It should have been obvious for her from the start.
She could blame it on her frazzled nerves after a long school week, or the constant explosions and destruction in the Parisian background that came hand-in-hand with akuma attacks...
She missed it because she needed someone to talk to. Anyone.
A superhero clad in pink, slipping through the porthole into her room, diving under her bed with an apologetic squeal, well....
They would have to do.
Juleka froze, lying in bed, gripping her book, as the rumored newest superhero of Paris transformed into her civilian persona a few inches below her. Juleka wracked her brains trying to remember anything about the hero other than her bright pink, skintight suit. She had heard her friends talk about all the heroes, and Alya regularly brought up updates in class in case anyone missed her blog- Which Juleka often did.
She had, of course, been visiting it in the past week, but more to admire the pictures than read....
"Hello, uh, um...."
"Landrace." An adorable voice drifted over to Juleka's ears, tempting her to try to peek under the bed to see who the strange, small woman was, but she decided to respect her privacy. Even if she was the one who had barged into Juleka's room.
There were no rules aboard the Liberty, after all. All were welcome to their home.
"I'm really sorry about this! I thought I had a little more time to hide, but the banks are too crowded to find any privacy!" Landrace squeaked, a hint of panic in her voice. Juleka blushed at hearing her voice but frowned as she remembered her earlier disappointment. She sighed heavily and turned off the reading lamp nearby to further conceal the girl under the bed. She set down her book by her legs.
"It's fine. Sometimes it's nice to have unexpected company."
"Are you ok?" Landrace's voice had softened and lowered an octave. Juleka wondered at her age as she continued. "You sound kind of sad?"
Juleka shrugged in the dark room.
"My voice just sounds like that. Low. Monotone. All my teachers think I'm depressed."
'Everyone except Rose,' Juleka thought to herself, feeling another pang in her chest. 'Rose could always tell the difference....'
She shook her head and tried to think of another topic, like..... What was Alya going on about a few weeks ago? Something about the little creatures?
"Does your, uhm, kwami, need something to eat?" It was such an odd word.
"Yeah! I would appreciate that, thanks! Daizzi likes all kinds of junk food!"
Juleka stood and left the room to rummage through the pantry. She grabbed a few fun packs of chips, gummi candies, and chocolate bars for a variety. She took two small bottles of mineral water as well, before inspecting her armload. He hoped it would be enough to tempt Landrace into staying around for a while to chat.
She called into the room from the door to warn the hero before walking in backwards. She could hear Landrace giggle as she carefully stepped over the edge of the carpet. Once she was seated on her bed again, she left all the snacks on the floor besides a bag of chips and one bottle of water, and then lay back in her previous position. She listened to the crumpling of wrappers and enthusiastic munching below her.
"Welcome to the Liberty. My mom has always been on the more liberal, chaotic side and she tells our guests that there are no rules. Luka and I just ask that everyone is respectful of our stuff. If you ever need a place to hide, or just want to hang out and chat, you're welcome to come here. Even if I'm at school for the day." It felt odd to say so much around anyone other than Rose or her family, but Juleka wanted Landrace to hear the Liberty Spiel. On the positive side, the two were still eating, and listening carefully. She smiled as two more bags open.
"Th-thank you! I know it's a little late, but you do sound like... oh, you said your voice is just like that, huh?" Landrace giggled nervously. "Do you, uh, want to hang out and chat for a bit?"
Juleka smiled, remembering a snippet from the Ladyblog that described Landrace as confident and caring. While the latter was increasingly becoming obvious, the former was lacking. Maybe it was because she was in civilian attire?
"That sounds fun. There's no school tomorrow anyways."
She could hear a quiet conversation below her. It seemed a little tense, as though Landrace and Daizzi were arguing.
"I've never hung out with the hero under my bed before. Have you met your new roommates, the dust bunnies?"
It was silent for a moment before two voices cackled gleefully. Juleka felt a certain smug satisfaction as she opened her bag of chips. Soon enough, there was a flash of bright light in the room, and a figure stood up next to the bed in the dark.
"They told me I was being too loud and kicked me out."
"How rude." Juleka sat up, crosslegged, and patted the bed in front of herself invitingly. Landrace hesitated for a moment before sitting a few inches away. She reached down for the remaining snacks and deposited them on the bed. Juleka gestured for the hero to help herself, and took the opportunity to study the girl as she held up the snacks to the light coming in through the porthole.
Her pink mask had a cartoony pig's snout over her nose that was adorable. Two floppy pink ears sat atop her head over shaggy, pinkish hair. Her suit, like most of the other female heroes, was basically just a snug suit with bands of different shades of pink across it. Juleka could just see a small, curly tail near her bottom. She blushed as she realized that the young woman fit the aesthetic she was attracted to. She looked like a longer-haired Rose.
"What do the suits feel like?" Juleka had to distract herself from their similarities, so she focused on their differences. Landrace stuck her arm out towards Juleka with s smile, and Juleka was grateful that the only light source didn't show the bright red on her face. She reached out slowly.
The texture was like soft, thin deerskin leather, and it was warm as bare skin. She pinched it lightly, experimentally, and it seemed the fabric was molded onto her skin, and felt even thinner than she thought. Juleka had so many more questions that she decided to keep to herself concerning that particular discovery. She wondered if it was so thin all across, and wondered how the woman wasn't shivering with the cold breeze coming in through the window.
"It actually feels a bit like being naked, but the suit is really protective at the same time!"
"You run around Paris feeling like you're naked?" Juleka deadpanned. Landrace's expression morphed into horror.
"No- Not like that! I- I just meant that the suit is weightless! An- and breathable, not that-"
Juleka covered her mouth and chuckled at the hero's rambling. Landrace stopped, her mouth snapping shut, and she crossed her arms.
"Does it matter what I say, or will you be thinking of that all night anyways? Get your mind out of the gutter!" Landrace smirked and winked.
Juleka dropped the chip she was holding. Her face was on fire as she dug it out of her bra quickly, having traded her usual high neck shirt for a loose tank top for bedtime. Landrace was giggling as she watched, clearly pleased with the taller girl's reaction.
They fell silent for a while, eating their snacks. Juleka watched Landrace look around the room, humming softly. Every time their eyes met, Juleka looked away, while Landrace continued to look st her.
"Are you..." Juleka had a question on her mind ever since the akuma attacks began, when she still watched every video of the superheroes with bated breath. While her enthusiasm had faded over time, she was still curious after seeing how some of the heroes would interact. She didn't want to phrase the question wrong, though. Or too personally.
"I'm just curious, because the Ladyblog doesn't cover it, but... are any of the superheroes gay?" Her face was still red, but she couldn't retract the question now. She was thinking back to how Rose had never met her outside the school earlier, or texted her back as she tried to admit her feelings. But the superhero in her room seemed nice, and open minded. And the heroes had to be good at keeping secrets, right? It was a requirement for the, as far as she knew.
"I don't know about the other superheroes, but I am pansexual!" Landrace pressed her hand to her chest proudly. "I haven't been on team Miraculous long, so I haven't been interviewed yet, but I would like to bring that up! And hear about the others!"
Juleka relaxed as Landrace chatted happily about equal representation, and several friends of hers that she knew to be or suspected were on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum. It had been awkward to ask the question as she had yet to come out to anyone except her family, but Landrace had taken the question in stride. She finished her chips as she listened and moved on to a chocolate bar. She broke off a piece to hand to the hero, who took it with a sweet smile.
Juleka fidgeted as they sat in a new silence. It was comfortable, though she wanted to continue talking about important things. She didn't want to burden the woman in front of her, who must have already had a lot on her plate. She quite literally helped to save Paris several times a week. Juleka felt Landrace's soft gloves on her bare hand, and looked up in surprise.
"You know that Hawkmoth uses negative emotions to akumatize his victims, right?" Landrace's gaze was gentle, understanding. "If you have anything on your mind, I will gladly listen! You've been so sweet, I don't want to see you become a victim!"
Juleka gave her a grateful smile and put her other hand over the hero's. Aside from the texture of the suit, her had was very similar to Rose's. It was light boned, with long thin fingers, and somewhat bony to match her slim frame.
"I, yeah. Actually, I was kind of upset earlier. I don't mean to be grateful about the timing, but if it wasn't for the akuma you were fighting before you... dropped in." They shared a brief smile, and Juleka wondered why it was so easy to open up to the woman. "That could have been me. I tried to tell someone close to me about my crush, but she never called me back. I started getting scared that she would react badly, so I decided I would just come out instead of telling her who I was crushing on. She's my best friend, and I thought she would understand, but.."
Juleka was surprised by the soft touch on her cheek. She had begun the cry, and didn't realize it until Landrace was wiping away the tears.
"Maybe something came up and she hasn't seen the messages yet? Once I dropped my phone in the bath and had to leave it in a tub of rice all night to fix it!" She suggested. Juleka felt the tension drain from her shoulders. She hadn't even considered something so simple. While Rose was no Marinette, everyone dropped their phone from time to time. Maybe Marinette had stolen her phone and hadn't given it back yet!
She made a mental note to ask Marinette about her bike later. She kept forgetting about it after everything that happened in a typical week.
"I didn't even..." Juleka trailed off, mesmerized by thin fingers still brushing her face. It was almost too intimate, and she wondered for a moment if Landrace was always so close to people, or if she was a hopeless romantic that fell in love at first sight. While Juleka didn't believe she would ever be the target of such affection, she had heard of even less likely pairs forming in that way.
She still had to tell Rose about her crush. On the other hand, with Landrace, she wouldn't have to risk losing a friend over a crush...
Juleka pushed the thought away and listened as Landrace continued speaking.
"It's easy to forget about simple things like that in life when you're worried about something or someone that you lo-"
The handle of her bright pink whip beeped, and she pulled away from Juleka with an apologetic smile to answer the call. It was Rena Rouge, and Landrace gave her a brief apology. She was talking about the ship she was on at the moment, then pulled the strange cellphone away from her ear to ask Juleka her name. She answered with a blush, forgetting that she had known this strange woman for less than an hour, when she had hidden under her bed.
"I have to go now, but..." Landrace wrapped the whip around her hand nervously. "Can I- Can I stop by and see you again sometime?"
Juleka beamed, excited at the prospect of seeing the hero again. "Of course. I leave my window open whenever I'm home."
Landrace squeaked and leaned forward to give Juleka a quick, happy squeeze. The warmth of the hero's body pressed up against her own made her breathless for a moment. She waved in a daze as Landrace climbed out the window.
Juleka was still giggling to herself as Luka walked in much later, eyeing the mess of wrappers with a bemused expression.
____________________
Juleka was disoriented the next day as she heard a knock on her cabin door and opened it to find Rose. Her friend was out of breath, her short hair stuck down to her forehead and around her ears from the rain Juleka could hear outside her window. Rose beamed as she saw the taller girl, tilting her head happily.
"I forgot my umbrella. I ran the last two blocks here!"
Juleka blinked, her thoughts on warm gloved hands and longer shaggy hair for a moment, before she shook her head and pulled Rose along to the bathroom. She gave the blond a towel and a dry set of clothes, standing outside the bathroom as Rose chatted happily inside.
She felt relief and dread at the same time as Rose regaled her about filming the akuma attack from her balcony before a nearby explosion made her drop her phone. She was glad Rose was ok, but she felt a little sick when she remembered some of her words to Landrace the night before.
".... if it wasn't for that akuma..."
Needless to say, the taller girl was grateful as the other continued tp rant happily about the full team Miraculous as she had seen so much from two streets over. Juleka decided to go out on a limb and tell Rose a little about the night before. She knew Rose could keep secrets, right?
She hoped so.
"What do you think of Landrace?" Juleka asked, once Rose had actually fallen silent on the other side of the door.
"I love her outfit! If it was a cat miraculous, I would totally copy it for Kitty Section!"
Juleka blushed at the image that popped up in her head of Rose wearing the skin tight, soft magical suit. She hummed and took a breath.
"She stopped by last night."
There was no movement from the bathroom side of the door for so long that Juleka called out Rose's name in concern. Rose came out a moment later, wearing Juleka's oversized tanktop and sweatpants with the towel still wrapped around her shoulders. Her smile was a bit too bright, which through Juleka for a loop.
"She 'stopped by?'"
Juleka nodded, choosing not to comment on her voice jumping a few octaves.
"She climbed into my window and hid under my bed. It was kind of funny. For some reason the banks were really crowded last night and she couldn't find anywhere else to hide."
They wandered back to Juleka's room, sitting on the bed just how she and Landrace had been the night before.
"So," Rose picked up the book Juleka had discarded, inspecting the cover carefully. "What do you think of Landrace?" Her voice was closer to normal again, and Juleka took a moment to think before speaking.
"Well, we talked for a while. I think she is a kind person, and when she comes out as pansexual to the public eventually," juleka faltered, wondering whether she should have mentioned that part at all. She glanced up at Rose and drew her fingers across her lips like she was zipping them. Rose nodded. "It will be nice to have an out, non-straight hero for people like me to look up to." By the end, she was looking anywhere but at the shorter girl. Rose had relaxed, however, and put her hand on Juleka's shoulder.
"Why didn't you tell me that you're LGBT?" Rose asked. There was a hint of sadness in her voice that melted Juleka's heart, but she gave a good shot at covering it up.
"I was going to tell you last night, but you must have dropped your phone before you got my messages. I got really nervous about it, and Landrace helped talk me through it." Juleka's voice got quieter as she debated what to tell Rose, and how much. While she took the gay news well, the part about her huge crush might not go down so well. She changed it up.
It was just a tiny fib. Maybe not even entirely a lie.
"I think I have a crush on Landrace."
Rose's eyes widened, her face reddening slowly.
"That- that's cool, Juleka, b-but you don't actually, ya know.... know her?" Rose stammered, gripping her hands together tightly, looking around at the bed, at Juleka's knees, at the porthole. "A-and they're not allowed to reveal their identities! Wou- what I mean is- Shouldn't you pick someone you know?"
Juleka was surprised by Rose's outburst. One frustrated part of her was tempted to bring up Prince Ali, but she regretted it and didn't want to see her friend burst. She was already quite worked up.
"It's just a little crush, Rose. I'm not going to ask her out or anything."
Rose looked torn between relief and disappointment. She took several deep breaths, and Juleka took the chance to continue.
"She's just really nice, and she looks sexy in her outfit. Those suits are actually kind of soft, and tight." She stopped talking, feeling her face flare up as she realized what she had said out loud.
"You think she's sexy? Wait, how do you, uh, know what the outfit feels like? Uh," Rose was almost steaming at that point, looking at her own lap. "You, uh, did you and Landrace, um...."
"She let me feel her arm, I swear, nothing happened!" Juleka waved her arms frantically. She didn't know how the situation had spiralled out of control. "Ah- And I just meant that she looks cute like, in a, uh, cute- anime- fighter- girl way, I don't know..."
The were silent again. Rose fiddled with the book cover absently.
"So, Rose... Why were you in the rain this morning?"
Rose's cheeks had finally cooled, and she looked sheepish. She went over to her discarded bag and returned with what used to be a fully functioning phone. There were several pieces of screen missing, and the battery had either fallen out or been removed on purpose.
"I was going to ask if you wanted to go with me to get a new one. And obviously I couldn't text you, or check the weather..."
They looked out the porthole, watching the rain that had picked up even more from earlier.
"Should we watch a movie to pass the time?" Juleka suggested, turning her attention back to the girl that was positively drowning in her clothes, with her hair finally dry. She tossed her wet outfit in the laundry and they settle up against the wall, sharing a blanket and a bowl of popcorn.
It was nice having Rose's warmth next to her, and the smell of her perfume Rose had sprayed on the cover the smell of rain in her hair. Throughout the day as the rain refused to let up, she found her eyes drawn to the window. She was almost hoping they might be joined by her new friend.
Rose was alarmed at how red Juleka's face had gotten over the thought of having two little cuties in her room. Juleka reassured her she was fine, and went to the bathroom to splash cold water on her face.
Rose spent the night, since they didn't feel like walking anywhere in the rain. Juleka could barely sleep with the blond so close to her on the bed. She turned to face the wall and wait for the morning to arrive.
___________
Later in the week, the Ladyblog did an exclusive interview with Landrace and Queen Bee about their queer identities. It seemed that, overnight, everyone had brought out their fanart and secret stories of the pair, and Landrace visited the Liberty to vent. It had been comical to see Luka's reaction as a superhero slipped into their cabin in broad daylight, yelling about how anyone would think she would go out with Queen Bee of all people. He slipped out of the cabin as Landrace paced back and forth, explaining how the taller hero was a little too far on the conceited side for her tastes. Of course, she immediately felt bad for saying anything mean about her team mate.
After the interview had aired, Rose encouraged Juleka to come out as lesbian to some of their closer friends. She had gotten positive reactions all around, though she noticed that none of them seemed surprised by the news. At all.
They were a little surprised when Rose admitted that she wasn't straight, but wasn't sure about her proper label.
Juleka continued to miss out on sleep, between Rose's revelation and Landrace's occasional appearances. Luka had sat down with Juleka one night with a very concerned big brother speech about being careful who she develops crushes on so she didn't get her heart broken.
It was too late.
Juleka knew she was head over heels in love with Rose. Their coming out to friends, and to each other, ended up with them being more physically affectionate towards each other. However, Rose still talked about the prince quite often, so Juleka wasn't confident enough to discuss the way their relationship was changing slowly.
She was also sure, however, that Rose was no longer her only crush.
"Landrace," Juleka addressed her casually. The superhero look up from Juleka's laptop, where she had been showing her Kitty Section videos and pointing out Rose on the screen. "How did you figure out that you aren't straight?"
Landrace stared off into space for a moment before she spoke. "I'm not sure. I think I always just kind of knew that I get crushes on all kinds of people? I am not very out in my civilian form, though, mostly just to friends. Coming out as a hero was kid of like practice though? But it is kind of lonely..."
Juleka nodded in understanding.
"I know what you mean. Coming out and actually going out with your crush is so different."
Landrace nodded, looking a little glum. Juleka shifted where she sat on the bed, watching Landrace look back at the paused music video thoughtfully. She had her lips pursed in a cute way. Juleka could feel her heart beating faster.
"Have you ever been kissed?" The taller girl whispered. She had scooted closer to Landrace, so when she whipped her head up in surprise, their faces were very close. She stared into blue eyes behind the pink mask.
"No, I haven't." Landrace's reply was quieter than Juleka's, though she didn't back away.
"Neither have I."
It was supposed to be a light peck, just a quick test to see if she really felt a spark with Landrace. They had both leaned in to the kiss, closing their eyes at the same time.
Soon, hands were creeping up to grasp at shoulders and hair. Juleka ran her tongue along Landrace's lower lip and was rewarded with a tentative reply. They were kissing open-mouthed, but something felt off to Juleka.
The skintight suit felt so soft under her hands, but the hair was too long and unkempt. Her voice was too low in pitch, and the little, comical pig snout on her mask was pushing against her face. Juleka pulled away.
"I'm sorry, I can't."
They were breathless, and Juleka could feel the sting in her lungs. Landrace gritted her teeth, her eyes closed. Juleka felt a wave of panic rise inside her. She had taken Landrace's first kiss.
She had surrounded her own to the wrong person...
"I can't either. I can't keep lying to you."
Landrace turned her face down, and Juleka reached out to cup her cheeks. She froze as Landrace spoke her transformation words, and her room was filled with a dazzling light.
Juleka's heart skipped a few beats as she held Rose's face. Rose had yet to look up at her, not until she heard giggles. She peeked up at Juleka.
"I thought I had a crush on two people."
Rose blushed as Juleka grinned widely.
"Turns out, I just fell for you twice."
Rose grinned back and leaned up to continue where they had left off.
Juleka couldn't wait to share more nights and kisses with Rose, both in and out of that pink suit.