About arrows and targets (1/2)
Posted by kaisooaufest at [J09] About arrows and targets
Main Pairing: Kyungsoo/Jongin
Genre: fluff, slight humor
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 11.8 k
Summary: Modern Cupid Jongin enjoys watching over his favorite human.
A/N:This fic was originally written for the Kaisoo Au Fest (No One Dies This Time)
Special thanks to D, my beta.
I´m in love with Kyungsoo, Jongin confesses to himself as he brushes his teeth. Saturday morning begins afresh, bubblegum-flavored toothpaste taste on his tongue and the sole idea of having a crush making him smile brightly at the mirror.
Because Kyungsoo is just lovely: the way he forgets his glasses even when he leaves them in the bedside drawer; how he dresses in grays and blacks almost every day, sweatpants and sweaters; the way he fights over the little things, like his best friend forgetting about the movie they saw a day before; how he becomes disgruntled when he can't reach his favorite cereal box at the store.
Jongin finds it cute, each quirk of the shorter man attracts him. Just like the way he spends hours at night scrolling through Tumblr as he snorts and chokes on milk.
That is probably his favorite thing: Kyungsoo´s laugh; then, of course, would be his smile, his eyes, his commitment, his politeness, his voice, oh, his voice is wonderful, even more-so when he sings those Jonny Beiver songs in the shower.
… So maybe Jongin has been skipping a few work shifts to watch over his favorite human. Maybe more... a few weekends more. And he may have also forgotten the arrows he was supposed to shoot last week, but his boss can’t expect Jongin to work as a Modern Cupid™ without falling in love-- it would be way too implausible, wouldn’t it?
Luckily for him, his team is always there to make up for the things he forgets so he can relax for the day. His arrows are in the right place, and it is his free day.
Dressed in a striped shirt and tight jeans, pink hair in place, he leaves the room through his window with his wings spreading in the air.
It’s pretty convenient that people can’t see angels, but unfortunately, his fellow angels still can.
“Stop right there, you fucking brat.”
His teammate’s voice makes him stop abruptly. Baekhyun is tapping his foot impatiently at the main entrance of the apartment complex, arms crossed-- a sure sign that meant bad news for Jongin.
“Hi, Baek,” he smiles reaching the ground. He hopes the innocent smile is good enough to persuade the older, but after six months of being on the same team he should know better.
“You little shit, I delivered all your fucking arrows yesterday and where were you? Probably spying on that creepy guy again! I have a life you know! I can't do your job and mine every week.”
Watching over, Jongin wants to correct, not spying. He stops himself from voicing the thought and whines, “But Joonmyeon said he would deliver half of them!”
“He is not your fucking maid, and neither am I, so you better get your ass moving,” he says as he passes Jongin a pink quiver with a handful of arrows and a bow.
“And you better move fast, we’ll be having red velvet cake for dinner. Thank God we don’t have a night shift today.” He turns to enter the complex, but not without throwing an extra ‘Fucker’ Jongin’s way.
Jongin was sure no angel was allowed to, or even able to, curse until he met Baekhyun. He stares at the quiver. It has a little bear on the side. This one isn’t even his, but he is too resigned to even go back for his. He checks his phone and the arrows are already organized by time and place, courtesy of Joonmyeon.
Considering he’ll be delivering all of them within the next 12 hours he is sure he can divert his route a bit and maybe visit the coffee shop Kyungsoo works at on Saturdays.
“Better get going,” he mutters to himself heading to the first place on the list.
Jongin is sitting in a tree when he spots his first targets. A petite straight-haired brunette reading in the park and a man walking his dog on a route that passes her by.
They are about to cross paths, and it is kind of cliché, but in this kind of work you can’t get tired of clichés. Besides, Jongin loves them because he believes in his work. As a Modern Cupid™ he oversees people who fall in love and experience new things; who grow, learn from it and then spread their love. He is lucky that way, because his job is to match soulmates.
He may be getting lazier at his duties, but that is only because he’s found something new too, something that he feels is as enjoyable as his routine. That something is … a someone.
Too deep in his thoughts, Jongin almost misses his chance at sending the arrow flying. He aims at the man and lets loose. With soulmates, it doesn't really matter which one you hit, the outcome is pretty much the same.
When the arrow hits the man’s back, he loses control of his dog, who seems too attracted to the smell of the biscuit the girl is holding and suddenly tries to reach it.
The girl laughs as the boy struggles with the little dog. There is a casual laugh, an exchange of looks and a conversation that keeps going even after Jongin leaves the park.
Of course, he doesn’t expect that every time he matches a couple sparks start flying. The lack of reaction is, thankfully, preciously uncommon though; he knows that the majority will bring that gleam of something more after a time.
All reactions are normal, it’s what makes humans so unique. And Jongin is even happier about it, his job is to get them close, set the perfect time for them to meet, and the humans do the rest.
Five minutes to eight and he already delivered two arrows. There is still half an hour before he has to match again and the next targets are at the corner of Oh Cafe. Perfect.
Oh Cafe is a little coffee shop downtown, where old buildings can be found, between two larger restaurants. The cafe is quaint and charming with its light-brown façade and white-fenced seating area out front. It has been handled by the Oh family for generations.
At the moment, the care, cleaning and sales are dealt with by their youngest son, who spends his days there even when he isn’t working, drinking chocolate milk or studying until he cannot study anymore. Oh Sehun, the youngest son and Kyungsoo’s best friend.
Speaking of the devil, Jongin finds him cleaning the outdoor tables. Jongin takes a seat and keeps an eye on him, while trying to catch a glimpse of the shorter through the glass doors. He is disappointed to see no sign of Kyungsoo, and so concludes that he must be changing into his uniform in the back room.
Jongin isn't a pervert, of course not, he is just going to check and see if he is doing well back there but stops as Kyungsoo comes out of the shop.
And he is beautiful. His hair is slightly coiffed and parted on the right, the way it always is at work; He doesn't tend to his messy hair for college or anything else beyond work and theatrical auditions. Ah yes, Jongin’s crush is an artist, if he’d forgotten to mention earlier.
He gives Sehun a pat on the back telling him to check the inside and open the place for once while Kyungsoo takes his place outside. Sehun smiles and says a quick thanks before entering the shop.
Kyungsoo is one of those humans who, from time to time, can’t hide the love and appreciation they feel for his beloved ones, and the way he smiles at Sehun's back is proof of that.
Jongin is jealous, although he shouldn't be, because they aren't matched; at least, that's what he can see on their necks, no arrow mark. There are instances when arrows appear after a long time, but not soulmate ones-- those are the ones Jongin worries about, but better not to think of that for now. He still feels invidious, because he would like those big eyes to look at him with love, care and happiness.
Oh boy, he looks so cute in that apron cleaning the table next to Jongin.
The signboard now says Open and that is Kyungsoo’s signal to go inside and wait for customers. Jongin enters right behind him and inhales the vanilla scent of his hair.
The dimly-lit cafe is filling up with locals and Jongin finds himself distracted by some chocolate biscuits they usually sell as weekend specials, sugar-coated and placed front and center in the display case. He feels so tempted to enter the shop not as an angel, but as a customer, just to talk to Kyungsoo, to laugh at a dumb joke he could drop, to ask for one of those pastries and then pay for it, maybe have their hands touch by ‘accident.’
It would be worth whatever punishment Joonmyeon would give to him for breaking a rule again. In his defense, he learned it from Baekhyun, the way he could turn into human form.
But Sehun was the cashier today. Jongin would do it tomorrow, since Jongin-the-human likes to visit the shop on Mondays, sometimes buying brownies, other times coffee, but always with his eyes boring into the last table at the corner where Kyungsoo practices lines for his plays. Some days, he would try and talk to him, just like the day he met him.
He used to spend a lot of time at the shop when his team was newly assigned and hadn’t had much work to do. He noticed the short man always practicing something in the corner. Jongin found himself feeling too curious, and after a few weeks of cappuccinos, he tried to reach out to him-- not because he was attracted, but because he was nosy and impulsive.
Although the conversation lasted less than Jongin expected, it went pretty well, since Jongin-the-human is an artist too, a dancer, and Kyungsoo seemed pleased with the idea, because apparently he “couldn’t dance to save his life.” He still remembers the promise he made to show him his dance moves.
Kim Jongin-the-human, he snorts. He is so involved with the human world he had to create an alias, though the only difference between Angel-Jongin and Human-Jongin is the human’s lack of wings and boring office job downtown.
Maybe someday, when he finds time -and courage- he can teach Kyungsoo how to dance.
At 7:00 pm he just needs to shoot one more arrow before getting home to have dinner with his team.
Jongin checks his phone to see the last targets with a smile, one that vanishes when he reads the names.
7:00-8:30 pm
Do Kyungsoo
Park Chanyeol
All falls silent as he turns to the last couple he matched. They are happily talking about the same book, the huge blue one at the fantasy section of the bookstore. He sees how the woman has the moon in her eyes as the man is too excited talking to bother about how he is throwing his arms enthusiastically to the air.
And through the Cupid's eyes, he imagines Kyungsoo with stars in his eyes talking to a stranger. To this Park Chanyeol.
What does he look like? What could be the relationship between them? Just what is he doing near Kyungsoo this late at night?
He needs just one look at the address to raise himself into the sky and head to Kyungsoo´s apartment. When he arrives, he finds Sehun reading a book lazily on the upper bunk bed.
Jongin looks at the pictures on his phone, the ones that are supposed to help him identify his targets. Kyungsoo has the usual creepy but cute glaring stare and Chanyeol is smiling widely.
… He is kind of bearable, the Cupid thinks, but look at that grin, how can someone smile like that? And those ears, the red hair is nice but those glasses? Ugh.
He takes a look around the room and Joonmyeon’s words echo in the back of his mind: “Don't act stupidly over a whim.” And maybe he is right- But Jongin sees the black sweaters stacked on the floor, the Prince of Tennis’ poster, the laptop with silly cat videos and the glasses on the bedside drawer. He can't lose all of that over this Park guy, even his last name is a joke.
Besides, Jongin doesn't know him, he could be a loser, a thief or a drug dealer. He needs to find the man before he reaches Kyungsoo, because an arrow is like a helping hand, something that prepares the situation for them to get together. If they meet without his arrow, it is only a question of time before another Cupid comes to help, just because the stupid device is screaming to him that they are soulmates.
At least, with them not knowing each other for now, Jongin will have time to think of the best option, if there is any.
So he leaves the third floor apartment and waits at the entrance of the complex for the appearance of the other man; Chanyeol.
He sits in front of the door waiting and spends some time searching for the Chanyeol on Facebook; maybe he is a freak and the Cupid can send him to jail in the blink of an eye. The profile picture is him with an acoustic guitar and that's all he needs to know Kyungsoo would be attracted to him, God damn it! He stands up with a jump as he hears a car passing the street and decides to wait on the windowsill for any glimpse of red hair in sight.
After what seems like an eternity a motorcycle stops in front of the building and the driver hops off, takes his helmet off and-- there he is, the one that will take Kyungsoo away. He rides a fucking motorcycle and plays the acoustic guitar?! Nice one God, a match in heaven!
Jongin enters Kyungsoo's apartment and waits impatiently with his ear glued to the door. If he is a thief, the Cupid can turn into his human form and fight him as Sehun and Kyungsoo call the police. Anyway, a plan B is needed, but in reality the only idea that hits his mind is to tackle him and steal his wallet.
There is a knock on the neighbor’s door. He probably has a girlfriend and he’ll cheat on her with Kyungsoo without him knowing; what a loser. Jongin hears the door open and peeks to see a tall man wearing a blue t-shirt and a black cap and-
“Domino’s, did you order a large Hawaiian pizza, extra cheese?”
Jongin finally sees the logotype on his back and the pizza box he is carrying. He feels dumb and paranoid, but he stays still.
“No, did the order say number 305?” says the woman at the door, popping her gum obnoxiously.
“I'm not sure to be honest, my dumb coworker didn't write down the order correctly and I don't know if it says 305, ‘6 or ‘8.”
“Oh sorry,” she raises an eyebrow at him. “Good luck,” and closes the door in his face.
Jongin is sure it´s 308, since Kyungsoo doesn't eat Dominos but Pizza Hut, and Sehun would never eat Hawaiian since he is really picky when it comes to pineapple.
He takes his place on the upper staircase before turning into his human form and pretends he is going down the stairs.
“Hey,” he says stopping Chanyeol from knocking the door and turning to him.
“Big Hawaiian with extra cheese? Please take it to number 308, my friend will pay you.”
“Sure, thanks,” the taller says going upstairs.
The Cupid stays quiet in front of Kyungsoo's apartment, nobody shall pass.
“Uh,” he hears someone behind him and turns to see Sehun closing the door, “what are you doing here Jongin?”
As a frequent customer at Oh Cafe, Jongin has talked with Sehun a lot of times. Therefore, they are familiar to each other but not friends, yet.
“Uh, I-I was going to visit a friend but um, I apparently got lost so, uh, yeah.”
“What's his name? Maybe I know his apartment number.”
“Oh, you know? Suddenly I remember it’s 308, yes, thanks,” he says before going upstairs and turning back into his Cupid form before reaching the next floor and heads to the open window.
He continues to hover mid-air keeping his eyes on Chanyeol as he goes downstairs. There is no sign of Kyungsoo, and Sehun is already in the convenience store a building over. Minimizing interaction between these two would make things less difficult for Jongin.
Usually, when soulmates get far from each other without an arrow mark, Jongin chases one target to get them closer again, even if that meant spending an entire day on the task. But this isn't the occasion and he sighs relieved as Chanyeol leaves on the motorcycle.
He returns to his room with the arrow still inside the quiver. Sadly, it is unbreakable and if his teammates see it God knows what Joonmyeon would do to him. So he hides it in his drawer, right under his clothes. It´s not the safest place, but it gives his brain a rest as he goes to the kitchen.
His team is at the kitchen table already, Baekhyun is eating a huge slice of pizza while Joonmyeon is chatting with Yifan at his side. The latter tries his best, every month, to eat at least one meal with each team he has under his care. He has ten teams and many more things to do besides going around the city shooting arrows. Jongin finds it hilarious since Yifan is a bit over six feet in height, with stern-looking eyes and dark blonde hair, he doesn't have the look of a romantic at all.
Now that he’s thinking about it, neither does Baekhyun, who looks more like a lust angel than a soulmate matcher. The only one that fits the Cupid image is probably Joonmyeon, who has a charismatic smile and soft eyes, milky skin that felt like silk and hair a light shade of blond. Cupids tend to have light colored hair, but Jongin thinks his pink is the best.
Taking a seat next to Baekhyun, who just grunts and pulls his plate closer to him, Jongin receives a piece of cake. Joonmyeon doesn't say a word about him being half a minute late as always. He is too busy listening to Yifan; Jongin doesn’t take offense at his inattention, that's just how he is when the taller is around.
It's the best chance to steal his phone.
His team leader will receive the notification that Jongin didn’t end his work when the clock hits 8:30 p.m. and, knowing him, he will take the job in his own hands even if the younger pleads on his knees. If he doesn't see it, the younger can delete it and read the exact time he has to complete the job.
With the excuse of wanting to play a racing game on the phone he snatches it and keeps it with him until his bedtime. Now he knows he has about seven months to complete the job before news of his ‘lost’ arrow hits Yifan’s ears. That´s a nice amount of time to come up with a plan.
At least that's what he thinks until his head touches the pillow. He doesn’t sleep but instead stares at the ceiling trying to find answers in the fluorescent stars glued to it. Looking back with a cool head on his shoulders, he realizes how strange his actions were. He truly believes in his work, yet he just stopped the soulmates from meeting.
His thoughts about Chanyeol sound pretty pathetic now. Any human is perfect at the sight of their soulmates, whatever he may be, must be impressive.
Kyungsoo is the perfect human for Jongin, everything that he sees on him is attractive, but Jongin is not his soulmate, another angelic human should be paired with him.
The night is silent and at the fifth attempt at dreaming, or at least forgetting, he gives up and spends the night stalking the man on every social media he can find. All his accounts are public, careless brat, he must be a voyeur too.
He learns through photos and videos that his ‘rival’ not only works at Domino's Pizza, but also goes to college and plays in an amateur band with his friends as the drummer and side vocal; for the Cupid disgrace he has a nice deep voice. He is goofy, likes animals and doesn´t seem to have any addiction but to sugar.
Jongin hates him.
Because he has more followers than Jongin-the-human, more friends, a better voice, a band, two dogs and what is worse, he will probably have Kyungsoo's heart too. All the things Jongin wanted in his life, besides a chicken franchise.
“I swear his glasses don't have lenses,” he says, spitting out the first offense to pop into his head as he sips his orange juice, “pretentious ass.”
It begins with him showing up Monday at Oh Cafe craving a cappuccino.
Kyungsoo and Sehun have college finals, he can tell, as both of them are seated at the corner table, hidden by a mountain of books. Kyungsoo’s hair is messy, bangs falling into his eyes. He swipes at them and adjusts his hair only to repeat the sequence every two minutes: adorable.
The Cupid doesn't know if it's the sleepless night, his childish pride or madness but whatever it is, the idea of wooing Kyungsoo is making more sense with every passing glance he throws the smaller.
But he knows he can't do that, soulmates are made for each other.
As he eats another cookie and laughs at Sehun repeatedly hitting his head on the table in hopeless vexation, he comes to a decision with a quick erudite plan.
He will adjust all his arrows to Kyungsoo's schedule so he can be close to him and not lose his job-- not that he ever really could. He’ll have to ask to trade arrows with Baekhyun and switch his with Joonmyeon’s without the latter noticing.
He will keep Chanyeol as far away from Kyungsoo as possible while he, Jongin, gets closer to him. The bonus part is taking Kyungsoo on a date. A kind-of-but-not-really-but-secretly-is kind of date. A research date of course, one that will help him create an idea surrounding his human’s needs and wants.
The idea is egoistical, but the feeling of losing someone he shows active interest in is something new to him. He may give a try to this human thing called attachment. The worst that could happen is that Kyungsoo never falls in love with him and rejects him.
An idea that should have never crossed his mind, since Jongin was going to match the soulmates after his seven months with the boy are over... Wasn't he?
Two weeks pass by and Jongin is at the coffee shop again (stalking) watching Kyungsoo. His eyes are fixated on Kyungsoo’s phone. Finals are over and he’s free for the day but the Cupid hasn't moved a finger to talk to him. Jongin is nervous and swears his hands are sweating, but maybe it’s just the hot coffee in his hands.
Talking to him shouldn't feel so uncomfortable; besides, there has been no sign of the guitarist, that´s great. He puts together his thoughts and whatever braveness he can find as he walks towards Kyungsoo, and the latter looks up at him and smiles.
The smile almost makes Jongin turn back around and run but instead he stands with his mouth open trying to let some words out.
“Jongin,” he taps the seat next to him making Jongin sit in a second.
“How are you?” are the first words he manages to blurt; the last syllable he chokes through a restricted throat but seems like Kyungsoo doesn't notice.
“I'm good” he says and looks at his hands, then he raises his head again like he forgot something, “bu-but how are you?”
“I´m uh, great.” He smiles and there is a long silence between them. Kyungsoo is probably bored already and is scrolling through his Tumblr feed again.
Jongin tries to find the perfect topic to chat again and he takes the safest card he has, “So, how’s the play?”
At the question Kyungsoo turns again and starts talking about how much he likes his role.
Jongin notices how Sehun is looking at him behind the counter but decides to ignore him. Instead, he focuses all his attention on Kyungsoo, on his eyes, smile, movements, on the little things he does and Jongin had only just noticed, like his odd habit of half smiling before laughing or nodding at nothing from time to time.
It becomes a daily routine, going to Oh Cafe. On busy days Jongin would just buy something and leave; on the calm ones he would try to talk to him, especially on weekends. Sometimes even Sehun would join the chat and they would keep talking until night falls.
Jongin becomes aware that sometimes he would need to lead the conversation, that if he says the right words, Kyungsoo would speak to him openly. To find the right words is easy, they lead exactly to what Jongin wants to say.
Maybe it’s because Jongin isn't his soulmate, or because the Kyungsoo he knew was the one behind the counter, but the Cupid starts noticing little ticks on the human that aren't too appealing to him.
Nevertheless, he can deal with the discomfiture, though he now finds even more unattractive things with Sehun. At this point, they were all friends, and friends ignore the small nuances of their friends, don’t they? At least that's what Jongin thinks after three months of visiting the coffee shop.
The idea sets in Jongin’s mind with time: Kyungsoo isn't as perfect as he’d originally thought. Love must be what molds humans into perfection, that something that makes soulmates seem so heavenly.
He starts to read. Even Joonmyeon is surprised when the younger asks for books about them, about humans, about the relationship between them. He hasn't found anything relevant to his case, although to be fair he is too busy matchmaking, visiting Kyungsoo and Sehun, and keeping Chanyeol far away.
The guitarist has been too active and too close for Jongin liking. He was there almost at every corner, Downtown, at the park, near the coffee shop. He even dared show himself at the mall the day Jongin was with Kyungsoo and Sehun trying to find “the perfect look for a Saturday party” the latter was invited to.
Jongin has probably been more physical with Chanyeol than he ever will be with Kyungsoo. He has stolen from him, tackled him, punched him and even slapped his butt just to divert his attention. The look on the man´s face has been unreadable and Jongin is already expecting to get beaten the next time he tries to touch him.
It’s definitely worth it, Jongin thinks, even when the final exams are around the corner and he gets a pinch to his ear one afternoon.
“Agh, Soo let go!” he exclaims as he tugs free of the shorter’s hold.
“I swear to God Jongin, if you keep talking I'm going to rip that ear from your head, I already told you we were extremely busy today,” he points at Sehun who is grunting behind a book.
“But Soo,” he whines tugging his sweater back into place. He just wants to talk about how his roommates are planning on punishing him just because he arrived home with a puppy and accidentally let him pee on the couch.
He should have expected the blow to his shoulder but still gets caught by surprise as he whimpers and kneads his upper arm. Kyungsoo’s punches are stronger than ever since he joined the gym. Jongin isn't too happy about that either.
“I don't give a fuck right now, ok? It isn't our fault that you don't have anything to do, what do you do anyways? Besides dancing and drinking coffee all day?” he asks more to himself than to his friend and goes back to the books.
Jongin stands up and grabs a cookie from the counter.
“You are gonna pay for that,” Sehun says and whines when Jongin mimes his whining with a mouth full of cookies. “Idiot…,” he closes the book just to grab another one and that’s how the Cupid knows he is going to be bored all day.
Kyungsoo curses a lot, it must be Sehun's fault; he complains a lot, and is kind of impulsive. Jongin looks at the bruise on his right arm. Kyungsoo’s fist made that one because he called him adorable.
He can't complain too much though, he knows he’s become clingier and whinier over time. He calls it The Kyungsoo-Effect.
It also changed the way he perceived his friend. Friend. He is not sure how or when the term became a thing, but it´s easier than trying to snatch him away from his soulmate. That doesn't mean he isn't jealous even when the one remembering they are soulmates is himself.
There is something he can't put a finger on, that keeps him up at night even when Chanyeol doesn't show himself during the day. Something that bothers him every time he gets too close to Kyungsoo.
It´s a month later when he gets an idea of what that uncomfortable feeling could be.
It´s Saturday and he has been asking Baekhyun hypothetical questions all morning. The foul-mouthed Cupid seemed to suspect something but strangely lets it pass as his phone vibrates every minute on the dot. He leaves Jongin with the last question halfway out of his mouth when his phone rings at an unexpected call.
Jongin arrives at the coffee shop right when Kyungsoo is exiting the shop. The latter grins and greets him. “Hey, you’re later than usual. I mean-- it's weird not seeing you here at three,” he stops himself and stares at Jongin for a second, “I mean…”
Jongin laughs and receives a kick to the knee for his troubles. “Ow! What was that for?!”
“I didn't kick you that hard,” he mocks as he opens the door. “Come on, Sehun is going to leave soon, whatever you’re going to drink, buy it now.”
Jongin goes along with him and there is no one at the counter.
“Sehun is probably changing already,” Kyungsoo sighs as he goes to stand behind the counter. “Oh hey, your hair is finally turning brown, the pink lasted a for quite a while to be honest. Anyway, what do you want?”
“Do you want to grab coffee with me?” Jongin blurts fast, too afraid of answering with a cheesy and silly, you.
“Coffee? No, it´s kind of late for that. I usually have tea or chocolate at this hour, and it´s a bit cold outside.”
“Oh… alright, do you want to have tea? Or chocolate?”
“Don't worry, I have chocolate in my house, I will make some when I get home.”
“He’s asking you out,” says Sehun who comes out the back room with his arms crossed.
Kyungsoo turns to him and then to Jongin who is shrugging with an innocent smile. He stays frozen in place, a heavy blush marring his cheeks.
“As friends, I guess,” Sehun finishes and stares at the Cupid.
“Weren't you going to leave already?” asks Kyungsoo after a long moment of nearly-awkward silence. Usually Sehun jumps in to save them both from those moments.
“I’ll stay a bit longer to keep an eye on things.”
“So… hot chocolate?” Jongin cuts in. He can see Sehun glaring holes into him “As friends, I just want to talk.”
There is an approving nod behind Kyungsoo.
“As friends...” he seems to contemplate the idea. “Sure, I can do that,” he mutters under his breath trying to hide his embarrassment and goes for his favorite table at the corner.
Sehun takes Jongin's shoulder and gets close enough to whisper, “You fuck this up and I'm chopping your dick off.” With a smile, he turns to make the chocolate drinks.
Jongin arrives at the table with two cups and places one in front of Kyungsoo. He sits in front of him and there is a long silence.
As friends, what a great idea.
“Sorry,” says Kyungsoo hurriedly “I'm kinda… bad at filling up silence.”
“That’s the only thing you’re bad at?” he teases and receives yet another bruise to his shoulder. He yelps because it’s a hard pinch, but that doesn’t matter since Kyungsoo is laughing now.
“Bullshit,” splutters Kyungsoo before laughing and nearly falling out of his seat and onto his ass. He just asked Jongin what he actually does beyond dancing, and when Jongin blurted Modern Cupid he almost chokes on his chocolate.
“I-- it´s a joke,” he laughs awkwardly “but why are you laughing like that?”
“It's hilarious,” he cleans his mouth with the sleeve of his sweater, “Cupids ‘n’ all that shit.”
“I don't find it funny, I think it´s interesting.”
Jongin is almost pouting but stops himself from whining. This isn't just another topic he can brush easily.
“Interesting? Sorry but a baby in diapers shooting arrows at people to get them to fall in love with one another? I don´t buy it.”
“They aren't babies in diapers, who told you that?” Jongin snaps in bewilderment.
He is confused, because although he read about the original Cupid -the only God of desire, erotic love and affection- he was sure humans had also evolved from that idea.
“They? It’s not just one?”
“Of course not, how could one angel match all the couples? And a baby? Look, forget everything you read about Cupid. Modern Cupids aren’t just angels shooting arrows all willy nilly they’re well organized. There are different kinds of Cupids, they have teams and leaders and-- why are you laughing?!”
Kyungsoo hides his grin behind his second cup of chocolate.
“Even if they are organized, think about it, an angel deciding who you’re going to love?”
“The match is not made by someone, it’s a couple that is born perfect for each other, there can be no substitute for either.”
What a hypocrite, Jongin thinks to himself, but he can't let Kyungsoo win this time. Not when it comes to what he is, and what he prides himself for. So he continues.
“Cupids deliver arrows when it’s the soulmates’ time to meet and the arrows just bring them together, tying the bond,” he stops Kyungsoo from interrupting by raising his hand and continues with, “do you believe in soulmates at least?”
Kyungsoo stares into his lukewarm chocolate and it's-- sad and nerve-wracking. Because if he affirms his belief in soulmates, he'd be giving Jongin an easy out, but on the other hand, if he denies, he'd be giving the Cupid false hope.
He should stop pushing for an answer. Either way he will feel disappointed.
“Maybe,” he says instead. “Alright, let's say soulmates do exist, what if I don't want to be with mine?”
Jongin snorts at the idea, “Of course you would, he’s perfect for you and completes you.”
Great, he just told him something he shouldn't have.
“He? So you’re assuming my ´soulmate´ is a man, and he completes me? I mean, I'm not the most complete person on earth but I don't think it’s right to think you need anyone to feel complete, you know? You should feel whole by yourself. I get that love can look like dependence, but I don't feel like... it’s the right thing.”
All his life, Jongin swore the soulmates were a missing part of every human being. But Kyungsoo seems to see it as an unwanted dependence. He has been trying to prove he is good enough for everything he cares about, craving to be good enough for himself. Jongin can understand that, can relate to that even, so he isn't surprised at the statement, just confused.
He feels defensive. He always thought a soulmate would make life better, easier. Not everyone needs to share his opinion and, to be honest, it’s what a large part of him has been expecting of Kyungsoo.
Why does he feel the need to leave then? He wants excuse himself to the restroom when Kyungsoo speaks up again.
“And what happens if my soulmate dies before I meet him? I´m going to die incomplete? Even if I never felt like I needed him?”
Jongin has never been in another position but matching soulmates that were a happy couple by now. He always made himself believe that. He never kept track of any couple. This was the first time he’d followed a target.
“Or what if he had the worst flaw imaginable? Suddenly I’ll love that flaw too?”
“That doesn't happen with soulmates,” he says a bit defeated.
“But it happens in normal situations and you don´t fall in love only with your ´soulmate´, but with someone who can hurt you, why do we fall in love more than once then?”
It´s unfair and shameful. Jongin is a soulmate Cupid, he doesn't know anything else. He has been skipping those chapters on Joonmyeon’s books and he feels ignorant now.
“And what is that thing with the arrow? It would hit me and instantly fall in love?”
“No,” says Jongin like is the only thing he can hold on to “it requires a process, time.”
“So the arrow is only for attraction, not love,” he waits for the taller to answer but never does.
Jongin stopped looking at him some minutes ago.
“Love is more than attraction Jongin, it means sacrifice and time. It isn't perfect, it isn't something from fairy tales. You don't choose who to love, and no one will. We are human and it's normal to fall in love, it's normal to make mistakes in who we choose to stay with, no need for magic or anything else.”
The Cupid stays silent focusing on his cup, maybe too silent because Kyungsoo is caressing his hair to drag his attention back to him.
A few minutes pass and Jongin still can't get himself to speak a word.
“Sorry, sometimes I talk a lot and forget about the others´ feelings. It´s just my opinion, ok?”
Jongin feels his cheeks turning pink, embarrassment written on his face. He doesn’t want to look at Kyungsoo, not after he let the words affect him, not after the shorter realized he may have broken something of the Cupid's pride.
It´s just an opinion and even if they differ that doesn't mean he is wrong about everything. Love is a complex term. Who would have known Joonmyeon could be so right? Calling Jongin childish when he swore he knew what love meant?
“Having a soulmate can be… fun. Having someone synchronized with you, or whatever.” Kyungsoo tries again and after five minutes of sugarcoating his words Jongin reaches for his hand without looking at him.
It isn't as soft as he imagined but it makes Jongin eager enough to hold him for a while, caressing his fingers. He doesn't want Kyungsoo to leave, instead he tries to start again with an easy topic.
He doesn't let go even when Kyungsoo starts complying. His fingers playing with Jongin's too.
Kyungsoo will never comprehend the weight of his words on Jongin. The latter is sure he just confused the human with his lack of response and he can't sleep again.
After his third glass of milk he presumes it may take time to find all the answers to the seemingly-simpler questions. Maybe he won't find them before the matching time-limit ends; honestly, he isn't sure if he will ever.
And maybe that’s a good thing. If Kyungsoo is right, there are even more chances for Jongin to prove himself...
Chances for what? He questions himself. It´s the time he stops backing away from the actual questions, so he picks up the pieces before the morning.
Kyungsoo is charming, a different kind of charming. He reads nothing more than his scripts and his Tumblr feed, sneezes into his hands and bites his nails. He is also grumpy, defensive and a bit aggressive.
Jongin doesn't like those features but he embraces them.
He has these things called flaws.
The Cupid has flaws too, according to Kyungsoo. He is too childish, always living with his head in the clouds, he doesn't take losing well, doesn't like socks and has an unhealthy obsession with chicken, not to mention the puppies.
Spending hours on Tumblr and being defensive aren't flaws for Kyungsoo, just as being childish and a daydreamer aren't for Jongin. But neither of them seem interested in changing themselves.
That is what makes Jongin realizes he is already too deep, this time for sure, in love.
Not like before, when he expressly thought love was equal to finding someone that embodied everything he liked and wanted in a real relationship, one based on happiness and agreements alone.
It´s unreal.
He holds onto the idea that even if love and soulmates aren't perfect, they are necessary.
This is when he begins to notice little flaws on his arrows too. The backgrounds of the soulmates are different and complex. Some of them aren't happy ones, others are as bright as the sun and no one would think they needed anything more. But the matches carry mesmerizing moments, even if at the end for some of them there is no happy ending.
Even so, every time it’s worth it to try. Bringing soulmates together becomes a privilege but the arrow in his drawer becomes a heavy weight for him, dragging him lower by the day.
Part 2