Chapter Text
Rrrringg, rrrringg!
Deny woke up in an instant, head throbbing with agonizing pain. He grabbed the crown of his head with a tight grip, wishing the pain away yet to no avail.
He stayed comfortable, under his favourite, hand-sewn, blush-pink quilt his adopted mother made for him many years ago, it barely covers his full body now that he is a grown adult.
The comfort wasn’t enough for him to stick his arm out and gracefully shut down the alarm clock.
He groaned in tiredness, trying to fall asleep like a baby again, curled up between the plush-like quilt and a few teddies that smelt like roses and mid-spring showers.
The fluffy, cloud-built walls were twitching with the early morning wind, it was a soothing way to wake up to the bright sunshine everyday, up above in the off-white clouds.
He reopened his eyes, fully aware that falling asleep again wouldn’t help the irritation he felt in his head, so he chose to sit up and face it, head on.
He softly launched himself out of bed, landing soundlessly on the airy ground, hand slowly moving towards the top of his head.
The morning felt calm as he went to check the calendar. It was his nineteenth birthday today, yet he didn’t feel the need to celebrate it.
All Deny could ever wish for was to prove himself to everybody, the ones who doubted him, people who loved him & most importantly– the Head-Cupid.
The only one who seemed to believe him was the one who raised him, who he calls his mother– yet not by blood.
Deny pictures the slums of Georgia, where he was found by a gorgeous, pink haired lady who cherished him.
That’s all he could think about in that moment, how grateful he was to have an amazing life given by the one who chose him off the disturbing alleyway.
He lets his hand drop to his side, leaving the throb as it is and begins to stretch both of his arms up high, yawning while doing so.
Deny feels nothing but appreciation for the second chance he was given. He wanted to make his mother proud the most, it was the only way he thought that he could thank her for everything she has done for him.
But how could he possibly do it?
He turned his head to look back at his bed, it was still levitating per usual, the only thing that was different was a slight bulge at the footboard.
Deny didn’t think much of it until he started to fix the quilts into a neat order, he was obsessed with keeping his things tidy– It helped his mother out a ton.
He grabbed the throw blanket that was over the bulge and straightened it out completely oblivious to what was hiding there.
Deny had a pleasing look while folding it into an almost perfect rectangle, until he really saw what was waiting for him.
He felt clueless picking it up, it was a medieval scroll the colour of a teabag, similar to the ones he’s seen people get from the Head-Cupid.
Should he have noticed it sooner? Deny couldn’t dismiss it so he took a glimpse of what was written. Deny’s body was frozen from every word he read.
It was a note from the one and only, Head-Cupid.
“Dear Deny Shergelashvili,
I know you have been anticipating this moment more than other Cupids your age, your kind and empathetic soul is what made me send this letter on an important day of your life.
Over the past few years, you’ve shown great strength and eagerness to help others, so now it is my turn to guide you to your chosen territory.
I would like you to meet me at my palace, Hall of Hearts, whenever you can today. It’s your time to become an official Cupid.
With love and care, Head-Cupid.”
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He dropped to his knees, not expecting the weight he would feel as he plopped down. Tears filled his cheeks, tears of joy one might call it.
Deny sobbed into the long sleeves of his faded blue pyjamas, snot starting to form out of his nose. He wiped them dry onto that same sleeve.
He was still ugly crying as he held that letter close to his heart, all he could do was look up and thank his mother over and over again.
He lost track of time as he stayed still on his knees, he was overwhelmed by the amount of work he put in for his dream to become reality. It was all worth it.
His mother walked in at the tail end of the breakdown. She immediately understood what was going on just by seeing the scroll clutched to his chest.
She went over, each step softer than the next and pulled Deny into a hug that nearly suffocated him. He was short of breath as he now was crying into his mother’s shoulder.
His mother was proud of him, she knew he wouldn’t be around as often and that destroyed her inside, but she was ready to help him accomplish his dream too.
She congratulated him for this one in a lifetime opportunity, and suggested getting ready to meet up with the Head-Cupid.
Deny looked up from her shoulder with pure realization, he looked like a wreck. He shot up from the floor in a panic, floating up for a few seconds then landing back on his two feet.
His mom gave a reassuring look that he will do great then strolled out of Deny’s bedroom. Deny kept on rushing around his bedroom, he was hyped yet still in shock.
He desperately searches around his room for proper attire to meet such a role model, in hopes to find something good when he spots a plain, collared, navy blue T-shirt and a decent pair of black pants.
After all, not all Cupids wear bright and pastel colours, they are taught to be in plain sight among crowds.
He tries to depuff his flushed face with cold water, as much as it did aid him– it wasn’t enough to look presentable. Deny can’t let the Head-Cupid down by looking like a baboon’s butt, right?
He can feel the cloud floors beneath his feet feeling abnormally dense as he continues to get himself ready, maybe it was just nervousness rushing through Deny’s veins.
Deny looked in his mirror as he attempted to tie the back of his deep red tie into the perfect bow. He looked way better than when he was ugly crying on the ground.
He felt proud of this chance, this accomplishment, but he needs to still find out what he has to do in order to make everybody proud too.
Deny combed back his wavy, brown hair to unknot it seamlessly. It took a few more minutes than he expected but it turned out alright.
Just as he was about to leave the room, he saw the quilt he loves most, the hand-sewn one. He went over to his carefully made bed and gave it a tight squeeze before heading back into the living room.
His mom was in the kitchen washing the dishes, Deny went over to give a kiss on the cheek and told her that he was heading out now.
She wiped a tear forming from her eye and hugged him again, the hug was even harder than before, Deny almost suffocated under a warm hug.
When the two pulled apart, She was shedding more tears yet still had a bright smile upon her face as she waved Deny goodbye.
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.
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He closes the door and really looks at his house, he knows that he’ll see it again, so why does it feel like he’s about to lose a piece of himself?
The house was built from the clouds surrounding the kingdom, all buildings were. The different shades of white blended so well with each other, like a match made in heaven.
It’s where he grew up, where he was loved and taken care of, a place that he’ll truly never forget.
Deny turns away from his house and starts making his way to The Hall Of Hearts. He can’t help but feel scared for his future that’s waiting upon him, but he also can’t help but feel intrigued and excited.
He wandered around the kingdom of Cupid’s Clouds, in search of the place he needed to go, yet he’s still a tad uncertain.
The exact coordinates were on the scroll he nearly forgot to take with him, but he never knew how to read those so he tried his best.
On his way there, he noticed a familiar location– The Pond Of Hope, a community pond with little to no residents there, usually– Deny has the whole pond to himself.
He adored hearing the slow movements of the water, carrying a few lilypads for the cloud-frogs.
They were some of the friendliest creatures Deny had as friends growing up, when nobody wanted to interact with him due to him being a human.
He went there on stressful days, after school, mainly whenever he had the time to visit his favourite place in Cupid’s Clouds.
Deny looked at the pond in sadness walking by, he wanted to visit before he went but couldn’t bring himself to do so.
He couldn’t see any of the cloud-frogs out today, they must’ve been resting, he thought to himself. It broke his heart a little, not seeing them hop around and splash into the pond.
Deny kept his head held high, the best he could at least. Just until he reached the Hall Of Hearts.
The gate was a shiny rose-gold, polished enough to see your reflection mirrored on its hard surface. Deny felt intimidated by the fanciness of the palace, but his courage helped guide him to the entrance.
He had to face two, scary-faced guards– dressed in full metal suits, the same colour as the gates. Deny struggled to grasp the scroll between his fingers, trying to show the guards why he had come all this way.
The nervousness he felt was starting to hit Deny at a rapid pace, as he walked through the glittery halls to reach the throne.
He was guided by a third guard that was hiding by the entrance from the inside. He was polite and showed him the directions carefully.
Deny couldn’t let the fear of meeting the Head-Cupid exit his mind, but that wouldn’t make him give up on putting one foot in front of the other.
The rosy-pink walls felt never-ending as he finally reached the last turn. The darker pink rug led right to the throne, where Deny kneeled before the Head-Cupid at once.
She was pleased by his gesture and ordered him to rise. At her command, Deny rose with unwanted tension.
“I’m quite glad you came today, Deny.” - The Head-Cupid informed. You could cut the tension with a knife right now, Deny felt speechless hearing her royal yet serious tone of voice.
Her expression changed from pleased to serious within the span of ten seconds. She noticed how Deny couldn’t get the words out of his mouth, so she continued to speak.
“I believe you are here today regarding my scroll you found beneath one of your blankets, is that so?” - She questioned, running her fingers through her long, silky, red locks.
Deny gulped, visibly tense and replied:
“Yes, your highness.”
He fears that he will mess up his one and only chance to secure the opportunity for a land to claim as his own.
“I know you have been anticipating this event for quite some time now, and I know you’ve worked harder than any Cupid your age, despite not having the blood of one.” - She began, with that same tone of voice, yet more serious this time.
“I believe I can help make your dream a reality, so come take a look with me.” - She instructed Deny to follow her into the next room over.
The two, along with the guard followed the tracks of the Dark Pink rug, leading to a room with only a round, holographic table.
Deny feels amazed seeing all of the portraits of the Head-Cupid scattered across the rosy-pink walls. But what amazed him even more was the imagery that came out of the holographic table.
The Head-Cupid glided her index finger across the table then wiped it onto her salmon-pink gown. Deny grinned ear-to-ear as he saw three options pop out of the table.
He started shaking violently with joy, was this really happening to him, did he even deserve this? The idea left Deny in a gaze.
She studied his reaction with ease, noting his facial expressions to the last detail.
“You seem filled with glee, but first you must select your designated land.” - She pointed at the first option, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Las Vegas didn’t catch his eye that much, so he asked to see the second option, Buffalo, New York. It didn’t seem like him either. He felt bad asking for a third option, but after hearing it– he was so glad he did.
Los Angeles, California. It looked beautiful on the outside, Deny’s heard of how amazing California is from one of his classes back at the academy.
He ultimately selected option number three, Los Angeles. The Head-Cupid nodded her head and gave him a document file.
Deny looked up at her in clear confusion, they weren’t taught much about the case part, but he needed reassurance.
“If you solve this love case in the given span of a month, I will award you The Cupid Of Los Angeles, but if you don’t, you’ll have to wait another twenty years before seeing me again.” - She explained.
Deny gritted his teeth, “Oh my gosh, this is really happening.” - He pondered.
He tried to take the case but she shoved it with a cheerful expression into his chest. He stumbled backwards slightly, case clutched to his chest now.
“You shouldn’t be wasting your packing time by standing there clueless, go return home– you will be escorted to your chariot in six hours.” - She insisted while getting her fingers ready to snap him out of the door.
He thanks her whole-heartly and appreciates the opportunity once again. Before he ends up right in front of his house.
“Well I never knew she could do that trick” - Deny chuckled, his whole body was still jittery from the encounter and reality.
Everything just.. Happened so fast, leaving him still frozen right outside his house. He twitched his head, allowing him to wake up from zoning out, case still clutched with his two hands.
He found a way to move his body towards the entrance of his house, despite the shakiness. He finally got a proper case to handle, but being all alone was frightening.
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.
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Deny spent the next few hours packing most of his things into a giant suitcase, mainly things he could take if he ever missed home along with basic necessities.
His mom helped him throughout the entire process of gathering his belongings and organizing them into his suitcase.
It was tough watching her baby boy leave home now, but she keeps repeating how great he will do.
She folded all of his quilts into one section and clothing in another, slowly closing the gaps with anything else he needed to take with him.
Deny trusted the process, he had to for the sake of everyone around him.
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.
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It’s been around four hours, closer to five and now his entire room looks as if nobody ever lived there. They both completed packing in complete silence, knowing they were both there for each other during the highs and lows.
He gets up from the pillow-like ground and dusts off his pants, he’s leaving in about an hour, to a new land with unfamiliar faces.
A place he’s dreamed of going, but can he do this alone? He thinks he can– he knows it.. The trembling in his hands say otherwise.
He couldn’t spend his last hour cooped up in his home, he had to go to his favourite spot one last time.
Deny told his mother that he’s going out to visit it and she reluctantly agreed.
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It didn’t take him long to walk himself there, he’s now sitting under the giant tree he stayed by most of his childhood. He couldn’t hold his emotions back and started to tear up, head rested against the wooden stump.
He didn’t want to vent to the tree like he usually does, he just wanted the presence of nature surrounding him before entering L.A.
It was now ten minutes before he had to depart for California, so he ran his way back home, but not before hugging the tree a fair goodbye like he was five again.
He grabbed his suitcase and dragged it outside onto his front lawn, it was surprisingly a bit heavy for a guy as muscular as he is.
His mother watched teary-eyed again, her hand interlocked with the other, eyes focused on her son.
It was way too emotional for either of them, he hasn’t even opened his case yet.
They were waving their final goodbyes, calling out to each other as the chariot forced Deny away from the streets he’ll always cherish, where his mom could only help but watch as the cloud took the driver and her son away.
He turned his head back towards the misted-blue skies, they were slowly fading into the dark black skies he’s never seen living up higher. That’s when Deny finally decided to take a peak at his case.
“Yan “Classy” Shalomov & Erind “Froste” Puka.”
University Students !!
A nerd and a bully = must fall in love !!
You must achieve this without them having conflict while in love.
“Phstt, that’s all that’s written on the file? Piece of cake!” Did he realize that the second note had a more meaningful purpose than this?
Deny thought this would be the easiest case in the book, a stereotypical story of enemies to lovers. The most classic case a cupid could have, ever!
He closed the file and rested his eyes, waiting for his long travels to end.
Deny shouldn’t have skimmed over such an important detail, but he didn’t know any better, he thought it was obvious that the arrow would work its magic.
Maybe he should’ve realized sooner that it takes more than magic to fix what these two could’ve had.