Chapter Text
"Yeah, I had a great time too! I'll text you ok?" Jungwon said as a goodbye and closed the door.
‘Great’ was an exaggeration. He had an 'ok' time, his dates were always like that; 'ok' at best and absolutely awful at worse. It wasn't his fault, he really tried, he dressed up pretty and suggested cool places to go, but he just didn't fall in love no matter how much he wanted to.
His phone started ringing with a call from Jake, he texted him that he got home so of course he wanted to know how the date went.
"Hey wonie! We're in that coffee shop close to your place, come over and tell me everything!"
Jake sounded exited, he got him the blind date after Jungwon begged them (Jake and his boyfriend) to find him someone, and honestly Jake did a pretty good job. Doyoung was great, he was nice and interesting, they shared hobbies and he was really attractive, kind of Jungwon's type. Well, if he had a type at all, he usually just had a crush on every cute guy he meets, then when he finally gets a date the sparkles aren't there. He even kissed Doyoung, everything was going well, and he thought he could just shoot his shot to see if he felt it. He didn't. The kiss was nice, nothing to complain about, it just wasn't a KISS the way he expected the fireworks and the world to stop for his first kiss with the love of his life. Maybe finding the love of his life in his early twenties was too much to ask, he should probably settle with a regular not-too-exiting relationship and accept a second date with Doyoung.
The walk to the coffee shop felt like a million years thinking of it.
"Woniee! how was it?" an exited Jake asked as soon as Jungwon walked through the door.
"...it was... good?" Jungwon tried to smile somehow faking excitement but failing miserably as Jake smile dropped.
"so no 'spark' huh?" Heeseung asked drinking from his coffee.
"stop telling everything to your boyfriend Jake! but no, no spark" Jungwon answered.
Heeseung and Jake have been dating for almost a year now, they made a lovely couple, they understood each other. Had exactly the same humor, liked eating the same things and Heeseung even started picking up some of Jake’s heavy Australian accent. Jungwon had never seen his friend so happy and so in love. He was jealous, he wanted that exact same thing, he'd been looking for it and these two just stumbled on it by accident, but he couldn't be angry at them being happy. Especially when they were so patient at hearing him complain endlessly about his hopeless love life.
"maybe you are being too stubborn on this" Heeseung said
"no, he is not, I know he will find someone" Jake defended him.
Jungwon got himself another coffee, even though he went to a coffee shop with Doyoung, he'd been getting to the same conclusion Heeseung said, he might be too stubborn, maybe it was skepticism disguising as being a hopeless romantic. Was love really as good as they said?
"I'm not saying he won't I think he might be trying too hard. Love is the kind of thing that finds you, not backwards" Heeseung continued
"What do you mean babe?" Jake asked.
"Well, I wasn't planning on ever being in a relationship again when I met you and now I can't see my life without you" Heeseung held Jake's hand and they kissed briefly.
"Guys please stop or I'm going to throw myself into traffic right now" Jungwon interrupted them.
"Sorry!" they both said at the same time.
"Like, yeah I know it should come more naturally but when? I’m tired of waiting! I just want someone to hold and say tooth rotting stuff to like you do" Jungwon sighted
"maybe it’s about the waiting, just sit around and the devastating arrow will come!" Jake pointed.
"Oh no, no arrows for me I've been looking for them. Cupid just forgot about me."
"oh wonie don't say that" Jake tried
"why don’t you ask them?" Heeseung proposed mysteriously.
"What?" both Jake and Jungwon wondered.
"Yeah, why don't you ask cupid themself?" the other two looked at him puzzled "I have a friend who is into some weird stuff. He claims he can communicate to supernatural beings and things like that. Maybe he has a way of talking to cupid you know. You could try I mean whatever."
"Hee don't joke with this!" Jake nagged his boyfriend
"I’m serious!" Heeseung claimed "what do you have to lose?" he spoke directly to Jungwon.
"ok, ask your friend about it. You're right, what do I have to lose?"
~
Heeseung's friend was really a peculiar guy. He claimed that yes, he could manage to get him to talk to cupid, so he got to his place and in his room started setting up some kind of ritual with red candles and everything.
'Beomgyu is odd like that, but you can trust him, ok?' was the last text Heeseung sent him. Beomgyu did look like a normal guy, a little bit emo with his long hair and dark clothes but normal until he started to get stuff out of his backpack. Jungwon was worried now, he has never been a fan of the occult and now he was setting up a ritual? He was having second guesses when Heeseung's friend finished his setup.
"ok, look I’m not gonna lie to you" Beomgyu started to explain " I’m not a witch or anything that interesting. I just like to search weird shit on the internet and try it with my friends. So far no one has been harmed and we did get to see fucked up stuff so yeah fun. Just follow the instructions and apparently you'll be able to talk to your cupid. You'll have to be alone tho. It said that there are several cupids that cover different people, like a guardian angel...but like shared? I don't know something like that, so yeah alone."
Once Beomgyu left, Jungwon followed the instructions carefully and waited, it took him only one full minute to start to feel stupid, he was about to call Beomgyu from the next room when one of the circles drawn on the floor lighted up in a red light and from that beam a cute red-haired boy with small wings on his back materialized in Jungwon's room.
"what? what is this? where am I?" the confused guy asked "Jungwon? what am i doing in your room?"
"How do you know my name?"
"I’m your cupid" he said with a smile
Jungwon opened his eyes almost as big as his mouth. he could not believe it worked.
"did you bring me here? how?" his cupid asked
"huh this guy, Beomgyu read something on the internet about it and I wanted to try to talk to you"
"shit I was about to make this girl Lia finally fall in love with her best friend, I've been working on that for months! …wait did you say Beomgyu? I think my friend Sunghoon has him, he has a crush on one of his friends but won't do anything about it"
"ah yes he said you have several people you take care of?"
"yeah. We are assigned to a lot of people to look after their love lives, some are easier than others. My name is Sunoo by the way. Why did you wanted to talk to me?"
Jungwon was a little mesmerized by the sight of his (shared) cupid. He was wearing all white clothes, in a weird Victorian-like style, everything was flowy giving him an ethereal appearance all emphasized by his big grey eyes and pink plump lips, even without the wings Jungwon would not hesitate for a second that the being in front of him was an angel, Sunoo looked like something sculpted in the renaissance.
"sorry" he said once he notices he'd been staring for a while and Sunoo asked a question.
"it's ok. I know it feels weird. Be not afraid" the cupid joked "I also like seeing you this close " Sunoo got closer to Jungwon and poked his nose. The way he moved was equally captivating.
"yeah! that I called... summoned? you because I want an explanation!"
Sunoo backed off a little at the sudden intensity of Jungwon's words
"why am I not in love? why can someone fall in love with me? I'm cute, and funny and I would be a really good boyfriend! why isn't anyone in love with me?"
"oh" Sunoo smiled "you would be too great of a boyfriend I know, that's why"
"what do you mean?"
"some people have fallen in love with you, its just that you haven't love them back"
"and whose fault is that!?!?"
"Well, mine I know. Hear me out I can see the heart of those guys and I can perceive a glimpse of your relationship and not a single one of them was worth it"
"what??!! wait... not one? how about Kangmin?"
"ah, he was really nice and pretty, but he is a only child, required too much attention and was too jealous you would've had problems with your friends"
"and Seongmin? he had brothers"
"yes he was also so cute, you always pick them really handsome I'll give you that, but you didn't have the same taste in movies and that was something really important to him, so
you would've ended pretending to like stuff you didn't"
"and what about it? I wouldn't mind!" Jungwon was getting exasperated at Sunoo dumb excuses.
"You don't mind right now, but in the long run it would've been a problem"
"ugh! ok what about Jeonghan?"
"oh he was close to perfect... but he was too old for you" Sunoo answered unbothered and that annoyed Jungwon even more
"aaaah! and who are you to judge them?"
"who am I? Im the literal guardian of your heart!"
"but I want to fall in love!"
"then find someone worth it"
"what if I dont?"
"that's kind of not my problem"
"not your problem? are you kidding me? it is your problem! its your job!" Jungwon was way too angry, so all this time it wasn't him being stubborn and too selective. It was cupid messing with him, making him lonely.
"look if you could see yourself you'll understand" Sunoo talked to him tenderly even when Jungwon was screaming " your heart is so pure and you eyes, god your beautiful cat-like eyes, I've seen them in possible futures crying for stupid guys that could break your heart. I've seen you spending nights writing love letters to a boy who would only answer ok. I've seen you disappointed and cursing me screaming that you believe love isn't real. i can't let that happen." Sunoo got teary eyed and Jungwon felt a little guilty for screaming at him, but he still longed for everything he described even the heartbreak "You don't know me, but I do know you. I've spent years knowing you. You are too precious for being hurt"
"but I have to live too Sunoo" Jungwon pleaded “please let me have my heart broken, I need it”
Sunoo scrunched his nose “you’re asking for too much”
“isn’t more fun for you if things are messy?” Jungwon joked
“noo!” the angel looked offended “maybe for some cupids but I like my subjects to be happy I work really hard for it, I don’t go around just shooting everyone just for fun!”
“ok ok I won’t disrespect your job nor compare you to other cupids” Jungwon smirked softly “ you looked cute all angry though your hair went like this” Jungwon ruffled his own hair to imitate how Sunoo’s strands got puffy as a reaction of his outrage. Now they were back to normal but it was his cheeks that turned red
"ugh I guess. I have to go, I'm not only cupid for you" he mentioned nervously.
"ok but, promise you let me fall in love, please?"
Sunoo sighted again "I'll see what I can do" his gleaming diminished a little but Jungwon noticed.
"before you go... can I ask you for a favor?"
"another? sure why not"
"can I touch your wings?" Jungwon asked knowing that he might not get that chance again
"what? a mortal has never touched a cupid ever, that I know of"
"I mean if is forbidden or something I get it but they look so so soft and kind of want to know if they are as soft as they seem, but again is ok if you say no"
"ok"
"huh?"
"you can touch them. just be careful and gentle, ok?"
"of course! you've been so careful and gentle with my heart the least I can do is reciprocate!"
Sunoo laughed and hearing that laugh Jungwon felt a weight lifted from him, he didn't mean to make his cupid feel bad.
"do it like you would touch a bird, they’re kind of like feathers"
Sunoo turned around and extended his wings that folded back looked small but were as big as him and so beautiful, white in color but with the reflection of light looked between pink, orange and purple. Jungwon got close enough to admire them and extended his hand. Sunoo shivered with the first touch; it was so soft just as he imagined.
"tell me if you want me to stop" Jungwon offered before moving another inch.
"no, its ok. Its just something I've never felt before. You're so warm"
Jungwon started moving his hand in a petting motion. Sunoo's wings were cold, no, not cold more like refreshing? they felt like he was touching air. He was being gentle like Sunoo asked but it was nothing like touching a bird, he could not feel a bone or skin under the feathers, it was like they were attached to Sunoo with mist like a cloud.
"I can make them disappear" Sunoo explained.
"Don't ever, god. They're so gorgeous. do you... do you felt like this too?"
"i don't think so. I can disappear too though. want to touch me?" Sunoo offered his hand and Jungwon took it without hesitation
"oh no, you felt so alive so real. its nice" He noted holding him with his left hand and with the right one still petting the wings.
"maybe this is too much, but you mind if i run my finger through the feathers?"
Sunoo doubted for a second "no, its ok. Do it"
Jungwon opened his hand and felt the feathers surrounding his fingers, it felt like mist mixed with electricity.
"ah" Sunoo tightened the grip on Jungwon's hand
"sorry did I hurt you?"
"no no, it feels good? i don't know, its weird and new and I don't know"
"you want me to stop?"
"no, i don't, never, but I do have to go" he explained letting go of Jungwon's hand and the latter removed the other from the angel wings.
"I'm sorry" Sunoo said suddenly
"why?"
"I don't think I deserve to be touched by you either"
"but I do"
"I really gotta go"
"please keep you promise!" Jungwon pleaded while Sunoo, his cupid disappeared in front of him.
Jungwon opened the door to find the exact same set up that was in his room now in his living room.
"I got bored of waiting and tried calling my cupid too" Beomgyu explained "funny guy he said his name is Sunghoon and he made me fall in love with my friend because he thought it would be funny. I guess it's funny"
Jungwon laughed remembering Sunoo’s words, some cupids do like to be messy then "why didn't he made your friend fall in love with you?" he asked
"i asked him that too"
"...and?"
"he said he didn't knew my friend's cupid. He is also Heeseung cupid. Sunghoon also almost made him love me just to shake things up but some Jongseong friend of his- and Jake's cupid- convinced him to make them reciprocate ‘cus they would make a nice couple and it worked. He was proud for it even though he didn't do anything can you believe this guy?"
Jungwon suddenly felt better about his overprotective cupid. At least he planned things through.
"I think I'm ok with my unrequited crush, but the guy was strange. Really hot though his face was like..."
"a sculpture?" Jungwon completed
"I was going to say a model, but yeah that too. I guess your cupid kind of looks like your type. How was your meeting by the way? hope it was better than mine"
"yeah it was good. Sunoo is nice, I was angry at first but I think we got to an agreement"
"ah at least something good came from all of this" Beomgyu pointed starting to pick up all the stuff.