daomingsi, dongshancai.

their hearts were bright

"It's Valentine's Day, Cupid," said Aphrodite.

"I know, Ma."

"Well, why don't you do something about it? You know, shoot people, make them fall in love, make them fall out of love, just cause a general mess of things."

"Oh, I don't know. . ."

"Why not? I'm pretty bored." Aphrodite looked at her son in confusion.

"It's just. . . I've been watching this couple for a while. They live in China, and they're pretty. . . well, pretty different."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I don't know how to explain it, but every time I tried shooting my arrow at the man–his name is Daoming Si, by the way–well, any time I tried shooting him with my arrow, it just bounced right off."

"And has this ever happened before?"

"No! That's what made it so odd. So I try to shoot the girl, right–her name is Shancai–well, I try shooting Shancai, and she just absorbs it!"

Cupid paused, biting his lip.

"And I can't see their hearts either, it's like they're invisible. . . I just can't seem to understand what is going on. . ."

Aphrodite summoned a globe and made it hover in her hands. "China, you say? Where in?" She stopped the rotating of the sphere, her eyes widening. "Oh, wait, I can see them. . . Shanghai?" Her voice trailed off.

Swoosh. Suddenly, a cool mist took over them from their position on the clouds, and covered them, picking them up. They tried to resist, but the mist was far too strong. Aphrodite and Cupid screamed in horror as the mist whisked them far from the clouds, and all the way down, down, down to Earth.

______

Cupid landed with a bump on a tree. Aphrodite landed a few seconds later, right on top of him.

"Ow, Ma, that hurt!"

"Shut up, son." She looked around warily from their vantage point on the tree. "Where are we? Are those Chinese characters on that building?"

But Cupid didn't respond, as he seemed to have found something more interesting. He tapped his mother's shoulder excitedly. "It's them, Ma! Daoming Si and Dong Shancai!"

"Who?"

"The people I told you about who were giving me a hard time, Ma, the ones who were absorbing the arrows of love or making them bounce off!"

"Ah, yes, I remember now."

"I still can't see their hearts," he mused to himself, watching the girl Shancai walk out of the huge skyscraper below. She looked extremely angry, he noticed; her hands were balled into fists, and she was breathing heavily as she walked quickly towards the parking lot outside of the building.

Soon, a man followed her out of the building. And, he realised with a jolt, it was Daoming Si!

"Ma! It's Daoming S–"

"Yes, I get it, son, it's Daoming Si." Aphrodite fiddled the gold bracelets Hestaphus had mined for her, looking bored. "Seems like a regular lover's tiff. I don't understand why they're giving you a problem."

"Well, that's what I'm trying to do here, Ma. Key word being trying," he said a little crossly. Aphrodite could be a bit overbearing sometimes, even if she was his mother. He sighed, turning his attention back to the two.

"Daoming Si! I have only one thing to say to you: if you like tall, beautiful models, then you should've just told me!" The girl tried to mask her hurt through anger, but it was a familiar look Cupid had seen many times, and Shancai couldn't fool him. 

Now if only he could find her heart. . .

Si looked pissed. "What in the world are you talking about? Monkey? I thought I already told you, I grabbed her hand by mistake, stupid girl!"

There was a deadly silence. Cupid shook his head, feeling sorry for the boy. Even Aphrodite looked up from her bracelets to see why there was suddenly no sound.

Shancai looked emotionless, but in her eyes were fury.

"So. You call her. . . Monkey." Cupid leaned forward, trying to hear her better. "And what. . . is that supposed to mean."

Even Si knew he had made a mistake. "Shancai. . . I. . . because she tried to climb on top of me. . .I mean, wait. . ." He closed his eyes, cursing. Aphrodite giggled at his expression.

"WHAT!"

"No, not on top of me, I meant she just bit me, like a monkey, and. . ." Aphrodite laughed wholeheartedly now, and Cupid shushed her but then remembered they couldn't hear them.

"You–!" Then her voice broke suddenly, and Shancai turned away, trying not to cry.

Si looked at her in astonishment then his eyes softened. "Shancai." He sighed. "Stupid girl, come here. You know she means nothing to me. You know. . . she is nothing compared to you."

Cupid nudged his mother as he could see a faint sliver of their hearts. "Look." As Si walked towards Shancai, the hearts grew more bright and visible. His mother, however, didn't seem to hear him, as she watched the couple, looking as though she'd figured something out.

"And why would I care if she means anything to you," Shancai asked, her voice muffled in his chest as Si enveloped her in his arms, a small smile tugging at his lips, but one that he quickly got rid of as she looked up at him with red eyes.

"It's. . . it's like there's no one else there but them," Aphrodite breathed.

"There is no one else there but them," Cupid said, but Aphrodite pushed him off the tree. Luckily, he managed to grab hold of some of the branches.

"I think I understand what you mean about their hearts not being visible," Aphrodite continued. "Their love isn't obvious, but at the same time, it is," she murmured as Si kissed Shancai on the forehead, and she scowled at him for smiling so broadly. Aphrodite shook her head, smiling a little.

"You probably can't see their hearts, because you've never seen them together  yet, have you?"

Cupid looked to his mother in awe. It was at times like these he remembered she was the goddess of Love. He was silent for a moment. "So should I shoot them with my arrow, then? Who should it be, him or her?"

His mother didn't answer for a minute, frowning, then turned to him in confusion.

"What?" She shook her head. "No. . . it's okay. Let them be."

"But I thought you were bored–"

"Sometimes, son, you have to let go of some things. You will learn this as you grow older, but not everything has to be interesting all the time."

Cupid sighed resignedly at his mother's usual hypocrisy, and held out his hand to her. "Okay, let's go back then."

She smiled indulgently at him. "Alright, Cupid. I'm proud of you, you know."

"Whatever, Ma."

They took one last look at the couple. Daoming Si wasn't trying to hide his smile anymore, grinning broadly at the sky, and Dong Shancai. . . well, she didn't look angry anymore, as she sighed contentedly in Si's embrace.

The two Gods of Olympus joined hands and flew up out of the night Shanghai air.

Down below, the couple's hearts were bright.

__________

Okay, I don't know why, but I've been really into mythology lately. If you don't know already, Cupid(Eros) and Aphrodite are two Greek Gods(esses).  This 'can't see their hearts' thing is completely bs, and is not related to Greek mythology in any shape or form haha. I just made it up at the top of my head right now.

Anyways, I hope the dialogue wasn't too confusing with how I wrote it, and that you liked it. 

I'm trying to be more creative as of late.

- coexistantLilli :D