Chapter 2: Domesticity
The moment Cupid stepped inside, Holly could tell something was wrong. His smile seemed forced, his movements were stiff, and for some reason he seemed to be forcing himself to sit still at the table.
Her eyes had been flitting to him every few seconds for the last ten minutes. She just couldn't help it. At least she knew how to be subtle.
Taking another peek at him from her spot in front of the stove, she frowned at the troubled look on his face. In all the time she'd known him, Cupid had never let his face crease unless incredibly bothered. And she knew for a fact it took a lot to distress him like this.
She turned back to the pot of hot chocolate simmering on low heat, stirring it absently to maintain a look of normalcy as an intense worry gnawed at her.
"Cupid?"
No reply.
"Cupid?"
Nothing.
"...Brother?"
This caught his attention. She could feel his eyes fly to her back and bit her lip to keep from flinching. Sometimes she really hated her sharp senses. His faster-than-humanly-possibly speed constantly had her fighting back a startled shriek or jumping a foot off the ground. "What did you just call me?" he asked; the surprise blatant in his tone.
"Well, you're my older brother right? Should I not call you that?" Holly waited as he mulled the thought over in his head, turning off the stove and pouring the cocoa into two mugs she'd pulled from the cupboard. They were a bit girly, decorated with cute pink and red flowers, but Cupid never seemed to mind. At least, he never complained out loud.
Gingerly picking up the mugs, she carried them over to the table and sat down, placing one in front of her unusually quiet friend. He made a noise of thanks and sipped his carefully, trying not to burn his tongue. "Mmm, just what I needed after all that work," he sighed happily, warming his hands on the hot mug.
A slender brow rose, betraying her curiosity as she gazed at him from across the table."So...?"
"Eros... I want you to call me Eros."
Holly's eyes widened as she gaped at him in shock. Nobody called Cupid by his original name. If anyone did they usually received a swift arrow to the knee or a painful stomp on the foot. It was almost a taboo word in the world of spirits. "I thought you hated that name," she said, incredulous.
"I don't hate it," he mumbled, and she swore she could see a dusting of something across his cheeks. Someone pinch her now, she'd embarrassed Cupid. "It's just... a bit embarrassing. It was supposed to be my name, but then Aphrodite started calling me 'Her Little Cupid' and I got used to it. Cupid was... cooler. And no, she's not my mom."
"I think I like Eros better," Holly said quietly. Her friend merely huffed and shrugged his shoulders, suddenly finding his mug intensely interesting as she tried to convince herself that his cheeks hadn't darkened. "Am I making you uncomfortable?" she asked suddenly.
"Absolutely not! Why would you think that, my dear?" His eyes remained fiercely fixed on the floral design of his mug as he waved her question off with a hand. But she could hear the nervousness in his voice, feel it rushing past her in waves.
"Then why won't you look at me?"
"Have you ever really looked at these cups? They're quite cute, just like you."
"I've looked at them plenty; they've been in my cupboard since 1922. And I'm pretty sure you gave them to me. Now look at me."
"Shhh, I'm focusing. There's this little flower right here tha-"
"Cupid."
"Hush child." Oh, she hated when he did that and he knew it.
"Eros!"
"What?" Throwing his hands in the air, Cupid groaned loudly and leaned back against the chair with a thump, glaring at her. Her face remained infuriatingly neutral as she looked at him in that way that seemed like she could see right through him, straight into his heart.
Impatient, he drummed his fingers on the tabletop to keep from snapping at her again. "There, I'm looking at you. Happy?"
She said nothing, instead lifting her hand to her lips and turning it so her palm faced the ceiling. Blowing across the skin, a soft silver glitter flew from her fingertips, dancing before his eyes and then landing onto him gently. In an instant he felt calmer and more at peace than he had all day. But with that peace, a twist of guilt grew in his gut.
Even though he'd found, and often bragged, that Holly was the one person who could never incite his incredible temper, there were still days every few years where she had to do this to him. Or, to be more accurate, she chose to do this to him. Chose to help him, because if it got out of hand he would say things he didn't mean, and it would tear at his insides for the next five or ten years.
It was his one insecurity, his one fatal flaw; an immaturity that embarrassed him constantly in front of the ever-graceful and kind Holly. He was almost two thousand years older than her and yet she always seemed to be the more mature one. And he hated it; hated how his constantly flaring temper made him appear so weak in front of her.
"Hey..."
Holly had softly placed her hand over his as it gripped his mug tightly, knuckles turning white. Her eyes bore into darkened pink orbs, firm, yet gentle and pleading. "Whatever you're thinking about: stop it."
Her fingertips tingled against his skin as he felt the harsh thoughts melt away; leaving only the sensation of calm he was used to when he was around her. Cupid sighed and grabbed her hand in both of his own, resting his forehead against the top of it. "Sorry... for taking it out on you," he murmured.
She smiled a little sadly, and gently reached out to rearrange a bit of his hair that had fallen out of place.
Her powers had managed to banish most of his negative emotion, but she could still feel the bit that lingered. "You don't have to apologize to me."
At her whisper, he frowned deeply, feeling that same twist in his gut. But as fast as it came, her fingertips tingled again and it was gone. "I know. You probably forgave me the moment you sensed my discomfort. But that won't keep me from doing it anyway."
They stayed like that for a while, Cupid holding her hand while Holly watched him and fiddled with his hair. It was always like this after something happened, until one of them decided to break the silence. This time it was Holly.
"So," she started hesitantly, "no Eros, then?" A smirk played on Cupid's face as he laughed and shook his head.
"It's not that I don't like the way it sounds when you say it, it's just too weird. I don't think I'd ever get used to hearing it, even coming from you."
His laughter proved to be infectious and Holly giggled with him, their mirth filling the house with cheer. Cupid released her hand and she sipped her cocoa, glancing at the wet jacket and scarf drying by the fire.
There was no doubt something was troubling him, though she'd either pushed it to the back of his mind or he was just masking it now so she couldn't see, as he'd managed to soak them both thoroughly. Normally, he was impeccably efficient and neat. At least he'd managed to keep his tank top and jeans relatively dry.
Cupid had worked particularly fast to collect firewood, even with his speed, stacking enough for a month right by the fireplace within minutes. She was incredibly grateful for his swiftness, normally used to zip around the world and shoot arrows that made perfect matches fall in love. Laughing quietly to herself, she could still remember the time she'd asked him about her perfect match.
"Cupid?" she called, leaning against the railing by her front door as a cool breeze blew by.
"Yes, dear?"
He was busy cleaning his bow while sitting on her porch, touching up the white paint and gold detailing.
"Did I have a perfect match, when I was alive?"
That was probably the first time she had ever seen him genuinely surprised.
"You did," he said hesitantly, "But I'm...I'm not really supposed to talk about it."
She turned toward him then, tilting her head just so in a way that perfectly showed her curiosity. "But I can't possibly be with him anymore, right? I mean, I'm immortal now, just like you. It would be impossible."
"Perfect matches are a bit trickier than that, I'm afraid. They change as people's hearts do, so the one who could be your match one day could be someone else the next if you don't meet at just the right moment. But just because you passed on to a new life doesn't mean that the match has changed."
He was trying not to tell her and she knew it, but if he thought she'd give up there he was quite wrong.
"Can I at least know his name then, please?"
Knowing full well how influential she could be with him, she pulled out her best pout, holding it until his eyes rose from the bow to meet hers. He stiffened immediately and she fought not to laugh, keeping her face entirely genuine as best she could. After a few seconds he sighed and smiled a little, shaking his head as he returned his attention to his bow.
"I can't tell you his name, because that would be against the rules. But I suppose I can tell you the first letter of his name..."
"What are you so smiley about?"
Blinking a little, Holly turned her gaze from the fire back to the spirit sitting across from her. An easy smile settled on her face as she noted how calm he was, muscles finally relaxed as he watched her curiously. "Oh, just remembering things."
"Remembering things? You mean like how dashing I was when we first met, charging in to rescue a beautiful damsel in distress who just so happens to make a wicked glass of hot cocoa?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her humorously, taking a deep sip from his mug and smirking as she burst into fits of giggles behind her hand. "I'm pretty sure you tripped in the middle of your gallant charge," she teased, wiping a tear from her eye.
Gasping dramatically, Cupid pressed a hand over his heart. "You wound me!" he cried, leaning back and pressing the back of one hand to his forehead, "I can feel the life seeping from my bones! Goodbye, cruel world!"
His hands dropped, dangling limply as he feigned death in his seat. Holly rolled her eyes and leaned over to flick his nose once. He sat up straight with a startled sputter, narrowing his eyes at her half-heartedly and rubbing his tingling nose. "How dare you mock the Spirit of Love. Don't make me punish you for your crimes."
She could hear the chuckle seeping into his voice and smiled cheekily. "And what would you do?"
The challenged ignited a mischievous fire in Cupid's eyes, but the moment his fingers twitched on the table a knocking sounded from the window.
Holly watched the flames fade as he stood, replaced by a lazy smile. He crossed the room and opened the window, leaning out and gazing up at the sky. Clicking his tongue once at what he saw, he pulled back into the room and sighed.
"Sorry, looks like I have to get back to work," he said, giving her an apologetic look.
"Oh..."
For a moment, Holly felt a twinge of loneliness. It wasn't very often that Cupid stopped by, or that she had a rare off-day like this. They were both constantly busy, and she tended to miss him when he was gone. Of course, they saw each other sometimes while they worked, but neither of them had time to linger. It just wasn't enough.
Standing, she hurried to the fire to grab his coat and scarf, bringing it over to him. He shrugged on the jacket easily, and held his hand out for the scarf. At the sight of her hesitation, he frowned. "Is something wrong, Holly?"
The frown deepened when she said nothing, and he leaned over to peer at her face. "Hello? Earth to Holly? Can I please speak to Holly?"
Suddenly a look flit across Holly's face and she turned, rushing from the room. Cupid stood there, flabbergasted, until she came back. But it was not his red scarf she held in her hands.
His eyes widened with recognition at the sight of her favorite cream scarf. "Are you serious?" he muttered, glancing from her to the scarf and back. She never left the house without it during the winter, and he'd helped her turn her home upside down several times looking for it.
Holly reached up and gingerly wrapped the scarf around his neck. "It's just for a little while, but you better take care of it," she said, embarrassment softening her tone.
"And..."
At her pause, his eyes widened as she stared at his chest, small hands gripping the ends of the scarf tightly. "Holly?"
"Come back soon, okay?"
He could feel a little tug on his heart at her words, a strong urge to stay trying to keep his feet glued to the floor. But he knew he had to go. Who else would bring love to the world in his place? Certainly not Aphrodite.
Smiling brightly, he ruffled her hair as her eyes moved back to his. "Don't worry," he said, "I promise I'll bring it back as soon as I can, alright? I swear."
He shot a meaningful glance at Piper, who sat watching them on the rug by the fireplace. Their silent exchange left Holly slightly confused, but it ended after a second and Cupid smiled at her again.
And then he was gone, nothing showing he'd ever been there other than the soft breeze that rustled her hair from his departure and the red scarf she knew was sitting on her bed.
Hello again!
This was a particularly easy chapter to write, as I had an idea of how it was going to work out while I wrote the first one. Still, I didn't think it'd be finished in a day haha. I was incredibly surprised to see all the views pop up so quickly after posting the first chapter. Talk about motivation :)
I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. It's mind-blowing watching my characters grow and their relationships evolve, I'm starting to wonder why I waited so long to do this. I'm almost having too much fun, and this chapter was so adorable.
Oh god, I'm fangirling over my fanfiction. Somebody stop me.
From now on, I'll be responding to reviews down here as well. So...
Runemarks- Oh my gosh, first review! I got so excited when I read it. You are so sweet, and it's absolutely fantastic that you can relate to Holly in such a way! Thanks for your amazing review. I'm sorry to say that I can't write you in as a love interest, because if I do it once it wouldn't be fair for me not to do it for everyone else who asks. There is also the plot to worry about, and Cupid is a very integral piece to the puzzle. I wish I could say that it was possible, but I just can't. And for that I am very, very sorry.
Kentario- Yes! Someone understands! Bad grammar is such a big pet peeve of mine when it comes to fanfiction. Sometimes I try to push past it and enjoy the story, but it's so hard. Anyway, thank you! I try really hard to make sure all the grammar and spelling is correct, and that I don't use the same words over and over again. Funny thing is, right after I read your review I went to go check myself in a burst of doubt. Three mistakes... I've never updated a chapter so fast in my life haha.
Okay, on to Chapter 3! Keep reading, reviewing, favorite-ing (because favoriting is apparently not a word according to Spell check O_O), and following!
Lots of love, ThinkEasy
P.S. I've edited this just now after realizing my last quick changes didn't save. There aren't too many changes, but one is actually quite significant. Just thought you would all like to know.