Jack ran along the canals, laughing as the water froze under his feet, hindering the many boats plying the waterways. The Venetian weather was too mild for his taste in mid-February. He came here to change that. It was still winter, after all, so it was fair.

A horrible sound assaulted his ears as he ran past a smaller canal. Turning back in the direction of the noise, he listened carefully, trying to identify it. Singing. Very bad, off-key singing. He took to the air and let the Wind carry him to the source of the racket, curious. He soon reached a gondola slowly moving across the water, the gondolier more interested in entertaining his passenger than in getting anywhere. The finely dressed lady sat on the plush, lavish chair, hiding her laughter behind her hand as the young man butchered some love song.

Jack chuckled at the scene. The lady seemed happy to let the man serenade her rather than take her to her destination. Jack was always glad to help people wishing to have some fun away from the constrains of society. If those two did not want to go anywhere, he would give them a good excuse not to. He dropped one end of his staff on the water's surface, letting ice spread around it until it reached the flat-bottomed boat and trapped it in it's icy grip. The gondolier interrupted his singing as his boat stopped moving entirely, looking down at the water in surprise.

"Gaetano, what is happening?"

"It is ice, my lady. We are trapped."

"Oh no! That is quite terrible. What shall we do?" She didn't sound like someone in a terrible situation.

"I'm afraid we will have to wait for a rescue, my lady. And with your parents waiting for your return... I am so sorry." He did not sound sorry in the least.

"It cannot be helped. I am certain they will understand that there was nothing to be done. But it will get cold, waiting here."

"What's that I see? Someone helping me to spread love on this wonderful day?"

The new voice startled Jack, pulling his attention away from the couple in the gondola. He saw a flash of gold and azure feathers before being grabbed around the shoulders and squished against a large, hairless chest. Panic seizing him, he struggled in the strong grasp of whoever was holding him, trying to fly away to safety.

"Hey there, no need to be scared," the new arrival said, loosening his grip. "I am Cupid, the bringer of Love!"

Jack pulled himself free as soon as he was able, flying a safe distance away. He almost instantly regretted it. It was an extreme rarity for anyone to touch him and he ran away from it. He hesitantly inched a little closer as he looked at the man facing him. He had heard of Cupid before, some sort of spirit of love, but had never met him. He should likely introduce himself. That's what polite people did when meeting someone.

"Er, hello. I'm Jack. Jack Frost. Spirit of Winter."

"Ah, winter! The season of love!"

Jack blinked at him, a bit doubtful about that.

"I thought spring was the season of love."

"Dear Jack Frost, don't you know what day it is? Today is Saint Valentine's Day."

"Right. Okay. So, today's the day of love. But the entire season?"

"Winter is... winter is warmth." Jack's disbelieving stare prompted Cupid to elaborate. "Not warmth in the air, but warmth coming from inside, as lovers huddles together to fight off the cold."

Cupid demonstrated this by pulling the young spirit back into a hug with one arm, sweeping the other in the direction of the canal, gesturing at the couple now sitting very close to each other, giggling softly. Jack wiggled free before he could even think about it. He berated himself right after.

"Alright. I get it."

"What about you, young winter spirit? Did you ever feel the warmth of someone's embrace?"

"Yes. You keep hugging me."

His words came out angrier than he meant them to. It wasn't the other spirit he was angry at, but himself for being unable to accept the affection he had always yearned for. It was kind of pathetic, really. Laughter from the gondola made him frown. He wasn't liking this Saint Valentine's Day very much. It reminded him of how alone he was.

"Do not despair, little one," Cupid said in a sympathetic tone. "There is love waiting for you out there. You just need to find it."

"Right," he grumbled. "And I'm sure there plenty of people waiting for love. Aren't you busy?"

Cupid stared at him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, suddenly, he grabbed Jack again and squeezed him against his chest once more. He let go almost right away, putting both hands on Jack's shoulder instead. The startled winter spirit did not pull away this time.

"I am. But, if you ever need company, feel free to visit. I have a floating palace not far from here. Don't be a stranger."

And with that, Cupid was gone. Jack hovered above the canal a few long minutes, trying to recover his wits after his overwhelming first meeting with the spirit of love. He took a shaky breath.

"Wind, take me home."

He needed to be back to familiar territory.


Happy Valentine's Day everyone, whether you're spending it alone or with someone. To me, it's always been that day of the year when I try to fit as many cinnamon hearts in my mouth so I can burn my tongue and drool red sugar. That's only actually fun if you do it in front of people.