Chapter 1: Touchdown

AN: Back! Sorry for the long wait, finals season and all that. Math handed my ass back on a silver platter, but otherwise all is well. Now then, presenting the newest chapter.

Disclaimer: Huniepop doesn't belong to me. Obviously.

Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life

Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight
Like this city is on fire tonight
This could really be a good life
A good, good life

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

One Republic's song Good Life rang in my head as we walked through the airport, my two backpacks slung on each shoulder. I'm really excited about moving in our new home! Apparently, most of our stuff is already there thanks to the moving company Aunt Geneva hired. It's basically just waiting for us to move in it and use it so...

"What are we waiting for again?" I asked for the tenth time as we waited inside the airport amidst the mid-afternoon rush. It's too crowded for me, really. Though they're not really looking at me, I just find the sheer amount of people uncomfortable. Also, I'm pretty sure my little runt of a brother is starting to feel stir-crazy as well, seeing how he keeps whining every five seconds or so. Mom looks clearly annoyed, to say the least, but I care more about what the hell are we waiting for.

"We're waiting for your Auntie Geneva to come pick us up, along with your brother Hector." She said wearily. She then continued on as she once again recounted every success Hector had recently. I ignored her then and there. I know it's rude, but when you hear comparisons between you and your brothers (yes, even that little runt Frank), you just stop caring eventually. Besides, right now I'm looking at one of the stewardesses who have disembarked from the plane. I never really paid much attention earlier since I was busy either chatting or sleeping.

First thing I saw was this massive afro that she had. It's not as big as those that you see from the '60s, but damn it's big. There's also another thing that's big, two of them actually, but I decided to pull my eyes off them. I then realized that the stewardess uniform is quite revealing. Ignoring that confident-looking woman, I decided to let my eyes wander some more. There's so much ethnic diversity in here. It's kinda like a pack of M&M's, come to think of it.

Upon looking at one of the food chains in the airport, I felt the sudden urge to eat as my stomach rumbled. I ate nothing during the flight after all. It's funny how sluggish a body can become after travel, isn't it?

Tapping my mom's shoulder, I pointed to a stall as I walked to the same direction, intending to buy myself some food. My mom and little brother stayed outside, not really wanting to buy anything. Frank protested, but it was to no avail. If there's one thing that Mom is, it's that she's stubborn. Anyways, I went over to the Chinese food stall when I brushed my arm against a familiar sight.

It was her, the afro girl from earlier.

"Wow, she's almost as tall as I am."

She looked at me with a neutral expression as I looked back with an equally neutral expression. After a few seconds, she decided to break the ice.

"Hey, weren't you in my flight earlier? The one with his earphones always on?" She asked. Well, it's true. I almost never removed my earphones. I only really did remove them when my mom is trying to say something. Thankfully what she's been saying at that time were tips that supposedly came from Aunt Geneva.

"Hmm? Yeah, yeah, I was. Sorry about that. I was just kinda trying to relax, know what I'm saying? It's been a long flight and—" I just realized I am here to buy food, not chat with stewardesses.

"One Set A please, Coke Zero drink, no ice." Turning back to the woman, I apologized.

"Sorry for that, I was actually here to buy something." On retrospect, that sounded kinda rude. Hopefully she won't take it the wrong way.

Thankfully, she didn't.

"No problem! I should be the one apologizing to you for holding you up. I—" She turned to the airport sliding glass doors, then quickly turned back to me.

"It seems that your ride's here. Is that your brother?" She pointed at the tall, dark man who was beckoning to us, specifically me.

"Yeah. We look nothing alike, right?" I smiled. It was always the first question asked when the two of us are seen together. Hector took more after his dad, Mom said, so he looked like that.

"True, true." As I took my order, paid, and walked away, I saw smiles coming from everyone, and a particularly wide, shit-eating grin from a very much cute face of a girl I wasn't familiar to. She was sitting there in the car at the passenger seat, beside the left mirror. I don't think I have ever seen her before. Emerald eyes looked through mine as our eyes met.

Who is this girl?

As Gabriel approached the awaiting entourage, he continued to observe the stranger, a cute girl to be accurate, and stared at her as he approached the group. She was sticking out like a sore thumb, the way she so casually leaned on her arms as she looked out from inside the minivan. It drew attention to her honestly ample breasts, but Gabriel tried to look away.

Eh, too late.

Luckily, the girl didn't make a fuss, but instead gave him a quick wink. So quick in fact, that if he wasn't actually gawking at this girl's beauty, he wouldn't have noticed it.

"Hey bud, what's up?"

Now that wasn't what he expected. His look of wonder turned into one of befuddlement as he continued to look awkwardly at the female, who is in turn giggling at him. He then turned to his brother, who had a knowing smile on his lips.

"Umm...who's this?"

"She's Kyu, a neighbour." As Hector explained, the girl got out of the car and approached the hesitant Gabriel. This was rare, he thought. The only times girls approached him was either they were relatives or they needed something from him, and in this case neither applies. Aside from her cute face, her slender body isn't something to be ignored as he tensely watched her slowly enter his private zone. It is a well-known fact that introverts have a wide-radius personal space, so when she did invade it, he started showing symptoms. To the rest of the people involved, it is barely noticeable, but to the great Kyu Sugardust, they are like flames in the dark.

Left foot front. He swallowed his spit.

Right foot front. He exhaled uneasily.

Left foot front. His left shoulder blade leaned slightly backwards.

Right foot front. He tried to establish eye contact. She reciprocated. His eyes darted away.

"Well, it's probably not THAT bad. Let's give him a chance." With that thought in mind, Kyu stopped a few feet in front of him. She gave him another look-over. He's still managing to hold it together, but it's clear as day that he isn't experienced at all with the ladies. His reaction is a mix of gladness, surprise, shock, apprehensiveness, and more in a mish-mash of confused emotions. Eh, it's not that bad. She's seen worse. Much worse.

"Hi there!" She bubbled.

"Um, yeah, hi." He said in a neutral tone. Gabriel is...shell-shocked, in a way. While it wasn't that bad, his mind is effortlessly thrown into a swirling mass of confusion and hysteria. So many questions ran through his head like a mad whirlpool, but thankfully, it didn't show. Mostly. Eh, not like any of the people here knew how to read body language that deeply, right?

Yeah, right.

"Kyu, meet Gab. He's my brother. He's a really nice guy, if a bit...unique." Hector said, unsure of how to put it out. Gabriel is at heart a nice guy, and is very much interested in everything that the world has to offer him. It's just that the way he actually interacts with the world and the people around him speaks of the exact opposite. It nearly caused a misunderstanding in their first meeting, and he knew that California operated very differently from what Gab is used to. He'd have to adapt, and fast.

So when Gabriel gave him a flat look, he wasn't able to hold the mirth in. Kyu laughed even harder as the rest, minus Gabriel, chuckled along.

"Great, I get to meet a new girl, and my intro is 'This guy is a weirdo with a tin hat'. Best wingman of the year." The sarcasm-dripping line, complete with the even flatter look, seemed to make Kyu rather mirthful. That he found surprising. He expected her to find it corny, annoying, insulting, or anything in that particular line. The appreciation is not unwelcome though.

"My name is Kyu, nice to meet you." As Kyu greeted the rapidly recovering man, she silently chuckled to herself. At least he is trying. She then leaned in close to his ears, once again sending his imagination in a haywire.

"Look dude, are you gonna be alright? Looks like you're having some trouble holding it together over there." She said to his ear, low enough to not be heard by anyone else. The other adults were busy packing their stuff into the minivan anyway, and while little Frank is hooting at the two, he was quickly chastised by his Aunt Geneva. His mother paid no mind, and Hector went to get his car. Gabriel quickly cleared his throat in an attempt to recover, but his rapidly blushing face is a force of nature.

"What do you mean? I'm fine."

"What do I mean? I mean I can literally see you sweating through your shirt." Her smile never left her face as Gabriel checked to confirm her claim. True enough, a small amount of sweat has made itself known around his neck, and he felt the small of his back moist up.

"It's due to the weather. It's not exactly winter, you know." He shrugged. It's the honest truth. Besides, just because it's cold inside the plane and the building doesn't mean he can't sweat anymore. He's tired from the journey, and it showed. Simple as that.

The girl, who introduced herself as Kyu, shrugged nonchalantly as they neared the two vehicles. Gabriel made a motion to follow the brunette towards his brother's silver sedan, but his mother's voice stopped him in his tracks as she called him towards the minivan.

"Gabbyyyyy! Come here already, we're getting late. Stop wasting time and let's go!"

Internally, Gabriel facepalmed. No, scratch that. He mentally slammed his head on the wall multiple times with increasing force as he begrudgingly trudged towards said minivan. It wasn't the his mom calling him that made him angry, but her tone in doing so, at all honesty, made him want to punch her in the face. Not only did it sound condescending, but she just had to do that in front of a girl. An attractive new acquaintance, he might add! It's already bad as it is with his crappy communication skills.

True enough, Kyu's reaction had her raising an eyebrow and her body shifting a bit, a good degree less open than before. He might not be able to do it, but he at least has some idea how body language works, and it doesn't take an astrophysicist to know that she is unimpressed. Thankfully, she quickly smiled back up and bounced from her short change of demeanor, and back into her old self (or at least, what she had shown initially). As he looked back, he saw her smile, in a teasing yet understanding way. It was a grin that, barring his closest friends, would've made him snap in an instant. Instead, it gave him a sort of...excitement. Was it her smirk just before the smile? Or was it the understanding that came along with it? Or that she acknowledged him at all? The questions piled in his head as he climbed the minivan, making himself as comfortable as he can, what with his little brother teasing him and his mother talking over the phone.

Right now, all Gabriel wants is to shove his head to a wall.


The momentum of a sudden halt tumbled through the minivan, waking Gabriel from his deep sleep. The cushion he was seating on felt sunk and rubbery, the noise of his cheering brother chewing through his nerves in record time. He rubbed his eyes, his mood plummeting south as he massaged his aching temple.

The inside of the minivan felt familiar and strange at the same time as he reintegrated his senses into his being. His head felt shaky as he turned to face the window. There were a mix of people currently sitting in what looked like the living room of their new house. They weren't that many—around ten or less, and they mostly looked like young adults. A couple were into their middle ages, but nonetheless, the situation looked pretty normal. But not the normal normal, but a new normal. An exciting normal. Whether it will keep happening again and again to be considered routine, that he cannot say. What he can say however is hot damn that girl is hot.

She wore a white headband on her long hair, which cascaded down her shapely back as she stood up. She had the body of a godess, he swears. Her tan skin looked sexy and inviting to him, and her figure didn't help matters at all. It also seemed that some music just played within the house, because the people inside danced. And by God, did she dance. In the future, he'll recall this particular episode and laugh about it, entertained by the antics of his virginal past self, but for now he'll do with staring at her shaking hips.

So it's true that Latinas have a way of moving their bodies sensually. He likes.

"Ohhh, Gab huh, you like that girl huh? Her name's Kyanna." Geneva suddenly spoke up, waking Gabriel from his trance. His aunt had that nasty smile on her face, that teasing smile, that smile that irritates him to no end.

He did find the new information good, though. So her name is Kyanna...wait, we're getting sidetracked here.

"What? What like? I haven't even met the person yet—where is Mom? Frank?" He wondered. The two clamorous people beside him earlier all but disappeared, replaced by what seemed to be his baggage. Black bags, scent of perfume, nigh undetectable scent of herbs...

Yep, his bags.

"Oh, you know, just general attraction and all that...Kyanna is a gorgeous young woman after all. She's a nice person too, so I've got no qualms with that." Aunt Geneva smiled sweetly at him, earning a flat look as a reply.

"Whatever, let's just get down and probably have some bites to eat." He said, shrugging off the older woman's teasing as he hauled off his baggage and carried them away, his stomach as empty as his lovelife.


It is a fairly ordinary day in Sky Garden as Kyu flitted through the air, her face etched with a twist of excitement. She had a knowing, imminent feeling about this entire thing, about why she was called up here. She guessed it's time to earn her keep; to transform lonely deadbeats to sex-n'-roll superstars!

...

Ahem, she meant, persons of significant potential to people of actual motion. This PC thing is starting to get on her nerves lately. It's not like she meant to offend them, but if they're deadbeats, who is she to lie? Love is truth, love is life!

Wait, that's not how it goes.

Brushing off the internal debacle, she knocked on the door to her boss's office. "Theiatena Venus", it read as she entered. The room is flamboyant as always—befitting of a fairy her stature—and is decorated with a mix of white-gold decor stitched with plants and orchids. Marble benches are present throughout the room, their lounging counterparts on the outer part of a ring-like arrangement they were put on. A massive window is visible to her left, the rays of sunlight shining down on the light furniture. Further into the large room is a green-haired goddess—quite literally—sitting on a red throne with golden trims. She is busy staring at her nails when Kyu appeared, her left leg crossed over her right and her left arm supporting her head. Said greenette is wearing a maroon and white chiton with pure golden bracelets and laces. On her head is a golden wreath, and her feet are golden sandals.

This goddess is Theiatena Venus, the leader of all the love faeries, one of which is Kyu. Charged with the goal of making sure humans find true love, or at least get confident, she rules over them with a rather lax attitude.

Not that Kyu's complaining. She's cool and all that, not like some other bosses who were complete blowhards. Not that kind of blowhards, the type of blowhards that pissed you off. Needless to say, Kyu strolled through the large office leisurely as she approached the goddess's table, a smile creeping on her face.

"So, a new job, huh?" The pink-haired fairy started. It isn't exactly a secret why she's here, so better start it off on a light note. One of the curses of her long existence, her boss complained, is that she was perpetually bored. She looked less bored today, albeit only by a tiny margin. She still looked like she'd almost rather be mortal. Almost.

"Yeah." Venus replied, turning to face Kyu. She then stood up and walked down to a marble bench, lying down.

"Same job Kyu, help out some poor soul find true love. Same old, same old." The goddess said as she adjusted her posture, leaning on her side while her arm provided head support.

"I suppose you're up to it?" She stirred her wine and took a sip, a moan escaping her lips as she relished the taste of the alcoholic juice. The pink fairy nodded in reply, eager to help another poor soul in their quest for romance. Venus checked over Kyu for some time, eyeing her from head to toe, before nodding to herself in agreement. Yep, she's ready for it.

"No problems, boss! I'm hopping right to it. So, who's the lucky guy?" Kyu smirked, her voice lively with anticipation. The last guy was certainly, ahem, gifted in his ways, and enjoyed every inch...er, minute spent with the guy. He was quite the pathetic one from the start, just sitting around all day, playing erotic match-three games, reading crappy fanfictions...

She sincerely hoped this guy is no less of a step up from the last one. If there was anything that Kyu knew from all her transactions from the past, it's that the lost ones usually have a lot of latent potential, they just choose to suck by letting the world around them get them down instead of getting him up. Once the ball's gotten rolling and they got the point, it wasn't very hard for them to go chasing after their heart's desire. Some went off to chase some major tail, while others decided to pursue a single partner and give her (or him) all he (or she)'s got. Kyu didn't mind either way; both are respectable in their own ways.

Speaking of which, Venus hasn't told her her target yet.

"Who is it? Spill it out." The fairy's singsong voice echoed through the room as she waited for an answer. The goddess then motioned for her to come closer, taking a cellphone out of her pocket. On the screen is an image. A very familiar image of a young man.

"Hey, isn't that—" Kyu's eyes widened in recognition as Venus vocalized her train of thought.

"Gabriel, yes. The young man you met earlier." The goddess replied, taking another sip of her heavenly wine. Complements to Dionysus and his vineyards, she thought.

"Hmm..."

"Any questions?"

"No, not really. I'm just trying to get an idea of how much potential he has." Kyu said, her hand below her chin in a thinking pose. The man had great potential beneath him, as did many of her clients. Said potential is only remaining locked under that not-so-thick layer of fat and neglect on his part. At least he is a good person. There were times that she had to pick up the slack for people that were a bit more on the Sith-y side of things, and let it be said that some endings just don't go well. One even ended with the guy getting decapitated. Sad.

Another thing that she realized was that despite his eating and lifestyle habits, he isn't actually getting fatter. He's getting thinner. With his diet and sedentary way of life, that's not how things are supposed to work out.

"Is it just me or is he not getting any bigger?" Kyu commented as she observed Gabriel casually eating his third plate. Venus raised an eyebrow at Kyu's suggestion, and brought up a picture of Gabriel in his younger years. He was indeed fitter than before.

"Well, some people are just born with good metabolism. I say he got the lucky draw." Venus replied. "That being said, he also seems to be quite the natural athlete. It's as if his body is meant to be running around."

Kyu nodded as she got to what the goddess was saying. Gab was running full pelt as he chased his newly-begotten dog around the yard. For a guy his size, his speed is ridiculously fast...when he's locked on to the dog. On other occasions, he ran rather predictably: clumsily and ungainly.

"It isn't that big of a problem, I think." Kyu said with finality as she went in front of Venus's desk, apparently done with the briefing. Theiatena Venus had a refreshingly informal way of doing things, and Kyu leaving Venus's side told the goddess that her servant got everything that she needed. Nodding, she smiled as she reclined back on her chair.

"Go on now, get busy." The green-haired fairy chuckled as her pink counterpart departed the room in a carefree fashion. Kyu has always been so eager in doing her job.

Oh?

Noticing that her glass is already empty, Venus reached for the bottle within her drawer, unconsciously brushing her fingertip on an dark envelope. She stopped immediately. Picking up the letter, she continued to look at it, still baffled by it's content.

Why would the Lord of the Pacific write to her?


Kyanna hummed happily as she recalled the events earlier today. The welcoming party for the new neighbours of the block was nice, if a bit more on the slow side. While there was music, most of the movement involved were either people going to take food or get drinks, which are also non-alcoholic. Not that she was complaining about that. The only minor qualm that she had was that the food happened to be high in calories. Literally every single dish available, even the rice, had high calorie content and so she resolved to burn it all ASAP.

Which is why she's currently jogging her way home. Fixed in place yet seemingly following her, the setting sun glowed orange in the dusk sky as she bounced on her feet. She couldn't help but smile as she inhaled the cool June air, fresh with a hint of smoke as she passed families and businesses outside barbecuing. The wind blew opposite of her direction, causing her beautiful long hair to fly in the wind. She felt satisfied.

So lost is she in the moment that she almost didn't register a semi-folded piece of paper exiting her pocket and flying off to the sunset, it's creases trapping the wind and increasing it's movement. Quickly, her arm darted off to catch it, and she returned it to her pocket.

What might be written in that paper, you ask? Written on the paper is a string of numbers and letters, particularly the phone number and address of a certain Gabriel. He had a certain way about him that made the fitness nut like him. Despite being a total couch potato, he was also very much accommodating and pleasant (though he denied this, stating that it's a common trait among his people). He also appeared to be genuinely interested in Kyanna's routine, and by extension, Kyanna herself. Upon her mention of her love for the gym, Gabriel's demeanor shifted to one more befitting of a child. His questions ranged from the gym to proper diet to timing of workout and a whole lot of things regarding her passion for fitness. In return, she replied just as enthusiastically, responding to all his comments with excitement and a certain pride in her voice. She even mentioned to him a yoga class, led by her friend Beli, and he said it sounded interesting too.

She smiled, remembering how eager he was as she offered to help him thin out his weight. He seemed genuinely eager and determined as well, if his planning and tone were anything to go by. He even asked what specific diet is she on that day! Granted, he was questioning it, with her eating unhealthy food and everything, but he did seem knowledgeable on the subject. Their little chat, which ended up extending until the sun started setting, eventually ended up with them scheduling an appointment to the gym while Kyanna herself coaches him on how to do things.

It'll be fun!

Grinning, Kyanna jogged on as she set her sights on a large apartment a few blocks away.


Kyu sneaked in silently as she re-locked the back door of the newly-moved Sabueso residence, barely avoiding the sleeping dog. Her mission is clear.

Transform the untapped potential that is Gabriel and transform him into a sweet, sensational lover.

Quietly, she let her luminescent pink wings to glide as she slowly scanned the surroundings. All lights are off, and while the darkness didn't bother her, something here's giving her the creeps. And it isn't the virginity either.

"What the hell is that?!"

She can feel it crawling up her spine; the feeling of dread and fear. Yes, fear. Fear that came from the knowledge of a predator within close proximity. Fear for her life.

The pink-themed fairy is all but jetting for the door when she remembered why she was here. Her duty is to uplift these sorry excuses for men and realize their true potential! And as such, the love fairy must, nay, will spare no expense in making their dreams come true! After all, nothing can stop love, not even fear. For true love conquers all fear—

"Alright, get a grip here, girl. You're not a lunatic!"

Steeling herself, Kyu Sugardust flitted towards a flight of stairs, it's end lighted up by a single lightbulb. Cautiously landing, she tiptoed her way upstairs, thanking her beautiful self that she was light enough to not make a sound. After a few moments of practiced grace, the fairy finally reached the top of the flight. With that, she quickly scanned the hallway before turning off it's lights. While proceeding to one of the two doors, she realized something.

"They all slept on the same room."

Now, it wasn't that Kyu minded. After all, she's faced much worse circumstances, and she's pulled them off all well. The problem is that in this case, the client is not alone, and it's dangerous for her to be detected by people other than her target, lest humanity be made known of the supernatural and their minds break. Either that, or she gets captured. Both outcomes not welcomed.

Instead, she thought of an idea, congratulating herself as she quickly flew back downstairs. Opening the fridge, she pulled out some bread and milk—she basically just took whatever food she saw first—and placed them on the table. Then, she hastily flew back top, stopping just before the bedroom door. Wouldn't want to wake up the household, would we?

Now, using her Hunie, Kyu channeled the energy into the doorknob, unlocking it. Gently pushing it open, she saw the arrangement of the people sleeping inside, and then sighed in relief. At the left side of the room, separated from the rest, was her target, Gabriel Sabueso. He is sleeping, his snore reminding her of a bear, his body in a fetal position. Hopping silently to his side, she gathered a pinch of Hunie and sprinkled it on his face. His face contorted, his nose inhaling the magical substance. Slowly, the unconscious young man stirred to life.

"Now then...let the games begin!"

AN: So there you go. The game's all set up! I'd also like to say that from now on, I'll be using 3rd POV. 1st POV's just too uncomfortable to me in comparison to 3rd POV. I know both have equal potential in exposition, I just prefer the 3rd POV one.