Chapter Text
Luke was in deep shit.
Look, he had been in on the matchmaking game for a while, maybe not as long as someone like Wanda, or Harrison as she would rather be formally known, but he could hold his own down below, on Earth where the humans were.
He was lucky, as far as cupids went. Out of all the many divisions, the different ways to go about helping people fall in love with their Perfect Match, Luke had been assigned to the Ambiance Unit, aiding in building the atmosphere, guiding persons to their Match through subtle tugs of the senses-
Such as coaxing smells of the bakery’s freshest offerings to float down the street, providing the small breeze that would make the branches shudder and release petals onto the sidewalk, and, what was admittedly Luke’s favorite part-
Supplying the sounds- particularly, the music- that got people turning their heads, maybe locking eyes with a beautiful stranger in the process.
Luke had been gifted with great musical talents. Who knew where cupids really come from and how it happened, but he swore he had appeared with a guitar in his hand, ready to play music for the masses and bring people together.
Music always had that power- to connect.
And Luke thrived on it. He and his fellow musician cupids, Reginald (Reggie) and Alexander (Alex) would often go on their missions together, figuring it was best to work as a group and supply the romantic ambiance through their music.
The thing about being cupids, as mentioned before, was subtlety.
It had been jarring the first time Luke had gone on assignment on Earth and finding out firsthand that they were invisible to humans, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be noticed.
Their music could still be heard.
No one would have been able to wipe the smile off Luke’s face when he started strumming his guitar, singing echoes of Sinatra or whatever was considered romantic staples, the smile growing even bigger when his assigned persons take notice of each other in the midst of the notes, offering a hand to dance or singing along, albeit offkey.
But it was the intention that not only checked off another two names off his list but fueled his belief in all things love and music- two things often synonymous in Luke’s head. Could not have one without the other.
Many often attributed these phantom tunes to faint playings of some radio nearby or the busker down the street, no matter- it always did the job.
At least it was supposed to.
If going by Luke instead of Lucas wasn’t enough of an indication, he was not the one to follow the same old, tired ways of matchmaking. Like thank Aphrodite the whole ‘bow and arrow’ thing was too archaic to continue (and talk about really messed up and really painful- ouch).
Yeah, the music he was playing was nice and all, but what he wouldn’t give to up the tempo a bit, to nod at Alex, begging him to switch out his cajon for a full kit, and for Reggie to do the same with his cello and bring out the bass they all knew he could rock.
Luke had already received judgmental looks for passing over the lyre and using the guitar instead, but like come on- the guitar was practically tied to his soul! It felt right.
And when not up in HQ, he was down on the ground, gaining a sense of the sound landscape that was a far cry from the angelic instrumentals they had back home. He had picked up a few things over the years, things he wanted to try, especially from his brief stint in ‘90s L.A on an extensive assignment.
So what he started to sprinkle in some Nirvana into his setlist?
Or some Rush ? And, he would argue this to the ends of the universe, but Green Day could totally be romantic!
Why was it so wrong for him to thrash around on his acoustic? Belting out the lyrics to the point of scratching his voice? Getting those lonely hearts’ blood pounding?
Oh, right.
Subtlety …
Luke had made the bonehead mistake of picking up an electric guitar one day…
(Look, the busker really shouldn’t have left it alone for more than a minute. But he had been dying to hear what it would sound like.)
And maybe, just maybe , he had thought it would have been great to bust it out for his next assignment-
Let’s just say orthodontist Angus Rosenbaum, aged 62, and widowed librarian Maya Bernal, aged 58, were not feeling the love in this Chili’s tonight so to speak.
(Note to self: Do not play Mötley Crüe at a book club...)
Luke had never fucked up an assignment so badly. He honestly thought it would help, maybe jog their memories of being hot-blooded teens, too boosted by hormones to play it safe, maybe cut the bullshit and just ask each other out already!
Instead it ended in screaming, broken glass, and a group of middle-aged adults booking it out of the house in a hurry to call an exorcist.
So yeah, that explained why he was on Harrison’s shit list right about now.
Since then, he had been downgraded to a desk job- filing the paperwork for other cupids on call. Not like that would help get him back into Harrison’s good graces though. He was utterly terrible at it, with his penmanship deemed incomprehensible and how often he mixed up names and places or completely omitted key information,
It was mind blowing how Harrison hadn’t already given up and sent him back out on the field just to be rid of him.
And it was boring as hell.
He missed playing his guitar.
He missed Alex and Reggie, although those two often stopped by his desk to visit and fill him in on all the cool stuff the humans were doing on Earth.
He missed being around people, not cupids. They had always been much more interesting to observe. Way more fun too. But he couldn’t leave. Not without flagging the higher ups, and he would be sure to face an even harsher punishment on the way back, like maybe taking away his guitar for all eternity…
Luke had been desperate to find other ways to leave, always badgering other cupids to help them out with their cases. He didn’t care if he had to get his hands dirty with Interference or, dare he say it, help with the Department of Grief and Mourning (so…much… crying- he couldn’t stand it).
That was when the perfect opportunity fell on his lap.
Luke had been stationed at his desk when he saw one of their best, Valeria, storm into Harrison’s office, face streaked in frustrated tears, fists curled at her sides.
“I have had it!” he could hear her yell at their boss, even behind a shut door.
“Clearly you don’t mean that-”
“Utterly impossible! I have tried everything, Harrison. Everything! ”
“Why don’t you take a seat?” Harrison said in an attempt to quell her, the conversation now conducted at a more acceptable volume.
By then a small group of them were huddled near the office, pretending not to eavesdrop but the work was as dry as it came, they were looking for any excuse not to do it.
“Uh oh. Case #9102020 strikes again,” Kai, from his left, muttered.
Luke frowned, “Case#9102020?”
“Haven’t you heard?”
He shook his head. He hated hearing work gossip, most of it was pretty mundane stuff anyway. But this time he was curious. Like what could have happened to have driven a pro like Valeria to the brink of a breakdown?
The other cupid magically procured a file and handed it off to him, “Word on the street is that there’s a human down there who’s just not having it in the love department.”
Luke was flipping through the folder, “You sure it wasn’t a mixup?”
It was not that uncommon of a mistake for an aromantic to wind up in their database, but that would get resolved pretty quickly. He and the other cupids in his department knew better than to mess with them.
Leanne from the desk behind him peered over his shoulder, pointing at a page, “Look at the numbers.”
“The numbers?” And when he checked, his eyes nearly bugged out of his head.
This- this couldn’t be right. They were all joshin’ him, right? The whole office. Because this was impossible.
“12 failed attempts? 8 Cupids called it quits?”
“Make that 9,”
The door clicked open and everyone poofed back into their seats just as a still pissed Valeria walked out and a weary Harrison followed.
Luke made sure to keep the file hidden under his jacket until the two had disappeared from view.
He pored over it, reading up about the human who managed to go through cupids like crazy. Yeah, they were times where cupids weren’t successful and it required a couple of go arounds, but this?
The comments had started off pretty tame:
‘Resistant to routine charming methods…’
‘Difficult to work with. Uncooperative…’
But then it had gone downright nasty towards the end, one such cupid deeming this girl as an ‘abomination’ of sorts.
Luke flipped back to the front, where the picture of the subject, Julie Molina, was attached.
Huh. All he saw was a young woman with thick curly hair, glasses, and a toothy grin. Just a regular old human, and he couldn’t find it in himself to connect this face with the comments he read.
Something compelled him to keep looking through the folder, studying up on this Julie Molina , to see what was wrong here.
It seemed like they were trying to get Julie to shack up with her Match, a coworker by the name of Nick. The results of their compatibility came back pretty high, harboring most of the same interests, similar group of friends, a shared history dating back since elementary school.
It should have been a done deal.
Yet, calls for coffee went unanswered, invites to the bar with their friends were declined. And all of Luke’s colleagues had done their best to curb her in the right direction, but always running into problems. Problems that, oddly enough, were never specified…
There was already enough content in this folder to intrigue the shaggy-haired cupid, but it had been the note that someone, probably Harrison, had left behind next to her status that stirred him.
A red X.
Fuck.
Luke had only heard of rumors of a red X, but he had never seen one with his own eyes.
This file was bound for the discard pile- no man’s land, where all the people casted off as ‘unlovable’ go, never to be matched, never to fall in love.
Sentenced to a life of loneliness? Luke couldn’t even imagine. No one should ever have to be alone. Like, literally the thought burned through his whole being, refusing to believe in such a reality. Everyone deserved their chance at love, even this Julie Molina.
Alright, that settled it.
He was gonna take this case.
Had reading the file made the task all the more daunting? Yeah.
But thankfully Luke was both desperate and stubborn- oh and eager for a challenge. Because if he managed to pull this off, to do what no higher-caliber cupid was able to do and get this girl to fall in love, then bye-bye paperwork.
It was gonna be great. It had to be.
Of course Harrison would never go for it, would never formally assign him this case even if he asked. He was still technically serving out his punishment.
He may have to take matters into his own hands.
Luke popped down to Earth.
Just for a bit.
Purely for recon, he told himself.
He technically wasn’t leaving his post to go on an unsanctioned mission. Just… taking a stroll… outside of the HQ…
And outside of Julie Molina’s place of work.
It was this big building in the middle of the city, he couldn’t find a sign and he had left behind the file so he didn’t remember what exactly she did for a living. Something serious he surmised as he caught her leaving, wearing a blazer and trousers.
Alright. It was go time.
He trailed behind her unabashedly, just observing her as she walked onto the street. There seemed to be no sign of Nick anywhere, but he kept his eyes peeled.
And just in case, Luke summoned his guitar. If Nick were to show up all of the sudden to join Julie on her journey, then it was up to him to set the mood.
He didn’t plan on using his methods so fast, not when there was a high chance it might not work (like what was going to set his powers apart from the other cupids who had tried before?).
Luke needed to gauge what kind of girl Julie was in order to help her.
The file could only give him so much information- date of birth, family, affiliates, dating history. But there could be something about her that the others didn’t pick up. Luke liked to think of himself as a human expert, having been one to enjoy being on Earth and absorbing as much as he could about their way of life.
She seemed to walk with a purpose, taking long confident strides, although the upper part of her body was closed in on itself, arms crossed, back hunched over slightly, her voluminous curls swaying as she moved-
No, more like she was shaking her head, side to side, as if she was listening to some music. But there were no earbuds or anything like that on her person, but she was humming a little tune.
Luke’s ears perked up at the melody, instantly vibing with it. It was only a soft spoken tune but the girl was into it too, it didn’t take too long for the hums to transition into mumbles, and for the mumbles to turn into words-
And before he knew it-
Wow.
Julie was… singing.
Her voice nearly made him stop dead in his tracks. Even above the din of passerbys and traffic, he could tell it was a sweet sound, nothing he had ever heard before in all his years of existence, and it was just… drawing him closer to her.
Luke began strumming something, in tune with her voice, wanting to give her something in return, already feeling he had already been gifted something precious.
Abomination or not, this girl had pipes, and he was only a musician, he had to play.
He hadn’t been too far away from her, but Julie turned around once the sound of the guitar reached her ears. Yeah, that was to be expected. But what threw Luke off kilter, again for the second time that night, was the lack of the absent stare he would usually get when he played amongst the humans.
In fact, her eyes didn’t wander around the area, over the other pedestrians on the sidewalk, trying to pinpoint the source of the music.
No, they were trained on exactly where he was standing.
Luke froze, unsure if this was a trick or not. Because it totally was. There was no way-
“Not another one!” she groaned, her face shifting into a kind of grimace at the sight of him.
Holy shit.
Now Luke knew what exactly had been conveniently left out of her file-
Turned out Julie was able to see cupids…