Fic: Stupid Cupid 8/42 (Xena, Cupid/Strife, NC17)
Title: Stupid Cupid
Fandom: Xena
Pairing: Cupid/Strife
Rating: NC17
Summary: An AU that sprang from a challenge posted on the AJCS list, in which Strife is the lead singer in a punk band and a teenage Cupid falls in love.
Stupid Cupid You're a real mean guy
I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly
I'm in love and it's a crying shame
And I know that you're the one to blame
Hey Hey Set me Free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
When they started performing ‘Stupid Cupid’ back in Detroit Strife had just thought it was funny to do a punk version of his mom’s favorite oldies song. He liked the song, he’d always thought it was catchy, but since he met Cupid the lyrics had taken on a whole new meaning. Still, he had a show to do, so he belted the song out with his usual flourish, ignoring the image of a tall, perfect blond that stubbornly refused to go away no matter how hard he tried to focus on the crowd in front of the stage.
You mixed me up but good, right from the very start
Hey, go play Robin Hood with somebody else's heart
Whenever he did manage to focus on the crowd he found himself searching for a glimpse of familiar blond hair or a broad, well-muscled chest covered in cotton stretched just thin enough to leave room for his imagination to fill in the blanks. Only he didn’t need to imagine what was under Cupid’s tee shirt, because he’d had a close-up, personal view more times than he ever expected to.
You got me jumpin' like a crazy clown
And I don't feature what you're puttin' down
Since I kissed his lovin' lips of wine
The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
Hey, hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid, stop pickin' on me
The last line of the song escaped his lips with even more bitterness than usual, and he was thankful it was a punk version so no one would notice the difference. Part of him regretted making that the band’s signature song, not that he could have known that he’d actually meet a real live guy named Cupid. Or that he’d turn out to be so hot. Or so nice. Or that Strife would find a way to screw things up with him on such a grand scale that he had no hope of fixing them.
Which was the real bitch of it, because he found himself wanting to fix it. That was the reason he kept searching the sea of faces in front of him on the slim chance that Cupid might actually show up at one of their shows. Not that he really expected Cupid to show up anywhere that he might actually run into Strife, and even if he did wander into their show by accident Strife had no idea what to say to him. ‘I’m sorry’ didn’t really seem like enough, and he was pretty sure ‘I’m a jerk’ and ‘you were right’ weren’t going to get him very far either. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to bring himself to ask Cupid for another chance, though, because he didn’t even know if that was what he wanted.
He set the microphone back in its stand as the set ended, barely noting the screams of the crowd or the excited expressions on his bandmates’ faces. He knew word was getting around about them and the crowds at their shows got a little bigger every time they played, but lately he couldn’t make himself care. The fact was that he felt bad for the way he’d acted, and even if he’d managed to push Cupid away he couldn’t convince himself that it was for the best. He didn't want to keep wanting Cupid, but it wasn't like anybody could really blame him. Cupid was…well, maybe not perfect, he was a little young and that whole scene in Strife's apartment he could have lived without. Still, he was pretty damn close to exactly what Strife wanted in a guy, even if his timing was terrible.
Not that it was Cupid's fault he'd stumbled into Strife's life when he did. Hell, if Strife hadn't wasted two years in junior college they might have met when Cupid was sixteen, and then he really would have been too young. He felt pretty stupid now for acting like Cupid's age was such a big deal, especially once he told Cupid how old he was and saw the look on the other boy's face. He was pissed, and it wasn't like he didn't have a good reason. If he'd just waited long enough for Strife to explain…but what good would it have done? They'd still be in the same place they were now, only it would be even harder to know that Cupid didn't hate him but they still couldn't be together.
And when did he go falling for the kid, anyway? They barely even knew each other, but somehow he had a feeling that he was missing out on something special when he let Cupid walk out of his life. He let out a sigh and told himself to stop thinking about it. Cupid wasn't at the show, and the chances of ever seeing him again were pretty slim so there was no reason to obsess about it. He followed the rest of the band offstage, stopping short when he reached the room at the back of the bar they'd been using as a dressing room. He'd been looking forward to a beer and a little quiet between sets, but when he reached the door of the small room it was packed.
There were girls everywhere, and right at the center of the crowd were Hercules and Iolaus. As soon as he walked in the room somebody squealed - they actually squealed, like he was Sid freaking Vicious returned from the grave - and the eight or so girls that Herc had managed to drag backstage surged forward. Before he had a chance to react he found himself surrounded by girls, all of them talking at once and none of them making any sense. There were hands everywhere; on his arms, in his hair, moving over his bare chest. He stretched up to his full height in time to catch Iolaus rolling his eyes and Hercules grinning like an idiot.
Somehow he managed to force his way through the crowd, ignoring his roommates and their fan club as he fought his way to the back of the tiny room. He found Xena crouched in the corner, adjusting the strings on her bass. "What the fuck's all that about?" he practically shouted over the noise coming from the front of the room.
Xena glanced up long enough to grin at him, her blue eyes sparkling. "What do you think? Herc's in heaven. Some of them are kind of cute, I don't blame him."
Strife made a face as he glanced at the small crowd of girls again, sinking into a metal folding chair while he watched Xena set her bass back in its case. "Yeah, well there ain't enough room fer us in here as it is," he said. "Why'd he hafta drag 'em all back here?"
"He didn't. Gabbie let them in, she said something about them being good for our image. Although what a bunch of screaming girls does for a punk band I don't really get. Not that I mind the girls part, but the screaming I could live without."
"Figures. She would do somethin' like this," Strife grumbled, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at his roommates. "An' will ya look at those two idiots? They're eatin' this stuff up."
"Yeah, well, you would be too if it was a roomful of tall blond guys with killer bods and chiseled features." Xena laughed at the look he shot her and sank into the chair next to his. "Come on, Strife, when are you gonna snap out of it? I've known you my whole life and I've never seen you get like this over a guy."
"It's got nothin' ta do with Cupid."
"Sure it doesn't. Look, I don't know Herc and Iolaus the way you do, but you guys have been friends since junior high. Don't you think if you just tell them how you feel about the guy…"
Strife shot her a horrified look that stopped her in mid-sentence. "Are ya outta yer fuckin' mind? Talk to those two about my feelings? Do I look like a chick?"
"Well with the hair…" She trailed off with a laugh when he glared at her and pulled her hand away from his hair. "Okay, okay, I get it, guys don't talk about that stuff. But what's the big deal? If you like the guy why don't you just tell Herc and Iolaus to fuck off?"
"We made a pact, right after Iphicles quit the band ta marry what's-her-face. Nobody gets serious about anybody 'til we either break up or make it big."
"That's the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard in my life." He tore his gaze away from the back of the other guys' heads to look at her, the bitterness in her tone surprising him. "Are you kidding me? You can't date somebody you like because it might get in the way of the band? Were you gonna bother to mention this to me?"
"Well we figured…ya know…" Strife trailed off and bit his lip, realizing too late that telling Xena the truth about why they hadn't mentioned the pact to her might be hazardous to his health. "It's just yer thing fer Blondie’s lasted fer ages, an' we figured as long as yer hung up on her…"
"As long as I'm hung up on Gabbie there's no chance of me getting into a serious relationship." She let out a deep breath and looked down at the floor, shaking her head when he opened his mouth to defend himself. "No, you're probably right. I mean I know she doesn't think of me that way. But you've got a shot with Cupid, Strife. You should go for it, screw the band. If we make it we make it, if we don't it's not the end of the world."
"Tell that ta Herc." Strife glanced over at his roommate again, a soft sigh escaping his throat when he took in his friend's broad grin. "It's all he evah fuckin' talks about. When he's not talkin' 'bout chicks, anyway."
"He just likes the glory," Xena said. "It wouldn't be any different if he was an actor. Maybe he should try stripping, I bet he'd love all the attention he got in the clubs. And Iolaus will go along with whatever Herc does. He's like a puppy."
Strife was too busy laughing at the image of Hercules as a male stripper to think about what Iolaus would do for his best friend. He'd commented more than once on all the things he was pretty sure Iolaus would like to do for Hercules, but he kept those kinds of observations between him and Xena most of the time. Still, he had to admit she had a point. "It doesn't matter anyway," he said, his laughter fading as he turned back to her. "Cupe hates me. He's never gonna talk ta me again."
"He doesn't hate you."
"Yeah, he does. You shoulda seen 'im, Xena. He was pissed."
"Sure, he was pissed, but he doesn't hate you. How could he hate you? I know better than anybody that you're not nearly as big of an asshole as you try to convince people. And anyway, you're related to me. There's no way he could hate you."
A bitter laugh escaped Strife’s throat at that line of logic. “So me bein’ yer cousin means I’m what, unhateable?”
“That’s not even a word.”
“Ya know what I mean. ‘Sides, Gabbie hates me.”
“She only hates you because you hate her. That’s totally different. If you tried being nice to her she might surprise you.”
He shot her a look that told her exactly what he thought of that idea, his expression darkening at the reminder of why he didn’t like Gabbie to begin with. “So not gonna happen.”
“I bet she could find out where Cupid lives.”
“She could not. Yer bullshittin’ me, right?”
Xena shrugged noncommittally and looked toward the front of the room, grinning at the sight of their bandmates and their entourage before she glanced at Strife again. “She knows somebody that used to hang out with that friend of his. I think her name’s Psycho or something. But if you don’t want to know…”
“What good would it do?” Strife answered miserably. “I mean it’s not like I’m gonna show up at his house an’ beg him to talk ta me.”
“Every once in awhile we’ve all gotta do a little begging, Strife. Besides, I have a feeling it won’t be as hard as you think it’s going to be.”
Strife’s features lit up in an involuntary grin as he turned to look at his cousin again. The thought of seeing Cupid…well, okay, it was a little scary, but actually showing up in Cupid’s hometown would probably score him some points. At least it would show that he cared enough to go looking for him, and even if all he got to do was apologize maybe it would help him stop thinking about it all the time. “He really hangs out with some chick named Psycho?”
“That’s what Gabbie said. Maybe it’s a stage name or something. She’s pretty enough to be a performer.”
“Yeah, maybe.” The truth was Strife didn’t give a damn who Cupid hung out with, as long as he was willing to give Strife another shot.
~
“He’ll come around, you’ve just gotta give him a little time. He was pretty pissed after you just walked away from us.”
Cupid stopped rifling through his locker long enough to glare over at Psyche. “Like I care. Auto can ignore me for the rest of his life, I don’t give a damn.”
“Come on, Cupe, you don’t mean that. You guys are tight.” She frowned as she stole another glance down the hall in the direction of her boyfriend, but Auto was still standing with his back to them. She knew he knew they were talking about him; he’d practically begged her to go find out what was up with Cupid, and after watching him brood all weekend she’d finally given in just to get away from him for a little while. The truth was she’d been wondering about Auto’s overprotective attitude ever since Cupid first met Strife, and the longer she watched them both brood the more she was starting to worry. “Fine, if you don’t want to make up with him for your sake, can you think about me for a second here? He’s been a complete dick all weekend, and I’m the one that has to deal with him.”
“Look, Psyche, I’m sorry he’s being such a jerk. Sometimes I wonder why you bother with him.” Cupid slammed his locker shut and turned around, glancing in Auto’s direction before he looked down at Psyche again. “You could do way better, you know.”
“It’s complicated,” she said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. “Look, just think about it, okay? You know how stubborn he can be.”
“Yeah, sure, I’ll think about it. But for you, not for him, okay? I swear he’s worse than my dad. He thinks he can just order me around and I’m supposed to thank him for it.”
“Thanks, Cupe,” she said, leaning up to plant a kiss on his cheek before she headed back to Auto. She knew he had a point about Auto, but it wasn’t like she could just come right out and tell him her theory on what was going on. She liked Auto, he was a fun guy and she’d known him forever. Cupid was a sweet kid, though, and she didn’t want to end up having to choose between the two of them. It was bad enough when she got caught in the middle, and she knew it would be a lot worse if she came right out and said ‘I think Auto’s being a jerk because he’s in love with you’.
The truth was she wasn’t even sure if that was it. She knew Auto had a thing for Cupid that went a lot further than his usual interest in other guys, but she didn’t know if he had feelings for Cupid or if he just kept trying because nobody had ever turned him down before. Most of the people they met got a kick out of the idea of a threesome that they didn’t have to work for, so neither of them ever had a hard time finding a new guy or girl to keep things interesting. At least that was what they always said it was about, but Psyche had been wondering lately if they were just using that as an excuse to avoid making a commitment.
Sometimes she wondered if they were getting a little old to keep acting like this. Whenever she tried to talk to Auto about it he just told her to stop getting all ‘girlie’ on him, like thinking about their relationship made her a drag to be around. She was pretty sure she should be worried about that, but she wasn’t sure anymore if she cared enough to let it bother her.
She took a deep breath as she got closer to Auto, steeling herself for the inevitable grilling she was about to get on every detail of what Cupid had said to her. Before she reached him someone grabbed her arm, and she turned to find herself face to face with one of the girls she used to hang out with before she and Auto started spending all their time together.
“There was somebody asking around about you last night at the show I went to. I just thought you should know.”
Psyche frowned at the other girl, her mind racing as she wondered who could be interested in her. “What’d you tell them?”
“She just wanted to know where you were from, that kind of thing. Actually I think she was more interested in Cupid. She asked me if you two were friends.”
“She’s interested in Cupid? She’s barking up the wrong tree there,” Psyche said, laughing at the thought of some poor girl pining away for Cupid. “She’s not his type.”
“Yeah, well, just so you know, somebody told her what school we go to. I didn’t tell her anything, but somebody did.”
“Thanks,” Psyche said distractedly as the other girl turned away from her. She wasn’t sure if she should be worried about some strange girl knowing where they went to school; a lot of people at the clubs in the city knew them, and it wasn’t like Auto was careful what he told people. So it wouldn’t be that hard to track any of them down, but she wasn’t sure why anyone would want to. She turned to look for Auto but the hallway was practically empty, and there was no sign of her boyfriend anywhere. “Just great,” she muttered, letting out a frustrated sigh as she headed for the door.
She stepped out of the school and nearly collided with Auto, catching herself before she ran right into him. “Jesus, Auto,” she muttered, glancing up at him when he didn’t answer. As soon as she looked at him she saw that he wasn’t even listening, and when she followed his gaze she realized why. Cupid was stopped right next to the road, his hands in his pockets and his shoulders tense. He was standing in front of a beat-up red van, and leaning against it was Strife. At least she assumed it was Strife, he looked different when he wasn’t on a stage screaming into a microphone. In the daylight he looked almost like he could be just another kid at their school, and she realized for the first time that he probably wasn’t that much older than they were.
“Guess that explains why somebody was asking around about us,” she muttered to herself. As soon as she said it Auto shifted next to her, and before she could react he was down the stairs and heading toward the parking lot. She rolled her eyes and ran down the steps, praying she didn’t break an ankle trying to run in heels. “Auto, would you wait up?” she called after him, although she had a feeling he didn’t even know she’d been standing there.
Fandom: Xena
Pairing: Cupid/Strife
Rating: NC17
Summary: An AU that sprang from a challenge posted on the AJCS list, in which Strife is the lead singer in a punk band and a teenage Cupid falls in love.
Stupid Cupid You're a real mean guy
I'd like to clip your wings so you can't fly
I'm in love and it's a crying shame
And I know that you're the one to blame
Hey Hey Set me Free
Stupid Cupid stop picking on me
When they started performing ‘Stupid Cupid’ back in Detroit Strife had just thought it was funny to do a punk version of his mom’s favorite oldies song. He liked the song, he’d always thought it was catchy, but since he met Cupid the lyrics had taken on a whole new meaning. Still, he had a show to do, so he belted the song out with his usual flourish, ignoring the image of a tall, perfect blond that stubbornly refused to go away no matter how hard he tried to focus on the crowd in front of the stage.
You mixed me up but good, right from the very start
Hey, go play Robin Hood with somebody else's heart
Whenever he did manage to focus on the crowd he found himself searching for a glimpse of familiar blond hair or a broad, well-muscled chest covered in cotton stretched just thin enough to leave room for his imagination to fill in the blanks. Only he didn’t need to imagine what was under Cupid’s tee shirt, because he’d had a close-up, personal view more times than he ever expected to.
You got me jumpin' like a crazy clown
And I don't feature what you're puttin' down
Since I kissed his lovin' lips of wine
The thing that bothers me is that I like it fine
Hey, hey, set me free
Stupid Cupid, stop pickin' on me
The last line of the song escaped his lips with even more bitterness than usual, and he was thankful it was a punk version so no one would notice the difference. Part of him regretted making that the band’s signature song, not that he could have known that he’d actually meet a real live guy named Cupid. Or that he’d turn out to be so hot. Or so nice. Or that Strife would find a way to screw things up with him on such a grand scale that he had no hope of fixing them.
Which was the real bitch of it, because he found himself wanting to fix it. That was the reason he kept searching the sea of faces in front of him on the slim chance that Cupid might actually show up at one of their shows. Not that he really expected Cupid to show up anywhere that he might actually run into Strife, and even if he did wander into their show by accident Strife had no idea what to say to him. ‘I’m sorry’ didn’t really seem like enough, and he was pretty sure ‘I’m a jerk’ and ‘you were right’ weren’t going to get him very far either. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to bring himself to ask Cupid for another chance, though, because he didn’t even know if that was what he wanted.
He set the microphone back in its stand as the set ended, barely noting the screams of the crowd or the excited expressions on his bandmates’ faces. He knew word was getting around about them and the crowds at their shows got a little bigger every time they played, but lately he couldn’t make himself care. The fact was that he felt bad for the way he’d acted, and even if he’d managed to push Cupid away he couldn’t convince himself that it was for the best. He didn't want to keep wanting Cupid, but it wasn't like anybody could really blame him. Cupid was…well, maybe not perfect, he was a little young and that whole scene in Strife's apartment he could have lived without. Still, he was pretty damn close to exactly what Strife wanted in a guy, even if his timing was terrible.
Not that it was Cupid's fault he'd stumbled into Strife's life when he did. Hell, if Strife hadn't wasted two years in junior college they might have met when Cupid was sixteen, and then he really would have been too young. He felt pretty stupid now for acting like Cupid's age was such a big deal, especially once he told Cupid how old he was and saw the look on the other boy's face. He was pissed, and it wasn't like he didn't have a good reason. If he'd just waited long enough for Strife to explain…but what good would it have done? They'd still be in the same place they were now, only it would be even harder to know that Cupid didn't hate him but they still couldn't be together.
And when did he go falling for the kid, anyway? They barely even knew each other, but somehow he had a feeling that he was missing out on something special when he let Cupid walk out of his life. He let out a sigh and told himself to stop thinking about it. Cupid wasn't at the show, and the chances of ever seeing him again were pretty slim so there was no reason to obsess about it. He followed the rest of the band offstage, stopping short when he reached the room at the back of the bar they'd been using as a dressing room. He'd been looking forward to a beer and a little quiet between sets, but when he reached the door of the small room it was packed.
There were girls everywhere, and right at the center of the crowd were Hercules and Iolaus. As soon as he walked in the room somebody squealed - they actually squealed, like he was Sid freaking Vicious returned from the grave - and the eight or so girls that Herc had managed to drag backstage surged forward. Before he had a chance to react he found himself surrounded by girls, all of them talking at once and none of them making any sense. There were hands everywhere; on his arms, in his hair, moving over his bare chest. He stretched up to his full height in time to catch Iolaus rolling his eyes and Hercules grinning like an idiot.
Somehow he managed to force his way through the crowd, ignoring his roommates and their fan club as he fought his way to the back of the tiny room. He found Xena crouched in the corner, adjusting the strings on her bass. "What the fuck's all that about?" he practically shouted over the noise coming from the front of the room.
Xena glanced up long enough to grin at him, her blue eyes sparkling. "What do you think? Herc's in heaven. Some of them are kind of cute, I don't blame him."
Strife made a face as he glanced at the small crowd of girls again, sinking into a metal folding chair while he watched Xena set her bass back in its case. "Yeah, well there ain't enough room fer us in here as it is," he said. "Why'd he hafta drag 'em all back here?"
"He didn't. Gabbie let them in, she said something about them being good for our image. Although what a bunch of screaming girls does for a punk band I don't really get. Not that I mind the girls part, but the screaming I could live without."
"Figures. She would do somethin' like this," Strife grumbled, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at his roommates. "An' will ya look at those two idiots? They're eatin' this stuff up."
"Yeah, well, you would be too if it was a roomful of tall blond guys with killer bods and chiseled features." Xena laughed at the look he shot her and sank into the chair next to his. "Come on, Strife, when are you gonna snap out of it? I've known you my whole life and I've never seen you get like this over a guy."
"It's got nothin' ta do with Cupid."
"Sure it doesn't. Look, I don't know Herc and Iolaus the way you do, but you guys have been friends since junior high. Don't you think if you just tell them how you feel about the guy…"
Strife shot her a horrified look that stopped her in mid-sentence. "Are ya outta yer fuckin' mind? Talk to those two about my feelings? Do I look like a chick?"
"Well with the hair…" She trailed off with a laugh when he glared at her and pulled her hand away from his hair. "Okay, okay, I get it, guys don't talk about that stuff. But what's the big deal? If you like the guy why don't you just tell Herc and Iolaus to fuck off?"
"We made a pact, right after Iphicles quit the band ta marry what's-her-face. Nobody gets serious about anybody 'til we either break up or make it big."
"That's the dumbest fucking thing I've ever heard in my life." He tore his gaze away from the back of the other guys' heads to look at her, the bitterness in her tone surprising him. "Are you kidding me? You can't date somebody you like because it might get in the way of the band? Were you gonna bother to mention this to me?"
"Well we figured…ya know…" Strife trailed off and bit his lip, realizing too late that telling Xena the truth about why they hadn't mentioned the pact to her might be hazardous to his health. "It's just yer thing fer Blondie’s lasted fer ages, an' we figured as long as yer hung up on her…"
"As long as I'm hung up on Gabbie there's no chance of me getting into a serious relationship." She let out a deep breath and looked down at the floor, shaking her head when he opened his mouth to defend himself. "No, you're probably right. I mean I know she doesn't think of me that way. But you've got a shot with Cupid, Strife. You should go for it, screw the band. If we make it we make it, if we don't it's not the end of the world."
"Tell that ta Herc." Strife glanced over at his roommate again, a soft sigh escaping his throat when he took in his friend's broad grin. "It's all he evah fuckin' talks about. When he's not talkin' 'bout chicks, anyway."
"He just likes the glory," Xena said. "It wouldn't be any different if he was an actor. Maybe he should try stripping, I bet he'd love all the attention he got in the clubs. And Iolaus will go along with whatever Herc does. He's like a puppy."
Strife was too busy laughing at the image of Hercules as a male stripper to think about what Iolaus would do for his best friend. He'd commented more than once on all the things he was pretty sure Iolaus would like to do for Hercules, but he kept those kinds of observations between him and Xena most of the time. Still, he had to admit she had a point. "It doesn't matter anyway," he said, his laughter fading as he turned back to her. "Cupe hates me. He's never gonna talk ta me again."
"He doesn't hate you."
"Yeah, he does. You shoulda seen 'im, Xena. He was pissed."
"Sure, he was pissed, but he doesn't hate you. How could he hate you? I know better than anybody that you're not nearly as big of an asshole as you try to convince people. And anyway, you're related to me. There's no way he could hate you."
A bitter laugh escaped Strife’s throat at that line of logic. “So me bein’ yer cousin means I’m what, unhateable?”
“That’s not even a word.”
“Ya know what I mean. ‘Sides, Gabbie hates me.”
“She only hates you because you hate her. That’s totally different. If you tried being nice to her she might surprise you.”
He shot her a look that told her exactly what he thought of that idea, his expression darkening at the reminder of why he didn’t like Gabbie to begin with. “So not gonna happen.”
“I bet she could find out where Cupid lives.”
“She could not. Yer bullshittin’ me, right?”
Xena shrugged noncommittally and looked toward the front of the room, grinning at the sight of their bandmates and their entourage before she glanced at Strife again. “She knows somebody that used to hang out with that friend of his. I think her name’s Psycho or something. But if you don’t want to know…”
“What good would it do?” Strife answered miserably. “I mean it’s not like I’m gonna show up at his house an’ beg him to talk ta me.”
“Every once in awhile we’ve all gotta do a little begging, Strife. Besides, I have a feeling it won’t be as hard as you think it’s going to be.”
Strife’s features lit up in an involuntary grin as he turned to look at his cousin again. The thought of seeing Cupid…well, okay, it was a little scary, but actually showing up in Cupid’s hometown would probably score him some points. At least it would show that he cared enough to go looking for him, and even if all he got to do was apologize maybe it would help him stop thinking about it all the time. “He really hangs out with some chick named Psycho?”
“That’s what Gabbie said. Maybe it’s a stage name or something. She’s pretty enough to be a performer.”
“Yeah, maybe.” The truth was Strife didn’t give a damn who Cupid hung out with, as long as he was willing to give Strife another shot.
~
“He’ll come around, you’ve just gotta give him a little time. He was pretty pissed after you just walked away from us.”
Cupid stopped rifling through his locker long enough to glare over at Psyche. “Like I care. Auto can ignore me for the rest of his life, I don’t give a damn.”
“Come on, Cupe, you don’t mean that. You guys are tight.” She frowned as she stole another glance down the hall in the direction of her boyfriend, but Auto was still standing with his back to them. She knew he knew they were talking about him; he’d practically begged her to go find out what was up with Cupid, and after watching him brood all weekend she’d finally given in just to get away from him for a little while. The truth was she’d been wondering about Auto’s overprotective attitude ever since Cupid first met Strife, and the longer she watched them both brood the more she was starting to worry. “Fine, if you don’t want to make up with him for your sake, can you think about me for a second here? He’s been a complete dick all weekend, and I’m the one that has to deal with him.”
“Look, Psyche, I’m sorry he’s being such a jerk. Sometimes I wonder why you bother with him.” Cupid slammed his locker shut and turned around, glancing in Auto’s direction before he looked down at Psyche again. “You could do way better, you know.”
“It’s complicated,” she said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. “Look, just think about it, okay? You know how stubborn he can be.”
“Yeah, sure, I’ll think about it. But for you, not for him, okay? I swear he’s worse than my dad. He thinks he can just order me around and I’m supposed to thank him for it.”
“Thanks, Cupe,” she said, leaning up to plant a kiss on his cheek before she headed back to Auto. She knew he had a point about Auto, but it wasn’t like she could just come right out and tell him her theory on what was going on. She liked Auto, he was a fun guy and she’d known him forever. Cupid was a sweet kid, though, and she didn’t want to end up having to choose between the two of them. It was bad enough when she got caught in the middle, and she knew it would be a lot worse if she came right out and said ‘I think Auto’s being a jerk because he’s in love with you’.
The truth was she wasn’t even sure if that was it. She knew Auto had a thing for Cupid that went a lot further than his usual interest in other guys, but she didn’t know if he had feelings for Cupid or if he just kept trying because nobody had ever turned him down before. Most of the people they met got a kick out of the idea of a threesome that they didn’t have to work for, so neither of them ever had a hard time finding a new guy or girl to keep things interesting. At least that was what they always said it was about, but Psyche had been wondering lately if they were just using that as an excuse to avoid making a commitment.
Sometimes she wondered if they were getting a little old to keep acting like this. Whenever she tried to talk to Auto about it he just told her to stop getting all ‘girlie’ on him, like thinking about their relationship made her a drag to be around. She was pretty sure she should be worried about that, but she wasn’t sure anymore if she cared enough to let it bother her.
She took a deep breath as she got closer to Auto, steeling herself for the inevitable grilling she was about to get on every detail of what Cupid had said to her. Before she reached him someone grabbed her arm, and she turned to find herself face to face with one of the girls she used to hang out with before she and Auto started spending all their time together.
“There was somebody asking around about you last night at the show I went to. I just thought you should know.”
Psyche frowned at the other girl, her mind racing as she wondered who could be interested in her. “What’d you tell them?”
“She just wanted to know where you were from, that kind of thing. Actually I think she was more interested in Cupid. She asked me if you two were friends.”
“She’s interested in Cupid? She’s barking up the wrong tree there,” Psyche said, laughing at the thought of some poor girl pining away for Cupid. “She’s not his type.”
“Yeah, well, just so you know, somebody told her what school we go to. I didn’t tell her anything, but somebody did.”
“Thanks,” Psyche said distractedly as the other girl turned away from her. She wasn’t sure if she should be worried about some strange girl knowing where they went to school; a lot of people at the clubs in the city knew them, and it wasn’t like Auto was careful what he told people. So it wouldn’t be that hard to track any of them down, but she wasn’t sure why anyone would want to. She turned to look for Auto but the hallway was practically empty, and there was no sign of her boyfriend anywhere. “Just great,” she muttered, letting out a frustrated sigh as she headed for the door.
She stepped out of the school and nearly collided with Auto, catching herself before she ran right into him. “Jesus, Auto,” she muttered, glancing up at him when he didn’t answer. As soon as she looked at him she saw that he wasn’t even listening, and when she followed his gaze she realized why. Cupid was stopped right next to the road, his hands in his pockets and his shoulders tense. He was standing in front of a beat-up red van, and leaning against it was Strife. At least she assumed it was Strife, he looked different when he wasn’t on a stage screaming into a microphone. In the daylight he looked almost like he could be just another kid at their school, and she realized for the first time that he probably wasn’t that much older than they were.
“Guess that explains why somebody was asking around about us,” she muttered to herself. As soon as she said it Auto shifted next to her, and before she could react he was down the stairs and heading toward the parking lot. She rolled her eyes and ran down the steps, praying she didn’t break an ankle trying to run in heels. “Auto, would you wait up?” she called after him, although she had a feeling he didn’t even know she’d been standing there.