What about some Lula and Jack angst especially with the third movie?
Okay, so in my delusion, they've never broken up, because I simply won't accept it (also, there's no way Dylan let them believe that he's incarcerated for life because of them; they still did missions during that decade), but I can give you some other angsty stuff. (Along with some bonus individual headcanons, because I really don't have many couple angst stuff of the creative variety).
The reason why Jack is always so touchy and clingy is because he's scared; he's scared she'll leave, that she'll realize that she can do so much better, that she'll find out how worthless he is and leave him for someone better (in his mind and his mind only - important).
It's also why he always does so much for her (other than because he loves her); he wants to give her everything, to be enough, because right now he isn't, and he doubts he ever will be enough, but she sees something in him, makes him feel alive in ways not even the other Horsemen can; having her affection alone, let alone her love, feels like wealth to him, and he's so scared of losing it, he doesn't know what he'll do if he lost her.
And while Jack overcompensates due to his elf esteem issues, Lula feels like she's not doing enough:
Jack does her nails, cooks food for her, carries her when she's tired, takes care of her in any way imaginable, and with all she does and tries to do for him, she never feels like it's comparable; and much like him, she's now scared that she might not be enough; she actually got together with her celebrity crush, he's amazing in every way imaginable, and she's scared that 𝘩𝘦 will realize that he can do better and 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 for someone else.
He's the first actually good thing to ever happen to her; the first good relationship she ever had; even with her parents, she was never that vulnerable; she always hides herself behind humour and tricks and puns, and when she finally let herself bleed through, Jack accepted her with comforting touches, smiles, and open arms, and she cried more than once from that.
Much like Jack, she doesn't know what she'd do if she were to lose this.
It's a never ending cycle, and they hide it so well with its entanglement with their obsession with one another, that almost no one ever notices.
Even if they bring it up, even if they cry and laugh over it together, it will still never fully go away. They're so in love with one another and that love has become something that they'd rather die than lose, and that in itself is frightening.
When they were trapped in that cell that was filling up with sand, they were both extremely distressed, momentarily squeezing hands every few seconds while they were trying to come up with a solution, because obviously they didn't want to die; however, a small part of them was actually comforted by the fact that, if they are dying, at least they're doing it together, and they won't lose each other now.
When Jack jumped to go to the ceiling and put the water hose, his movements were so sudden, they made Lula jump for a moment; she wasn't focused because, in a way, she was already starting to mourn all their deaths, and in a way hoping that Jack would die first, not because she wanted him to die, but because she didn't want him to have to bear the pain of watching her die, especially after he confessed how scared he was of losing her and what they had. Jack was unfortunately the same.
They were about to die, and they were still thinking about how they didn't want their partner to witness it, because they knew that that would ruin them if they survive.
It was, at the same time, a great source of motivation for the both of them; one that contradicted the acceptance of their fate with one another; the fact that they didn't want the other to suffer the loss of their relationship.
Once the big show was over, and they all got back home (no, Dylan didn't let the guilt fester; he broke out like half a year after getting caught and got the Horsemen together as soon as he was out), they were clinging to each other even more than usual; holding each other in bed more closely than normal, working the other through more nightmares than ever before.
It took weeks, if not months, for things to go back to normal.
Back to the topic of Lula's parents:
I personally see her as someone who grew up in a very controlling household — she only got dinner if she behaved, and her financial privileges (if she even got access to her money, regardless of whether or not she earned it while working) were based on her grades, levels of controlling —, so she's good not only at pickpocketing and lying on the fly, but also at listening for footsteps and reading lips — need to know what they want to hear if you want to lie correctly —.
I'd say, based on her style, and also because I feel like it, that she came from a pretty wealthy — not really wealthy, more like freshly wealthy who care more about appearances than anything — family, and the reason why they wanted her to be so perfect was because she was a part of their public image, and they wanted to look good in front of potential business partners.
Magic was one of the only hobbies of hers that she didn't have to hide, since people loved magic; therefore they liked the kid who was performing magic. It felt like an escape, like the only way she could actually be herself in front of people, and not just the mirror.
She did love her parents at first, but then things got worse when she got older, and she realized that she had to get out before she lost herself to their demands.
His family was very negligent, verbally abusive, and at times, physically abusive, but not in the way you'd think; they didn't hit him (which is something they used to gaslight him that what he went through wasn't abuse), they locked him out of the house with only the clothes on his back, sometimes even less than that if it wasn't "that cold" outside, whenever he misbehaved.
He was raised more by gangs than his own parents. Biker gangs specifically; they were really nice to him (and the only ones nice to him in the non creepy way).
He ended up in an underground fight ring once because he was just that desperate for money and food, but was too scared to sell himself. He got out of there bruised as Hell and with no money.
He was wandering the streets that night when he saw Atlas doing a street performance; and he couldn't put his finger on why, but that show captivated him. It was nothing special — just a couple of card tricks —, but it was swift and smooth and somehow took his mind off his swelling temples, bruised knuckles, and rumbling stomach.
And he wasn't the only one captivated; Daniel had an entire crowd fascinated. It was only towards the end of the show that Jack realized that people were quite literally dropping money at his feet, too.
He started practicing after that; found sleight of hand good for more than just tricks; it kept his pockets and stomach full. He started doing street performances; where people didn't condemn him for being "too soft for a boy" or "too whiny" (because he wasn't hungry anymore). He had a persona that people liked, that people accepted him for; something that had a bit of him, a touch of a "street kid with a heart of gold" combined with "bratty teen" stereotypes, and, of course, some inspiration from Atlas.
This became the one thing that was ever truly his. Sure, he wasn't exactly popular, and his crowds were mostly other teens and randoms who noticed a neat trick, but he was alive; this persona felt more like himself than living at home and hustling the streets ever has. And in a way, he became that mask.
Then his parents found out. They thought the streets would toughen him, and they did, but not in the way they wanted; this mask wasn't the one they wanted.
They took it all away, locked it up in the attic and locked Jack in his room so that he won't get any new ideas again.
They didn't consider Jack fighting back; he never has. They didn't think he would learn how to pick locks, take the largest bag they owned and empty their wallets of paper before leaving the window open for bugs to enter.
But he did, and he never looked back; he simply refined that mask and kept it on, because that was the real him, and there was no point in denying or taking it off now.
So when Jack and Lula opened up to each other about their pasts, Lula was a little worried, but neither of them really clocked that the starvation and financial exploitation and being locked out of the house if they miss curfew wasn't a normal thing.
They were aware that it was awful; sweared to never do that to anyone, no matter what, but they didn't realize that it was abnormal until Jack told Daniel how he learned to pick locks (to which Danny, who also grew up in a strict household, had informed him that that was not normal, and let him know that he found out years ago, through Henley, that the money and food scarcity based on grades thing wasn't normal either).
So anyway, Jack now asks Lula about what random people are saying when they're out of sonic reach.
And Lula taught Jack about gala etiquette, and how to get rich people interested, for a mission where they were playing a rich couple in some sort of banquet.
Also, I'm not going to lose this idea, so we're ending on a good note:
Lula can be indecisive, so whenever she tries out a new food and can't tell if it's good or not, or if she's just not sure about the taste (like, she's tasting something, but she can't tell what it is), she'll go to Jack and feed him a piece, so that she'll have another opinion to compare to.
Other times she does it just because she likes sharing food.
Jack now instinctively gets larger portions whenever he orders food, because he's so used to sharing with her; his mouth is already open when he sees her walking towards him with a spoon or fork.
