Santa's Chocolate

Chocolate

I've gotten used to dealing with the abnormal. Got shot with a magic arrow and turned into a cupid? Check. Helped fight an insane goddess? Old news. Stopped a war with Santa Corp? Been there, done that, got the cute English boyfriend.

    But the one thing I am not prepared to see when I push through the door stenciled with the words Not taking on any new clients at this time and into the lobby of Cupid's Matchmaking Services is Cal. Dripping melted chocolate.

    My brain freezes. Does not compute does not compute. Cal's normally pristine white cupid suit is almost entirely brown, his hair standing up in chocolaty spikes that suggest his fingers have already run through it more than once. He's agitated—an unusual state for Cal—and has his head turned toward the hall leading to the courtyard, yelling. I catch the end, "-complete waste of time we could be using to make matches!"

    Cupid strides into the lobby after him, arms raise confidently as he drips candy-sweet goodness onto the marble. "Come on brother! Live a little. It's not every day you can cover every inch of your body in chocolate."

    I notice Lila trailing in with an amused half smile, also dipped in chocolate, and speed walk over to her. "What is—why—chocolate?"

    I credit years of friendship that she understands what I mean. She grins. "Come with me." She leads me back down the hall, leaving the two original cupids arguing by the unmanned front desk.

    We enter the courtyard that once held the statue of the Founder, into a crush of white-clad cupids. Scratch that, brown-clad cupids. All of them are grinning and laughing and dripping with chocolate. Where the central pool usually stands, there is a fountain, spraying chocolate that people scoop up in little plastic cups. I catch sight of a chocolate coated Crystal holding a cup of the stuff beside an equally cocoa covered Mino and trying not to smile at something he's saying. And then I catch sight of the real attraction. There, across the courtyard... a chocolate slip-and-slide. There are cheers as one cupid after another shoots down it and comes out covered in gooey goodness.

    I look at Lila mutely. She's still grinning like a fool. "Cal didn't want to go. Cupid refused to take 'No! This is ridiculous!' as an answer."

    I shake my head, finally finding my voice. "But why is there a chocolate slip-and-slide in the middle of Matchmaking Services?"
If it was anyone other than Lila, I might miss the tiny change in her grin as it goes from amused to sly. As it is, she spins around and says, "I'd better go calm down Cal before he and Cupid throw down in the lobby." She zips away before I have time to stop her. I turn back around and see another cupid getting her black suit turned to chocolate... wait. Black? Is that... Kris?

    Before I can double check, a male arm wraps around my waist, accompanied with the scent of chocolate covered peppermint. I spin around. "Klaus?" I gasp. "How—why—"

    He leans in and stops my stuttering with a kiss. "I brought it for you, of course. Chocolate is the tradition isn't it?" My stomach does a flip. "Happy Valentine's Day, Charlie."

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This is one of my three Cupid's Match Valentine's Day one shot competition entries. Charlie and Klaus don't get enough love. Hope you enjoy!