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Buddy loves her wife beyond all measure. She loves Vespa when she is scared, when she is happy, when she is loving, when she is haunted. Always. So it stands to reason that she loves Vespa when she is categorically incorrect .
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Vespa is seated at the Carte Blanche’s dining table, still in her sleepwear and bedhead.
“What ever do you mean, my darling?”
“Him and Steel? Not in all of our lifetimes combined.” Vespa looks incredulous. Buddy takes a minute to admire the sharp cut of her expression before responding.
“Now why would you say that? You know them both, you know they would be good together. They’re exactly each other’s types.”
“What, pointy and snarky? I’m not saying there’s not some other universe where they’d work, but they’d never go for each other if you set them up. They’re way too stubborn for that.”
“Hmm. I do believe you’re entirely correct, my love.”
“And that’s not even considering- wait, what?”
Buddy takes another minute to admire her wife.
“You’re right. Neither of them would ever agree to even a single rendezvous if I was the one setting it up; remember Pete’s disaster of a date with that smuggler?”
“I mean, no one could have possibly known that they were going to bring a Neptunian ferret with them to the restaurant.”
“The point stands.”
“Okay, yeah, so I’m right. Does that mean you’re going to stop with whatever matchmaking plot you have?”
“Of course not, love.”
...
“I still don’t think this is going to work.”
“Well then,” Buddy has a mischievous glint in her eye, “Care to make it interesting?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“A bet, dearest.”
“Terms?”
“If Juno and Pete cross paths without forming any sort of romantic connection, I will let you make us dinner next week. But , if they do, I get to treat you to a date night at that Venusian place you’ve been wanting to go to.”
“What constitutes a romantic connection in this case?”
“A date.”
“You’re on.”
“Care to make it official? Seal it with a kiss?” Buddy tries to look collected, though she feels every bit as giddy as a teen with a crush.
“Excuse me, Buddy, but you have not told me why I am here,” Jet interjects from between the two of them, looking quietly amused.
“Right,” Buddy tries to remember what she was doing before trying to kiss her wife.
“It’s about Steel and Peter. Buddy’s trying to matchmake again.”
“Hm. I can see that they might make a good couple. They are well suited for each other. I still don’t see why I am involved.”
“You, my dear, will be the one to set them up,” Buddy smiles as winningly as she can.
“Ah. Forgive me, but I don’t believe either Juno nor Peter will be more inclined if I set them up then if you will. I think Peter blames all of us for that incident with the smuggler.”
“ No one knew about that ferret-”
“I believe the bigger issue was the birds-”
Buddy clears her throat.
“None of that matters. You won’t be setting them up directly. Instead, you will strategically position the two of them in order to allow them to cross paths.”
“Meaning?”
Buddy grins.
“You get to embarrass Pete until he agrees to visit Mars.”
…
“What the hell?” Juno doesn’t look pleased, to say the least.
“To be fair, darling, no one told him to break into your house. We simply thought you two might do well with a...nudge, so to speak,” Buddy is doing her best to be placating. She is telling the truth, after all. It’s not her fault Peter seems to be so unlucky in love. Even the ferret was only partially her doing.
“So the next best thing was to goad your protégé into robbing the richest family in Hyperion?”
“Well, when you put it that way-”
“Juno,” Jet cuts in, looking straight-faced in such a way that means he is also deeply amused. “We are all sorry that this ended the way it did. None of us planned on creating such an...incendiary situation, and I hope you never felt unsafe or that your privacy was violated. This was truly only because we thought it would increase your chances of meeting and that you might be an opportune match, but I believe that we can all admit we were wrong to assume so.”
“We-ll…” Juno suddenly looks sheepish. Buddy would never describe the lady as shy, but at the moment, he looks downright bashful.
“Oh, you have got to be joking,” Vespa looks deeply annoyed. Buddy finds her expression of discontent enchanting, but she refocuses on the lady currently avoiding her gaze.
“Juno, darling.”
“Yeah?”
“Is there something you need to tell us?”
“He... may have stayed for breakfast.”
“That doesn’t count as a date, does it?” Vespa looks half-hopeful and half-disbelieving that she’s even asking, but Juno isn’t done yet.
“No, but. Um. I’m taking him out to dinner this weekend.” Juno still looks embarrassed, but Buddy can’t help but note the soft look in his eyes. It’s the same dopey happiness she knows is reflected in her own expression every time she looks at Vespa.
“Well, I think I can speak for all of us when I say we are exceedingly happy that you two managed to connect in spite of the circumstances.”
“I’m not! I already had all the ingredients for the meal I was gonna make!” Vespa looks gorgeous in her annoyance, and Buddy is looking forward to seeing her all dressed up for their date.
“My love, I’m sorry to say, you’re just going to have to let me treat you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Her wife looks away, but Buddy can see a small smile hidden on her lips.
“I’m sorry, what’s happening right now? Did you all bet on my love life?” The lady looks increasingly incredulous.
“Of course not, my darling.”
Juno deflates a little, but he doesn’t look entirely convinced. Buddy waits another moment before letting the other shoe drop.
“Jet didn’t place any wagers.”
“Buddy!”