I loved writing this, spies, I hope I did Royall justice. Also, their ship name is gorgeous! ^.^ ENJOY! Next up will be "Complicated" a LeChelle songfic requested by Eliz-Goddess of Fish. The title was partially inspired by "Mona Lisa" by Panic! At the Disco, I suggest you listen to it. It's not neessary to understand the story, because it actually has nothing to do with this, but it's a good song nonetheless. xD
Leo Valdez had never met a bigger challenge.
Sure, he could rebuild a metal dragon inside a ship, and build said ship. But he couldn't make Royall smile.
Not even a little bit.
He loves a challenge, though, and it was his personal mission to get her to smile at him once this summer.
So he starts with the typical things, telling jokes and smirking at her, teasing her and prodding her. But she doesn't crack. At ALL.
He thinks that maybe it's the whole "daughter of Hecate" thing, or maybe because she's not very social…
One day, he approaches her in the woods, she's got the hood of her blue cloak up, and she's summoning some sort of energy as she aims at a target. The energy grows, becoming blacker as it does so and hits a tree, enveloping it in blackness before reversing and the energy coming back to her hands.
"Gods! Why can't I get this right?!" she questions aloud, and Leo smirks, walking towards her with his arms crossed.
"Maybe because the dryads don't want you killing their trees?"
Royall rolls her eyes, putting down her hood and revealing her short, purple hair. "Can I help you, Valdez?"
"You wanna answer my question?"
"I cleared it with them previous to this. The tree is not a reincarnation, nor a dryad. So now, if you'll excuse me…" she turns from him and begins to try the spell again, but he stops her.
"I wish you'd smile at me for once."
"I am not the type to smile, Leo." she says, clipping off the end of each word.
"C'mon Roy, one smile and you can go back to training your magic."
Royall turns on her heel and glares into his eyes, "Firstly, my name is not 'Roy'," at this she sneers, "And secondly, I will not smile to simply please you."
"Royall, c'mon...You know you wanna smile. I mean, I'm gorgeous."
Royall snorts and turns from him as quickly as she'd turned towards him, "Thirdly, I don't like people who are full of themselves."
Leo rolls his eyes, then walks next to her and put an arm around her, he really had to work hard for this smile. "Maybe this'll make you smile." He presses his mouth firmly to hers.
Royall is caught by surprise, and is between kissing him back and pulling away when she does both. For a split second, she allows her mouth to press against Leo's, then she whips back and slaps him across the face.
Leo, surprised by her smack, falls to his knees and holds his cheek. "Ow…" he mutters.
Royall rolls her eyes. Wimp, I didn't hit you that hard. She's fighting a smile at his pain, because she doesn't want to give in, but she gives a small laugh, that soon becomes uproarious and she, too, falls to her knees, still laughing.
Leo looks up at her, and smiles through his pain, because she's not just smiling, she's laughing. Sure, it hurt big time to make it happen, but Royall was laughing. At him. Once the pain in his cheek subsides, he helps her stand since her laughter has stopped. She's gone back to a somewhat blank face, her purple eyes the only indicator she's still laughing inside.
Leo leans to kiss her again, and this time, she meets him half-way.
Then slaps him again. Though it was lighter than the previous one, she had enjoyed laughing at his pain, and wanted to have it happen again.
"So, does this mean you'll go out with me?" Leo asks, on his knees again and holding his other cheek.
Royall smirks and shrugs, "Sure, you're nice for a laugh."
Leo looks into her laughing irises and smiles at her, which she reciprocates. He'd pay anything to keep that smile on her face.
Even his own. Face, that is.