#mcsmfic

They were easily able to hold conversation for a moment, but now they’ve fallen silent again. The echoing of their footsteps might have souded eerie in the quiet if it hadn’t been for the clacking of little hooves beside them. Jesse absently reaches down to pat Reuben’s head.

Comfortable silences are something Petra and Jesse are usually good at - and maybe Petra feels everything is alright, but right now, Jesse feels sick.

Their open relationship in itself isn't the problem. Jesse was fully aware that Petra had a boyfriend too and was okay with that. Petra wasn't secretive about it; she just isn't the kind of person to gush over anything at all. With all of Petra's running around and long absences, they made what time they spent together about themselves, and he didn't come up often. Jesse didn't even know his name until the building competition today.

Petra had stopped by to greet the group and had given Jesse a peck on the cheek. Then came the big surprise when Lukas stepped forward to thank her for a favor, and she kissed his cheek too. And Jesse knows Petra's not the kind of person to just kiss anyone.

It wasn't jealousy that Jesse felt. Had Petra's boyfriend been anyone else, perhaps she would have smiled to see them kiss, to see that her girlfriend was well-loved. No, the unsettled feeling at the pit of Jesse's stomach was purely situational to who the boyfriend had turned out to be. It's a sense of betrayal that is making her nauseous, not jealousy.

Jesse had brought up her shock immediately, but judging by the expression on Petra's face right now - cool and devoid of any hesitance - she doubts her girlfriend thought much of it. She imagines Petra's voice saying, "I know you were surprised, but is it really that big a deal?" and suddenly the two of them are arguing in her mind, and she so badly does not want that to actually happen.

She definitely needed that extra time to plan out how to approach this. A sudden pang of soreness in her back reminds her that extra time would've been spent dead at the hands of monsters.

They step out of the cave then to a wide, open sky. The sun has already slipped away, but there's still a faint few rays filtering past the horizon, and the lights from Endercon twinkle in the opposite direction. They're on a tall bridge, and it would be pretty romantic scenery under different circumstances. When Petra stops walking and sets a hand on her shoulder to stop her too, she holds her breath in spite of herself.

"I'm sorry, Jesse. I thought you knew."

She has to pause to think through their most recent conversation. Certainly there's no reason to apologize over a new stone sword or a wither skull. An apology for suggesting she was a wimp would have been nice, but Jesse knows she's not getting that. So Petra was more aware than she had assumed. Jesse shakes her head in response, giving her a small appreciative smile.

Petra shrugs, "I could've sworn I've at least said his name to you before."

But that's not what bothers Jesse about it. She already knows that if Petra hadn't mentioned Lukas being her boyfriend before, it was mere circumstance. She sighs, looking down to her own feet then slowly back up at Petra who's gazing back with a sincere look in her eyes, "It's not that, it's just... You've seen how the Ocelots treat my friends."

"Oh." There's the understanding Jesse'd been hoping for. Petra gestures to the side of the bridge, and they both sit, legs dangling over the edge. Reuben climbs onto Jesse's lap, and Petra chuckles a bit at how the little pig glares at her expectantly.

Before either of them speak again, Jesse leans into Petra, tries to rest her chin on her shoulder, then decides it's too much of a strain and nuzzles her upper arm instead. There's another silence between them, not particularly comfortable this time either but closer to it. The fantasy atmosphere created by the glow in the distance must have something to do with it. There's a particular charm to the colorful beam in the middle of the con.

The rainbow beacon. As Petra shifts her arm to wrap around her waist, Jesse huffs, "Looks like your Lukas and his Ocelots won again."

"Sorry, Jesse. But you gotta admit that beacon does look pretty sweet."

"Pretty sweet for a bunch of jerks."

"Look, I've seen how the Ocelots treat you guys, but... that's not Lukas."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, has Lukas himself ever been rude to you? I can't see it happening, but then again, I'm the one who has to listen to him rant about his friends treating you wrong whenever it's brought up. So maybe I'm 'biased'."

Jesse takes in her words for a second, trying to remember if there'd ever been an incident in which her rhetorical question would have been false. She can't recall any specific time Lukas himself had acted ugly off the top of her head, but that doesn't mean there isn't one. She does, however, trust Petra to speak only what she believes true (at least if she's confident enough to be sassy about it).

Jesse's attention is brought back to the moment by a harsh but well-intentioned pat on the back. "Lukas may be kinda arrogant, but he has come through for me in tricky situations. And if anything, it seems to me he thinks you're pretty cool. Once said you had pretty eyes."

"Really?"

"Please, your pretty eyes are universal fact. Just saying, maybe if you see Lukas around at EnderCon, try talking to him."

Jesse can't help but crack a wide grin at that, illuminated by a speck of hope. She not only gets to stay on good terms with her girlfriend, but just maybe she could gain a new friend out of this situation too.

Petra stands first, offering a hand to Jesse who wraps her other arm around Reuben as she accepts the help up. The three continue further down the bridge that way, pig in arm - much to his dismay - and hand in hand for a moment. Until, just their luck, several hisses sound from the direction they're headed in.

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Thanks for the request! I know you said you'd prefer them all three dating each other, but when i imagined a universe in which the three date each other, the scene that stuck out to me happened to be one where Jesse & Lukas don't know each other well yet.