PART TWO OF REQUEST BY @RememberThoseDreams

(Coarse language) 

(Mature references) 

(I am a hoe for this story its getting a pt3) 

💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

For another few weeks, Hoseok remained alone in his house. Cupid wondered if he was vitamin D deficient at this point. He never even opened his windows; he never even hung out his clothes. At night, she couldn't even see the light streaming under his door. It seemed as if the place beside her was vacant, and she couldn't help but feel pain for the man she knew was sitting alone in the dark inside of it.

Perhaps it was her loving nature, since she was a Cupid, after all – a minion of love, but somewhere deep down inside of her she wished she could just give Hoseok a big hug and assure him that everything was going to be fine.

Realistically, it was never going to happen. Hoseok seemed like he was going to die from a nutrition deficiency before she even got to speak to him.

As the days went on, less and less people came to see him. She was surprised he hadn't even hired a carer yet, but she guessed he was too embarrassed to be served by someone in such a manner. The visitors lessened until only family members came on a few occasions. It saddened her, how quickly one could be forgotten...even a friend or a family member.

Cupids have a sense of empathy, of sorts - an innate ability to sense emotions from a human. Cupid had sensed an array of emotions during her time as an offical shooter Cupid. She had sensed love, happiness, sadness, and fear. But none had ever come close to the emotion she felt from the man next door.

She could feel his pain. It felt as if her heart were being torn out of her chest – like everything she had ever desired or loved had been stolen from her forever. It felt as if she had died, yet were still living; as if the very meaning of life itself and the hope she'd always felt from it was now gone and she was left, deserted and alone in an unfamiliar place.

Cupid hoped for just one opportunity to speak to him, just one. That's all she needed. She didn't want to set him up with someone anymore, she just wanted to be there for him.

And one opportunity, she got.

It was a very early morning of a crisp autumn day – around 2am. From inside her room where she slept, Cupid could hear the faint strums of music from outside her door. Confused, she had woken up and looked out her door, and to her surprise on the balcony sat her next door neighbour in his wheelchair.

Despite his haggard look (which had gotten worse since the last time she saw him,) he looked peaceful, like he was sleeping. She recognized the popular pop song that was floating and echoing around the balcony as something she had heard a lot on the radio.

She didn't want to wake the man, but it was the first time she'd seen him since that day she'd shown up with the cookies. She stood quietly whilst she watched him, however Hoseok opened his eyes as if he knew she was there.

She expected he'd tell her to leave if he noticed her, but when his eyes met hers, there was no emotion to them whatsoever. They were empty, and so void of life. It struck her in the depths of her gut, as if she'd been punched.

He slowly turned his gaze away from her and to the darkness of the horizon. He made no attempt to speak, but she watched as his hand slowly patted the chair beside him, as if he was silently gesturing for her to join him.

Cautiously, she made her way to the seat, and sat beside him. Neither person spoke, and neither of them moved. They simply just sat in each other's company and watched the stars twinkle in the pale grey of the moon shine.

An hour or so had passed – Cupid had no idea – before Hoseok suddenly yanked the wheels of his wheelchair backwards and towards his door. Cupid watched as he pulled the door open and went inside without a single word thrown her way.

Despite the silence, she knew that a connection had already begun to weave itself between them.

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The next morning was the same – Hoseok had silently asked for her to join his wordless company, and the morning after was the same. Cupid realised that Hoseok had been doing this for a long, long time – but alone.

The routine continued between the two, and despite the fact that there was not a word said between them, Cupid knew Hoseok was enjoying her company, and she enjoyed his.

It wasn't until one morning, two weeks later, when the two sat at their usual table and watched the stars, that Hoseok finally spoke.

"My mother used to tell me that stars are loved ones who've passed away and are looking down on us from heaven." He muttered quietly.

Cupid was surprised by Hoseok's sudden confession, but for fear she might cause him to crawl back into his shell by replying, she stayed silent.

"I like to think it's true." He quietly admitted, his brown eyes sparkling for the first time in the star light, "I like to think that somewhere out there, dad is watching me." He let out a small snort as he continued, "it was funny. Everyone else told me that my dancing was embarrassing and stupid. They used to say it was pointless and that I'd eventually have to give it up."

"I used to believe them, until my dad took me aside one day and said, 'Hoseok, now, and even after you become the best dancer in the world, I'm going to tell everybody that you're my son and you can dance like no other bitch can, so get out there and show them I'm right.'" Hoseok let out a small laugh in memory as he looked up at the stars, before his smile dropped into a deep frown.

Settling back into his chair, his voice became small as he asked, "Do you think Dad is ashamed that I can't dance anymore?"

Cupid smiled. "I think that your dad would never be ashamed of you. He would say he's proud of you, and it isn't because you're a dancer or not a dancer, but because you're Hoseok– his son, and that's enough to be proud of."

For the first time since their initial meeting on the balcony, Hoseok sent Cupid a glance. It was a small one, but it still gave her the tiniest smidgen of hope that she was helping him.

With a small hum, Hoseok pushed his wheelchair away and went back into his apartment.

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A while later, when Hoseok and Cupid sat together again on the balcony, Hoseok silently handed her a painted rock. It wasn't anything flash or artistic – just a purple horse painted onto the rock.

Hoseok coughed, awkwardly. "When you first moved in I noticed a lot of your furniture had Mang on it. My friend bought some paints over and I thought I'd make you a gift for you know...coming out here with me every morning." He quietly admitted, adding, "I watch BT21 adventures too."

Pleasantly surprised, Cupid took the rock and looked over the painting. She bid him a quiet thank you as her heart warmed inside her.

The next morning she brought out some cookies to give to Hoseok. He took them willingly and hesitantly admitted that he hadn't been eating well.

By the look of him, he'd barely been eating at all. But Cupid was going to change that.

As the days rolled by into winter, Cupid was cooking and giving Hoseok helpings of each meal she cooked. Within three months, he looked closer to the Hoseok she'd seen at the dance studio and less like the haggard, pale man who she'd met on the balcony.

Hoseok finally admitted to her that despite wanting to cook meals for himself, his kitchen counter had been too high for him to reach in a wheelchair. For most of the year he'd just been relying on the food he had in the cupboard and the food his family and friends bought.

"I guess I'd never gotten anyone in to lower it because I didn't want to let go of being able to stand on my feet– I wanted to pretend like someday I was going to reach that bench again." He told her. Not long after that morning, Cupid watched some carpenters and electricians flood their way in and out of Hoseok's apartment.

She wanted to ask him about it the next morning, but to her surprise, he didn't show up on the balcony. She assumed perhaps he was sick or tired that morning, but when it kept happening Cupid began to realise that Hoseok didn't like the cold.

So, one morning at 10am, she knocked on his door. To her surprise, he was quick to answer it.

When he saw her at the door, she caught the slight, single sparkle of happiness in his eyes. He was still unshaven and wearing clothes from a while ago which still smelt really bad, but he was alive, at least.

He explained to her that he was getting the kitchen rebuilt and explained he didn't want her to see all the mess.

Not a few days later, he knocked on her door. Surprised at his sudden approach, Cupid answered the door hesitantly.

He looked embarrassed as his eyes searched every corner of her doorway except in the area she was in. He held his hands together in a crooked grasp as he spoke, "I was thinking the other day that I've actually never asked you your name." He looked quickly into her eyes before blurting out more, "I mean, like, I might want to call you or something-" embarrassed at what he said he stumbled to try and clear it, "I mean, I wouldn't call you but, like, if - I mean, we're friends, now right? And friends should know each other's names."

Giggling at his out-of-character antics, and having her heart warm at the word 'friend', Cupid replied, "It's Kat," after the name of a character she'd watched on netflix. She can't imagine what he'd think of a name like Cupid.

Hoseok looked relieved as he looked up at her. "Kat, then."

She smiled, nodding, before suggesting, "If you ever need a haircut, I'm always next door."

Hoseok frowned. "It's not that bad, is it?"

"It's awful." Cupid giggled. "I'd bet you'd look very handsome if you'd get a nice cut."

Upon hearing the word 'handsome' being associated with him, Hoseok's eyes widened. It was almost as if he couldn't believe someone would think he was handsome. Cupid could feel the insecurity bouncing out of his chest. It was then that she realised Hoseok didn't think he was worth looking at anymore because of his legs.

Giving her one last confused stare, Hoseok wheeled himself back to his apartment.

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"Please don't shave all of my hair off, accidentally." Hoseok groaned as he watched Cupid get out the razor. They were in the backyard now and on the grass and Hoseok could already imagine watching all the hair he'd hid behind appearing on the ground in clumps of dark brown. He felt free for the first time in a long time, but also scared. It felt like he was taking baby steps to becoming normal again.

Cupid giggled. "I'm not going to shave all your hair off, silly!" She gave him a light slap on the shoulder and he let out a loud huff. It had been exactly five months since Cupid had met Hoseok on the balcony that morning. She was shocked at how close they had gotten over the months and wondered whether his lack of socialising had some hand in how quick it had happened.

Cupid put down the razor and picked up a bottle of shampoo, squirting some into her hand.

Hoseok twisted his head around to see what she was up to.

"It's just shampoo." She reassured him, showing him the pink bottle with a picture of a very handsome man winking on the front.

"How are you supposed to wash that out?" Hoseok asked, and Cupid showed him the hose which caused his eyebrows to come shooting up into his mop of overgrown hair. "I'm in a wheelchair, Kat! You can't wash me down with that!"

Cupid giggled, before explaining to him that by removing the headrest on his wheelchair he'd be able to lay his head back so she could gently spray the water downwards over his hair and onto the grass.

Reluctantly, he allowed her to do so, and was surprised at how much he enjoyed having his hair washed. Her fingers against his scalp had him gulping as they scratched along the surface of his skin in a way he hadn't been touched in a very long time. When it was finished, he was disappointed, because he knew deep down that he wanted to feel her hands along his skin over and over again.

"And there we are!" Cupid announced as she finished the haircut, shoving a mirror in Hoseok's face so he could see the result.

What he saw brought tears to his eyes. Gone was the hobo looking man that he saw in the mirror every day; all he could see was him, the old him. The one who was bright and full of hope.

For the first time, he looked straight into Cupid's eyes and thanked her.

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Not long after, Hoseok invited Cupid into his house on the premise that he did not know how to cook and wanted her to show him. He offered to pay her, of course, but she politely declined and told him that helping a friend in need was something that didn't need payment because the look of appreciation from the friend you were helping was payment enough.

Hoseok explained that he'd always wanted to eat healthier, but just never found the time when he was dancing and doing lessons. Ramen and canned food was easy. He explained that now he was home all the time, cooking was something he could take up.

"So I chop the carrots like this?" Hoseok asked as he awkwardly held the knife over the carrots, pressing down and causing the carrots to slide off the cutting board. Coming to his aid, Cupid shook her head and placed the carrots back in front of him. "It's more like this." She demonstrated, chopping the carrots into circle slices effortlessly.

She handed the knife back to Hoseok and he gave it a try, but to his utter dismay the piece he chopped was far thicker than Cupid's was. As he began to fume in frustration, he felt her soft hand place itself on his. The action quieted him and caused his eyes to shoot straight into hers.

The soft look on her face would have been enough to melt his heart if it wasn't already busy beating out of his chest. Her gentle hands slid across his effortlessly and the very act of it took his breath away.

It was then that the fear set in.

He was falling in love with her.

He made quick attempts after that day to shut her out again. He'd barely answer the door to her anymore, telling her from behind the door that he was tired and didn't want to talk to anybody. How would she feel if she knew? He wondered. She'd be disgusted! He would be useless as a boyfriend, utterly useless.

Not only would he not be able to drive her to dates like a normal boyfriend would, or carry her around or whatever, but like, who would want to have sex with an exhausted lump? He could imagine her wishing she could be with someone who at least had more drive. The thought of ever doing anything romantic or sensual with a invalid like him probably sickened her to her core.

But the truth was Hoseok was very wrong, because Cupid was already beginning to feel very attracted to Hoseok.