A/N: Guess who's back? After almost a year since my last update! I'm terrible.

Well, I'll keep this short so y'all can get to reading. More A/N at the end though, so I can explain myself.

There may be a couple more typos in this one than usual so I'll hafta come back and make some tweaks.

Saturday mornings were always Leo's favorite. He wasn't at all an early riser, but once he did actually get up, he was usually in a good mood. Today especially. The smell of waffles was settling through the house and Leo's stomach growled ferociously.

"Yeah, yeah," Leo mumbled, rubbing his stomach. "I hear you."

He swung his legs over the side of the bed, prodding the cold hardwood floor with his toes before getting up and walking out of his room. On his way to the kitchen, Leo stopped by the bathroom. He washed his face, ran a hand through his curly hair, and sighed. Leo never paid much attention to his appearance, mostly because it didn't matter to him until now. His face looked tired, but that probably was due to the fact that he just woke up. It reminded him of his mom. Speaking of which—

"Leo!" Esperanza called from the kitchen. "Are you up, mijo?"

When she saw Leo enter the kitchen, she smiled brightly, accentuating her laugh lines. She had set some waffles on the table along with a glass of milk for him. Esperanza was sitting at the table even though she had already eaten, and she had a cup of coffee in her hands.

"Morning," Leo said, taking his seat at the table. As he ate, he snuck a glance at his mother's face. She seemed unusually chipper.

"So," she began expectantly.

"So?" Leo raised an eyebrow.

"What are you planning today with Reyna?" Esperanza asked.

Leo almost choked on his waffle. "Oh, um—yeah, that."

Esperanza sighed, going to Spanish. "Don't tell me you forgot about it. Even I remembered."

"I didn't forget!" He completely forgot.

His mom chuckled, but didn't say anything after that. She let him finish his meal before bringing it up again. As Leo was putting his dishes in the sink, she asked again, "So do you have a plan?"

Unexpectedly, Leo groaned, but not in annoyance. He propped his elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands. Esperanza got up and walked over to her son, rubbing his back comfortingly and trying to get a good look at his expression.

"I don't," Leo admitted. His voice was slightly muffled until he took his hands away from his face. "I'm not even sure why I asked her in the first place, you know? The first real friend I've ever had since I was five was Jason. I don't know how to deal with people, let alone a girl!"

Esperanza chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Calm down mijo, or you're going to make it seem worse than it is."

"Seems pretty bad to me," Leo mumbled.

She frowned. "Stop that. Look—" Esperanza rested a hand on his shoulder "—you will be fine, Leo. Just be yourself, but be respectful too. It's important to make a good impression on a first date."

Leo straightened up quickly and turned to stare at his mom. "It's not a date," he argued, but his eyebrows were pulling together the way they do when he's worried. "We're just hanging out. As friends."

"You sure?" his mother teased.

Leo rolled his eyes, but smiled a bit. Esperanza ran a hand through his hair, pulled him close, and kissed his forehead. "She must be special, though, eh?"

He knew what she meant, and she didn't need him to say it. Leo liked Reyna, even if he couldn't admit it to himself or anyone else. From what Esperanza knew, Leo claimed to have crushes on many girls before, but they never seemed to last long.

"I don't know why I'm hanging around her so much," Leo said.

"Well," Esperanza said, "sometimes you don't fall out of crushes that easily."

The teenager became indignant again. "It's not a crush!" he insisted. "It's just…for the daycare. Reyna said she'd be around more often so I think it's best for the kids and Mrs. Jaramillo if we can get along."

Esperanza smiled and shrugged. He was stubborn sometimes, like his father.

Leo checked the clock. It was around ten o'clock. He was supposed to meet Reyna around noon. "I think I'll take my bike and stop by Jason's before meeting Reyna at the park. He's closer to it anyways."

His mom nodded, and Leo got ready to leave. Once he was out of the house, he allowed himself to clear his mind for a moment, of Reyna, of dating, of everything, until he reached Jason's place. Leo knew Jason would let him leave the bike there for the day and Leo could just walk to the park afterward.

Jason was happy to see Leo when he came. "Hey man," he said, inviting Leo inside. "Thalia's out today, I thought I was going to be bored out of my mind."

Leo chuckled. "Well I can't stay for too long," he reminded him. "I don't know if you remember, but I'm meeting up with her highness at lunch."

"Ah." Jason looked at Leo knowingly, but didn't say anything. "So when are you planning on telling me her name?"

Leo pretended to think about it. "Maybe never."

"Selfish," Jason accused.

Jason grabbed some snacks from the pantry and he and Leo flopped onto the sofa in Jason's living room. Leo took the remote and flipped it on to a random channel. For a while they just mindlessly stared at the television and ate Cheetos from the bag, careful not to stain the beige couch or else Thalia would kill them.

"So where's your sister anyways?" Leo eventually asked with his mouth full.

Jason wiped at his face before answering. "Out with a friend I think. Long distance, haven't seen each other in person since forever, but they email all the time."

"Oh."

"Yup." Jason nodded, taking another handful of Cheetos. "It was crazy; you should've seen it. And I think I should partially blame you."

"Me?" Leo sat up straight and swallowed. He shot Jason a confused look. "What'd I do?"

Jason smirked, but his eyes were still glued to the screen. "Nah, I'm joking. But since you told Thalia that I haven't found a girl yet or something, she's been trying to set me up. Apparently her friend's got a younger sister and they wanted us to go out today."

"Gross," Leo said, wrinkling his nose and turning back to the television.

"Well." Jason shrugged. "I've never met her. Don't even know her name and I think even Thalia forgot, but it doesn't really matter. I can't ever go on a blind date; that's just too weird for me."

"Here, here," Leo said, raising a fist. "You told your sister no, then?"

Jason chuckled. "Didn't have too. Apparently the sister has some plans already, so I'm off the hook."

Leo laughed. "Hey man, what time is it?"

Jason checked his watch. "Uh. 11:57."

"Shoot!" Leo scrambled to get off the couch, almost knocking the chips everywhere. Jason got a hold of the bag and put it on the coffee table, looking up at his friend worriedly.

"You okay?" Jason asked.

Leo hand his hand on the door already. "I'm gonna be late for her majesty's audience." He stood up straight and patted at his clothes. "How do I look?"

Jason raised an eyebrow and smirked, causing Leo to roll his eyes and leave without saying goodbye. The blond went back to the couch, taking the remote and changing the channel a few times before stopping on cartoons.

"Is he sure it's not a date?" Jason asked himself aloud.

At the park, Reyna was sitting on a stone bench, passing time by looking at the clouds. It was a nice spring day, not too hot or cold, with a light breeze in the air. She'd actually come early, so she didn't notice that Leo was ten minutes late.

Really all she wanted was to get out of the house. Hylla was even meeting up with a friend of her own, and, no offense to her mother, but Reyna didn't want to be in the house with her at the moment. When her dad was out working (which was pretty much 90% of the time) Reyna's mom would try to play therapist or something and ask Reyna questions, especially after what had happened. Reyna knew her mom meant well, but it was kind of annoying.

What she was going to do about her family problems, Reyna didn't know, but it seemed that right now she was just trying to run from them.

She heard Leo before she saw him. He called her name, and she turned toward the direction of his voice. Leo was running up to her, and when he reached her he was panting a little. Reyna raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry I'm late," Leo said, scratching the back of his head.

Reyna blinked. It seemed like he was really making an effort. She hadn't expected that. Honestly she would've been fine if he didn't show up at all. Perhaps slightly offended, but mostly fine.

"No, it's alright," she told Leo. "I understand."

He seemed surprised. "Really?" Leo cleared his throat. "I mean, great! So—uh, what do you want to do?"

"Um. I don't know." Reyna frowned. She hadn't thought they would get this far along in the first place.

There was an awkward pause, and a rather long one.

Not being able to stand the silence, Leo darted his eyes around for something of interest. He spotted an ice cream truck parked on the curb and suddenly had an idea.

"You wanna go for ice cream?" Leo asked.

Reyna followed his line of sight, and she looked back at him like Seriously? That's your plan?

Leo laughed, offering his hand to Reyna. "No, not that. I don't really mean ice cream. I was thinking of something a little different." He raised his eyebrows expectantly. "I promise, it's just a few blocks from here."

Reyna looked cautious, but she took Leo's hand and he pulled her up. He led her out of the park and down the road. She wasn't entirely familiar with the direction he was going; her house was the other way and she'd never been beyond the park. In fact, she hadn't been there since she was a little girl. It was just coincidence that Leo decided to pick this place to meet up.

They didn't talk the entire walk over. Leo had his hands in his pockets and he was looking forward. Reyna had her hands clasped behind her back as she walked.

If they were to tell the truth about it, they were both thinking about bailing out, pretending to get a phone call and leaving in false urgency just to avoid the awkwardness. Neither of them did, and soon the awkwardness faded and it was just silence. Nothing more, nothing less. And they were okay with it.

"We're here," Leo said finally.

Reyna looked around. They were standing in front of a small shop. On the glass door was something in Italian that she didn't really get a good look at because Leo opened the door and gestured for her to follow him in. On the inside, the place looked like a regular ice cream parlor. Reyna glanced at Leo questioningly.

"It's actually gelato," Leo explained. "Italian, you know?"

"Yes, I know it's Italian," Reyna replied, albeit more curtly than she had intended. She mentally kicked herself.

Leo smiled and walked up to the counter. The only man that seemed to be working there was middle-aged and bulky, with black hair and a prominent nose.

"Ah, Leo!" he said. "How are you?"

"Fine, Jay," Leo replied. "I trust you're okay."

"Yeah, yeah." Jay waved a hand. "So, what can I get you?"

Leo looked back at Reyna, who had already taken a seat at a table by the wall. She rested her hand on her hand and was looking out the window with a rather blank expression. He chuckled and turned back.

"Girlfriend?" Jay guessed, pointing at Reyna.

Leo shook his head. "Nah. Get me one vanilla, one chocolate. Both small. Keep the change." He gave Jay a five-dollar bill.

Jay nodded, going to fulfill the order, putting the scoops in paper cups and handing Leo the little plastic spoons. Leo brought the gelato back over to Reyna and handed her the chocolate one. He took the seat in front of her.

"I didn't even know you were ordering already," Reyna told him, taking the spoon gingerly.

"You do seem a bit out of it," Leo pointed out, taking a bite of his vanilla. "What's on your mind?"

"How did you know I liked chocolate?" Reyna asked him. She seemed genuinely surprised.

"Doesn't everyone?" Leo chuckled, drumming his fingers against the table before taking another bite. "I'm kidding. The kids from Mrs. Jaramillo's told me."

Reyna's face relaxed and she pursed her lips. She began eating her own portion, and while she didn't say anything, Leo knew she liked it. He felt like he could breath now.

"Seriously though," Leo said, putting his ice cream aside. "What're you thinking about? I mean, unless you don't want to say."

She ate a little more before answering. "Nothing really. My dad's just being really hard on me because of my older sister. She's pretty much his perfect child, so I think I'm disappointing him."

Watching Reyna's face as she spoke made Leo sympathize. He didn't know what it was like, but Reyna was really bothered by it.

"If there's one thing I know," Leo said, "it's that parents are always proud of their kids as long as they try their best."

Reyna looked at him curiously.

"Really," he pressed on. "You gotta trust me on that. It might be a good idea to try and patch things up with your dad while you have the chance."

Suddenly Reyna knew what this was about. Leo was talking about his own father. He wasn't around anymore, but there was something about Leo's tone that made her think. She tried to change the subject.

"So, um, how's your mom?" she asked him tentatively.

Leo smiled slightly, and relief washed over Reyna. "She's doing all right," he said. "I'm always scared that she still might overdo it, but I have to believe in her."

He was always happy when mentioning his mom, and Reyna felt that she made the right turn in the conversation. At least they were going somewhere now. After maybe an hour or so of talking, Reyna suggested that they return to the park.

The walk back was much like the first one, except they were both thinking about different things that time. Reyna found that she'd learned a lot of Leo in just a short amount of time:

He really likes apple pie.

His favorite color is orange.

He got a black eye when he was three because of a fight in preschool.

He likes making tacos with his mom.

There was more, obviously, and Reyna thought it was quite peculiar how they opened up to each other so quickly. She in return even told him about Hylla and how they were both homeschooled and everything. For the first time since they met, she really felt like they could be friends.

Or maybe something more.

When they returned to the park, they sat down on the same bench where Leo had found Reyna. Reyna kicked her legs back and forth and Leo turned his face up to the sky.

"You know," he said, glancing back at her, "I don't think I've ever seen you wear something other than your collared shirts and khaki skirts."

Reyna faced the other way, fearing that her face might be red from embarrassment. It's true, her parents always wanted her to look neat and proper, but this time she was wearing shorts that went just above the knees and a purple blouse. Her hair was still pulled back in a ponytail.

She heard Leo chuckling. "Purple looks good on you," he said teasingly.

Reyna turned to him and lightly punched his shoulder. "Whatever," she argued lamely, a small grin tugging on the corner or her lips.

"Oh hey!" Leo bent forward and plucked a flower that was in the grass in front of him. "I didn't know daisies grew here."

Reyna looked at him incredulously. He was twirling the plant between his fingers and inspecting it. Without warning, he handed it to Reyna.

"Want it?" he asked her, eyebrows raised.

She looked at the white flower and pursed her lips, taking it in one hand. "Not really," she admitted.

"Heh, flowers don't suit you anyways," Leo noticed. "Too fragile."

"Excuse me?" She feigned a look of hurt, but they both laughed.

Leo stopped and pointed behind Reyna. "I think she might, though."

Reyna turned around to see a young blonde girl of about four standing by her, admiring the daisy with wide eyes. Reyna smiled at the little girl and asked, "Hi, sweetie, what's your name?"

"Sarah," the little girl said, smiling wide. She was missing a front tooth.

Leo laughed, watching the two. Reyna held a completely different demeanor when talking to kids. It was almost nurturing.

"Would you like this flower?" Reyna held it out to Sarah.

Sarah nodded. "Yes, please!"

Reyna leaned in and tucked the flower behind Sarah's little ear. The young girl giggled in delight and gave Reyna a hug.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed, pulling back.

Reyna smiled warmly. "No problem."

"Wow, your highness," Leo remarked. "That was impressive."

Behind them, someone else called out, "Sarah!"

Sarah looked up. "Coming mommy!"

The girl's mother was already behind them, though, and Leo and Reyna turned around to say hello.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," her mom apologized. "I hope she didn't give you much trouble."

"Not at all," said Leo, grinning. "She's a sweet girl."

Sarah's mom smiled. "Why, thanks. I'm Lauren, by the way. Nice to meet you two."

Leo and Reyna introduce themselves, and Lauren insisted that the three of them take a photo. At first, Reyna resisted, but Leo convinced her and together they and Sarah posed as Lauren snapped the picture.

Afterwards, Sarah and Lauren bade them goodbye, but before she left, Lauren told Leo and Reyna, "You two make such a lovely couple!"

They both turned red.

"I—uh," Leo stuttered. "We're n—"

"Thank you," Reyna interrupted, smiling pleasantly.

Leo looked at her with wide eyes, and with that, Lauren left with Sarah, leaving the two alone again.

"What was that?" Leo demanded.

"What?" Reyna stared at him. "I was just saving her the embarrassment of being wrong."

"What about us?" Leo countered.

Reyna threw the question back at him. "What about us?"

For a second, he just glared at her. "Don't confuse me!" he accused. "It feels like everyone sees us like we're on a date or something!"

"And would that be so bad?" Reyna questioned him, making no further reaction to his outburst.

Leo stopped short. He scrutinized Reyna's face for a moment before speaking again. "No?" He shook his head and gestured at her. "Do you want this to be a date?"

Reyna rolled her eyes and took Leo's hand in hers. She stood up and tugged on his hand for him to get up. "Come on, Valdez, let's find something else to do." She chuckled at his shocked expression. "I don't want to go home just yet."

A/N: You would think that after so long I would have something more quality but I've actually been busy with a lot of other things. Mainly school. I also changed my penname (for personal reasons and all).

I really forgot about updating, but you know I love you guys and I did come back. Things are hectic, though I wanna dedicate myself to this story, so we can all make it to the end together. Of course, I already know the ending, but yeah. You get the idea.

I hope you all don't hate me too much for the long hiatus. I'll try to be better.

(I might a little slower than I would like to be, although I'll try to be more consistent. I actually also have a Rise of the Guardians chapter fanfic in the works, but I will only post the first chapter until the rest of the story is finish, so I can avoid this kind of fiasco. Anyways, I still have a lot on my plate so bear with me if you can.)

Thanks everyone!

~Chrys