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Roman’s eyes were gleaming with excitement, his grin had a slightly manic twinge, and Logan was in love.
Not that he was going to let Roman know that.
“Let me get this straight,” Logan said, trying to ignore the snarky laugh that came from Roman at the word. “You want to go into the Imagination and try to catch a limnade--”
Roman frowned. “Naiad,” he corrected.”
Logan rolled his eyes. “Which, when living in a lake, is specifically a limnade. Anyway, you want to catch a limnade, simply to ask her how she breathes underwater?”
Roman shrugged. “Yeah, sounds about right.”
“You are aware that naiads can be very dangerous, yes?”
“Yeah.”
“And that the odds of you catching one is slim?”
“Yeah.”
“And, did you stop to consider the fact that it is simply part of their biology?”
Roman shrugged.
Logan pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Anyways, you in?” Roman asked with a cheeky grin.
“This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you’ve ever had--”
“I think I’ve had stupider.”
“--Of course I’m in.”
Roman’s grin widened. “Really?”
Logan sighed. “Yes, really. Someone has to make sure you don’t get yourself killed.”
Roman bumped their shoulders together as he started leading them towards the entrance to the Imagination. “Come on, we’re figments. It’s the Imagination. What could go wrong?”
Logan bit back a smile at the casual point of contact and allowed Roman to lead him. They made their way through the doorway (which Roman had of course put in a wardrobe once after a brief obsession with Narnia, and never took it back out) and found themselves in a beautiful field, emerging from a tree.
Roman led him through fields and forests, waxing poetic about his adventures and the creatures and people he’d come across. Logan found his eyes glued to Roman the whole time, causing him to embarrassingly trip more than once, leading to Roman having to catch him more than once, teasing him for his clumsiness. Yet, he just couldn’t seem to look away.
It was rather irritating that Roman had the gall to be so gorgeous, both inside and out.
Then they reached the lake. The limnades were relaxing in the shallows, giggling among themselves. If Logan listened carefully, it sounded like they were gossiping about people from the nearby towns.
Roman blazed on forward while Logan approached more slowly. Roman’s booming voice echoed across the lake, and the limnades gasped and jumped up, rushing back towards the lake. Logan shook his head as Roman chased them, not even bothering to kick off his boots before he rushed into the shallows.
Then, one of the limnades somehow found her way behind Roman. Logan sped up his pace, rushing toward the edge of the lake.
“Roman!” He called. “Look--!”
The limnade caused a stream of water to pick Roman up by one of his legs. She tsked at him before tossing him into the lake. She and her fellow limnades tittered before vanishing into the depths.
Logan skidded to a stop at the edge of the lake. “--out...” he muttered.
Roman’s head popped up above the water and he spit a mouthful of the lake out. He grumbled as he waded out, soaked from head to toe.
Logan couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up. He grinned and muffled it behind his hand, turning away from the sight of Roman trudging out of the lake looking like an angry, wet dog.
He heard Roman let out an incredulous laugh as he sloshed through the shallows of the lake towards him. “Have I entered and alternate universe, or did you really just crack a smile for me?”
Logan tried to straighten out his features, and only somewhat succeeded. There was still the slightest pull at his lips that he had to use all his concentration to resist. “I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about.”
Roman raised an eyebrow, mischievous grin stretching across his features. “Really, now?” He sang, advancing toward Logan.
Logan made an affirmative noise and started slowly backing away. Predictably, he tripped over his own feet getting lost in Roman’s chocolate eyes. Roman dove forward, caught him by the arm, used that same arm to pull Logan towards him, and tossed Logan over his shoulder.
Logan let out a startled noise and startled struggling as Roman walked them both deeper into the lake. “Roman, put me down! Don’t you dare--”
Roman unceremoniously dropped him into the lake. Logan splashed down, almost losing his glasses in the water, and got soaked himself.
“Alright,” Logan grumbled, pulling himself to his feet. “That’s it.”
And promptly engaged the two of them in a splash war. Roman had the strength to make larger splashes, but Logan’s splashes had the precision that his didn’t. He couldn’t really tell who was winning, if either of them, but he couldn’t help feeling like he lost as the smile forced it’s way back onto his face.
Roman rushed him, letting out a loud battle cry, and Logan yelped and ducked, protecting his face in expectation of a splash. He let out what he would later deny being a startled shriek as Roman wrapped his arms around Logan’s waist and pulled him in so they were back-to-chest, then lifted Logan up and started spinning him in circles.
Roman laughed joyously in his ear, his breath there making him shiver. Logan couldn’t help but topple into giddy laughter himself. Roman slowed and set Logan’s feet on the ground, and he turned to face Roman again. They froze like that, Logan ensnared in Roman’s arms, gazing into each other’s eyes like some frilly romance novel.
Only this was not a romance novel. This was real, and Logan was all too aware of how hard his heart was beating.
“Would you be offended if I kissed you?” Roman eventually breathed out.
Without his conscious decision, he replied. “I think I would be offended if you didn’t.”
And then he did. And it was perfect.
Aside from the naiads rising up from the water to wolf-whistle at them, that is.