The alarm was going off, ringing around the room and forcing Jonghyun to wake. He sits up in his bed, scratching the back of his head and looking around dazedly.  His eyes squint towards the window and he squirms in his bed, slumping back down and pulling the blankets over his head. He just wanted to sleep and to act as though yesterday hadn’t happened. The door creaks open and Kibum leans against the door frame staring at Jonghyun with gleaming eyes. “I suggest you get up; I checked your schedule and you work the night shift,” Kibum walks over to him. “So that gives us all morning and all afternoon to find you someone to fall in love with.”

“Just leave me alone.” He grumbles and Kibum laughs loudly. “No can do, babe.” He says, tugging on the blankets and pulling them down. “Stop calling me ‘babe’.” He grumbles, to which Kibum stops tugging and stares down at him. “I call everyone babe.”

“Yeah, but it feels like we’re in a relationship…it’s weirding me out.” Jonghyun turns his back to Kibum and squeezes his eyes shut. Kibum stares at Jonghyun’s back for a moment and then groans loudly. “This is why you need to date—your girlfriend will call you by a petname—honey, sweetie, whatever the hell she wants.”

“I like men too.”

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Jonghyun rolls over and stares at Kibum. “Why go through all this trouble to make me fall in love?” He asks, his ash-blue hair splayed across the white pillow on which he rests his head. “I told you, I want to up my status.”

“Is that really it?” There’s silence and time stills as Jonghyun stares into Kibum’s brown eyes. “I don’t want you to suffer all those years without love.” Jonghyun sighs and sits up, he looks form the corner of his eyes at Kibum. “Can you cook?” He asks and Kibum blinks taken aback by the question. “Yes…” Jonghyun smiles and Kibum’s eyes widen realizing that it was the first time seeing him up close smiling like that. “Then I guess you’re good for something.” He grips Kibum’s wrist, using him as a pull up until he’s on his feet. “I’d like you make breakfast.” Jonghyun says his hand sliding up Kibum’s arm, each finger a warm pulse against Kibum’s skin. “If I do cook anything, it’ll be just for me.” Kibum replies. “Selfish.” Jonghyun coughs. “Arrogant.” Kibum coughs back, turning on his heel and walking out of the room.  Jonghyun stares after him and then his eyes widen. “Hey, give me back my shirt!” He shouts, realizing the dark green shirt Kibum was wearing was far too familiar. He races down the hall nearly crashing into Kibum who had stopped suddenly. He peers over Kibum’s shoulder following his gaze. “Uhm….what are you looking at?”

“Just listen…” Jonghyun his head to the side but does as he’s told, curious as to what could have made Kibum stop so suddenly. He listens for a moment; he could hear the tick of the clock, the hum of the fridge and Roo whining for food. “I don’t hear anything.”

“Close your eyes.” His eyes close in on Kibum, suspicious. “Why?” Kibum turns around to face him. “I’m not going to steal your heart, I just want you to hear what I hear when I come to earth.”

“Isn’t that impossible? I’m not a cupid like you.”

“That may be so, but there’s other things that humans get to hear and experience that we don’t.” Kibum’s eyes flick excitedly to the radio at the corner of the room. “Like that.”

“The…radio…” Jonghyun deadpans and Kibum nods, sprinting over to it. “Our ears are always buzzing with the desires and wishes of others; we hear the sounds of hearts breaking and of hearts hammering when they’re in love.” He presses a button on the radio and the loud zip of an electric guitar bursts through the air. “Something as humane as this!” Kibum yells over the music. “It always amazes me!” Jonghyun stares at him, watching the way he moved his hips to the rhythm of the guitar and to the rousing notes. He chuckles, shaking his head. “You’re an odd one, Kibum.” Kibum continues to dance as though he hadn’t heard Jonghyun and his white hair shines brightly like a halo atop his head. Jonghyun crosses his arms over his chest and the smile on his lips never fades away.

<3

They walk the streets in silence; Jonghyun brings a hand to his mouth as a slow yawn evaporates from his lips. “It’s too early for this.” He complains, he was still wearing his black sweats and navy blue t-shirt he got as a birthday present from Minho, which was almost a year ago. Kibum picks up his pace, the brisk air whipping through his hair. The way in which he walked made it seem as though his feet weren’t touching the ground, as though there were a pair of translucent wings attached to his back. “Did you sleep well last night?” Jonghyun asks. “Don’t worry about me.” Kibum snaps and Jonghyun frowns. “I wasn’t, I was worrying about Roo.”

“Roo?”

“The dark brown dachshund, she’s a little round now, but…”

“Oooh, she’s cute.” Jonghyun’s eyes light up and he hurries his steps to catch up to Kibum. “Really?”

“Mm, yeah, her ears are floppy.” Jonghyun takes in a sharp breath and his eyes go almost puppyish. “Yaaaah, I didn’t take you for a dog person.” He gently knocks Kibum in his arm. “I have two of my own.”

“Noway.”                                        

“Yeah, Comme Des & Garcons.”

“Sounds French.” Kibum laughs, it was a gentler laugh than like before. “Their names are but they aren’t.”

“Breed?”

“Poodle-mixes.”

“Ooh, highclass.” Jonghyun wiggles his eyebrows. “They’re not that highclass.” Kibum says, his steps slowing as he passes a shopping window that was selling heart-shaped pillows. “Stereotypically poodles are seen as the richer breed.”

“And stereotypically singles are seen as the brooding, lonely types.” He fires back and Jonghyun’s lips press together in a grin as though to say “touché.”

“Lets go inside.”

“Why?” Jonghyun questions, his wall going up again. Kibum points. “Inside there’s a woman who’s mulling around with this sad look in her eyes.” Jonghyun begins to walk away. Kibum sighs, snapping his fingers and appearing in front of Jonghyun. “She’s single, but she doesn’t want to be that way.”

“Do you expect me to be her Valentine?” Kibum beams. “Exactly!” Jonghyun shakes his head. “No,”

“It’s a week away, that’s more than enough time to develop a relationship.” Kibum takes his wrist to keep him from running away. “Just act as though you’re looking for something and you bump into her.” He says and Jonghyun looks to him with an expression of pure amusement and shock. “A cupid such as yourself comes up with something so cliché.” Kibum loosens his grip on Jonghyun’s wrist. “Shut-up, girls love it.”

“It makes me want to puke.” Jonghyun wretches. “And what if I want a guy to fall in love with me?” Kibum places a hand to the bridge of his nose as though he had a headache. “That’s a little bit harder…”

“How so?”

“You don’t know if he’s straight or gay.”

“Same could be said about that woman.” Jonghyun says tilting his towards the shop window. “True…”

“So, lets go back hom—“

“No ya don’t.” Kibum clutches the back of Jonghyuns shirt. “This your first target.” He yanks Jonghyun back and pushes him through the door. The bell jingles announcing their entrance. “Good morning!” The clerk behind the desk greets with a bow, Jonghyun and Kibum bow in return and the young woman briefly looks up, her gaze lingering on Jonghyun before sliding over to Kibum. “Her eyes stayed on you longer.” Kibum whispers. “That’s because she’s judging my appearance.”

“I think you look good; this just out of bed appearance suits you.” Kibum releases his pinch on Jonghyun’s shirt. “Just-woke-up-y, I call it.” He adds and Jonghyun stares at him, chuckling softly. Kibum bounces off towards the clerk, leaning on the counter and striking up a conversation. Jonghyun watches him for a moment before exhaling and making his way towards the woman. As he neared he could see that she was wearing a cute little bracelet on her left wrist. He clears his throat and she looks over to him. “Yes?” She asks and he smiles sheepishly. “I was just wondering what you were going to get for your boyfriend.” He lies and the woman’s eyes flutter quickly and her cheeks discolor red. “Haha, no,” she places the box of chocolates back down. “I was just looking…”

“Do you plan on confessing?” He asks, getting the hang of this “pick-up-the-target” ideology Kibum had implanted in his head in a matter of seconds. “No, nothing like that.” She smiles and Jonghyun hums to himself approvingly. Her smile was pretty, but it didn’t have the same effect on him like Kibum’s did. “Wishful thinking, then?” he asks with a warm grin and her eyes linger on his lips a little while before meeting his gaze. “You could say that.” They share a smile. As Kibum’s talking with the clerk, he glances towards Jonghyun and the woman and smiles at what he saw. If things continue like this they’ll be sending each other Valentines cards with puppies printed on the cover. “Oh, my name is Jonghyun.” He extends his hand for a shake and a flicker of realization is casts in her eyes. “Your name sounds awfully familiar…”

“Really? I think it’s because it’s so common.” She lifts her slender hand, wrapping it around his. “Hmm, maybe.”

“What’s your name?”

“Oh, it’s Soyoung.”

“Soyoung, nice to meet….” He trails off when a distant memory drifts up from the very bottom of his mind and sticks against the lids of his eyes forcing him to recall whom he owed the pleasure of causing his older sister to breakdown. “Soyoung-ssi.” He addresses formally, still clutching her hand. “Y—yes?” She asks, sensing that something was wrong. “Did you happen to know someone by the name of Sodam while in highschool?” He asks and Soyoung tries to step back, but he held onto her hand. “You did know her.”

“Let go, I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

“My older sister, the one you bullied.” Soyoungs eyes widen; sensing that something had gone wrong, Kibum quickly ends his conversation with the clerk (whom he could tell was growing fond of him). And he makes a beeline for Jonghyun. “That Sodam?” She questions with disbelief, Jonghyun nods. “My sister was always crying because of you.”

“Oh my god,” She rolls her eyes. “That was years ago!”

“Yeah, but it left a scar on her and on me.”

“Like that’s my problem.”

“What’d you say—“

“Ooooh kay,” Kibum interrupts, gripping Jonghyun’s wrist and pulling him away from the woman. She looks to the both of them and glares. Without a word, she huffs away. Jonghyun pulls his hand away from Kibum. “She’s the who bullied my sister.”

“Yeah, I heard.” Kibum replies dryly, the glow of his hair had faded away leaving a light blonde color. “Did you have to remember her in that exact moment?” He questions exasperatedly. Jonghyun nods heading towards the door. “Yeah, because this is all ridiculous.” Kibum follows after him and the clerk’s expression saddens at his departure. “Jonghyun, stop.” Jonghyun continues on, walking who knows the hell where. He just wanted to get away, why couldn’t this cupid understand that you can’t force love onto someone, that love just happens. Jonghyun stops suddenly and Kibum comes to a skid behind him. His head whips around and he wore an almost goofy grin. “What…?” Kibum questions nervously. “Can cupid’s fall in love with a human?” Jonghyun asks and Kibum’s feline eyes widen. “I mean, it’s possible.”

“Has it happened to you?”

“Falling in love with a human…it happens to every cupid.”

“Who was it for you?” Kibum’s eyes settle back on Jonghyun, they seemed colder now and not at all like the bubbly cupid that had woke him this morning. “None of your business.”

“Is that person dead?” Jonghyun continues to press on, Kibum brushes past him. “Love doesn’t always end because of death.”

“Was she the same age as you?”

“No, he was a bit older.” Jonghyun’s eyes widen. “He?”

“Yes…” Kibum’s gait had become stiff and his steps were slower. “What happens when a cupid falls in love with a human?” Kibum sighs growing tired of his interrogation. “Jonghyun,” His voice had suddenly turned serious. “Stop.” He says, glancing over his shoulder for a second before walking on again. Jonghyun stands where he was, watching Kibum go and wondering how in that moment Kibum looked more human than cupid. Like he was suffering just like every other person on earth. And then Jonghyun felt bad for throwing those questions at him like that. “Hey, Kibum,” He calls, jogging to catch up to him. Once he does he falls into step beside him. “Sorry…” he mutters, Kibum shakes his head. “Everyone’s curious.” He says softly, Jonghyun bites his lip to keep from asking anything further. As they’re walking, Jonghyun keeps his hands in his pocket and glances at Kibum every so often to see if he could get a read on his thoughts. But as he’s glancing, he notices the sharp contours of Kibum’s facial features. The way his jawline curves into his chin and then how his lips are shaped like those cherries one always see’s in magazines or icecream commercials. Jonghyun wonders if they’re edible and unknowingly he his own lips. Kibum suddenly looks over at him, a look of confusion in those beautiful eyes. “How old are you?” Jonghyun asks quickly, to cover for the fact that he had been blatantly checking Kibum out. “I’m twenty-five.”

“Oh…” They return to silence again; the sky above was a baby-blanket blue color and the sun shone down like an ornament. Kibum looks towards the sky and sighs in awe. Jonghyun watches the way the sun glitters across his head and in his eyes. For a moment it looked like he had wings. “We’ll try again tomorrow.” Kibum’s voice drifts gently into his ears. “Tomorrow?”

“Yes, I realize I was rushing things.” Jonghyun doesn’t reply. “But I’m doing this to help you.”

“I know, you told me…” Jonghyun looks up to the sky and this time Kibum looks over to him. “I’ve basically watched you grow up into a young man.” Kibum murmurs sentimentally. Jonghyun laughs. “Why are you talking like my mother?”

“Because I’ve seen everything.” A flustered panic settles across Jonghyun’s face. “What’s your definition of everything?” He asks, dropping his gaze from the sky to look at Kibum. The cupid was smirking. “Ev-ery-thing.” He pronounces each syllable slowly and teasingly. Jonghyun pushes his bangs out of his eyes and rushes ahead, slipping into a fast-food joint. Kibum follows after him with a bright smile, he thought that it was worth seeing everything, if it made Jonghyun all shy like that.