Three.    Gnome Efficiency

                                                  𝓛uke, predictably, was at the counter, his back to her as he worked on the grill, flipping pancakes with precision. The familiar sound of sizzling food was like music to her ears. She slid into the stool closest to the counter, leaning her elbows against it, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

"Practice?" Luke muttered over his shoulder, glancing at her with a raised eyebrow. "Heard you're captain this year."

Cosette raised an eyebrow at his words, a short laugh escaping her lips as she processed the meaning of them. "Didn't think you were interested in high school gossip, Luke."

He let out something akin to a grumble, rolling his eyes at her. "Rory mentioned it the other day."

"Yeah, captain this year," she said, nodding slowly, trying to mask the unease in her voice about realizing she was mentioned. "Guess I'm the lucky one."

Luke gave a noncommittal grunt, turning back to his grill. The sound of the spatula scraping against the metal was oddly soothing, like he didn't really care about the cheerleading drama but had to acknowledge it all the same. That was Luke's way: blunt, indifferent, but somehow always present.

The smell of pancakes filled the air, and she leaned forward slightly, watching as Luke effortlessly flipped another stack onto the griddle. Cosette had been coming to this diner for years, ever since she and her mom had moved to Stars Hollow. She'd seen Luke when he was busy, when he was grumpy, when he was casually flirting with Lorelai—though it wasn't the same anymore. And there were moments like this one, when the weight of the world seemed to fall away, if only for a few minutes. But even in those rare moments, she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she was always under someone's watchful eye.

"You don't seem too excited about it," Luke said, not looking at her but still reading the space between them. "The cheerleading thing, I mean."

Cosette blinked, surprised by his insight. She hadn't expected this conversation to turn introspective. Especially not here, at Luke's Diner, with Luke, with the low hum of the jukebox in the background and the faded neon glow spilling out onto the counter.

She gave a small shrug, trying to downplay it. "I'm not not excited. I just—It's a lot. You know? I didn't think it would be this much work." She ran a hand through her hair, disheveling the already messy strands. "We have tryouts coming up, and I don't know how Lucy had the heart to turn away any freshmen last year."

"You'll know the right ones from the wrong ones, I bet."

Cosette tilted her head slightly, processing his words. It was different hearing it from Luke, especially after all the years she'd known him. He'd never been the first one people came to when they needed something more than a cup of coffee or a plate of pancakes—but he had a way of seeing things without being pushy about it. And right now, it almost felt like he was saying what she needed to hear, even if she hadn't realized it yet.

"I get it," she said slowly, more to herself than to him. "I just don't want to let anyone down. I would've been so sad if I had been rejected from the team when I tried out."

Luke glanced over at her then, his eyes softening for a fraction of a second before he went back to his pancakes. "Probably why you made the team, then." He paused, mulling over his words. "Aside from those gymnastics lessons in Hartford Kate enrolled you in."

There was a form of airiness in his voice when he mentioned her mother, as though acknowledging a past that was cut too short too quick. Cosette's lips parted, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. It wasn't some grand speech, but there was something in his simple words that resonated in a way she hadn't expected. She had a tendency to measure herself against others, and Luke's reminder felt like a lifeline she hadn't even known she needed.

"Yeah, well, you're still young," he continued, catching her off guard. "You'll figure it out. Just don't forget to eat. You're wasting away in that uniform."

Cosette couldn't help but chuckle, shaking her head. She picked up her mug again, letting the steam warm her hands as she watched Luke slide another plate of pancakes in front of a customer. It wasn't the most profound advice, but she appreciated it nonetheless.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed the curtain leading to Luke's apartment upstairs open. 

Cosette's eyes flicked toward the staircase as Jess appeared in the doorway, his usual slouch evident even from across the diner. He paused for a second, catching sight of her before glancing toward Luke. There was a slight hesitation before he walked toward the counter, dropping onto the stool beside her with a casualness that felt too practiced.

"Late night?" Cosette asked, her voice low, a hint of curiosity behind the casual tone.

Jess didn't answer immediately but instead leaned forward, arms crossed, his gaze flicking to Luke, then back to her. "Always," he muttered, settling in. There was a flicker of something in his eyes as they met hers briefly, something unreadable. But he wasn't looking at her for long; instead, he focused on the coffee Luke had slid in his direction almost immediately, swirling it absently. "Didn't realize I'd met the Stars Hollow High cheerleading captain the other night."

She laughed lightly. "Didn't realize you were Luke's nephew everybody was talking about. What's it like living in the only place that serves real coffee in this town?"

Jess smirked at her. "Not much different. My mom's apartment in New York was right above a Dollar Pizza place open 24/7 so, in comparison, this is quieter. Less noise."

"And have you been enjoying that?"

He shrugged—a non-comittal one that said he had more to say, but stuck with what he was open to saying: "Got boring within the first twenty-four hours. I don't know how you and your friends do it."

Cosette opened her mouth to respond, but was distracted by the vibration on her phone.

Alex.

She turned it off, slightly irked, before turning to Jess and saying, "We do what we can to make it fun."

"Like the lake?"

"The lake, stealing lawn flamingos, bribing Miss Patty's students with pink lemonade to perform the wrong routine." 

Jess raised an eyebrow, clearly entertained by her response. "Bribing? With pink lemonade? I'm impressed. This town has more layers than I thought."

Cosette grinned, her eyes gleaming. "You have no idea. It's kind of an art form here, you know? The whole 'making-your-own-fun' thing. You gotta learn how to spin it, or you're just stuck in the same routine."

"Seems like a lot of effort for a small town," Jess mused, his eyes narrowing as he took a slow sip of his coffee. "But I guess that's the only way to stay sane around here, right?"

"Exactly," she said, leaning a little closer to the counter, her voice lowering conspiratorially. "In fact, Lila, Theo, Evan, and I have been making our collections of garden decorations lately."

Jess's lips twitched in amusement. "Sounds like the kind of thing I could get into."

Cosette smirked, her eyes narrowing playfully. "Oh, you'd be great at it. There's a certain finesse to it."

Jess leaned back in his stool, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the mug, though his eyes still held that spark of curiosity. "You know, I was actually thinking about 'borrowing' one of that crazy lady's gnomes the other day. She's always with Miss Patty. That could be fun. I'm sure she'd never notice it gone."

Cosette raised an eyebrow, her tone light but with a hint of mischief. "Babette's gnomes? You realize you'd be walking straight into a death trap, right? She's got eyes everywhere."

Jess chuckled softly, the sound low and a little conspiritorial. "Sounds like even more fun."

The warmth of the diner seemed to cocoon them in, the bustling quiet filling the air as they both sat there. The absurdity of their joke-turned-plan made Cosette feel a little lighter. A little more energised after practice.

She met Jess's eyes, the playful edge in his gaze matching hers. "Let's just hope she doesn't find out too soon," Cosette warned. "Otherwise, you'll be facing the wrath of a lot of people."

Jess smirked, lifting his mug to his lips. "If she does, then I guess I'll just have to take my chances."

The moment lingered, but it was broken when Luke's voice cut through the air, gruff as always but not unfriendly. "You two planning something, or just talking nonsense?"

Cosette blinked, quickly adjusting her posture and giving Luke an innocent smile. "Just discussing the finer points of Stars Hollow life," she said sweetly. "You know, making plans for world domination."

Jess snorted under his breath, shaking his head at the absurdity of it all. And for a moment, it felt like they had slipped into something almost normal. Like the town and its quirks weren't so bad after all.

"World domination, huh?" Luke said dryly, though a hint of amusement played in his eyes. "If you're taking over, let me know. I'll get you coffee on the house."

Jess's lips twitched into something resembling a smile. "I'll keep that in mind."

"I'll give you a position in my committee, Luke."

Under the blanket of a quiet night, Cosette and Jess moved conspiritorally, slipping around the edges of Babette's yard. Cosette's heart beat a little faster with the familiar rush of doing something she wasn't supposed to. It wasn't much, but there wasn't quite a lot to do short of smoking pot and stealing near-to-nothing in the town. She glanced at Jess, noting the way he moved with practiced ease, his face a mask of concentration as he zeroed in on one of the gnomes lined up near the edge of Babette's garden.

Cosette had always found the collection of gnomes amusing. They were tacky, sure—painted in garish reds and yellows, some chipped, others cracked—but it was the kind of quirk that made Babette, well, Babette. And the thought of swiping one, of turning something so innocuous into a mission, was like exactly the kind of sidequest she and her friends ventured on in this sleepy town. 

"Sure you know what you're doing?" Cosette murmured, her voice barely louder than the rustling leaves around them.

Jess shot her a sideways glance, that ever-present smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. "It's a gnome, Cosette. Not exactly Fort Knox."

Jess crouched down, inspecting one of the larger gnomes—a grinning little guy in a red hat with a fishing rod. With practiced precision, he slid it from its post, cradling it carefully in his hands. Cosette watched him for a moment, her attention split between him and the quiet darkness of the street ahead. Nothing. It was just them.

"Guess it's not so hard after all," she muttered, impressed by how smoothly it was all going.

Jess didn't say anything right away, his attention solely on the gnome in his hands as he stood, brushing off his palms before moving toward the side gate. "Guess not," he muttered, barely looking at her.

Cosette followed him quietly, her sneakers making little noise against the grass as they neared the alleyway. The night felt alive in a way, with the adrenaline of something so simple yet thrilling hanging in the air between them. They were halfway down the alley when Jess stopped, turning to hand her the gnome with a small, teasing grin.

"Your turn," he said, almost as if he were daring her.

She raised an eyebrow, taking the gnome from him. "You're not afraid we're going to get caught?"

Jess shrugged, not even looking over his shoulder. "If we do, we'll just say it was an accident." His voice was dry, laced with a certain amusement.

They passed the gnome back and forth, running like a relay team out of the shadows, hearts racing, a silent understanding between them that they were in this together. It wasn't the first time either of them had made a run for it in the dead of night. But this felt different. A little lighter, a little more reckless.

They made it to the far end of the alley without incident, both of them breathing just a little heavier, the gnome still securely in hand.

Jess glanced at her, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "This was fun. Surprisingly."

Cosette's lips curled into a smile. "I feel like you're weirdly initiated now."

The group sat along the edge of the lake, the gnome between them like a trophy they hadn't quite figured out what to do with yet. The night air was cool, and the only sounds came from the gentle lapping of the water and the occasional rustle in the trees overhead. Cosette kicked her feet idly in the water, glancing at Jess, who leaned back against a nearby post, his arms crossed, the same quiet confidence he always had, only now it felt like he belonged here a little more.

"So, he stole Babette's gnome," Cosette said, breaking the silence, her voice tinged with disbelief.

Jess glanced down at the gnome. "We," Jess corrected. "And yeah, surprisingly easy."

Lila, sitting a little farther down, raised an eyebrow. "Easy, huh? I was expecting you to bail halfway through."

Evan, sprawled out on the grass with his arms behind his head, chimed in without looking up. "I was sure you'd chicken out. I would've, and I've stolen Luke's chalkboard he writes his specials on."

"Hey," Cosette chided. "This is Luke's roommate you just confessed to."

Jess shook his head, lips pulled up slightly. "I'll do you one better. I'll swipe the baseball hat while he's sleeping." 

The group chuckled at the thought, and for a brief moment, it felt like the tension that always hovered around Jess had melted away. Cosette looked at him, a soft smile tugging at the corner of her lips, her feet still swishing idly in the water. Theo had brought around several people before, but Jess seemed to get along with them better than anybody else which was surprising considering he spoke so little and watched too much. 

Lila raised an eyebrow. "The baseball hat? Really? What's next, his flannels?"

"Don't tempt me," Jess replied, his voice low but with an undercurrent of amusement. He was half-joking, but it was clear he was beginning to grow a little more comfortable with them. 

Cosette tossed a glance toward Lila, then back to Jess. "If you really want to prove yourself, you'll have to get me that jacket from the thrift store I've been eyeing for weeks. I can't spend money there, it'd be like cheating on my mom's store." Her tone was light, teasing, but there was something else in her eyes—something like a dare.

Jess smirked, his fingers idly tapping against the gnome, but there was a glint in his eyes, something that told Cosette he was considering it. "I'll take that challenge. If you want it, I'll get it. But it's gonna cost you."

Theo chuckled from where he sat next to Lila, tossing a pebble into the lake. "Oh, this is gonna be good. Jess is on a mission to steal from Larry. I'd pay to see Taylor getting his claws on you after that."

"It would make my mother proud. Larry's been nothing short of a grade-A asshole to her," Cosette said, shrugging.

author's note do not steal from small businesses!! unless it is owned by larry because i hate him and his lore hasn't even dropped yet. also, yes, i absolutely had to include the fact that jess stole babette's gnome as—basically—the entire plot of a chapter because it reminded me so much of boarding school. we used to find fun in literally the dumbest things ever. also, i wanted integrate jess into this little group and realized that the gnome-stealing would be right up their alley, too.