Title: Princess Heartmaker
Author: Veritas Found
Rating: T / PG-13 / Teen
Characters/Pairings: Brielle Girard (OC), Dingo King (OC), Juleka Couffaine, Luka Couffaine, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Rose Lavillant; Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant
Summary: Marinette likes Luka. Luka likes Marinette. Rose can't understand why they aren't back together already. With the school Valentine dance rapidly approaching, she concocts a little scheme to show them how dumb they're being. But when the dance rolls around and they're still as stupid as ever…well, what's Valentine's Day in Hawkmoth, Paris without a little akuma?
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Notes/Warnings: A-hem…GUESS WHAT TIME IT IS Y'ALL~ For this year's LBSC Valentine's Secret Admirer exchange, I got…Laurel! (goldenlaurelleaves / writes). And even though I promised myself I wouldn't overachieve this year…your prompts were just too damn good. xD (And since your third prompt referenced the pick fic, I'm hoping you don't mind me overachieving just a little. :kissing_heart:) She asked for either an aged up/meet cute AU or a school dance AU. I think I found a way to combine the two while still adding in a dash of pick fic-styled shenanigans? Hoping I don't disappoint here. xD Also hoping I finish this before June what are deadlines. xD
But on that note, housekeeping-wise: I have about twelve chapters planned for this fic, give or take. The outline's done, this chapter's done, and little bits here and there are done, but I'm desperately trying to wrap up the last two parts of Winter's Fury before I really dive into this. Which is all to say: Laurel, please bear with me. I'm hoping to stick to a consistent update schedule once I get cracking, but I also said that with WF & it's been about a month I think between Pt5-6. :rolling_eyes: You can trust that I will finish this, though. Hopefully before June. xD
Princess Heartmaker
Chapter One: Stupid Cupid, You're a Real Mean Guy
The Monday before Sant-Saëns's Valentine's dance, Marinette was only ten minutes late to lunch.
Considering she was on both the student council and the dance committee – and how all of the planning meetings for said dance committee had been going so far – she considered that a major accomplishment.
The servers hadn't even started covering up the hot food before she'd slipped into line this time.
But it was Monday afternoon, and the dance wasn't until Saturday night, and everything was mostly finalized. There was still a lot of work that needed to be done setting up the gym, but that would be done Friday night. Her parents were handling most of the snacks, which she would help prepare and deliver Saturday afternoon. The music was already covered. Dingo's band would be doing a final sound check before the dance actually started, but it was again something that was resolved until Saturday. Chaperones and faculty supervisors had been arranged. The crazier ideas of some of the committee's more exuberant members had been talked down or vetoed completely.
It was going to be a great night, and Marinette couldn't wait.
She dropped into the empty chair between Luka and Dingo with a happy sigh, placing her tray on the table before leaning back with a smile. The playing beside her paused momentarily before picking back up again, accompanied by Luka's soft chuckle. She ignored the snickering beside her as Brielle finished her story about a fight over artistic integrity and stylistic choices that had broken out between a classmate and instructor in one of her morning classes. When Brielle was done, Rose giggled and turned towards Marinette.
"Good meeting today, Marinette?" she asked. Marinette opened her eyes and sat up to find her friends were watching her with amused grins. She grinned back at them and nodded.
"I had my doubts when the council put Sasha and Pierre on the committee with me," she said, reaching for her sandwich. "I honestly thought Ginger was just trying to spite me, and you all know how much trouble we had in the beginning. But I think everything's finally in order, and I think we're ready."
"So does that mean you'll actually be joining us for lunch again?" Dingo asked, nudging her with his elbow. "Somebody's missed you."
Luka leaned back in his chair, his legs stretching out and his knee bumping her thigh. Marinette was a little too distracted by that to notice the pick that was flicked behind her head into Dingo's mohawk. Dingo rolled his eyes behind his purple shades.
"I think so, yeah," Marinette said, taking a bite of her sandwich. "Everything left to do is just…details. We decorate Friday night, I'm helping Maman and Papa with the snacks Saturday – and the rest of the snacks are being supplied by some of the teachers. So I'll be busy with all of that then, but for now we've done all we can do. Everyone's finally on the same page, we all finally agree, and…that's it, really."
"I'm sure it's going to be amazing, Marinette." Rose said, bouncing in her seat. "The winter dance was beautiful, and you're so good at leading and organizing these things – the student council is really lucky to have you!"
"Well, she was an awesome class rep at Dupont," Juleka said, twirling some pasta onto her fork. "Of course she's only gotten better."
"Shut up," Marinette laughed, ducking her head to hide her blush. She looked really happy, though – she was really happy. She pushed some hair behind her ear. "I can't wait to see how it all turns out. I think you're all going to have a great time. I'm really excited."
"Oh, I'm not going," Brielle said, snorting. Marinette looked up, her eyebrows lifting as the older girl reached for her iced coffee. "I'm sure it's going to look great, but no thank you. Not my thing at all."
"But…I thought you and Dingo…?" Marinette hedged, looking between them. Dingo choked on the grape he'd just popped in his mouth. He thumped a fist against his chest, coughing and laughing.
"Hell no," he said, shaking his head. He jabbed a thumb in Brielle's direction. "I'm in the band – I have to be there. But this one? She wouldn't be caught dead there, baby girl. You know how she is."
"You went to the winter dance," Marinette said, frowning.
"Under extreme protest, and I left early," Brielle reminded her.
"Don't worry, Marinette – we'll still be there!" Rose piped up, but that wasn't really any comfort to Marinette. Of course Rose and Juleka would be there – she had known that. But she had expected all of them to attend. She had been hoping…
"Yeah, you know Rose wouldn't miss a school dance," Juleka said, smiling at her. "Especially a Valentine's dance. And you know she's making me go."
"And you'll suffer the onslaught of girly pink, just for her," Luka teased, picking out a jaunty tune on his guitar. Juleka nodded and leaned over, kissing a giggling Rose's cheek.
"Damn straight," she said, pecking her cheek again.
Marinette turned to Luka. His fingers paused on his strings with her eyes on him.
"And what about you? You're going, right?" she asked. He shook his head, and she felt the rest of her excitement disappear. Like a popped balloon.
"I went during Seconde, but that was only because I was helping the band," he said. He shrugged. "Dances aren't really my thing. A lot of crappy music and awkward schmoozing. Absolute torture. I'm usually working weekends, anyway."
…which was true, but she knew for a fact that he wasn't working that particular Saturday, and she had still hoped…
"Oi," Dingo said, leaning around her to chuck a grape at Luka. He easily dodged and leaned back in his chair, resuming his playing. "What do you mean, crappy music? I'm playing!"
"Exactly," Luka said with a grin that Marinette didn't see. She was still stuck on dances not really being Luka's thing. She pushed her chair back and stood, cutting off whatever Luka was about to say. He looked up with a frown. "Marinette?"
"Sorry, I just…remembered I left…something – my bag! My bag. Forgot it in the classroom. I should…I need to get it. Before class. I'll be right back!" she said in a rush, moving around the chairs to race out of the canteen. Luka looked at the floor, where her backpack was tucked under her chair, and snatched it up before starting to get up to go after her.
"Mari, wait, you –" he called, but Rose was already on her feet and snatching the bag from his hand.
"I'll get her!" she said, racing away before Luka could stop her. He slumped back into his seat, still frowning as he watched the door Marinette and Rose had run out of. He jumped when something hard and small hit him square in the forehead. A grape dropped into his lap.
"Dumbass," Brielle said, stealing another one of Dingo's grapes and popping it into her mouth. Luka sighed and slumped back into his chair.
"…yeah," he said, nodding. "I know."
– V –
Marinette had known she hadn't actually left her bag in the classroom the dance committee had been using for their meetings, but after looking at Luka's impassive face…after hearing him say how much he disliked dances and watching all of her hard work and hopes for Saturday get scuttled against the proverbial rocks…she just had to get out of there.
She reminded herself that Luka didn't know. How could he? She hadn't said anything to him about wanting to go, or…well, no. That was a lie. He'd been around her plenty of times as their group had discussed the upcoming dance and all of the work she was putting into it. He knew, generally speaking, how excited she was for Valentine's and that she planned on attending the dance. He just…didn't know that she wanted him to take her. Because she hadn't said anything. Because she had just…assumed they'd all be going, like they had at Christmas for the 'Snowflake Ball' the school had thrown to celebrate the coming holidays.
He hadn't seemed to hate dances then, but they had spent most of the night on the sidelines talking. The music hadn't been the greatest, but there had reached a point in the night where he'd noticed her staring wistfully at the couples on the dancefloor and had offered her his hand. It had been the highlight of her night.
Because she and Luka…they were good. They were friends. It had been awkward as hell for a while there after their…breakup, or failed start, or whatever the hell you wanted to call it. Whatever they had been those few weeks during her last year in collège where they had tried to date and failed horribly because of her other responsibilities. Things had been weird between them for a while, but they had fought their way back from that. He was still the most important person in her life. She still…still…
She stopped walking, her hands fisting at her sides.
She still loved him. She was so in love with him, and she desperately wanted a second chance, and that stupid hopeless romantic in her had hoped the Valentine's dance would provide the perfect opportunity to try again. And yes, it was a school dance, but she had put so much effort into making sure it would be one he'd enjoy. She'd advocated for Dingo's band to play so that he'd enjoy the music. She'd convinced her parents to supply macarons and little cakes for snacks because he loved their treats. She'd gone to the pizzeria on a day he wasn't working to talk to Pete, insuring he wouldn't be scheduled for the night of the dance. And her dress…
Her heart twisted painfully at the thought of the dress she'd made for Saturday. Of the deep blue fabric she'd found three months ago and bought on a whim, not really knowing what she'd make with it but knowing it had to be something for Luka, the color reminding her of his eyes twinkling in the fairy lights aboard the Liberty on a summer night. Of the sheet music Dingo had transcribed for her when Luka wasn't looking – of the song he claimed was hers, that she had spent hours carefully embroidering in shimmery pink thread along a hem that would flare around her knees when he spun her in a dance. Of the three little notes she had stitched above her heart to tie the look together.
She had spent weeks on that dress, making it perfect. Thinking about the look on Luka's face when he saw her in it, when he saw the music along the hem and realized what it said – what she was saying by having it there. Humming silly little love songs Dingo's band was guaranteed to not play as she daydreamed about spending the night in Luka's arms, twirling around the dancefloor like it was some grand ball instead of a silly lycée dance. Fantasizing about him walking her home, their fingers linked as the chilly night bit at their exposed faces…about how he would pull her close before they reached her door, warming her with the kiss they had never managed to steal before…
…none of which would happen now, because dances weren't Luka's thing. Absolute torture, he'd said. Which meant, she couldn't help but think, that the Snowflake Ball had been torture, too.
God, how stupid was she? What had she been thinking? Of course Luka wouldn't want to go to a school dance with her. He'd obviously hated the last time, and she had been too stupid to notice, and –
"Marinette!"
She jumped and whirled around, a hand flying to her heart at the shout. Rose was running down the hall to her, waving one arm and Marinette's bag slung over the other. Marinette looked away, quickly rubbing at her eyes before her friend reached her and accused her of doing something silly like crying over a boy. She turned back to her with a forced smile, but Rose was already crashing into her and wrapping her up in a tight hug.
"Are you ok, Marinette?" she whispered, squeezing her tight. The false reassurance stuck in Marinette's throat, so all she could do was nod as she returned Rose's hug. "Liar. I thought you hated liars."
"…it's stupid," Marinette mumbled. Rose stepped back, her hands sliding down to rest on Marinette's arms. She shook her head and smiled.
"Bet you it's not," she said. "Bet you it's really, really not stupid. It can't be if it's got you this upset."
Marinette's smile felt a bit more genuine, but she was still too upset to hold it for long. She looked down and shook her head.
"It is," she said. "I just…I was really looking forward to the dance."
"And you should! It's going to be amazing, Marinette! You've been working so hard on it!" Rose enthused. Marinette tried to smile again.
"But I…it's so dumb, Rose," she sighed. "I just assumed…that we'd all be going. Together. Like the winter dance."
"That's not stupid, Marinette," Rose said. Marinette shook her head. "And most of us are going! It's just Bri and…oh."
"See? It is," she said, "because I assumed, and I got so excited, and I made that stupid dress, and –"
"What dress?" Rose asked, tilting her head to the side. Marinette shook her head, and Rose frowned as she squeezed her arms again. "Mari. What dress?"
Marinette fished out her phone and pulled up the picture she'd taken to send Alya. Rose gasped as she saw it.
"Oh my God, Marinette! That's gor…" Rose started, but then her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath as she snatched Marinette's phone away and zoomed in on part of the picture. Her head snapped up as she held the phone up for Marinette, pointing to the staff along the hem. A high-pitched squeal was whistling through her teeth as she started bouncing. "The song, Marinette!"
Marinette felt heat crawling up her neck as she looked away. She bit down on her lip and reached up to rub at her blush.
"…it's stupid," she said again. "I never even asked him if he was going. I have no right to be upset that he's not. I –"
"But…Marinette! You never even asked him!" Rose said. Marinette pursed her lips and shook her head.
"He said he's not going," she said. "That dances are torture. I'm not going to torture him, Rose."
"…you're torturing me," Rose groaned. "Mari! I'm sure if you actually asked – if you told him you wanted to go with him – he'd go! A dance with you would not be torture! You need to actually ask him, not just…run away!"
"It's fine, really," Marinette sighed, taking her phone back from Rose and turning away. She stuffed it back in her pocket, no longer wanting to think about the dress and any dashed hopes of finally telling Luka she still… "It was stupid to get my hopes up. It –"
"Marinette," Rose said, grabbing her hands and squeezing. "You're being silly. Luka loves you – he'd love to go to the dance with you! If you just ask him!"
"Rose, stop!" Marinette cried, yanking her hands away. "He said he doesn't like dances! I'm not going to ask him to do something he doesn't want to do just because I…"
Marinette choked on the words, but Rose was grinning like Christmas had come really early (or a little late). She was still bouncing.
"Just because you what, Marinette?" she pressed, giggling. Marinette bit her lip and looked at her feet. She tried not to think about winter dances and warm smiles and how being held by Luka had felt like home. It was a stark contrast to the look on Luka's face when he had talked about dances in the canteen.
"I just…I had this fairytale, I guess," she finally sighed. "That we'd both be at the dance, and the perfect song would come on, and I'd tell him I still…and we could try again. And it would work this time. And we'd…but it's stupid, because I'm going to the dance and he's not. And that's fine."
"Marinette…" Rose sighed, but Marinette shook her head and forced the brightest smile she could muster onto her face. She held out her hand, and Rose sighed as she handed over her bag. "I think you're wrong, Marinette. About him not going, not what would happen if he did – of course you two would work. You're so good together. You're practically made –"
"Rose," Marinette said in warning. She was so sick of people saying she was made for someone – nobody was made for someone. Especially not her.
"You're giving up too easily, Mari," Rose said, puffing her cheeks out in a pout. "It's Valentine's Day. It's magic. You can't give up on true love without even fighting for it."
"I don't think Luka wants to fight for it, either, Rose," Marinette mumbled, looking back at her feet. "And if we're both giving up too easily, doesn't that mean it's not really true love after all? We…we had our chance. Maybe it's time I just accept that we blew it. At least we're still friends, right?"
Rose sucked in a breath. She felt like Marinette had just slapped her.
"I've got to get to class," Marinette sighed. "I'll…I'll see you later, Rose."
Rose pursed her lips as she watched her friend walk away. She thought of Luka, sitting in the canteen like the idiot he was, completely oblivious to the heartache he had unintentionally caused. She loved her friends to death, but sometimes they really could be two halves of one whole idiot.
They were just lucky Rose Lavillant was an expert in idiot.
"Don't worry, Marinette," Rose whispered, her fists clenching as she turned on her heel and stomped back towards the canteen. "Luka's going to take you to that dance if it's the last thing I do. You two are getting your happily ever after – you can count on me!"
– V –
Luka's fingers stilled on his guitar as Rose dropped back into the chair across from him.
"Hey," he said, looking around when the chair beside him remained empty. "Did you find her? Is she o-?"
…Rose had stolen one of Dingo's grapes and thrown it at him. He was starting to really hate grapes.
"Luka Couffaine!" she snapped, causing everyone at the table to stop and stare at her. Luka blinked and sat up a little straighter, surprised by the angry glare on Rose's face. She leaned forward, propped her elbows on the table, and folded her hands in front of her mouth. Her eyes narrowed at him over her fingertips. He had the distinct impression that he was in a world of trouble. There were times Rose could be more terrifying than his ma on a bender. "Do you like Marinette?"
"…what?" he asked. He blinked and shook his head, certain he hadn't heard her right. Beside him, Dingo barked out a laugh – until Brielle jabbed an elbow into his ribs and hissed at him to shut the hell up. Beside Rose, Juleka was watching her with a wary expression. "Of course I like Marinette. She's my friend, just like you. I would hope I liked her."
"Ugh, not like me, you dummy!" Rose huffed, slouching back in her chair and folding her arms across her chest. "I mean do you like her? Like Dingo likes Bri and I like Juleka!"
Dingo yelped, his face turning an interesting shade of red that clashed with his mohawk, and began spluttering out protests.
"Shut up, dumbass," Brielle muttered, shoving the rest of her sandwich into his mouth to make him stop. Rose ignored them as she leaned back over the table, her fingers gripping the edge so hard they blanched.
"Luka, do you love Marinette?" she asked, her voice near a whisper and deadly serious. Luka felt his heart twist at her question. His lips pressed together in a frown, and he glanced towards the door to make sure Marinette wasn't about to rejoin them. "Luka!"
"Of course I do, Rose," he said, his voice soft and just as serious. He felt his eyes narrow in an answering glare. "What the hell kind of question is that? You know I do."
"Then why aren't you taking her to the dance, you moron?!" she asked, throwing her arms above her head. "Marinette's been working so hard on it, and she was so excited to go with you, and –"
"She never asked me to go, Rose," he said, his frown deepening. "She never said she wanted me to take her."
"What the heck do you think she was just doing?!" Rose cried, gesturing wildly.
"Rose!" Juleka said, leaning back before Rose accidentally hit her. If Rose noticed, she didn't act like it.
"She has to go to the dance – she's on the committee," Luka said, "and I'm not surprised she asked if the rest of us were going. Dances suck, but they suck even more when you don't have any friends there."
"So why don't you take her and make it suck less?" Rose whined. Luka slumped back into his chair and looked down at his guitar, hating the way her eyes were starting to water.
"…she doesn't want me to take her, Rose," he mumbled. "She hasn't said anything."
"Luka –" Rose tried, but his eyes shot up in another glare that made her stop short.
"She knows how I feel, Rose. She knows I'm here whenever she's ready. I've been very clear about that," he said sharply, his fingers tightening on the neck of his guitar. "I'm not going to pressure her into something she's not ready for, and I'd appreciate you not doing the same."
"But she is ready, Luka," Rose whimpered, her lip wobbling as she looked at him. "She wants to try again."
"I appreciate that, Rose, I do," he said, looking back down, "but I need to hear that from her, not you."
Before Rose could say anything else, the bell signaling the end of lunch rang. Luka was already up and walking away from the table, Dingo hot on his heels, before she could regain her bearings. Brielle stood to follow them, but she lingered a moment longer. She reached out and laid a hand on Rose's shoulder, squeezing.
"I know they're frustrating as hell, Rose," she said, "but they've got to work this out on their own. They'll get there. Just…don't meddle, ok? You know how Luka is. Couffaine stubbornness. He's just going to push back if he thinks you're trying to manipulate them."
"I'm not manipulating!" Rose whined, covering her face with her hands. "I'm fighting for true love! I'm Cupid's advocate!"
"Ro," Juleka mumbled, shaking her head. "Babe. You saw how meddling always worked with Adrien and Marinette. Bri's right. Just…let them be. They came together just fine on their own before."
"Yeah, and then blew it before any of us even knew they were trying!" Rose huffed. "So they clearly need our help!"
"That wasn't their fault, though," Brielle sighed. "Lu didn't really want to talk about it. Said he couldn't talk about it. But I got the impression that there were…mitigating circumstances. Their breakup had nothing to do with either of them not wanting to be together."
The second bell rang, and one of the teachers monitoring the canteen called for them to get to class. Juleka nudged Rose, then pulled her up when she refused to stand.
"Just…give them a chance to sort it out themselves, all right? I'll see you guys later," Brielle said. She ran off, not wanting to be late for her next class. After a moment, Juleka got Rose to follow.
– V –
Except Rose was, as she had so aptly put it, Cupid's Advocate. She was Rose Lavillant, and she couldn't very well just leave well enough alone.
Because Rose knew, deep down, if she did, Brielle was wrong. Luka and Marinette would never work it out themselves.
"The problem," she huffed as she and Juleka walked home from school that day, "is that he's too gallant."
"…gallant?" Juleka snorted, kicking at a pebble on the sidewalk. Rose nodded.
"Gallant," she said firmly. "He thinks he's doing the right thing by not making a move. Giving Marinette her space. Letting her come to him."
"But…?" Juleka sighed, kicking at the pebble again.
"But then Marinette sees him not making a move, and remembers how Adrien never made a move, so she gets it in her head that he's not actually interested!" Rose cried, throwing her arms up. "Marinette is amazing –"
"He'd definitely agree with that," Juleka mumbled.
"…but she doesn't see it herself! She sees the best in everyone else except herself!" Rose cried. "It's like she can't even imagine a guy actually liking her, so she gets all flustered and stupid and…she's going to lose him, Juleka. He's going to lose her! Because they're both going to be standing there, waiting for the other to make a move, and then no one's going to be moving and they'll die miserable and alone with fifty cats!"
"Some people like cats," Juleka said, shrugging. "Lu's more of a dog guy, though. Or goats. He's got a weird thing about goats. And doesn't Mari like hamsters?"
"Juleka!" Rose whined. Juleka sighed as they came to a stop at a light.
"I get it, Ro, I do. They are perfect together. They're so much happier when they're together, and you know I want that for both of them," she said. "But Bri was right. If you – we – meddle, Luka's just going to be stupid and dig his heels in. And Marinette…you saw how well all of our plans worked when we were trying to set her up with Adrien. I think we just gotta let this happen."
The light changed, and Juleka started across the street. She was halfway through the intersection before she realized Rose was no longer beside her. She turned back as people moved around her to find Rose was still standing on the corner, her mouth open and eyes wide.
"Juleka!" she screeched. Juleka sighed and started back towards the corner.
"Ro, you know I'm –" she started, but Rose had already pulled her phone out of her pocket.
"Right, of course you are," she said. Juleka frowned. Rose didn't sound upset. If anything, she sounded…excited. Juleka wasn't sure if that was better or worse. "That's exactly what we need! A Plan!"
"What?" Juleka asked, eyes widening. "Ro, no. That's the exact opposite of what I –"
"And who knows plans better than Alya? She's still Marinette's best friend – she'll know how to fix this!" Rose said, hitting call and raising her phone to her ear. Juleka groaned as Rose started bouncing, humming with every ring. After the fourth ring, the call went to voicemail. Rose puffed out her cheeks in a frown, disconnected the call, and tried again. Once again, after a few rings, it went to voicemail. "Weird. Alya should be out of class by now. I wonder…"
"It's a sign," Juleka tried, nudging Rose forward once the light changed again. She could see the Liberty in the distance. If they could just get to the boat and start on their homework, she might actually be able to distract Rose from her crazy idea.
If nothing else, once they were in the privacy of her home, Juleka could…jump her or something. Makeouts were pretty distracting, right?
But Rose had already pulled up the Girl Squad's text chain – the one without Marinette, that Alya had set up for the parts of their Plans Marinette didn't necessarily need to be privy to. The parts that Alya was convinced she'd just mess up if she was. Her thumbs flew over her screen, sending out rapid-fire texts to the others.
RL: SOS, girls! True love is in danger! We have a Valentine's Emergency!
AK: wut?
MH: ?
AC: girl chill is this why u were calling?
Juleka peeked over Rose's shoulder as she stopped walking again. She groaned and dropped her forehead onto her shoulder.
"Rose…" she sighed.
RL: I can't CHILL Alya this is True Love!
MH: Did something happen with Juleka?
AK: the florist not having purple roses isn't an emergency ro
Rose ignored Juleka's snort and mumbled "she knows I like orchids more, anyway" and kept typing.
RL: Luka's not going to the Valentine's dance! He won't take Marinette! We have to figure out how to get him to ask her or they'll die miserable and alone!
There was a long moment where she eagerly awaited the flood of Brilliant Ideas to come in from her friends. Followed by another long moment of Several People are Typing – including Juleka, who had fished out her own phone and stepped away from Rose.
AC: are u kidding me
MH: Marinette asked us not to set her up anymore.
AK: aren't we getting a little too old for schemes by now?
JC: lu & mari both told u to butt out, ro
MH: She meant Adrien, but I'm sure the request extends to Luka, too. She wanted to make her own decisions.
AK: i'm out derby practice starting
AC: i'm on a date rose stop bothering me
MH: I'm sorry, Rose, but I can't get involved when I know Marinette doesn't want it.
JC: she doesn't. luka doesn't. rose won't listen to me.
Rose looked up from her phone, glaring at Juleka.
"Juleka! You're not helping!" she huffed.
"You're right," Juleka said, nodding. "I'm not. None of us are, Rose. Because they don't want our help."
"But –!" Rose cried, but Juleka just shook her head, grabbed her shoulders, and started walking them towards the Liberty.
"We're going home, and we're going to do our homework," she said firmly. "And if you actually do that and let this go, I might reward you with some kisses. If you let this go."
"But that's not fair! Juleka, think of their future – our future! The missed double dates! The cats!" Rose whined.
"…I am never going on a double date with my brother," Juleka mumbled, shoving Rose up the gangway. "Gross."
"Juleka!" Rose cried, whirling around and grabbing the railing. She leaned towards Juleka, pouting up at her as she blocked her path. "I…I just want them to be happy again, Juleka. Don't you?"
…which just wasn't fair. That was a low blow, and Rose knew it. Juleka thought of those weeks following their 'breakup' or 'failed start' or whatever you wanted to call it, of how absolutely miserable Luka had been. Of all the breakup songs he had subjected them to. And they were better now, yeah, but…Juleka wasn't blind. There were still times they would look at each other, when they thought the other wasn't looking, and…she wouldn't call them miserable. They weren't – they were good. They were friends again.
…but they both very obviously still wanted more. Would be happier with more. With each other.
It was a fragile thing, though. What they had. And Juleka was all too aware of how stupid her brother could be. If Rose got involved – if she helped Rose get involved – when both Luka and Marinette had clearly said they didn't want her help…it could ruin whatever it was they still had. And Juleka wanted her brother and friend happy, but not at the expense of damaging it beyond repair.
So…no, she wasn't going to help Rose. And Rose was going to have to respect that.
"I'm sorry," Juleka sighed. She reached up, cupping Rose's face in her hands, and bent down to press a soft kiss against her lips. "But we can't get involved, Rose. Please. Let them work this out on their own."
She pulled away and took Rose's hand, squeezing before she led her towards the door that led below deck.
"Just give them a chance, Ro," she said, opening the door and tugging her down after her. "Please."
Rose pursed her lips, following quietly as Juleka led her to her cabin. She just didn't get it, she couldn't help but think. Nobody did. That's exactly what Rose was trying to do.
Give Luka and Marinette a chance.
Like any good friend would.
…right?