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Hawk SnowWhite liked Joy Lefrog.
She was a good friend. He thinks. She was friendly to everyone around her, spared no expense in making sure her teammates were happy, and shared her lunch with him when his grandmother conveniently forgot to pack him a sandwich and left him a sole red apple instead. Lefrog Castle had amazing cooks. Even if Hawk had to pick out the bugs from Joy’s vegetarian wrap, he appreciated the gesture. Her bright smile in seeing him enjoying her food didn’t hurt, either.
Hawk didn’t mind sharing a table with her in Literature class. Or sitting next to her in any class in general. They’d spend the period switching between listening to their teacher’s lecture and gossiping about their classmates. She’d tell him about potion-making and he’d entertain her with his latest attempts at cooking. She would laugh at all the right places, he would challenge her to see if she could do better, and she’d accept, bringing her half-baked creation the next day. Then they would either attempt to eat her dish or feed it to the Three Little Pigs.
Hawk had known her for barely a month.
Joy Lefrog was a……well……joy to be around. The epitome of comfort and solace. Her presence was the equivalent of an eternal warm hug.
Which is why, when he went to collect ingredients for a potion assignment, he didn’t think twice about leaving his precious cookbook with her, knowing that she would let no harm come to his culinary diary.
Which is why, when he found Joy clutching a vial formerly filled with acidic liquid with said liquid spilled over his cookbook, he couldn’t bring himself to form words.
Which is why, when Joy tried to explain what happened, he tuned her out, his mind numb with disbelief.
He didn’t notice Ruby’s snickers.
He paid no mind to Joy’s apologetic ventures.
What mattered was that the person he had grown so close to in the past few weeks had shattered his trust.
Hawk needn’t say anything though. His ice-cold shoulder spoke volumes.
“Hey.”
Thunder crashed as if to back up her greeting. Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating her grass-green eyes. A dark blue umbrella in her grasp, she managed a weak smile as the torrent of rain poured down mercilessly a hair’s breadth away.
Hawk kept his eyes trained on the floor. She wasn’t supposed to be here. His grandmother had imprisoned him in his classroom for several hours as she introduced him to one princess after another. The school should’ve been devoid of people by now. Knowing Joy, she had probably felt guilty about his soiled cookbook, which was now bundled up in a plastic bag in his messenger bag.
If he even knew her at all. Apparently he had missed out on the “two-faced saboteur” part of her introduction.
Joy’s face fell as he refused to return her greetings. They both stood there for a while, the sheltered walkway in front of the school doors keeping them from the storm’s revenge on the once sunny skies. Two new friends, both crestfallen, staring out onto the stone structure, letting the awkward silence stretch out between them.
Joy opened up her umbrella and walked a few steps out into the rain, still avoiding his eyes. “I just wanted you to know that…….I was only trying to clean up the spill that damaged your cookbook.” She glanced back at him with an earnest expression Hawk can’t quite read into. “Honest.”
Hawk stared back, certain that she could sense the confused turmoil that he was experiencing. He may or may not have been gaping a bit.
“I – “ Joy’s voice caught in her throat. “I’ve never been in a team before. Never had any friends.” Hawk could hear the melancholy in her voice. “This is all sort of……new to me.” A statement, not a question.
Hawk had known her for barely a month.
Which is why, when she met his eyes again with a sheepish smile and a shrug, saying that he was taken aback was an understatement.
Which is why, when she held out her umbrella towards him, perplexity muddled his senses as his eyes darted back and forth between the handle and her ingenuous eyes. The more he stared, the more he found himself lost in the twinkling pools of green that told him she wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Which is why, when thunder boomed once more, snapping him out of his thoughts, he reached for the umbrella after a moment’s hesitation.
Which is why, when their fingers brushed, sending a jolt through him – brief and sensational – he couldn’t explain why his insides felt like a warm, freshly baked apple pie.
He couldn’t explain the next thing that came out of his mouth either.
“W-wouldn’t you get soaked out there?”
Joy’s expression morphed into one of surprise before she burst into laughter, gay and pure, breaking the tension between them. Hawk found himself chuckling along.
“Frogs love the rain,” she answered simply. By now, drops of rain dripped off the ends of her feathery turquoise bob. Precipitation had dampened her uniform, seeped through her socks, and splashed on her face. But the glowing smile that permeated the atmosphere around them was unmistakable.
The two friends beamed at each other for a little while longer before Joy held up her hand for a small wave. “See you tomorrow.” She turned around and strolled out into the rain.
“Y-yeah. See you…….tomotlow. Toromow. Tomorrow?” Hawk still had a dazed grin on his fairest, SnowWhite features.
Hawk had known her for barely a month.
He thought he had Joy Lefrog all figured out.
He thought their friendship would be a simple affair.
Which is why, as scarlet bloomed on his cheeks as he watched her figure receding in the distance, he realized he had never really known the granddaughter of the Frog Prince at all.
Hello, Joy Lefrog. It’s nice to meet you too.