Violets & Bluebells
A Julenette Fan Fiction
Cover Image by StarrdustCrusader
Chapter 5
AN: Thanks for all the support so far! I greatly appreciate it! This is my longest chapter yet so I hope you all enjoy it! I almost split it into two chapters but would have needed to write a bit more to round out the second half and I was feeling a bit lazy lol! Anyway, on with the next chapter! ^_^
"Tiki, spots on!"
Marinette transformed into Ladybug, striking a determined pose in the middle of her bedroom. She had decided to take Tiki's advice and was going to try and attempt creating a magical charm in a way she hadn't done before. She had only created a few of them so far but only after using her lucky charm. She had her doubts if it would even be possible since this was uncharted territory for her but she was committed to helping Juleka in any way she possibly could.
All the Kwamis were scattered throughout her bedroom, some watching her with keen interest while others were enjoying playing with a myriad of objects in her bedroom. Common, everyday objects always seemed to fascinate them and they always loved playing with her clothes-making supplies, random small objects and any kind of electronics, especially her computer.
"Alright, guys. Can one of you keep an eye out for Juleka while I'm working on this, please?" Marinette asked them.
"Oooh! I'll do it!" Roaar quickly volunteered, hopping off her perch on the top of the stepladder and floating over to the circular window at the front of the bedroom. "I really like her! She's my favorite one of all your friends!"
"Thanks, Roaar! I'm glad you think so!" Marinette smiled appreciatively. "Okay, let's give this a shot!" She declared, pulling her magical yo-yo off her hip. She held it out in front of her, clasping it firmly in her hands and closing her eyes. She focused on the thought of creating a magical charm, like she had done several times before with ease. After a few moments of concentration, she opened her eyes and tapped her yo-yo. It opened up like a pair of ladybug wings and she expected to see the magical portal inside, but nothing was there except the the screen for her Ladybug phone.
"Hmmm, okay, let's try keeping my yo-yo open this time maybe?" Marinette cupped her hands in front of her, holding her still open yo-yo and closed her eyes again. She concentrated intently on the thought of creating a magical charm to protect her friend and took a peek after a bit to see that nothing had happened yet again.
"Okay, let's try this again from the beginning." She returned her yo-yo back to her hip and tried clearing her mind except for the one intense thought of creating a magical charm. Filled with resolve, she boldly retrieved her yo-yo from her hip, opening it once again and reaching inside for the sole purpose of creating a charm. She expected her fingers to dip through the magical portal and into the dimensional space, but instead, her fingertips clumsily bumped into the screen.
"It's okay, guys. I'll just try another way,"she assured her Kwamis. To them though, it seemed more like she was trying to reassure herself.
"Hmmm, what else can I try?" She brought her hand to her chin as she thought things over for a minute until she had another idea. "Oooh, I've got it! I'll try to create one when I retrieve a Miraculous!"
She readied herself once again and opened her yo-yo with the intent of retrieving one of the Miraculous' from the dimensional space through the portal. She was happy to see the portal this time when she opened her yo-yo and she dipped her fingers inside and slowly pulled out the Turtle Miraculous. With the portal still active, she closed her eyes and dipped her fingers inside one more. She lifted them out but saw that she was holding nothing. She tried again, this time focusing for a bit longer; the result was sadly still the same. She tried several more times with no success until finally putting the Turtle Miraculous back and moving on to try something else.
"What should I try next?" She asked herself aloud. She was putting on a brave face but the Kwamis could tell that she was a little upset.
"What normally happens when you create a magical charm?" Longg asked while floating aimlessly about her room.
Marinette thought for a moment and then suddenly remembered a critical piece of information. "M-my suit changes like I'm powering up, almost like when I use my Aqua or Ice form! And the ground... the ground beneath me changes like I'm standing on a giant version of the magical portal inside my yo-yo before the magic flows up and over me! How could I forget about all that?" She shook her head in amazement that it had slipped her mind. "Okay, let's try this again!"
She closed her eyes once again and thought back to all the times when she had created a magical charm. She envisioned the magic portal forming beneath her and flowing over her body, transforming her suit and granting her a new power of creation. She grabbed her yo-yo, opened it up and opened her eyes to see that nothing had happened. She growled lowly and closed her eyes and tried again. And again. And yet again.
"Maybe you should try saying something when you do it?" Fluff suggested after pausing from hopping all over Marinette's keyboard.
"Hey, that's not a bad idea, Fluff!" Marinette replied excitedly. "What should I say though?"
"What do you normally say when you use your lucky charm?" Sass hissed from his comfy spot on the seat of Marinette's office chair.
"Sass, you're a genius!" Marinette gushed as she clenched her fist in a victory pose. "I've got this now!"
Xuppu and Trixx took a break from jumping all over Marinette's bed and peeked over the edge of the mattress, watching her intently.
Marinette returned her yo-yo to her hip once again and took a deep breath before clearing her mind and readying her thoughts. In one swift motion, she pulled her yo-yo from her hip, thrusting it high into the air as she yelled, "Magical charm!" She lowered her hand as she flipped her yo-yo open but there was still no magical portal present. "Oooh!" She moaned with a disappointed frown. "I was so sure that would be the way! I'm not giving up though! What should I try next?"
"Dance! Dance!" Xuppu excitedly suggested as he jumped off the bed and caught the circular pull hanging below with his tail. "You should do a dance like all Miraculous holders do when they transform!" He recommended as he began swinging back and forth while hanging upside down from his tail. He inadvertently began unrolling Adrien's daily schedule with each passing swing until the entire sheet was fully unrolled.
"Xuppu, that's an amazing idea! You guys are so great helping me out with this!" Marinette cheerfully thanked them. She did a few quick stretches and took a deep breath in preparation. "Okay, let's do this!"
Forty-five minutes and many dances and suggestions later…
"Ugh! Why isn't this working?" Marinette complained in frustration burying her head in her hands as she slumped over in her office chair. "It feels like I've tried everything. I don't know what else I can do."
"You haven't tried everything yet," Trixx pointed out as she floated down from the bed and landed on the desk next to Marinette.
"I haven't? Marinette asked curiously as she looked up. "What am I forgetting about?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Trixx asked surprisingly. "Your lucky charm of course!"
"My lucky…?! But I can't use it unless I'm fighting a villain...I thought?" Marinette puzzled over it with an uncertain look on her face.
"No, she's right, Marinette!" Wayzz jumped in as he plopped down on the desk next to Trixx. "Your lucky charm is supposed to help you solve whatever problem or situation you're dealing with. There's no reason it won't work or at least point you in the direction you need to go. After all, you're trying to do something in a way you've never done before so it stands to reason that the solution will also be doing something differently or something you've never done before."
"Oh, my ..." Marinette blushed furiously. "How could I not think of something so obvious?!" She cried out, waving her arms dramatically. "I'm so stupid sometimes!"
"No you're not!" Mullo squeaked in her defense from her perch atop the clothing mannequin. "You're just overthinking things, that's all."
"Haha, yeah I guess I am apparently!" Marinette laughed. "I think I'm just so used to calling my lucky charm only when I'm fighting villains that it never occurred to me that I might be able to use it in other situations too when there's no villain at all."
Marinette stood up, now more determined than ever. "Alright then, this is it!" She declared as she readied herself. "Time to figure out how to make a charm!" She threw her yo-yo into the air with all the resolve she could muster as she yelled out, "Lucky charm!"
A spiral of Ladybug energy swirled fancily around her yo-yo before a present wrapped in Ladybug-themed wrapping paper materialized suddenly and fell into her hands. "A present?" She wondered aloud. "Oooh! I wonder what's inside?" She hurriedly opened it up and peered inside as the Kwamis watched anxiously. "It-it's empty…" she trailed off as her voice fell as well as her hopes. She looked around in confusion but the answer seemed to avail her.
"Did your lucky charm not work?" Pollen asked curiously as she floated over and peeked inside the empty box.
"I don't think so but… it doesn't make any sense since my lucky charm created an object. If it didn't work, I don't think it would have created anything at all. Oh, I don't know what to think anymore!" Marinette hung her head, visibly upset after nearly an hour of failed attempts.
"Don't get discouraged, Marinette!" Kaalki chimed in nearby. "It has to mean something! You just have to figure out what!"
"Yeah, but what could an empty present mean? All I can think of is that it's empty because I'm not able to give Juleka a charm in the way I'm trying to…" Marinette slumped down on her chaise lounge letting the empty present fall to the floor. Her earrings chimed briefly, letting her know she only had a few minutes left till she transformed back. She stared up blankly at the ceiling, lost on what she could possibly do next.
"Marinette, this isn't like you," Wayzz commented in concern as he flew over in front of her. "You can't give up like this."
"I'm not giving up… I just don't know what else I can do, Wayzz," she replied softly.
"Did you even try looking for any objects that you can use with your lucky charm?" Stompp snorted as he joined in with Wayzz.
"Well yeah, it's the first thing I always do after using my lucky charm." Marinette said plainly.
"What if it's not a gift at all?" Wayzz suggested. "What if it's like all those lucky charms that hinted you needed to go see Master Fu and it's trying to tell you you need to go somewhere or see someone?"
Marinette immediately sat up when she heard this as she started mulling it over. "Wow, that's a really good idea. I think you're onto something, Wayzz…"
Across the room, Daizzi started digging herself out of a box of craft supplies on the far end of Marinette's desk. She had been busy playing with them and half-listening to the ongoing events when a certain word piqued her interest. "Hey, Marinette…" she started.
"She's here!" Roaar shouted suddenly, startling everyone.
"Aaaah!" Marinette screamed as she fell off her chaise lounge in panic and scrambled to her feet. "I was supposed to tidy things up downstairs and get things ready and I forgot since I was busy trying to create a charm this whole time!" She quickly ran over to the hatch door and flung it open.
"Marinette!" Nearly all the Kwamis yelled at her.
"What? What is it?" She asked in a flustered tone.
They were all pointing at her and she looked confused for a moment before she glanced down and realized she was still Ladybug. "Oh...hehehe, oops!" She laughed awkwardly. "Spots off!" As soon as she said this, her lucky charm immediately vanished.
Tiki rematerialized out of her earrings and gave her a concerned look. "Take a deep breath and try to relax, Marinette."
"Okay, okay, I'll try," Marinette assured her. "Now c'mon, Tiki. We gotta go!" She urged her, scooping her up in her hand and stuffing her into her purse where she could enjoy a macaroon and regain her strength. "Be good you guys and stay out of sight if you hear anyone coming upstairs in case it isn't me." She told them as she disappeared down the stairs and dropped the hatch door shut behind her.
Outside…
Juleka stood outside the bakery with a puzzled expression on her face. A sign on the door had caught her off guard and she wasn't sure what to make of it.
Closed for the Weekend
She had never seen the bakery closed like this before in all the times she had seen it outside of school. She got off her bike, put the kickstand down and peered through the glass door inside. All the lights were off and she didn't see anyone in sight. She remembered that Marinette had told her to just come in when she got here and thought that maybe she should at least try the door.
She glanced around for a moment, almost feeling like a burglar and reached for the door knob when the door suddenly burst open. Juleka staggered back in shock and was about to fall backwards over her bike when a pair of arms pulled her forwards instead and wrapped her up in a hug. It was warm and familiar and she immediately knew it was Marinette before her brain had even finished processing what just happened.
"Jules! You're here!" Marinette exclaimed happily, letting her go after a brief moment.
Jules… This is going to be a great weekend if she keeps calling me that.
"Oh, Marinette! You startled me!" Juleka blushed after enjoying another free hug from her crush.
"Guess I got a little excited,"she grinned in reply. "Glad to see you found the place okay."
Juleka giggled at how cute and silly Marinette was being and hoped she would be this way all weekend. "I almost had to use a GPS to find it," she bravely replied, trying to return a little humor back to her.
Marinette beamed when she heard this, ecstatic that Juleka seemed to still be in a good mood. She had never heard Juleka make a joke before and took it as a good sign and giggled as well in reply.
She suddenly realized that she was blocking the doorway and quickly stepped aside. "Please, please, come inside!" She ushered Juleka inside and locked the door behind her. "Can I take your bag?" She offered politely, trying to be a good host.
"Oh okay, thanks, Marinette," Juleka smiled gratefully as she handed her the large, purple duffle bag that had been digging into her shoulder the whole ride over.
"You can just put your bike over there," Marinette motioned to the area in front of the glass window displays. "I'd feel better knowing your bike is safe in here, instead of outside in the corral the whole weekend. I bet Sabrina's dad would probably give you a bike parking ticket if you left it there all weekend!" She laughed as she slung the duffle bag over her shoulder.
Juleka giggled again at the thought of how silly that would be but knew that it wasn't a stretch considering how zealous officer Roger was about upholding the law. "Thanks for being so considerate, Marinette. And yeah, you're probably right about that."
"No trouble at all," she replied with a grin. "Now follow me and we can head upstairs."
Juleka followed her to the back of the bakery and remembered she had wanted to ask her about the sign on the door. "Marinette, what's up with the sign on the front door? I've never seen your parents' bakery closed before on a weekend."
Marinette stopped suddenly before they reached the door that led upstairs and Juleka nearly ran into her. She turned around with a dumbstruck look on her face and then grinned sheepishly as she realized she had forgotten to mention one little detail to her about her parents.
"Oh, hahaha! That's no big deal! Nothing to worry about at all!" Marinette laughed nervously."My parents are just… gone for the weekend. So let's head on upstairs now!" She turned back around, quickly trying to change the subject and started marching towards the door in an awkward motion.
"Wait, what?" Juleka asked in dismay. She had to have misheard her. She wasn't going to let herself get her hopes up until she knew for sure that what she thought she had just heard was true.
Marinette stopped again and turned around hesitantly. Juleka hadn't moved from where she was waiting for a reply and Marinette suddenly wasn't sure whether or not this was going to be bad news or good news. "Um, yeah… I guess I may have forgotten to mention that detail. It's my parents' anniversary and they decided to go away for the weekend. So... it's just us this weekend."
Don't freak out. Don't freak out! Don't! Freak! Out! Juleka was nearly paralyzed after hearing this bit of information and was trying her hardest not to start singing and dancing and jumping for joy. It felt as if a dream was coming true and she could barely contain herself. She had a whole weekend of unsupervised time alone… with Marinette! Her heart was beating like crazy and she suddenly realized that her cheeks were burning in a bright crimson shade. It was thankfully a bit dim in the back of the bakery with all the lights off and she hoped that Marinette wouldn't notice. There was only a small amount of light pouring in from the doorway leading to the stairwell and it illuminated Marinette in a soft glow that made her look angelic. She was so beautiful and… were her lips moving? Wait, was she talking or…
"Juleka?"
Juleka felt her senses suddenly snap her back to reality away from her wonderful daydream. Ironically, reality was actually a better place at the moment than any daydream she'd ever had before. "W-what did you say, Marinette?"
"Oh no, are you upset?" Marinette asked with concern, waving her hands in an apologetic manner. She was having trouble reading Juleka's reaction with how dim it was. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to hide it or anything. I just forgot to mention it, that's all. I hope it's okay with you, Juleka."
"W-w-why would it b-be a p-p-problem?" Juleka nervously stuttered. She was trying so hard to keep her body from trembling in excitement that her jaw started quivering when she spoke. She gulped and took a slow, deep breath in an effort to calm herself. "I-it's okay, Marinette. I don't have an issue if it's j-just the two of us." Not perfect but it was a bit of an improvement. She moved from the spot she had been frozen in and walked closer, giving her a small smile.
Marinette wasn't entirely convinced since Juleka was still acting a little odd but she decided to take her for her word for now. "Alright, I'm glad to hear it! Let's head upstairs then!" She cheered, pumping her first into the air and leading the way up to the second floor. Juleka giggled to herself again at Marinette's cute antics and happily followed after her. They headed into the kitchen and family room area and Marinette set the duffle bag off to the side behind the couch for the time being.
"Are you hungry at all, Juleka? It didn't look like you ate much during lunch today," Marinette pointed out.
She was right. Juleka has been so upset over the morning's events that she hadn't felt hungry at all during lunch. Now that things had settled down, she suddenly realized how hungry she actually felt now. "Yeah, actually I am a bit hungry now that you mention it."
"Wonderful! Are you okay with a grilled cheese sandwich?" Marinette asked, her hand already on the fridge door.
"Oh, yes that's fine, Marinette, thank you!" Juleka accepted graciously.
"You're welcome, no trouble at all,". Marinette replied as she opened the fridge and started digging around for the stuff she needed.
"I'd be happy to eat anything that you made for me…" Juleka commented, her voice getting really soft at the end. Marinette felt a shiver run down her spine when she heard it and was sure it wasn't because she was rooting around in a cold refrigerator.
"Oh, I uh… thank you." Marinette gulped as she closed the fridge door and set the ingredients out on the counter. Juleka had taken a seat at the breakfast bar on the other side of the peninsula and was leaning on her elbows with her chin resting cutely in her hands.
"You're welcome," Juleka replied sweetly. She let her eyes slide up and down Marinette's shapely figure as she busily prepared the sandwiches. She wished that she could just walk up behind Marinette and wrap her arms around her. She would turn her around slowly, putting one hand in the small of her back and pull her close while she held her cheek in her other hand and gave her a tender, passionate kiss.
Marinette felt her cheeks getting warm when she realized that Juleka seemed to be studying her intently. She could feel her eyes on her and it had her heart beating quicker than normal. She glanced over at her, catching her by surprise and caught the remnants of an affectionate look in her eyes before Juleka quickly looked away, blushing from being caught staring at her. That look in her eyes had Marinette blushing as well and she turned back to her work feeling butterflies swirling in her stomach.
A moment later, she finished preparing the sandwiches, grabbed a frying pan off the wall and put everything together on the cook top. "Do you want anything to drink?" Marinette asked her suddenly. Things had suddenly started feeling a bit awkward and she wanted to break the silence.
Juleka looked up from hiding behind her hair. "A-anything is fine," she mumbled almost inaudibly. She was trying to calm down after being caught daydreaming about her and felt flustered over the whole situation. She knew that she should just tell Marinette how she felt to avoid more of these awkward situations but she wanted to wait for the right moment. When they were closer or sitting together perhaps. She wondered if she would get that opportunity and realized it might help if she knew what they were going to do. She was startled out of her thoughts when Marinette suddenly placed a glass of milk in front of her.
"Here you go," Marinette smiled at her, making eye contact briefly before turning back to the cook top to check the sandwiches.
"Thanks, Marinette."
She smiled warmly in reply before she flipped the sandwiches over and grabbed a pair of plates out for them.
"Hey, Marinette, what are we going to do this weekend?" Juleka asked, curious to know what types of opportunities she'd have to confess her feelings.
"Well, I have a few ideas but we can brainstorm about it after we eat if you want. How about a movie while we eat?" Marinette suggested.
"Yeah, that sounds great!" Juleka tried to hold back her emotions so she didn't seem so excited. A movie meant that they would be sitting on her couch, hopefully next to each other. The thought of sitting for a couple of hours next to her crush had heart pounding and her lips spreading in a huge smile. She hid behind her hair for a moment so she could get her emotions under control but she was still doing happy dances in her head at the prospect of it all. Surely she might have a good opportunity in such a wonderful situation such as that.
Marinette turned off the burner and scooped the sandwiches onto their plates. She carefully cut them up into quarters and handed Juleka her sandwich and a napkin. "Lunch is served, my lady," she spoke with a haughty tone like she was a chef serving a five-star meal.
"Thank you so much!" Juleka giggled cutely in reply.
They migrated over to the comfy white couch and Juleka quickly sat in the corner, facing the TV. She wanted to be sure that Marinette would sit down next to her and gulped nervously in excitement. Marinette grabbed a DVD, popped it in the player and switched on the TV before she sat down on the far right side of the couch. There was far too much distance between them for her liking so got up to put her milk on the coffee table and sat down a lot closer to her. Marinette immediately noticed this but said nothing as the DVD started to play.
"What are we watching?" Juleka asked curiously, suddenly realizing that Marinette hadn't even told her what they were going to watch.
"You'll see," she replied with a mischievous grin before starting to nibble on her sandwich.
Juleka turned back to the movie, more curious than ever. A moment later she started grinning ear to ear when she realized that Marinette had picked out one of her favorite monster movies.
"Awww, I love this movie!" Juleka told her excitedly, giving Marinette a quick squeeze on her thigh. "Thanks so much!"
"Oh, you're welcome, Jules," Marinette replied between mouthfuls. "I knew you would." Marinette peeked at her out of the corner of her eye and loved how happy she looked. She didn't like the movie as much as Juleka did, but that didn't matter since she just wanted to do something nice for her friend. She loved seeing Juleka smile for a change and would have loved if she had more time to think up a bunch of nice things that she could do for her this weekend. It didn't mean she couldn't but she would have to settle for whatever she could come up with on the spot.
Although, activities aside, there was only one nice thing that really mattered that she wanted to do for her friend. She just had to find some spare time to keep trying to create a magical charm. That and she had to figure out what the present meant that her lucky charm had created. No matter what, she had to succeed. She had to protect her friend.
