Chapter 29 � Clue Bus Boards / Interlude Among the Swords
Cupid�s mouth was on fire and cold and rubbery at the same time. Plus, it was gaping open in a very �fish on a pier� kind of way. But that was understandable. After all, he�d just been given a lifetime of Solstice presents all at once. He�d long ago resigned himself to the notion that Strife wasn�t going to be dropped into his lap for his own joy and pleasure (long about the time Psyche had rolled along). Getting that scroll had all but sealed it.
Getting that kiss had blown it wide open all over again.
"See? I knew you�d freak�"
Cupid was lucky he could even see at all. His eyes focused on his cousin again, who was looking for an exit or a wormhole or a vortex or just about anything that would get him as far out of there as possible. He was blushing and squirming and trying not to look at Cupid with the widest, most impossibly blue eyes imaginable. His long, lean arms were wrapped around himself tightly and he was biting his bottom lip, worrying it plump with ivory-white teeth. And did he smell like fruit? Usually it was something constructively unpleasant, like spiders and dust, but� he wasn�t putting on the Mischief Airs right now, so it was almost lemony. Cupid�s mouth twitched a little into a smile, remembering countless times of watching his cousin eat lemons as if they were apples, liking the tart flavor� as well as the way it made everyone else in the area pucker and squirm. If he licked his lips, he could almost taste the sharp tang of the last one� and something that was wholly unto itself.
"Gods, Cupe, I�m sorry. I shouldn�ta� GAH! What�s wrong wit� me anyway? Use your head!" And the sharp smack of a palm connecting with its owner�s head cleared away some of Cupid�s cobwebs. Waitwaitwait� he�s sorry? For what? Kissing me? Dude, don�t be! While waiting for his voice to regain its senses, Cupid focused on his now-pacing cousin, who�d launched himself up into patrolling around the room and ranting to no one in particular about his general stupidity and lack of worth. Oh, that�s not gonna do at all. Especially since he was now ALLOWED to view Strife as kissable and cute and lean and luscious� It had been a while since the ol� Romance Flame had been stoked for him and now it was a house a�fire.
Meanwhile, his cousin was inventing new ways to deride himself audibly. "I�m scum! Yer tryin� ta help and whatta I do? Molest you! SHEESH!" He was up to the arm-flailing stage, which meant he was probably past listening to any reason. Particularly from the person he thought he�d wronged. It was rare to catch the mischief god in a state like this and it meant that Cupid was going to have to intervene to get his attention. And while he appreciated (and heartily approved) Strife�s approach of shutting him up, he�d have to do something a little more forceful. Strife on a tilt was a hard thing to contain.
His left wing unfurled behind him and he fluttered it sharply, but not so much as to draw Strife�s self-loathing-focused attention. As was always the way with feathers, some were ready to drift free, which was good as plucking them out always stung like Tartarus. He caught a particularly large one and folded his wing back behind him, turning his attention to his bemoaning cousin, who didn�t notice when his shirt suddenly went missing until a cold breeze blew across his back.
"Huh?" and looking down at himself didn�t help his composure. "SWEET HADES, I�M NAKED! WHEN DID THAT H-?" A hand clamped over his mouth, only making him panic and struggle.
"Calm down, cuz." The baritone of his winged cousin didn�t help much. He still wiggled and was making some kind of protest against Cupid�s palm. And it didn�t sound like anything pleasant was a part of it. One of Cupid�s eyebrows launched up. "Oh yeah?"
Strife was about to agree that the love god was indeed being a jackass and a bully and not a little nuts when something made his breath hitch� a soft sensation flicking against his skin. It had been a few years since he�d actually been on the receiving end, but he wasn�t so far gone that he didn�t know what was coming. This time his voice was clear, even through the muzzling hand. "NO."
