times, and you can be upset, but just try and realize you're still very fortunate. That's what I do."
I looked down at my blue shoes. "What have you seen?"
"Horrible things, Jack. The twins for example. People who've been tortured. You name it, I've probably seen it."
I looked up at him, understanding him a bit more than I did before. I wondered what it was like for him, having his job. He went through everyday knowing he made a mistake that ruined someone's life. He saw things that probably haunted him. Plus, his parents defeated the purpose of his existence. And yet he was still able to look past it for the sake of others. I finally realized that I would much rather control the fate of snow than the fate of every living soul.
"Sorry."
"Don't be. Just do what I keep telling you. Quit thinking about stuff. Are you deaf?"
I smiled faintly. "No. I hear you loud and clear."
"Good. Now come on."
We walked back to the barbeque and the women were up by that time so the party part of it all was starting. People danced, and of course we can all dance. I just sat by and watched Mom dance with Mo and Mr. Green and Cupid dance with Boogey's younger sister. Mary and Drake were dancing together, too, looking at each other lovingly.
"Hi," Lady said, sitting next to me.
"Hi. Where have you been?" I asked.
She sighed. "Have you ever been really oblivious?"
"Yeah. What happened?"
"Boogey tried to ask me on a date, but I didn't realize it."
"Do you like him?"
She shrugged. "Yeah, but I don't think it'll work. I'm not...you know. He'll probably realize I'm not much."
"Ask him to dance."
"What?"
"Go ask him to dance. Where is he?"
"Over there." She pointed to Boogey, who had changed his mask to a blue one that completely covered his face. He probably had to change it because his face changed since he kind of got rejected.
"Do it. Give him a chance. Don't regret saying 'what if?' tonight."
"Maybe that's what you should be thinking." She stood up and walked to Boogey. They conversed and hit the dance floor together.
I thought about what she said and looked at Cupid. I smiled a little to myself. I stood up and walked through the mass of people to him. He was in the middle, Boogey's sister standing on his toes. "Mind if I cut in?" I asked.
He looked at me, kind of surprised, but looked even more surprised when I held my hand out to Desi. She smiled giddily and stood on my toes. He smirked at me and then grabbed my mom's hand, making me laugh and Mo look at him like he was crazy. "I'll return her shortly."
"I'm not a movie rental, Cupid," Mom said.
He laughed and Mo winked at her before going to get something to drink. We danced for the song and talked to each other casually. Once it was over, Boogey's mom took Desi and Mo and Mom continued dancing together. Cupid and I walked off the floor to the table on the side.
"I'm not the best dancer, at least not on grass," I said.
"And where are you a good dancer then?" he asked me.
I smiled. "You showed me how you do your job. Want me to show you how I do mine?"
"Sure."
We stood up and I led him to the lake in the park. I got on my knees and put my hands on the water. I focused, and the water turned to ice, but not all the way. Enough for the fish to still be alive. I formed some blades on the bottom of my shoes with ice, doing the same for Cupid. We stepped onto the ice and he nearly fell, but clenched my arm to support himself.
"I'm not the best ice skater," he confessed.
I laughed and bit my lip. I bravely took his hand and started to skate ahead of him, pulling him along, making him stumble a little bit. He got the flow of it but didn't even try to come up to me. Instead he jerked me backwards next to him and continued to hold my hand, which made me freak out on the inside but I acted like it wasn't a big deal. He let go and skated ahead of me - very swiftly and naturally.
"I thought you said you weren't a good skater," I called to him.
"Maybe I lied," he called back.
I smiled and skated to him. "Maybe?"
"Maybe. Or I maybe I wanted to hold your hand." He winked at me and skated around me. He then proceeded to do a fancy twirl I couldn't even muster up to do. He skated around me, circles being sketched into the ice. "I really hate you a lot less, Jack."
"That's good. I hate you less, too."
"You love me."
"How do you know?"
"Do you know?"
He stopped in front of me, looking down from his towering height. "Why should I tell you?"
Because if you don't know, then that could mean you really love me. "Why not?"
"Shut up." He untucked his shirt and started to unbutton it. He pulled it off and threw it to the side in the grass. If he ever had the chance, Cupid would take off his shirt every time. There other guys who were like that, too, who just had to be shirtless. He looked pretty incredible, his green pants matching his eyes. His skin was tanner and he was pretty much godly looking. Muscular, golden, green-eyed, gorgeous.
I was very tempted to just grab him by his waistband and kiss him, but then warm weather took its toll on the ice. It started to crack and I screeched but before we fell under the water I put my hands below me and built some more ice. Though since I was panicked I lost track of how tall it was. So it was quite a few yards above the ground.
"Splendid," Cupid said. He broke the ice blades on his shoes and looked at me expectantly.
I broke the blades off as well and smiled, an idea coming to my mind. I put my hands on the ice and created a slide of ice going down to the grass. Cupid smirked at me and sat down. He pulled me in front of him between his legs, making me blush. He pushed off and we went down the slide, me giggling stupidly. Once we got to the grass, he pulled out his bow (which is another mystery, because he somehow always has his bow on him and yet it'll be invisible or something) and used the point of the diamond to crack the ice, heaving it above him and smashing the ice so hard all of it cracked, my tower included. He was very strong, obviously.
He lied down next to me and sighed.
"I don't hate summer that much," I said to him. "Like this, I like this."
"And what is this?"
"It's the really soft grass that I love to lie in. The purple, pink, orange sunset. The smell of the flowers. The peacefulness. It's peaceful in winter, too, and I like lying in the snow with my coat on. The night sky is more clear, but the sunsets aren't as nice. Then I love inhaling a cool breeze."
He nodded. "Yeah, and I really love the first snow."
"Hm?"
"I normally wake up in the middle night and there will be snow falling. I've seen you sometimes, out making it snow in the night."
"Did I wake you or something?"
"No. I just randomly woke up. I'd look outside and it'd be snowing, sometimes you'd be out. Usually I would go outside and the snow would be fresh. Untouched, no other footprints, just the snow and the sky. I always walk outside and try to leave clean footprints, and I just really enjoy being the first one in the snow - other than you."
"I guess I never really thought about it that way."
"Winter isn't all bad. I mean, since so many humans don't like it, a lot of people here don't."
"Which is stupid. We don't have to conform to them. They use to conform to us."
"They still conform to me."
"They don't conform. They're controlled by you."
He frowned. "Yeah, and I wish they weren't. I wish them and everyone here could figure it out for themselves. A lot of people get it right, and if it's not right they figure it out until it's right."
I decided to change the topic, because I could tell he hated talking about it. "So I'm really going to fall in love?"
He sighed. "Yes, Jack. You've asked me five hundred times."
"You said you know people will fall in love, but you just don't know when or where or who with. Though what about the people you know who aren't going to fall in love?"
He shrugged. "I don't need to pay attention to them, unless they're getting in the way of other people." He looked over at me. "I really hate my job. It's like trying to fix other people and their drama. Half the time I can't do anything about. Me, Cupid. I can't fix some situations. I hate it. Why do I have to make people fall in love who already know they're in love while other people are miserable? I don't have enough time for everyone. There needs to be more than one of me. Are some people meant to be miserable? If they fall in love will the whole world end? I don't get it. Why don't I have enough time for everyone?"
Everyone. At first I thought he was complaining that he didn't have enough time for himself, but it turns out he just doens't have enough time for every other person.
"Why aren't you doing it now? I know you probably need a break, but you can work right now."
"I am working. I can tell of the love between people miles away. No one is need of my help, and when it comes to people clear across the world - I can sense them, too. It's hard to explain. It's instinct Jack. I just know. Later on, I know who I have to go shoot, who I don't have to shoot. Even though I'm having this conversation, concentrating on these words, a different part of me is comprehending the love and hate of others. I don't how, it's just a part of me. It's like breathing. I don't have to force myself to breath the way I don't have to force myself to think about it. Like with your snowflakes. You can create millions at a time and yet you somehow know that each one is different. It's a sixth sense to us I suppose."
"And what if there's a significant feeling you have right now?"
"I'd probably leave you and take care of it. That's what sucks about this. There's a lot of waiting for that moment, and moments are happening right now, so I will have to leave sooner or later to get them before they break it off." He sighed again. "It should be like a family business. Every Cupid alive, my dad, my grandfather, and I should take care of it. We wouldn't miss a thing. Ever. One of us misses some, two of us would occasionally miss a few, but otherwise we wouldn't miss any if there were three of us."
"Are you gay?"
"What?" he asked, caught off guard.
"No, I guess I didn't mean that. I mean, what if one of you is gay?"
He smirked. "A miracle happens."
"What?"
"If you never figure it out, then I'll tell you."
"Fine."
He stood up and held out his hand, which I gladly took. He pulled me up and he grabbed his shirt, putting it back on but not tucking it in and he left quite a few undone so his cleavage was quite large, but like I minded.
We started to walk back to the barbeque, but then the clouds started to change. Every Ostara, as the first sign of summer, the Green Man and Mother Nature would start up some clouds and make it pour rain immediatel. So we quickly got drenched, everyone probably already at their homes because they knew it was going to rain since they announced it before hand. Cupid grabbed my hand and we started to run completely away from the capital building and deeper into the woods by the lake.
"Where are we going?" I asked, shouting through the loud cadence of the rain.
"My treehouse!" he yelled at me.
"What?"
"My treehouse. I built it here years ago." We kept running, me laughing like crazy, because it was fun but also because he was still holding my hand. We made it to a nicely contrsucted tree house that looked like it had been used just recently. We climbed the ladder and crawled inside where a mattress, table, chest, and blanket were at. "I come here often, or otherwise to your house."
"It-t's c-cozy," I said, my teeth chattering since I was cold due to the rain and wind.
He lit a small candle-lit lamp in the corner and I tried not to drool over him. His shirt was practically see-through, and for some reason that's sexier than seeing him actually shirtless. Plus, his hair was drenched and so were his pants, making them droop a little more due to the weight of the water soaked in. He pulled off his shirt, and mention his pants drooping because it means his v-lines were more visible. You know, those lines below his abs that lead downward...
He rummaged through his chest and pulled out some clothes. He tossed me his shirt and I put it on. It was a really nice shirt I had never seen him wear before, a long sleeved green v-neck. I quickly took off my shirt and put the other one on for fear he'd see me. He's seen me shirtless in the locker room, but that wasn't a secluded, slightly-romantic treehouse with just me and him.
"Take your pants off," he told me.
"!!?!!?!?"
"Do you want to freeze? It won't get any warmer, you know that." The storm lasted quite a while.
"Do you have any other pants?"
"No. Just sleep in your underwear."
"But..." My underwear was boxers. They were tight in the waist band but loose almost every where else. Though they weren't long. No, they were pretty short and came right below my butt. They were very similar to the boxers for girls, but they simply had the flap in the front. I frowned, still cold. So I took off my pants, blushing. He took off his pants and I blushed even more. He did not wear boxers. He wore boxer-briefs, which were the sexiest underwear. He put on a pair of sweatpants and sat next to me on the mattress.
"I thought you didn't have any other pants," I said.
"No other pants for you at least. Lie down."
I did so and he pulled the blanket over us. "Good night," I said.
"Night," he told me. "Try not to dream about me too much."
"Whatever," I said, but he had no idea how hard that was for me to do.
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Haha, and most of you thought they'd finally be getting together! If you've read my other stories you'd know the predictable might not always happen!
Dedicated to a fan who has recently commented the crap out of a lot of my stories, so thank you so much!
Slideshow is of the clothes I picked out for them :)
Comment, vote, love, etc. :D