Chapter Text
"Me?" Juniper raised an eyebrow at AJ, as if she was surprised AJ bothered to ask. "Oh. No, I'm just going to Ros's village. To talk."
As AJ tilted her head at the Growth Mage, Sniff almost forgot how short AJ was. She could literally see the top of her head, watching as a smile grew on the Death Mage's lips, like a shark smelling blood. "Right… you know, she's pretty jealous of our date."
"I—" Juniper's mind buffered for a moment, as she tried to think of who AJ could possibly be talking about. "What? Who?"
The Mage giggled at the question, swinging her arms like she had too much energy. "Teacher's Pet. Who else?"
Juniper felt her mind slow. The light breeze through the Academy halls halted. "Wait, Ros?" Her mouth opened a bit in shock, laughing uncomfortably. There was no way. "You think Ros is jealous that we're going on a date?"
"Hell, yeah I do!" The Death Mage laughed at the idea that Ros wasn't jealous. "Haven't you talked to her about it? God, it's so obvious I get sick."
Ros? Jealous? There was— no way. "She… no," Sniff laughed awkwardly, staring down at the ground. She might wish Ros were jealous — that she felt something, anything, back. Anything more than platonic. But she didn't. "She's not… she's not jealous over this. Maybe a bit uncomfortable, but…"
"Oh, I promise you she is." AJ snorted loudly at Juniper, looking at her like she was silly for not realising, suddenly pulling a cigarette out from her pocket. "Told me you liked it when people set you on fire when I asked what your hobbies were. You don't say that unless you're jealous."
Set me on fire?
Ros would never… she'd never say that.
…unless she did.
"…really?" Juniper looked at AJ slightly sheepishly. She was almost scared for the answer. Still, the Growth Mage was positive AJ wasn't lying about this. She had no clue why, oddly enough.
"Yup." AJ replied nonchalantly. "Pretty sure she lied about your favourite flower, too."
"Actually?" Why are you smiling? Stop smiling, Juniper. If Ros is upset, then you should… comfort her.
"Yup." AJ laughed loudly, finding joy in Sniff's excitement. "She's jealous, Juni. Told you."
Juniper ignored how AJ called her Juni.
But—
Ros was jealous?
This was… certainly news.
"Hm." She mused, thoughts running over the prospect in her mind, considering what that might— mean, for them.
AJ cocked her head in response. "Hm?" She repeated.
"Well, I don't know." Juniper sighed, taking a step to the side and away from AJ, slightly ashamed to admit it. "We haven't been… talking lately."
"No?"
"No, it… I don't know, since I went with, uhm, Osteon, to the ball, it's been awkward. Between us." Not that I regret it.
"Why?" AJ sounded entirely confused, but incredibly nosy. Juniper didn't miss how she took a step towards her, her ear tilted closer like she was desperate to hear their drama.
"God… it's complicated." How do explain this? "I— okay." Juniper straighted, now towering over AJ completely as she turned around with a stern look. "If I'm going to tell you this, you can't go around gossiping."
"Okay." AJ nodded once, looking solemn. "I won't."
"You promise?" Sniff raised her eyebrows at the Mage, but AJ didn't even crack a smile.
"Yes, I promise! God…" AJ shook her head and nodded once again, making Juniper glance around the hallway before talking.
"Fine." She started, eyes darting everywhere. Seriously, where was she supposed to start? "I— okay, it's stupid."
"Alright."
"And maybe selfish and naive and silly and not at all what I'm supposed to be, but—" Sniff sighed, her shoulder slumping as she bit her lip. "I don't know. I guess, when I… heard about the ball and everything… I kinda wished that— that Ros would ask me to… go." As she said it, she winced.
Never said that out loud before.
"…Ah." AJ sighed in understanding.
"With her. To the ball." Sniff added quickly.
"I see."
"…yeah. But, you know, she went with that guy!" Juniper smiled pathetically, hands waving and gesturing as if everything was fine. "Which is fine, because she wanted to go with him, and I want her— happy."
Somehow, the very word felt disgusting in Juniper's mouth. As if it didn't taste right.
"With you. Happy, with you." AJ guessed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Like it wasn't so shameful.
Sniff just exhaled, looking away. Even if it was AJ of all people, she didn't want… "Maybe. Yeah, yeah, I think so."
"Hm. I think that's… fair." AJ spoke carefully, like she was picking her words for once. "Wanting to be wanted isn't something to be ashamed of, you know. I'm not ashamed of wanting to go to the ball, or wanting someone to ask me to dance. We all have things we want. Being ashamed of them is what stops us from getting them in the first place."
A smile stretched over Sniff's lips as she realised AJ was giving her real advice that didn't include the repression of feelings or a drink at the pub. "Damn, AJ. That's— actually pretty wise of you."
"Yeah, they call me AJ the Wise." She nodded sarcastically, grinning.
The stupidity of the statement elicited a laugh from Juniper as she shook her head. "Literally no one calls you that. I mean, I don't think AJ and wise have been in the same sentence before." Of course, she was mostly kidding — AJ couldn't have survived so long with that mouth if she didn't know how to weasel her way out of it.
"Pretty sure they do." She stared at Sniff with a wicked glint in her eye. "Which is why I am fully qualified to give you some advice."
"Oh, are you, now?"
"Yup." She shrugged happily.
"What advice, exactly?"
"Okay. So. You like Ros." AJ stated, devoid of any emotion, her hand outstretched.
"I—" Juniper began to protest.
"Shut up." The Death Mage held a finger up at her, and Sniff immediately went quiet. "You like Ros, and Ros clearly likes you back, right? At least, in her messed up, avoidant-attachment way, otherwise she wouldn't be sabotaging our date. Right?"
"…right" Juniper replied hesitantly, increasingly worried as to what AJ would suggest.
"Right. So. She'll be at the date, yeah? Playing music, or something?" AJ squinted, as if she had forgotten.
"Yeah, she will be."
"Alright! So, she'll see us together. But if we act like we don't like each other, she'll just be relieved that nothing's happening between us, and that she can keep hiding her feelings about you."
Sniff considered it — it did sound pretty much like Ros. "I mean, probably, yeah."
"Which is why we should…" Sniff held her breath, "…do the opposite."
AJ eyed her suspcisiouy, almost excited, as Juniper frowned at the idea. "Do the— like, pretend to like each other? AJ, I don't hate you—"
"No, no, not just like, as in friends, but like-like." Her face brightened, and Juniper felt her stomach twist weirdly at the concept of them… doing that. "Like, flirting. That way, she'll get even more jealous, and you can run after her when she storms off like, oh, Ros, what's wrong? Then clock her jealousy, make her confess, and bam: you're dating, I'm wise, we all get drunk at the pub to celebrate."
The Mage looked horribly excited at the prospect of her and Juniper flirting. Juniper, meanwhile, felt… sceptical.
"Seriously?" Juniper began to shake her head and look away, sighing.
"What?" AJ almost shouted in upset. "It's good advice!"
"No, it isn't, AJ. Oh my God, that'll just make it worse!" She ran a hand through her hair just thinking about what could go wrong.
"Or better!" The Death Mage disagreed, voice still loud.
"No, Ros…" Sniff took a breath before trying to explain. "She didn't care, AJ. Not really, that I went with Osteon to the ball. So why would she care if I went out with you, who is literally dating Drift?"
"Well— that's Osteon." AJ held a hand up, like trying to stop Sniff from leaving, trying to convince her that this not-good idea was, in fact, a good idea. "You're probably not going to date Osteon, you know — no offence to her, it's not that she's unattractive, just… she isn't really the type to hide behind corners to steal kisses, or sneak out at night. But us? Teacher's Pet knows me. She knows what I'm like. And if you think she'd be fine with you and me going out… I mean, no wonder you two aren't together, 'cause clearly you don't know her."
The Growth Mage tried to ignore the shade at the end. "But Ros doesn't hate you."
"She hates what I do. How I… I don't know, treat people. At least in public, she does. So her best friend going out with me because she fumbled her? Oh. Oh, she wouldn't be happy." Distantly, Juniper wondered why AJ was so excited, so eager to do this. Why she was trying so hard to convince Sniff into it.
But it won't work.
Unless…
She bit her lip as her eyes fell to the floor. According to AJ, Ros was jealous. And nothing had worked before, right? No matter how many hints Sniff threw the Life Mage, she never— never picked up on them. Or, at least did anything about it.
…but she had never tried this before. Even at the ball, Ros wasn't around Osteon and Juniper, when they were together. And Sniff certainly wasn't flirting with Osteon in front of everybody.
So, she relented.
"…you know." Her eyes were shut tight, almost embarassed to admit it. "It could— work. Maybe?"
"Oh, it's more than a maybe, Juniper." The grin on AJ's face when she opened her eyes was almost wolfish, and Sniff immediately regretted agreeing. And even if it doesn't, at least we gave Megii some good notes, right?"