~perfect for pictures~ (luka couffaine x reader)

☆ chapter nine ☆

(Y/N'S POV)

Isaac and I parked and walked down to the banks of the Seine, where the Couffaine's houseboat was docked. The lights on the deck of the ship flooded the night and illuminated Rose, Juleka, Luka, and Ivan standing in a huddle.

"He lives on a boat?" Isaac whispered, clearly taken by surprise.

"Yeah– it's his mom's– long story." I whisper back before addressing the group, who we had now approached. "Hey! Welcome back Ro– oh shit." I stopped dead in my tracks on the bridge over to the deck, causing Isaac to bump into me from behind. The place was completely wrecked.

"Oh shit indeed." Isaac mused. My friends turned around to face me, looking exhausted.

"Yeah." Luka held out his arms to gesture at the... everything that was ruined. Smashed guitars and busted drumheads littered the graffiti covered deck. "And you haven't even seen the speakers she tossed overboard." I boarded the boat with Isaac still trailing behind me. "You really didn't have to come."

"No, no, don't worry about it. Plus, everyone else is here."

"Except Adrien. His dad would never let him out." Ivan added.

"Figured. So how do we know this was her doing?" I put a hand on my hip.

"She left a note taunting us." Luka sighed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He read aloud in a mocking voice: "Hey there dingbats. Remember me? Who am I kidding– of course you do. After our unforgettable win last year, I'm sure you've all had Lila Rossi on the brain. Either way, we're back, dimwits. See you soon, xoxo Lila and the Myths." Luka looked up from the note with a troubled expression.

"That's it? No specifics?" I asked. Maybe some more details would let us prepare a little better. But that's exactly what she wants.

"Yep. That's it. That's all it says." Luka started to put the note back in his pocket, but Juleka snatched it from him. She mumbled something I couldn't make out. Luckily, Rose speaks fluent Juleka.

"That's not all it says, and you know it!" Rose pointed an accusing finger at Luka. I made eye contact with Luka for a short second before he let out a heavy breath and looked to the sky. Rose took the note from Juleka. "P.S.--"

"Oh shit, a P.S." I said. "Any clues in there?"

"Not exactly–" Luka spoke, still staring at the sky. Rose went back to reading.

"P.S. Luka dear, if you ever decide to ditch 'Kitten Seizure' or whatever the name is, you know where to find me." Rose finished. Ivan was clearly trying not to laugh for Luka's sake. Luka groaned and ran a hand through his hair. Lila had been bugging him way before her band ever became a problem and even before we met, continuously making passes at him every chance she got.

"Christ, she's relentless." Luka sounded exasperated. And who could blame him?

"Sorry if this is a dumb question, but exactly who is 'she'?" Isaac said as he moved to my side. He had been so quiet for so long, I had kinda forgotten he was standing there.

"Oh shit, yeah. Everyone, this is Isaac." I gestured toward the brunette. "Isaac, this is Rose," Rose smiled wider than one would think possible, and somehow made it look sweet. "Juleka," She waved shyly. "Ivan," Ivan nodded to Isaac. "and Luka." Luka shot him a tired smile.

"Hey. Despite whatever this situation is, it's great to finally meet you." Luka stepped forward and stuck out his hand. Isaac shook his hand and smiled.

"This is trippy." I looked between the two. It didn't feel real to have my two worlds collide at 4 am in the middle of musical wreckage. "Anyway, we should probably fill Isaac in on the whole Lila situation." I looked to Luka to explain. It was his story anyway.

"Alright." Luka ran his hand back through his hair. "Lila Rossi. She and her band– Lila and the Myths– made our lives miserable last year. Kitty Section was just starting out, and we entered a competition hosted by Jagged Stone. The winners would open for him on his world tour."

"No shit? That's so cool!" Isaac exclaimed.

"It would have been. If Lila and her band of birdbrains hadn't stolen our music and sabotaged our show. They ended up winning the whole thing and leaving us in the dust. The tour ended about a month ago, and we thought they were just going to leave us alone, but they broke their silence tonight and wrecked all of our equipment while we were sleeping."

"But why? Didn't they get what they wanted when they won? What could they gain from this?" Isaac asked as he picked up a splintered guitar.

"That's the problem. We have no idea." Ivan said.

"Shit. What do we do?" I asked.

"I don't know, that's why we're all here. We do have to clean up this mess and replace our equipment before our show next week." Luka said.

"Maybe this has already been suggested, but if you have a note from her, couldn't you press charges and stop her for good?" Isaac suggested.

I shook my head. "A good thought, but she has the mayor in the palm of her hand. We've tried before and the whole affair just gets stopped before it can go anywhere." I explained. "Lila has a history of lying and scheming to get her way, and she has the mayor owning her favors left and right. She did an internship program with him the summer after our senior year– which she never shut up about– and did way more of his job than is probably legal. She has mounds of dirt on him and has been using it as blackmail ever since."

"Damn, and I thought the U.S. was corrupt." Isaac said. "Kidding, we're definitely somehow worse." This earned a laugh out of the group, effectively lightening the mood.

"Guys, this sucks and all, but what can we really do about it at 4 AM?" Ivan said, flopping down on an incredibly broken-in sofa.

"Ivan has a point, Lu. Maybe we should just clean up the damaged crap and hang out for a bit." I suggested, kicking a mangled wire aside. "We can discuss what to do next at a reasonable hour and after lots of sleep."

"Yes please! And we can get to know Isaac!" Rose squealed. Juleka murmured something completely indecipherable.

"Sounds good to me, but what do you think, Isaac? You just got here, and jet lag can be a real pain in the ass." Luka said. The rest of the gang turned to Isaac.

"Nah, I'm good to stay." Isaac cocked his head to the side and smiled. He had a glint in his hazel eyes, per usual.

"Alright, let's clean this ship!" Rose squealed.

(A/N: Chapter nine! About to publish chapter ten as well, so don't y'all worry. Let me know your thoughts!)