Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Junie stared into the empty black screen of her computer,staring down at a woman she couldn’t recognize. Short choppy green hair,exaggerated eye shadow,and an office casual outfit to pull it together.

About 2 years ago today she was working at a heavily powered company,a company she still held her chains to today. She had only taken up a job at a smaller undercover detective agency for the sake of that company.

Her eyes glazed over the shining name tag of her desk. It read a name that was barely hers. Juniper Beetle. A dumb name if you asked her,although not too different from her true name.

The silence floated in her office,not a single word breaking it. At Least it was like that until the sound of her work phone broke the soft silence of the moment. She let out a gentle sigh,reaching for the older phone.

“Hey mate,come up to my office I got some work for ya” a voice tainted with an Australian accent spoke over the phone.

She spat out a quick “yes octavia.” Agreeing to her request. She was about ready to end the call when she was cut off with one last mention from her boss.

“Oh and you’ll be making this one a team effort.”

Junie froze. She was well aware that her boss was well aware she hated team work. She preferred to work alone,others would tend to get in her way. She bit her lip,considering her agreement to the job.

“That ok june?” Her boss checked,snapping her out of her annoyed mind set.

“Yes ma,am.” She quickly responded back before finishing up the call. She let out a deep sigh of frustration.

She forced herself into this agreement. She knew what she was getting into taking this job. She could do this. She stepped out of her office,bringing herself to the elevator. She waited at the shining metal doors,considering her work. Considering why she took this work in the first place. She couldn’t find any other job who could handle her,customer service wasn't a career that really supported her in the slightest. She was snappy,rude,and blunt as described by the other employees and customers of the past companies.

She heard the elevator doors push open, and she quietly stepped in. She glanced over to who had clearly entered the floor before her. A woman with purple,tightly curled hair,and darker skin stood just barely taller than her. She was familiar with the beautiful golden rings of the woman and casual attire,that in no way said business. Spectra. Not someone she was exactly excited to be in a room with.

She despised her,she hated how everyone seemed to be all over her. She had the attention of anyone. She looked like a piece of art,a man made beauty. She knew why people gravitated to her,she was beautiful and kind. She knew even better why people didn't seem magnetized to her. She was rude,and really not all that beautiful. She was shorter,and closed off with a case of resting bitch face that drew off any kind of attention she would get.

She hadn’t realized her side glanced stare was very clearly being noticed by the work of art of a woman.

“Hello june bug” she smiled at her,with that stupid nickname. A name that almost infuriated junie.

She held her composure together and forced an awkward smile that looked more like an angry glare.

“Spectra.” She said back,giving her a slight nod.

They felt the elevator come to a stop with a slight shake,causing spectra to stumble back a bit. Spectra let out a gentle giggle,a laugh with a smile that made Junie want nothing but to scratch that stupid look off her face.

All she could do was hope she wouldn’t be taking the same stop as her,but when she noticed spectra quietly following her out,she couldn’t help but doubt that the gods had her best interest in mind for this mission.

It was worse when it was obvious it had clicked for spectra that this was her worker partner. A dumb smile arising across her face.

“Headed to Octies office?”spectra said,leaning forward to be more obvious in junies line of sight. Again with the nicknames for people like she had been friends with everyone straight out of the womb,which honestly junie couldn’t doubt.

“…Octie?..as in Octavia. Right. Yes.” She said,a sigh leaving her lips as she realized she truly was working with spectra on this.

Spectra pepped up her step a bit,moving to keep up with junies intentful steps.

“That's nice! She’s told me great things about her June bug. She says you’re a very good worker.” Spectra described. She had this calm,sweet tone to her voice. A tone that said everything was going to be ok,but a tone that installed dread into junie. She was only given more reasons she was so beloved by the world. She was god’s favorite for a reason.

“Mhm.” Junie nodded,keeping her words shortcut and snappy. Junie sped up a bit,her heels clicking against the floor of the hallway. This walk felt like it would go on forever if she didn’t get away from spectra,if she couldn’t escape what was presented to her as perfection.

She reached for the turn handle of Octavias office,pushing open the wood door.

A woman with a slicked back ponytail,white hair,purple shades,and an outfit that only really gave her the feeling of a summer dad,sat at her desk. She looked up as she heard the door open and gave them both a big smile.

“Glad you two could get here at the same time!” Oct happily chirped. Spectra gave her a casual wave and sat down at the chair of her boss's desk.

Junie walked up to the desk,glaring at the old seat of the office. A buildup of dirt and dust sitting against a leather seat. She would prefer to stand if this was her seating option. She carefully pushed the chair out of the way,standing in front of Octavias desk with her hands behind her back.

She could see a slight glint of worry on Octavias face, a worry that would say junie would be her friend despite there being no interest from her.

From what Junie could tell everyone was faking something. Specifically creating parasocial relationships between coworkers that couldn’t possibly combine this well.

“Well I've got a decently big case for you two. I think it would do you both some good to spend a while with each other. Maybe form a bond.” That last part was left with a glance from Oct to Junie. Like Junie was the one in the wrong for not wishing to create false relationships.

Although Junie refused to fully respond,her eyes laid on spectra. Who somehow seemed more than happy to be spending time with her. Like she was some sort of prize to win through the game of investigation.

Junie sort of tooned out Octaivas run down of the situation,not like it held much importance to her. It was always the same information that could be easily read within the file so she really saw no reason in her boss insisting on giving the rundown.

Once the tan folder was slid over to the two,junie quickly put it on herself to do the heavy load of this mission. It's not like she was sure spectra could do it. She wasn't bad at her job but she had her own investigation style. Something Junie only looked at with disgust. She couldn’t understand why spectra would insist on going so off course with her information,she had to be gaining something from it.

Junie took the folder,holding it tight in her hands as she flipped through the information. Small bits seemed to catch her eye,the story of the case being oddly familiar. She could tell spectra was staring up at her,surprisingly not saying a word in fear of disturbing her review.

Junie reviewed the information,realizing this case might be more complicated than originally thought. The situation was familiar,far too familiar. She took a deep breath,trying to process her new found connection to such a case. A story of a woman disappearing without any explication. A story Junie was under the assumption she had long escaped. Junie gently closed the folder,her hands still holding it tight. Almost refusing to let go. She couldn’t risk this job,even if it was a case she knew she needed to be professional during. This wasn't personal. She shouldnt make it personal. This was simply her job now that she was here…although she would have to report this case to her actual boss eventually.

“Junie,go ahead and head out with spectra to her office. She needs to review just as much as you do.” Octavia joked to her. A joke Junie couldn't come even close to finding amusing.

She watched as Spectra lifted herself from the tethered leather chair. And glanced at Junie with the same smile that seemed to never leave her face. She really couldn’t find a reason as to why someone would be so happy all the time. She had this everlasting smile to her,she despised it. It was a waste of time to smile at every single person that crossed your way. Acknowledgement should be earned in Junies eyes. She wasn't someone who could just magically allow anyone into her life in the way Spectra constantly seemed to.

She watched the woman walk out of the office,her jewelry creating a distinct clicking sound as it swayed around with her movement. Junie quickly followed behind,her eyes being caught on each piece of shining gold. It was like the sun itself had personally decided to bless her.

Once they made it to the elevator,Spectra patiently waited for Junie to take her place next to her.

Junie took her stance,leaving a glare from the side that looked up to spectra. She wanted to warn her,to force her to back away. Seemed like spectra didn't take that hint though.

“So any specific Information you noticed?” Spectra asked.

“Nothing Octavia didn’t mention in her run down.”

“..right..um,anything you find interesting about it?” She continued on, like she was almost begging for a conversation from her.

“…does it matter? It's the same case no matter what I think.” Junie countered back.

“Right..”

The shining metal doors finally opened,allowing them off to spectras respective floor.

Although Junie very clearly had no interest in an interaction,she could feel spectra continuing to glance down at her, like she was looking for something to discuss.

Spectra quietly fiddled with the beautiful rings that laid across her fingers,all seeming to be perfectly sized for each.

There were a few times where it seemed like she would almost speak,maybe just to start a conversation but it never resulted in anything. It only created an awkwardly quiet ride down.

The elevator beeped and the doors pushed open,allowing the two to exit upon arrival.

They stepped out,Junie following Spectra close behind to her office. Junie could already feel the dread of working with someone who was clearly so incompetent she couldn’t even work by the standards of the company without twisting them to her own ideal working condition.

Spectra opened the door to her office,inviting Junie to enter.

“Feel free to take a seat or something. Maybe we can get to talking while we review?” She offered. An offer that was clearly unappreciated by Junie. She had no interest in sitting and discussing whatever Spectra would insist on rambling about.

“I'd prefer not to.” Junie quickly said back in potentially a meaner tone than intended.

“Oh…uh…yeah that's ok! I'll see you tomorrow and we can catch up then.” She said with a sweet smile.

Junie gave her a silent nod before walking out of her office. She really didn't intend on sharing any sort of personal conversation with someone she could barely trust at such a job like this. This was a waste of time for her.

She didn’t intend on building a connection to these people knowing she would have to betray them later.

Chapter Text

A soft clicking came from her mouse,guiding the small webkinz german shepherd across the screen. The adorable eyes of the virtual dog smiling at her through the screen.

Spectra softly smiled as she watched her virtual pet wander around through the newly decorated room.

A loud confident knock came from the hardwood door of her office,knocking her back in surprise. Who the hell would be that demanding about getting into her office. She pulled open the door to see juniper. The slightly shorter woman in a sharp dark green turtleneck that perfectly matched her beautiful hair. She was gorgeous. Spectra honestly wondered how she managed to always find the perfect matching outfits,she never seemed to wear a single ugly outfit in her life. The green of her pencil skirt even resembles the shining exoskeleton of a beetle.

Spectra quickly pulled herself together when she realized she was creating a bit of an awkward silence between the two.

“June bug! I didn’t expect you to be back to me with the information so early.” She chirped,not really being aware of the time,only really assuming it was morning.

Juniper gave her a look like she had come from another planet. Spectra could almost immediately tell she had said something wrong. Damn it. Her eyes quickly shot to the wall on the clock that displayed the time of 12:23. Shit…it was already the afternoon.

“It's the middle of the day.” Juniper quickly corrected,shooting down her comment as soon as it came.

Spectra bit down on her lip a bit, and reached to grab one of her shining rings between her fingers to fiddle with.

“Um…right. Sorry.” She said,leaving a bit of an awkward silence she was begging to be able to fill.

“Assuming you got some stuff for that case? It's pretty interesting…oh! I know! How about we go for coffee to talk about it! That would be nice wouldn’t it?” She said,quickly finding a reason for her to be with junie beyond a work environment. She needed to know her secret for clothes shopping with a wardrobe like that. She really expected nothing less from juniper,she was beautiful.

Spectra could tell that beyond a scowling anger was a beautiful smile on a sweet woman. She just had to find that smile.

Until she could find that she was just faced with the confused face of the woman. “Coffee? With you?” She hissed.

Spectra could feel the denial even if she hadn't exactly said no just yet. She just had this look, like she thought Spectra was insane.

“Um…well we don't have to, I just-i thought it would be nice maybe???” She started to mumble a bit. She was honestly a little nervous how she would respond.

A small moment of silence fell between the two. She could almost see a look of consideration on the other woman's face.

“Do you not want t-“

“I'll go.” Juniper said, interrupting before she could even really finish her sentence

“I'm very specific though so we’ll be going to the place I usually go.” Juniper added,making her decision very clear that she would refuse to budge on this.

Spectras eyebrows raised a bit,she hadn't expected juniper to actually agree. She quickly nodded,leaving her to decide the location.

“That's fine with me!” She said with a big smile on her face.

June looked up at her with what could be described as satisfied confusion. With a small nod she gripped the purse over her shoulder and guided spectra out with her.

She couldn’t help but feel a little excited about going out with juniper. Not that they were “going out” really,it was just for work. There wasn’t really any personal element to it,in fact june most likely wouldn’t even agree if it meant a personal connection.

She could feel her friend, Cosmic giving her a bit of a smirk on her way out. Not that it was surprising,she knew more than well what her situation currently was.

——-

Spectra could feel that they were gaining some distance from the office. It wasn't really an issue but she wasn't too aware of a cafe in the area. She sort of just trusted Juniper's sense of direction. Enough to get them to their location at least.

She let June keep the lead,which proved to be a bit harder than she thought. For such a shorter woman she seemed to keep her pace faster than most. She seemed like she was on a mission despite there being no rush for them to be anywhere,most places didn't close till late.

Spectras eyes wandered over the side of town they were on. It was generally a beautiful area. A park with the pouring fountain of a woman that had only been semi questioned as to who she was. It was simple to assume she was simply the model of the sculpture. Her eyes danced over the view of sparking water from across the street. It felt like almost a mystery of what was beyond the ordinary wishing well.

Despite always watching the fountain from afar she truly didn't have time to sit down and watch the water fall gently over the rocks.

She looked back to June, who was starting to finally slow down as they approached a place. She didn't bother to really read the name of the cafe,she knew June probably knew full well what she was doing.

It seemed like almost the second her green knee sharp heels hit that wood floor, she made her presence known. The blond barista at the counter immediately sat up and called out to the pink haired man.

When the girl went to the back, he walked up to the counter giving June nothing but a smile and nod,like full communication had been made despite not a word being said between them. The pink haired man's eyes seemed to glance up at spectra for a few seconds,quickly making their way back to look at june.

“I don't normally see you bring anyone with you!” The man mentioned.

“Just make my coffee and get her drink order garry.” Junie said back. Despite her statement being generally blunt, there was no venom in her bite like there normally was.

Garry snickered at her comment before giving his attention back up to spectra,with a sweet smile. Letting her know she was welcome to order.

“Oh just a matcha latte please.” Spectra responded. Smiling back at garry.

He gave her a quick nod before he headed straight to making both of the drinks.

Once Garry set up their orders,Junie waved Spectra over to follow her. Leading them to a cozy area of the room. It was contained with two couches and, beautiful soft throw pillows. She seemed to know exactly what she wanted and when she wanted it, in a way that was almost admirable. She was terrifying in the most gorgeous way. She seemed almost drop dead perfect. Her lip gloss always shined in a way that matched her shade. Her nails were always unchipped, with a fresh coat of paint daily. She always knew exactly how to look like a girl's dream woman.

She could feel junies eyes glaring into her skull. Her eyes were so sharp they could cut a hole in her brain.
With that glare,Spectra realized how weird it looked for her to be staring into her co-workers eyes without a word. She quickly turned her eyes in the opposite direction,fixing her posture to appear a little more professional. She was feeling a little shitty from staring. She knew she shouldn't have just blankly watched her like that. Hell she probably thought she was creepy. She was definitely being a little weird like this. She awkwardly reached for the blanket that softly draped over the couch,wrapping it around herself.

She was being really weird; she could easily admit that. She was staring down a woman who really didn't want too much to do with her. She tried so hard to be kind and gentle to her. Maybe get her comfortable to get her out of her comfort zone but now she wouldn’t be able to at al-

“Our drinks are done.” Junie said. No amount of true venom to her voice. She wasn't mad…

“…oh. Ok…cool.” She said,awkwardly slugging out of her blanket that wrapped around her like a snail's shell.

She watched Junie stand up to go grab their drinks. Not seeming as normally snippy as she was most of the time.

Spectra let her blanket fall off to her shoulders. Allowing herself to examine the area a little more. Yellowish star shaped fairy lights hanging from the ceiling. Emitting a gentle yellow light above them. The pillow next to her was in the shape of a pretty pink heart,clearly custom made. Next to it sat a plush of a ladybug. Something that reminded her a bit of junie. Despite not knowing her that well,she knew she adored bugs of all kinds. It was obvious from the heavy bug themed pins along her work bag,and the beetle keychains that flung side to side on it.

Spectra couldn’t help but find that part of her interesting. Most people would be revolted by the little things. It gave her an idea.

When Junie came back over,warm drinks in hand,Spectra quickly shot up,throwing her blanket down to the couch.

“Can we sit in the park?” Spectra said before Junie could even get a word out.

She could tell junie was caught off guard. Sitting in silence for an uncomfortable second. Junie looked back at her with a weirdly off put face.

“Um…ok?” She responded back. Catching her completely off guard by her inability to predict Spectras actions

“Cool!!” Spectra said,quickly grabbing the warm tea from junies hand. Holding it tight. ignoring the green drops that slung out of the top, as she excitedly rushed out to the park. Her arms slung in front of her as she halted herself outside of the cafe doors,her entire body feeling like they needed to keep moving as much as possible. This was her chance. She would give Junie exactly what would help her.

Junie caught up,curious about Spectras sudden excitement.

“I'm not too sure what you're so giddy about.” Junie huffed before taking a sip of her coffee before her face very quickly spread with disgust. “My drink is cold..” she mumbled.

“Just cmonnnn!!” Spectra said,lightly hopping between feet as she twirled to face back to the park. There was a good walk through the forest Inhabited by bugs and unique plants connected directly to the park. It was practically Juniper's dream location.

Junie let out a deep sigh and followed behind a very over eccentric Spectra. She put one hand against her arm,holding it tight. She tried to keep her distance from Spectra. Maybe they looked like they were less of a duo group to the people around them that way.

Once they entered, Spectra finally took a deep breath and attempted to calm herself down near the shining silver gates. She took a heavy breath,taking a sip of her tea after. It was a little cold but she somewhat expected it. She probably didn't need the caffeine either. Juniper worked as a natural made sugar substitute, despite being maybe the most bitter person on earth. She had a sweetheart deep down. Spectra could taste it against her mouth.

Spectra noticed Junie taking her place next to her. Quickly throwing away her “cold” coffee,which by no means looked like it was actually cold Spectra.

“Now what were you begging to do here?” Junie questioned. Lifting one brow to her.

“C'mon! There's a bug seeing trail,I thought you would like it.” She said,giving June a soft smile.

Junes' face heated up. Just barely. Most people wouldn’t have even noticed it,but most people weren’t spectra.

“Hm…that could be…acceptable.” She said,mumbling a bit on that last part. She let out a deep sigh, but calmly picked up her feet to keep up with Spectras pace as they started to walk down the soft trail.

Chapter Text

Junies green heels crunched against the rocky terrain of the path. The stinging in her feet from the walk was nearly unbearable. She couldn’t understand why the hell Spectra was running in front,practically skipping along the rocks. The trees lined each side of the path,thick bushes swaying in the wind. She could feel the warm sun hitting her face each time she stepped into the gaps between the leaves. The heat was practically unbearable for spectras choice in activity.

She glanced around,occasionally seeing a butterfly soaring its gentle blue wings through the thick floral.
Its shining wings caught her eye,forcing them to follow the soft flapping. As it hid behind the shadows of the trees,her eyes rested back against spectras purple hair.

A purple that shined under the light,creating a beautiful blue undertone. An effect that had to be dragging compliments in. Hell that was probably the only reason she continued dying her hair such a color. The opinions and comments of others who admired her keeping her running. Junie would never need to run off of attention like that.

She forced her gaze away from the woman. Looking down to a kid with curly dark hair,crouching down against a bush,holding a beetle within the palms of his hands.

She let out a soft sigh, her eyes slowly making their way back to that soft purple hair. Her gold jewelry shining against the sun,the edges of the material dragging the light against it.

She didn’t know what the hell she was doing. She was supposed to be working on a case,not being forced down the nature path of the park.

“Hey, June bug?” Spectra called out from in front,slowing her step to make her way next to her.

Junie didnt answer for a moment. If Spectra really wanted to talk to her she would take the opportunity to speak her mind instead of taking June's attention first.

She wasn't going to say anything until Junie responded, So she was left with no choice but to be the one filling the silence.

“Yes?” She asked back.

“So…about the case. It's kinda funny that the girl looked a little like you!” She said,flipping the conversation in an odd way.

Junie was stunned for a moment,scrambling for some sort of response to such a claim. She couldn’t get defensive…that would make it too obvious something was wrong. She had to fill this lasting silence before she assumed anything though.

“Does she now?” Junie forced out. Settling for the first answer she could say.

“I mean without the dyed hair and glasses, yeah!” She said.

She didn't sound like she was suspecting anything. Junie was doing fine. She just needed to make sure she knew that. She couldn’t keep freezing up like this.

“I guess…I don't really see it.”

“Eh i mean it's only a little bit. I'd say you're prettier than her.” Spectra said with this big dumb smile. That stupid ‘compliment’ that had to be an insult in disguise. She just…couldn’t figure out how.

“I guess.”

“Like,a lot prettier.” Spectra continued pushing to a goal Junie couldn’t find. She had no idea what her intentions were.

“…do you want me to say thank you?”

“I dunno. I don’t really care if you do.”

“…” The more spectra said the more confused Junie was. There had to be some sort of alternative reason for her actions. Why the hell couldn’t she figure out what they were.

“Let's just go back.” Junie said,forcing this little outing to stop before anything else happened.

“Oh-yeah sorry!” Spectra quickly apologized,turning around to start going back.

Junie followed close behind,hoping to make their way back as fast as possible without spectra saying another dumb thing.

As they were getting to the end of the path,spectra seemed to get her eyes caught on the sight of a light green flower. She quietly leaned down,plucking it from the ground. She turned back to Junie,taking a step forward.

“I think you would look really nice with this!” She said,slowly slipping the flower behind Junies ear,who was very much too surprised by the action to intervene.

Junie couldn’t even stop her,she was stuck dead in her path for a second. She could see spectra starting to gain some distance, and quickly snapped herself out of it.

Who did she think she was?? Just putting a flower in someone's hair without permission. She quickly caught up,putting herself behind spectra to observe her. Observe how anyone could be that stupid.

She lifted one hand to the soft petals of the flower,feeling the leaves. She did have to say it was very soft. She slowly slipped the flower out from behind her ear,twirling it by the step between her pointer and thumb. It wasn’t bad. Spectra definitely could point out a pretty flower.

——

Once Junie got in her office,she gently laid down the flower on her desk. Gazing at the light green color of the flower. She couldn't stop thinking about what she did. The way Spectra called her pretty,the way she so gently gave her the flower. She was playing a dangerous game trying to push her luck like this. Spectra had to have some sort of other goal. There was no way she was just doing this to be nice.

She could help but think of Spectras comment from earlier. “She looks like you.” Those same words repeated in her mind. That's what spectra was after. She had some sort of plan to get her to admit it was her. Well she wasn’t going to give into it.

She had to beat Spectra at this game before spectra beat her.

She reached for the flower,holding it in her hands for a moment. Her fingers curled in to destroy it. She couldn’t look at this thing any longer but she couldn’t get herself to destroy it. She felt some stupid guilt about ruining it. She let out a quiet sigh,looking over to the small empty glass vase on her desk. She quietly placed the flower in,ripping her attention from it.

She just had to get over it. She couldn’t let herself be so hung up on a stupid trick.

Chapter Text

It had been about a week since their little outing. A week since Spectra had looked Juniper in the eyes. She didn’t really know what she had done wrong. June seemed to avoid eye contact like the plague in a way that was out of character for her.

Spectra just wanted to know what she had done wrong. What she had done to deserve all attention being stripped away.

Spectra typed away at her computer,going down a rabbit hole of any social media profiles with a name relating to the case. It seemed almost hopeless,this case had gone unsolved for a while now. It seemed more like the woman had disappeared by choice rather than the theorized kidnapping.

She hesitantly pulled open a tab,putting an idea to use. She typed in the name of the woman into the way back machine,clicking through various years. She managed to stumble onto an account.

The brown hair.

The soft green eyes.

The sharp face shape.

The way she resembled juniper in a way that was so uncanny it couldn’t have been true. It matched up perfectly. The deletion of the account was set to the rumored date of her disappearance.

Maybe if she told Juniper, she would finally give her the time of day again. She quickly saved the evidence,snagging her phone as fast as possible. She typed in the number of Juniper's office,impatiently waiting for the answer of her call.

The second she heard Juniper's bland answer of a simple hello and introduction,she cut June off to explain faster than she could think.

“Juneithinkifoundoutsomenewinformationcomedownhere!!” She excitedly spoke.

A silent pause fell between them as June tried to process what the hell she just heard.

“…huh?? Spectra you're speaking too fast.”

Spectra paused,taking in a big breath of air before speaking again.

“I found information about the case! Head down here,I'll show you.” She repeated with a big smile on her face.

“I'll be there in a moment.” She said,wrapping up the phone call.

—-

June leaned over the computer screen,reading over spectras provided information.

Spectra tried to watch from a distance,but she couldn’t help thinking about trying to figure out Juniper's reaction. She was looking for some sort of respect,for June to be proud of her. Anything like that.

She leaned over her a bit,noticing the way the dark brown shined on her roots. Something she had never noticed before…it couldn’t mean anything. Tons of people have brown hair…it's not uncommon to dye your hair either. It was nothing…it had to be nothing…

She tried to just brush it off,remembering a schedule her, and her friend Cosmic owl had picked up. She very quickly butted in on June's silent pondering.

“Hey, do you wanna go to dinner with me?”

“…what?”

“Uh-i just mean like-do you wanna join me and Cosmic owl for dinner?”

“Oh-right. Cosmic owl. Yes,ok.”

Spectra smiled with the same goofy grin she always had. Her plan was perfect! She was finally getting June's attention again. All that was left was getting Cos to agree to let June come…

“Ok cool!! I'll cya tonight!!” Spectra said excitedly, as June gathered up the new found information.

She seemed a little bothered, but it was best for Spectra not to push after she was finally paying attention to her.

When Spectra had made sure June was far,she dashed down the hall to Cosmic owls office.

Spectra opened the door to her friends office,wandering in like she was just minding her business.

Spectra awkwardly approached her best friend,keeping her fingers crossed that maybe just maybe Cosmic owl would agree to this.

“Heeeyyyyy bird brainnsss” she said,leaning over her bro to get her attention.

Cos was a blond girl,light and dark streaks running through her hair, big round glasses, and a soft yellow hoodie pulled over her head.

Cosmic smiled upon seeing her best friend in the entire world leaned over her shoulder. To Cos it was pretty easy to tell this was the part where Spectra asked some big request.

“Oh no,what's up? What are you about to ask me for?”

“Soooo could June maybe sorta come to our bro dinner date…”

“June?? I dunno specs…i don't think she likes me very much..”

“Cmon!! I'd let you bring octavia!!”

She immediately saw Cosmics face heat up from embarrassment. She pushed Spectra off of her,trying to avoid some of the teasing,even though she knew getting defensive would make it worse.

“Oh shut up!! That’s different…”

“Sure it is.” Spectra said with smug sarcasm.

“Ok fine. June can come but you gotta shut up about the Octavia thing before someone hears you!”

Spectra rolled her eyes,deciding to settle on that answer before Cos could take it back.

—-

Spectra couldn't help but anxiously wait around at her table,basically almost unintentionally ignoring her best friend sitting across from her. She shifted the rings around her fingers,twisting and moving them in an attempt to stay calm.

Cos silently stared,seeing a Spectra too anxious to calm down without her hoped for goal.

“Spectra.” She said firmly. Attempting to catch her attention.

Spectra jolted up,her head snapping towards Cos.

“Yeah?”

“Dude. You'll be fine,but stop stressing about June. If she doesn't come she doesn’t come,but if she does im sure itll be just fine.” Cos assured,making Spectra realize how obvious she was being about her feelings.

“…right..” she sighed.

Right as Spectra finished that thought,the familiar click of heels caught her attention.

When she turned her head,June and Spectras eyes locked for a second,and just for a split second it almost seemed like June cracked a smile. A smile that seemed almost unnatural for her. Spectra couldn’t help but wonder what she was smiling for…not that she could say she didn't have a big goofy grin the second that door opened.

The place had a nice feel,nothing super special,but nice. Not a super crowded place either,it seemed like the 3 were the only ones really occupying the restaurant, apart from the staff. June quietly made her way over to the booth,paying pretty much no attention to Cosmic owl. She squished into the seat next to spectra,leaving a good enough space between them.

“So-june bug! I'm pretty sure you’ve met Cos before!”

“I have. I'm sure she remembers.” June said,shooting a look at Cos like they had run into a bad situation in the past.

Cos shrunk into her hoodie a bit,not really responding back. She did want this to go good for spectra,she really did but it was just…hard. Maybe June could warm up to her eventually.

Spectra could feel the tension between the two not really going down unless she interjected.

“So um-did you maybe wanna have a drink or something? I mean you don't have to, i'd be pa-“

“I'm fine. I don't drink.” She interrupted,knowing full well spectra was about to ramble more than she should. She couldn’t get Spectra to get her drunk,she would probably just use her for information once she was vulnerable enough to say it.

“…oh. Right yeah sorry” Spectra mumbled,feeling a little rude for thinking June would. Damn it. Why did she keep messing up? At this rate June would go back to ignoring her and Spectra wouldn’t even have to question why.

“You’re fine, calm down.” She said,sounding a little reassuring. She knew sometimes her tone came off wrong,she always kind of sounded mad at people.

Everyone went silent for a moment…a very uncomfortable moment, before Cos finally broke the silence.

“So June,you like games?”

“I don't get time to play.”

“Well how about the three of us hanging out at some point to play? Maybe give yourself a break?”

And for a moment June froze. She was being invited to two friend meetups. She knew she was supposed to say no,she knew she was supposed to not get attached…but maybe if she turned it into a chance to figure out spectras motive it could work out.

“I mean if your busy you don-“

“I'll be there.” She butted in,realizing she had been quiet a second too long. She needed to take this chance to make Spectra trust her more. If she had the trust of the woman working against her,maybe she could get her to stop sniffing her nose in places.

Spectras face lit up a bit, realizing June wasn't mad. This was perfect!! Maybe June could finally learn to trust her..

“That's great June bug!!” She said,leaning her elbow against the table with a big smile. “I know you don't get a ton of time off,but it'll be nice seeing you out of work a little more!”

“Maybe you won't be so tense” Cosmic joked.

“Right.” June responded,sounding unamused, but not mad. She was getting their trust,this was going perfect. Maybe she would be able to slip Spectras little finding from this afternoon right under the rug.

This was going perfectly.

Chapter Text

Junie woke up,stretching her hands up to the roof. The sun barely peaked through the window,June beating it to its arrival as usual. She pushed her feet through a room she hadnt had motivation to clean in months. The floor scattered with harsh reminders of her complete lack of control. The rest of her house really wasn’t much better…trash scattered around the place. Ants had made their way into being best friends with the floor.

She made her way to the kitchen,preparing a cup of coffee for her day. She turned on her phone, flinching at the bright screen straight into her eyes, glancing at a complete lack of texts. Only thing welcoming her on her phone is the 4:00 am sitting at the top of the screen.

She couldn’t understand why,but she kind of wished Spectra had shot her some sort of text. She wasn't too sure what she was expecting…she just sort of wanted something.

She was on her way back to her room, when she remembered something. She had the day off.

Any normal person would be excited,and normally she would too. Something just felt so wrong.

She glanced over to the vase sitting on the center of the living room table. A soft green flower sat in the middle. She was an idiot for keeping the thing. No doubt what Spectra could have done to it. Not that any answer for what she could have done didn't sound outrageous.

She made her way to her room,shoving open the closet door to her wardrobe full of various shades of green. She pulled out a nice outfit,making it simply a soft sweater and corduroy pants.

She had at least something to look forward to. She would be seeing Caroline, who went by the silly nickname of Cosmic owl and her most hated enemy, Spectra

She had several hours considering the hang out wouldn’t occur till around 12:00 pm,which in lazy dumbass time would be in reality around 1-2:00pm.

She just silently sighed,slipping on her slightly platformed shoes and making her way out the door. She would probably just grab herself breakfast,maybe pick up groceries,anything to really pass the time and get out of the house.

———

After what felt like hours of waiting,she was finally making her way to this dumb meet up. Caroline had easily been at the company longer than Spectra,it was almost surprising she didn't attract more attention considering she seemed to attract people who like attention.

She made her way to Cosmics apartment,seeing Spectras car parked outside the building. She took her way carefully up the elevator,being suspicious of every weird movement it made. When the doors finally opened she felt relieved she wouldn’t sit there for long.

She knocked on the door,peeking down at her phone just to double check the time.

A very excited Spectra swung open the door,seemingly living off the high of winning against Cosmic in a board game.

“Hey June bug!!” She said,giving her a big wide smile.

For a moment June could feel the urge to smile,attempting to suppress it as much as humanly possible.

“Hello Spectra. Assuming you two have already completed a match without me?” She replied,slipping her way inside, and taking her shoes off at the door.

Spectra nodded,cheering her way all down to the living room again.

In the living room sat a few games,in a box,on the floor. Cosmic in a t-shirt and jeans,and of course,Spectra.

It seemed like they had started up a round of Uno and Spectra had quickly beat her. Judging by the cards on the table,Cos was left with a handful of cards.

Spectra excitedly patted a chair at the dining table,sitting down in the chair next to it.

June followed,sitting down and glancing at what was planned for the day.

It looked like she had found the perfect opportunity to catch the girls off guard,and truly get to understand their intentions.

“Hey june” Cos spoke up,giving her a bit of a forced smile that clearly hid some frustration from her loss.

She just quietly nodded back,seemingly uninterested in making conversation. They wouldn’t want to repeat their previous mistake.

—————-

They played much longer than any of them had intended,not that any of them had plans outside of this. Spectra couldn’t help but notice how sleepy Juniper seemed to get. After her billions of wins it was about time she had worn herself out.

Spectra glanced at Cos,who had made her way into the kitchen to throw some noodles into the microwave. She did have something that was bugging her a bit,and June was finally ready to leave. Maybe she could actually catch Cos to ask her a few questions before Spectra would need to head home.

“Well,that was fun,but I should get going,” June said,pushing herself up from her seat,silently yawning.

“Cya June bug!!” Spectra said,waving her hand as she watched June slip back out like she had never been there in the first place.

Once June was finally gone,Spectra headed towards the kitchen to talk to Cos.

“Hey,you've been at the company longer…do you know much about June?” Spectra asked,leaning herself against the kitchen counter.

“Uh…honestly no. She's kinda just kept to herself.” Cos shrugged. It kinda seemed like that wasn't it, and normally Spectra wasn't one to push but she needed to know.

“She talked to you like you knew her.” Spectra mentioned,sounding a little ruder than she had originally meant to.

Cos went noticeably quiet, and Spectra forced herself to take that as a sign to leave.

“I'll cya later Caroline” Spectra said,leaving at that and leaving with her stuff. Once again she was led to not knowing what she was supposed to do…it seemed like every mistake led to some sort of silent treatment. She couldn’t take it.

She was going to figure this out.

Chapter Text

Octavias head sat in her hand,as her elbow rested against the wood of the table. She had been keeping a close eye on the recent partnership of Juniper Beetle and Spectra Wish. She was…worried to say the least. They seemed to be stumped. She knew from the start the two would have a rocky relationship but this was beyond expected. Junie seemed so cold to Spectra at times,so lost. She knew they had left together a few times,she even learned through a short conversation with Caroline that they had hung out as a group recently, but that didn't seem to soften up how June would speak about Spectra. Her rants being pretty typical, but recently seeming more targeting to Spectras treatment of her and others.

It wasn't that Spectra was treating them disrespectfully,in fact it was the exact opposite. What seemed to anger June was Spectras kindness.

Octavia sighed,grabbing her cup by the lid and taking a small sip. She put down the cold cup,interlocking her hands together just to think. She needed to figure out why it seemed like their mission was taking steps backwards instead of the intended forwards. It seemed like all the information they collected was shortly deleted after being found. Of course they saved the record of anything,but it wasnt great to have information going missing before it could even be dug into.

Weirdest part about it,it seemed information was disappearing shortly after June being informed of the findin-

Her thoughts were interrupted by the soft push of her door, Cosmics sweet smile greeting her. An angel's face honestly.

“Hheeeyyyy Octiii” Cos said, as she walked up to her desk.Octavia could easily see the embarrassment on Cosmics face, as she realized how horrible of a greeting that was for her boss of all people.

Octavia gave her a smile back,adjusting the sun glasses that sat comfortably against the bridge of her nose.

“Hey mate!” She greeted,pushing herself up from her desk. Although they were about the same height when the woman was sitting,the second she stood up she pretty much towered over Cos.

She could see the semi nervous smile on Cosmics face as she fidgeted with her hoodie sleeve.

After a moment of admittedly awkward silence, Cos spoke back up,shoving her hands into the pockets of her sweater. “Did you wanna hang out? I mean if you're not busy. I know you probably have a lot to do.”

“I'm free. Cmon, sit!” She said, gesturing for Cos to come sit at the seat across from hers at her desk.

Cosmics face immediately lit up, and she pulled out the chair at the desk.

Octavia sat back down,noting the slight redness on Cosmic owls face. She was well aware of the way Cos’ eyes would light up when she looked at her,and admittedly she enjoyed seeing it.

“Heard Cake was throwing like a big ol 'party at her place,she's inviting basically anyone.” Cos said excitedly,and Octavia immediately knew what was coming up after.

“So…did you wanna go together?” Cos said,and all Octavia could think was how she knew Cos way better than she thought she did.

“Hmm..sure i'll be there!” She said,knowing she most likely would have gone without the invite,she had been asked by cake weeks ago if she would be there,it was just more special hearing it from Cos.

She could see Cosmic owls face getting warmer,and her smile getting bigger. “Oh ok yeah perfect!!” she said, clearly trying to hold in her excitement.

-------------

Octavia pulled her car up to the closest parking spaces she could find to Cakes house,which wasn't easy considering the piling on cars that lined the streets of the loud packed house.

She took a step out onto the grass near the sidewalk,adjusting her dress slightly. Honestly it sort of resembled a disco ball,but that's what attracted her to what would have most likely been seen as a horrible dress choice. Sure it wasn't a super fancy party,but it was worth it to wear something nicer. After all it was still a party and not just a bunch of people hanging out.

She could spot an honestly surprising face sitting out in the lawn. June seemed to be frustrated and waiting outside,leaning against a tree. She looked really nice,definitely dressed up a bit past her usual. It was strange…she didn't expect June to even want to show up,let alone get nice and dressed up for it.

Maybe it was worth seeing what happened. Octavia kneeled down next to her,not fully sitting just in case she didn't want her to. It was worth feeling out the situation first.

“Hey mate.” Octavia spoke up softly,trying to figure out if June was actually upset or not. It was sort of hard to tell with her sometimes,mostly because her resting face always made her look mildly pissed off.

“Octavia.” She said,tilting her head up slightly

“Really didn't expect you to show up,I mean you normally think this stuff is stupid.” Octavia said,finally taking an actual seat next to her.

June looked away,having some trouble making proper eye contact. “Spectra managed to drag me out here. It was such a waste of time” She mumbled,clearly upset but the reason seemed unclear. Spectra didn't seem like the type to just leave someone out without a reason. No,she was way too sweet for that.

“Well I assume she isn't leaving you in the dirt like this. Wanna come in with me?” She said,leaning her elbow against her knee and her head against her head.
She heard June let out a quiet sigh,and watched her pick herself back up. “Sure. She's probably looking for me. I just…ugh. This isn't my place at all. I don't go to these things unless I'm forced to!”

Octavia smiled,seeing her go into her normal rant. “Spectra just has a way of getting straight to someone's heart doesn't she.”

After those words,she could immediately notice June going quiet,and honestly a little embarrassed. A face like that just meant she was right. Spectra had wormed her way straight into June's heart like the world's funnest parasite.

Octavia lifted herself up,leading June inside with her. The house was definitely cramped,people just talking and having fun. After a second of Octavia trying to scout out the crowd she spotted the duo she was looking for.

“C'mon they're over there.” She said to June,smiling as she took her hand and led her through the crowd,over to the two in the corner.

Spectra gained an excited smile,seeing June and Octavia approaching.

“June bug!!” The woman's eyes lit up and she moved to greet a very awkward June. Octavia thought maybe she should be offended that Spectra hadn't really greeted her,but she was very aware that she was here for June. it wasn't even subtle for a second how Spectra felt about her,and she knew June felt the same way. Even if she refused to say it.

Octavia simply smiled at the sight. It was too sweet to be mad at. She felt a hand touch against her elbow,and she looked over to see Cosmic making herself known that she was close by. They exchanged a glance at each other,sharing sweet smiles.

-------------

June wandered around,overwhelmed and nervous. She had lost Spectra within the crowd and there was no way she would be able to find her. Shit…this was the reason she didn’t want to go! She shouldn’t have even showed up! How could Spectra get her into this mess? How could she have allowed Spectra to drag her into this??

She cursed herself for letting that purple haired idiot drag her down. She could have easily been working comfortably at home in her own bed. She didn’t need to show up to this dumb party. She shouldn’t have shown up to this dumb party.

Without even thinking about it she found herself outside. It wasn't as quiet as she could’ve hoped,but it was ok. It was somewhat away from the worst of the crowd. She should leave.

Her hands anxiously swept through her bangs,her eyes laying dead set on the mostly dead grass. She was too deep in thought to realize anything before she bumped straight into someone. She immediately backed up,panicking as she looked.

“Oh! Hey, you ok june??”

June froze. It was Octavia. She felt herself calm a little,or atleast her heart rate had finally found its way down.

“Oh..mhm.” She nodded back. She fidgeted with her hands,the world still feeling so fuzzy.

“Cmon.” Octavia calmly said back,very gently moving to hold her hand.

She didn’t know why she couldn’t respond back. It was like she lost her ability to speak properly.

“Wanna sit in my car for a bit? Get some peace and quiet?” Octavia asked,and June just felt some instant relief. She nodded,and she brought her over to her car. Octavia opened the passenger door,then moved to the driver's seat.

“Wanna talk?”

June just looked at her,clearly seeming a little too tired. Octavia didn't even need a real answer. She already had it.

“That's ok.” Octavia said back,just pulling out her phone,making sure to turn the volume off just in case anything with music popped up.

June closed her eyes for a few minutes,listening to her heartbeat echo inside her ears. She listened to it slow,taking note of the seconds between.

1 beat
2 beat
3 beat

Her head repeated each time.

She felt herself start to calm down,her hands steading out and her ability to speak coming back to her.

She glanced at Octavia,who was still sitting on her phone.

“I'm sorry.”

Octavia looked up,gently putting her phone down in her lap.

“For what?”

“For showing up. I shouldn't have come if I knew I was just going to get overwhelmed.”

“June,it's ok. I'm glad you at least tried. I'm surprised spectra managed to get you out for something like this. She must’ve had to really give you sad eyes huh?”

June leaned back,looking up to the ceiling of the car. Those words felt so wrong. The idea of Spectra associating with her felt so wrong. Her work life was fusing into her personal life more than she was comfortable with.

She let out a quiet sigh,her eyes glancing towards Octavia for a second. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Octavia giving her a look. Octavia knew. Octavia was reading her like a book.

“Nothing is happening between me and Spectra.”

“Didn't say there was.”

June gave her a glare.

“You were thinking about it. I could see it in your eyes.”

“You just look so happy with her. Brighter.”

June looked back up to the ceiling. She was wrong. She had to be wrong. June had dedicated so much of her time to hating Spectra,it had practically over taken her job. That idiot had wormed her way right into her brain and she had to hate her. There was no other rational explanation for why she was thinking of her so much. Watching her every move so closely.

“I'm going home.”

Octavia seemed a little surprised,but she simply smiled and nodded.

“Yeah. I'll cya at work tomorrow.”

June sat up,giving a slight nod and walking out of the car. She made her way down to her car,feeling the cold night air against her arms. She couldn’t get Spectra off her mind. There had to be some rational explanation on why she felt this way about her. She was just so frustrated by it. That stupid purple haired idiot invading her mind so closely.

She quickly swung open the driver side door to her car,slamming the door on her way in.

She really needed to get her shit together…